Family Help in Texas: Youth and Family Law

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ABUSE

Dating Violence Law in Texas – Youth Access to Protective Orders and Sensitive Services

Ending the Violence: How to Obtain a Texas Protective Order

Guide to Addressing Dating Violence in Schools This guide includes school-based alternatives to protective orders, training for teachers and administrators, counseling for affected students, awareness education for students and parents/guardians, and other ways Texas schools can address dating violence, as required by Texas law.

Loves Me, Loves Me Not: A Handbook on Teen Dating Violence  This guide includes a safety plan for teens who are in an abusive dating relationship, legal protection options, and what parents can do.

Reporting Child Abuse  800-252-5400  Anyone “having cause to believe that a child’s physical or mental health or welfare has been or may be adversely affected by abuse or neglect” must report the case to any state or local laws enforcement agency and to the Department of Protective and Regulatory Services. Failure to report suspected child abuse or neglect is punishable by imprisonment of up to 180 days and/or a fine of up to $1000.

Sexual Assault: A Legal Resource  This brochure is an easy guide to the major sexual assault laws in Texas.

Texas court rules law banning adults from sex chat with minors violates right to free speech

Texas Legal Age of Consent (Legal Age for Consensual Sex)  The legal age of consent for sexual contact in Texas is 17 years old. The minimum age is 14 with an age differential of 3 years; thus, those who are at least 14 years of age can legally have sex with those less than 3 years older.

Texas Sex Offender Registry
Collin County Offender Watch
Denton County Registered Sex Offenders
Houston Registered Sex Offenders
Lubbock County Registered Sex Offenders
Megan’s Law in Texas
Potter County Registered Sex Offenders
Randall County Registered Sex Offenders

Texas Sexual Offense Laws and Statute of Limitations

Victim Rights in Texas

What Can We Do About Child Abuse?  Comprehensive handbook on the definition, recognition, and reporting of child abuse in Texas, written primarily for professionals (e.g., teachers, doctors, nurses, police officers, and others who regularly come into contact with children and youth).

When You Suspect Child Abuse or Neglect: A General Guide

Youth Rights in Domestic Violence: Basic Legal Information Concerning Texas Minors  This handbook was written to help advocates empower the ever-increasing number of Texas youth in life situations related to domestic and family violence.

ADOLESCENCE

Emancipation of a Minor in Texas  The child requesting emancipation by the court must show that: (1) he/she is a resident Texas, that (2) is either 17 years old, or is 16 and is living separate from the parents, and, (3) is self-supporting and managing his/her own affairs.

Minors’ Consent Law by State  The legal ability of minors to consent to a range of sensitive health care services — including sexual and reproductive health care, mental health services and alcohol and drug abuse treatment. In most cases, state consent laws apply to all youth age 12 and older.

Rights of Texas Children and Youth in Foster Care

State Laws on Tattooing and Body Piercing of Minors  Texas law prohibits anyone from performing a tattoo on a person under age 18 without the consent of a parent or guardian who believes it is in the best interest of the minor to cover an obscene or offensive tattoo. Texas law prohibits anyone from performing body piercing on a person under age 18 without the consent of the individual’s parent, guardian. Consent must specify the part of the body to be pierced and the physical presence of the parent or guardian may be required.

Teen Driving Laws and Requirements in Texas

Texas Child Labor Law  The Texas Child Labor Law ensures that a child is not employed in an occupation or manner that is harmful to the child’s safety, health or well-being. It is illegal to employ a child under age 14 except under specific circumstances.

Texas Legal Age of Consent (Legal Age for Consensual Sex)  The legal age of consent for sexual contact in Texas is 17 years old. The minimum age is 14 with an age differential of 3 years; thus, those who are at least 14 years of age can legally have sex with those less than 3 years older.

Texas Underage Drinking Laws  Possession and consumption of alcoholic beverages by minors in Texas is prohibited except if the minor is in the visible presence of his adult parent, guardian, or spouse.

