(1)__Identify the number of habitual truants in the school administrative unit in the preceding school year;

(2)__Describe the unit's efforts to deal with habitual truancy;

(3)__Account for actions brought under this section; and

(4)__Include any other information on truancy requested by the commissioner.

B.__The commissioner shall submit an annual report to the Governor and the Legislature before January 15th.__The report must aggregate the information provided by superintendents under paragraph A and must evaluate the effect of state laws on the incidence of truancy.

Sec. 4. 20-A MRSA §5053, as amended by PL 1989, c. 415, §§22 to 25, is repealed.

Sec. 5. 20-A MRSA §5053-A is enacted to read:

§5053-A. Enforcement

1.__Class E crime.__The parent of a child of compulsory school age who fails to have the child enrolled in school, who fails to send the child to school or who fails to require the child to regularly attend school is guilty of a Class E crime and, upon conviction, is subject to the penalties set forth in Title 17-A, section 1301.

A.__Evidence that shows that the parent received the notice under section 5051-A, subsection 3 and that the child has accumulated 10 absences that can not be justified under the established attendance policies of the school district establishes a prima facie case that the child's parent is responsible for the absences.__A criminal prosecution may not be brought against a parent until after notice has been provided to the parent pursuant to section 5051-A, subsection 3, paragraphs C to E.

B.__Each unlawful absence of a child for 2 full-day school sessions or 4 half-day school sessions is a separate offense.

C.__It is a defense for a parent charged with violating the truancy laws to show that the parent has exercised reasonable diligence in attempting to cause a child in the