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House amends truancy law to clarify excused absences and removes 'approval' requirement for family activities
Summary
The House approved HB148 to define excused absences and remove misdemeanor citation for some parental failures to respond; members adopted an amendment deleting the word 'approval' (so only prior notice is required for family activities) and sent the amended bill to the Senate.
SALT LAKE CITY — Lawmakers on the House floor on Feb. 14 adopted changes to state truancy law intended to clarify what counts as a valid excuse and to reduce criminal penalties for parents in most cases.
Representative Eric Hutchings, sponsor of House Bill 148, said the bill defines what constitutes an absence and enumerates excused absences — illness, family death/crisis, approved school activity, family activity with prior school notice, and additional reasons established by local school boards or community councils. He said the purpose is to clarify responsibilities for parents and districts and to help preserve parents' rights while ensuring children attend school.
Several members questioned whether the phrase "family activity with prior school notice and approval" would require parents to seek school approval for routine family events. Representative Mathis moved an amendment to delete the words "and approval," leaving the standard "family activity with prior school notice." The sponsor accepted the change and the House adopted the amendment.
Representative Hutchings said the intent was to make the statute more user‑friendly for parents while preserving a mechanism for districts to address chronic non‑attendance by parents who "absolutely refuse to allow [their children] to get an education." After debate and the amendment, the House voted to pass the bill and referred it to the Senate for further consideration.
The sponsor noted that the bill had been drafted with input from Granite, Salt Lake and Jordan school districts, the Salt Lake County district attorney's office and the courts.
