1. RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE PARENT

2. 1. Support a. Parents must provide basic needs for all minor children: food, clothing, shelter, education, medical care

3. b. Parents are equally responsible under the law, regardless of their marital status

4. c. Emancipation: legal end of parents’ responsibility to their child i. Automatically happens at 18

5. ii. Also happens in the following circumstances: 1. marriage 2. joining of armed forces 3. becoming self-supported

6. 2. Education a. All children have a right to free public education through the 12th grade b. Attendance required ages 5 through 16

7. i. Students who do not attend = truant ii. Parents can be fined or even arrested if child does not attend iii. School board is required to provide special services to students who need it

8. 3. Medical Care a. Parents must provide adequate medical care for their children b. Children must have parental permission for any medical treatment

9. c.In some cases, court will allow doctors to act without parental permission i. Example: In Florida, a girl is on life support. Her parents want her to be taken off and allowed to die. The state has intervened and taken over custody so they can keep her on life support.

10. 4. Crimes a. Children who continually disobey parents can be charged as status offenders i. Children become known as PINS, MINS, or CHINS (person, minor or child in need of supervision)

11. b. Parents can be held responsible for actions of children i. Parents are civilly responsible for any property loss their child commits ii. Also civilly responsible for any harm caused by children up to a certain dollar amount

12. iii. Parents are criminally responsible for injuries caused by their children only if they are somehow to blame ex: a parent gives their child a gun to play with and they shoot somebody ex: a parent gives their child a gun to play with and they shoot somebody

13. 5. Postscript: Responsibilities of Children a. Family responsibility laws: adult children must care for their elderly parents i. Only so much as they can reasonably afford ii. Only in some states