The Educational Service Center of Central Ohio provides intervention services to families and children of local, city and exempted village school districts and initiates formal court and children services action when necessary. Referrals are made in compliance with ORC 3321.04.

We supply school districts with a cost-effective method to investigate truancies; reports of educational neglect; alleged work permit violations; approval for Home Education; and perform residency verifications.  

Our school court liaisons convene due process hearings to investigate the causes of a student’s unexcused absences and to develop an agreement to improve school attendance and avoid formal court action. More than 85 percent of students who attend a due process hearing improve their attendance and avoid referral to court.

When formal court action is necessary, our school court liaisons refer complaints of truancy or educational neglect to the county prosecutor or the county’s children services agency. They also represent school districts at dispositional hearings on truancy, unruliness and educational neglect.

In select Columbus City schools we provide Project KEY, an intensive truancy intervention program that has reduced chronic truancy by as much as 55 percent in the 10 elementary and middle schools served by the program.

The ESC of Central Ohio provides attendance services to our local school districts through a probation officer of the court. The officer of the court monitors attendance through weekly reports forwarded by each local school district, meets with students who have attained five or more unexcused absences and addresses the causes of school absenteeism in an effort to avoid formal court action.