School enrollment procedures to aid identification and location of lost, missing, and runaway children
N.D. Cent. Code § 12-60-26
in effect12-60-26. School enrollment procedures to aid identification and location of lost,
missing, and runaway children.
1. When a child enrolls in a public or nonpublic school, licensed day care facility, home
education, licensed day care center, licensed child care facility, headstart program, or
nursery school for the first time, the school, licensed day care facility, headstart
program, or school superintendent of the jurisdiction shall:
a. Require the child's parent, guardian, or legal custodian to present to the school,
licensed day care facility, or school superintendent of the jurisdiction, within forty
days of enrollment, proof of identity of the child; and
b. Request the appropriate school records for the child from the previous school
attended by the child. The school enrolling the child shall make the request within
thirty days of enrollment of the child.
2. If a child's parent, guardian, or legal custodian does not present the proof of identity
required in subsection 1 within forty days of enrollment or if the school does not
receive the school records of the child within sixty days of enrollment, the school,
licensed day care facility, or school superintendent of the jurisdiction shall notify the
bureau and a local law enforcement authority that no proof of identity has been
presented for the child.
3. A school shall transfer records or proof of identity of a child within ten calendar days
upon receipt of request.
4. When a school, licensed day care facility, or school superintendent receives a notice
from a law enforcement authority, parent, guardian, or legal custodian that a child who
is or has been enrolled in that school or facility has been reported as a lost, missing, or
runaway child, the school, licensed day care facility, or school superintendent shall:
a. Flag the records of the child; and
b. Notify the bureau and a local law enforcement authority if a request for school
records is received from any source.
5. When the division of vital records of the department of health and human services
receives a notice from a law enforcement authority that a child is reported as lost,
missing, or runaway, the division of vital records shall:
a. Flag the records of the individual; and
b. Notify the bureau and a local law enforcement authority if a request for records is
received from any source.
6. If it is necessary for law enforcement authorities to conduct an investigation on a lost,
missing, or runaway child, school or day care personnel may not inform the person
claiming custody of the child of the investigation while it is being conducted.
7. For purposes of this section:
a. "Flag the records" means marking the division of vital records, school, day care,
or home education records in such a manner that any personnel viewing that
record will be automatically alerted that the child or individual has been reported
as lost, missing, or runaway.
b. "Home education" means a program of education supervised by a child's parent
in accordance with the requirements of chapter 15.1-23.
c. "Proof of identity" means a certified copy of a birth certificate, a certified
transcript, or similar student records from the previous school, or any other
documentary evidence the school, licensed day care facility, or school
superintendent considers appropriate proof of identity.
d. "School" or "licensed day care facility" means all elementary and secondary
schools, licensed day care centers, licensed child care facilities, headstart
programs, and nursery schools whether public or nonpublic.
Source: Open US Law by Vaquill AI (CC BY 4.0)URL: https://ndlegis.gov/cencode/t12c60.pdf#nameddest=12-60-26Fetched: 10/16/2026