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<law><site_title>Virginia Decoded</site_title><site_url>https://vacode.org</site_url><law_id>64854</law_id><section_number>16.1-241.2</section_number><catch_line>Proceedings against certain parents</catch_line><edition url="https://vacode.org/2025/" slug="2025" current="TRUE" last_updated="">2025</edition><referred_to_by><reference>16.1-241</reference></referred_to_by><structure><unit label="title" level="1" order_by="1" identifier="16.1">Courts Not of Record</unit><unit label="chapter" level="2" order_by="1" identifier="11">Juvenile and Domestic Relations District Courts</unit><unit label="article" level="3" order_by="1" identifier="3">Jurisdiction and Venue</unit></structure><text>
						<section id="A"><p><span class="prefix-number">A.</span> Upon the failure of a <span class="dictionary">parent</span> to comply with the provisions of &#xA7;&#xA0;<a class="law" title="Parental responsibility and involvement requirements" href="/22.1-279.3/">22.1-279.3</a>, the school board may, by <span class="dictionary">petition</span> to the <span class="dictionary">juvenile and domestic relations court</span>, proceed against such <span class="dictionary">parent</span> for willful and unreasonable refusal to participate in efforts to improve the student&#x2019;s behavior as follows: <a id="paragraph-236025" class="section-permalink" href="https://vacode.org/16.1-241.2/#A"><i class="fa fa-link"/></a></p></section>
						<section id="A1" class="indent-1"><p><span class="prefix-number">1.</span> If <span class="dictionary">the court</span> finds that the <span class="dictionary">parent</span> has willfully and unreasonably failed to meet, pursuant to a request of the principal as set forth in subsection D of &#xA7; <a class="law" title="Parental responsibility and involvement requirements" href="/22.1-279.3/">22.1-279.3</a>, to review the school board&#x2019;s standards of student conduct and the <span class="dictionary">parent</span>&#x2019;s responsibility to assist the school in disciplining the student, maintaining <span class="dictionary">order</span>, or ensuring the child&#x2019;s school attendance, and to discuss improvement of the child&#x2019;s behavior, school attendance, or educational progress, it may <span class="dictionary">order</span> the <span class="dictionary">parent</span> to so meet; or <a id="paragraph-236026" class="section-permalink" href="https://vacode.org/16.1-241.2/#A1"><i class="fa fa-link"/></a></p></section>
						<section id="A2" class="indent-1"><p><span class="prefix-number">2.</span> If <span class="dictionary">the court</span> finds that the <span class="dictionary">parent</span> has willfully and unreasonably failed to accompany a suspended student to meet with school officials pursuant to subsection F of &#xA7; <a class="law" title="Parental responsibility and involvement requirements" href="/22.1-279.3/">22.1-279.3</a>, or upon the student receiving a second suspension or being expelled, it may <span class="dictionary">order</span> (i) the student or his <span class="dictionary">parent</span> to participate in such programs or such treatment as <span class="dictionary">the court</span> deems appropriate to improve the student&#x2019;s behavior, including, but not limited to, extended day programs and summer school or other education programs and counseling, or (ii) the student or his <span class="dictionary">parent</span> to be subject to such conditions and limitations as <span class="dictionary">the court</span> deems appropriate for the supervision, care, and rehabilitation of the student or his <span class="dictionary">parent</span>; in addition, <span class="dictionary">the court</span> may <span class="dictionary">order</span> the <span class="dictionary">parent</span> to pay a civil <span class="dictionary">penalty</span> not to exceed $500.
				<span class="dictionary">The court</span> may use its <span class="dictionary">contempt</span> power to enforce any <span class="dictionary">order</span> entered under this section. <a id="paragraph-236027" class="section-permalink" href="https://vacode.org/16.1-241.2/#A2"><i class="fa fa-link"/></a></p></section>
						<section id="B"><p><span class="prefix-number">B.</span> The civil penalties established pursuant to this section shall be enforceable in the <span class="dictionary">juvenile and domestic relations court</span> or its successor in interest in which the student&#x2019;s school is located and shall be paid into a fund maintained by the appropriate local governing body to support programs or treatments designed to improve the behavior and school attendance of students as described in subdivision 2 of subsection G of &#xA7; <a class="law" title="Parental responsibility and involvement requirements" href="/22.1-279.3/">22.1-279.3</a>. Upon the failure to pay any civil penalties imposed by this section and &#xA7; <a class="law" title="Parental responsibility and involvement requirements" href="/22.1-279.3/">22.1-279.3</a>, the attorney for the appropriate county, city, or town shall enforce the collection of such civil penalties. <a id="paragraph-236028" class="section-permalink" href="https://vacode.org/16.1-241.2/#B"><i class="fa fa-link"/></a></p></section>
						<section id="C"><p><span class="prefix-number">C.</span> For the purposes of this section and &#xA7; <a class="law" title="Parental responsibility and involvement requirements" href="/22.1-279.3/">22.1-279.3</a>, &#x201C;<span class="dictionary">parent</span>&#x201D; or &#x201C;<span class="dictionary"><span class="dictionary">parents</span></span>&#x201D; means any <span class="dictionary">parent</span>, guardian, legal custodian, or other person having control or charge of a child. <a id="paragraph-236029" class="section-permalink" href="https://vacode.org/16.1-241.2/#C"><i class="fa fa-link"/></a></p></section></text><history>1994, c. 813; 1995, c. 852; 1996, c. 771; 2004, c. 573.</history><metadata></metadata></law>
