(a) The Probate Court Administrator may, within available appropriations, establish a truancy clinic within (1) any Regional Children’s Probate Court that serves a town designated as an alliance district pursuant to section 10-262u, or (2) any Probate Court that serves a town designated as an alliance district that is not served by a Regional Children’s Probate Court. The administrative judge of the Regional Children’s Probate Court or the probate judge, as the case may be, or the designee of such administrative judge or such probate judge, shall administer the truancy clinic for such administrative judge’s or such probate judge’s respective court.

(b) If the Probate Court Administrator establishes truancy clinics pursuant to subsection (a) of this section, the principal of any elementary or middle school located in a town designated as an alliance district, or the principal’s designee, may refer to a truancy clinic a parent or guardian with a child enrolled in such school who is a truant, as defined in section 10-198a, or at risk of becoming a truant. Upon receiving such referral, the truancy clinic shall prepare a citation and summons for the parent or guardian of the child to appear at the clinic. An attendance officer authorized pursuant to section 10-199, or a police officer authorized pursuant to section 10-200, shall deliver the citation and summons and a copy of the referral to the parent or guardian.

(c) The administrative judge of the Regional Children’s Probate Court that serves a town designated as an alliance district or the probate judge that serves a town designated as an alliance district, as the case may be, may refer any matter referred to a truancy clinic to a probate magistrate or attorney probate referee assigned by the Probate Court Administrator pursuant to section 45a-123a to hear the matter.

(d) The truancy clinics shall operate for the purpose of identifying and resolving the cause of a child’s truancy using nonpunitive procedures. After the initial appearance made pursuant to the summons described in subsection (b) of this section, the participation of a parent or guardian in the truancy clinic shall be voluntary. The truancy clinics shall establish protocols for clinic participation and shall establish programs and relationships with schools, individuals, public and private agencies, and other organizations to provide services and support for parents, guardians and children participating in the clinics.

(e) The Probate Court Administrator shall establish policies and procedures to implement the truancy clinics and measure the effectiveness of the truancy clinics.

(f) Not later than September 1, 2015, and annually thereafter, each administrative judge of a Regional Children’s Probate Court that serves a town designated as an alliance district in which a truancy clinic has been established and each probate judge that serves a town designated as an alliance district in which a truancy clinic has been established shall file a report with the Probate Court Administrator assessing the effectiveness of each truancy clinic in such administrative judge’s or such probate judge’s respective court.

(g) Not later than January 1, 2016, the Probate Court Administrator shall submit, in accordance with section 11-4a, a report assessing the effectiveness of the truancy clinics to the joint standing committees of the General Assembly having cognizance of matters relating to the judiciary and education.

(P.A. 11-177, S. 1; P.A. 14-103, S. 9; P.A. 15-225, S. 1; P.A. 17-136, S. 5.)

History: P.A. 11-177 effective July 13, 2011; P.A. 14-103 added provisions re pilot truancy clinic within the Regional Children’s Probate Court for New Haven, changed reporting deadlines in Subsec. (f) from September 1, 2012, to September 1, 2014, and in Subsec. (g) from January 1, 2015, to January 1, 2016, and made conforming changes, effective June 6, 2014; P.A. 15-225 deleted references to Waterbury and New Haven and made provisions of section applicable to any regional children’s probate court or probate court that serves town designated as alliance district, amended Subsec. (a) by deleting “pilot”, amended Subsec. (f) by replacing “2014” with “2015”, and made conforming changes, effective July 1, 2015; P.A. 17-136 made technical changes in Subsecs. (a), (c) and (f).