>N.J. Assembly panel clears bill requiring school officials to notify parents of absentee children
An Assembly panel today approved a bill to force public school administrators to notify parents when their child does not show up for school, unless the parents have already let the school know about the absence.
The bill (A416), which the Assembly Education Committee cleared unanimously, is called “Tabitha’s Law” after Tabitha Tudor, a 13-year-old who went missing in Nashville, Tn. Although school officials received no notification that she would be absent, they did not notify her parents when she did not turn up. Tudor’s parents did not learn about her disappearance until 4:45 in the afternoon.
“Due to the delay, law enforcement officials and Tabitha’s parents lost an entire day before their search could begin,” says the bill’s text. “Tabitha is still missing.” (Friedman, The Star-Ledger)
