Today, the Ohio House of Representatives unanimously passed legislation that will allow a juvenile court judge to order that a school release the grades, credits and other documents of an abused child.

Specifically, House Bill 462 states that if a complaint has been filed indicating a child is abused, neglected or dependent, then that child’s school must, upon request, release his or her grades, credits, transcripts, IEPs and 504 plans to any school district in which the child enrolls after the complaint was filed.

Furthermore, under such circumstances, the bill prohibits school districts from withholding this information for the reason of unpaid fees for instructional materials.

“This bill is designed to help to support educational continuity for Ohio’s children during personally challenging times,” said Representative Dorothy Pelanda (R-Marysville), the sponsor of the legislation.

Under the law, each school district board is required to report annually to the Department of Education the number of students for whom a transcript has been transferred, as well as the amount of unpaid fees that were lost due to the records transfers.

House Bill 462 will now be sent to the Senate for further consideration.