Youth Rights Manual  A guide for Texas youth about their rights at school, at home, and in the community.

Youth Tanning Restrictions for Minors: A State-by-State Comparison  The minimum age for visiting tanning salons has gone up from 16 ½ to 18 in Texas.

BULLYING

Anti-Bullying Law in Texas

School Transfer for Victims of Bullying  The Texas Anti-Bullying Law gives parents of a child victim of bullying the right to petition the school’s Board of Trustees or their authorized representative to transfer their child to another class at the same school, or to another school within the same school district.

Victim Rights in Texas

EDUCATION and SPECIAL EDUCATION

Breaking Schools’ Rules: A Statewide Study on How School Discipline Relates to Students’ Success and Juvenile Justice Involvement  Among the findings of this Texas study (involving almost one million students over a six year period) are that a majority of Texas public school students were suspended or expelled between seventh to twelfth grade.

Disability Rights in Texas

IDEA: The Manual for Parents and Students About Special Education in Texas

Guide to Addressing Dating Violence in Schools This guide includes school-based alternatives to protective orders, training for teachers and administrators, counseling for affected students, and awareness education for students and parents/guardians.

School Crime and Discipline Handbook  Information from the Texas Attorney General includes rights and responsibilities of school officials, suspension, expulsion, corporal punishment, school crime and parental liability, due process, search and seizure, and taking students into custody.

Shouldn’t School Be Safe: Restraint and Seclusion in Texas Schools  A practical guide developed by parents and for parents to keep school children safe from restraint, seclusion and other aversive practices.

Special Education Laws and the School Environment: A Condensed Guide to Understanding Your Rights as a Parent  This handbook provides an introduction to: (1) the laws that affect your child’s education; (2) what you can do if you believe your school is not providing the necessary services and education for your child; (3) key phrases and words used by the schools with relation to special education; (4) your role in the diagnosis, identification, education, and ultimate success of your child; and (5) some resources on parental rights and obligations, and the obligations of the school.

Special Education Rules and Regulations in Texas  Federal regulations (Individuals with Disabilities Education Act), State Law (Texas Education Code), and State Rules (Texas Administrative Code: Commissioner’s and State Board of Education Rules concerning Special Education).

Student Discipline in Texas Public Schools

Texas Education Laws and Rules

Texas Homeschooling Law

Texas Homeschooling Requirements

Texas Truancy Law  State law provides that if a student is absent from school without parental consent for any portion of the school day for three days in a four-week period or for ten or more days in a six-month period, the student and the student’s parent or legal guardian are subject to prosecution. The student may also be referred to a juvenile court.

Texas Vaccine Exemption Information  The state of Texas in law grants and acknowledges the right of parents to exempt their children from vaccination requirements for day care, school, and college for reasons of conscience including a religious belief or for medical reasons. This page gives the specific procedures for requesting an official state exemption form and submitting it to the school or for completing a medical exemption.

The Law on Special Education Discipline

The Special Education Process Step-by-Step

FAMILY

Grandparents’ Rights in Texas  In Texas, grandparents do not have a constitutional right to see their grandchildren. If the child is in immediate danger, you should call 911 or child protective services. Otherwise, it is best to try to work things out with your family members.

Parental Rights in Texas  Texas Family Code Sect. 151.003 declares: “A state agency may not adopt rules or policies or take any other action that violates the fundamental rights and duty of parents to direct the upbringing of the parent’s child.”

JUVENILE JUSTICE

Bill of Rights for Parents of Incarcerated Children

Navigating the Juvenile Justice System: A Handbook for Juveniles and Their Families  This handbook gives information, including basic rights under Texas law, to youth as well as parents, grandparents, foster parents, guardians, or other family members and friends of children who have been or may be in trouble with the law.

Overview of the Juvenile Justice System in Texas

Texas Juvenile Law: Rights of Parents

The Texas Juvenile Justice Department Family Handbook 

Think Before You Plead: Juvenile Collateral Consequences in Texas

When a Child Breaks the Law in Texas

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