Ohio
| Code | Subject Matter |
| Code § 2151.14 | Juvenile Court: Duties and powers of probation department; records; command assistance |
| Code § 2151.141 | Juvenile Court: Request for copies of records concerning child alleged to be abused, neglected or dependent |
| Code § 2151.142 | Juvenile Court: Confidentiality of residential addresses of public children services agency or private child placing agency personnel |
| Code § 3319.321 | School Reports: Confidentiality of student information; law enforcement and military recruitment use |
| Code § 5139.05 | Commitment order; release; access to records; information for parents |
TITLE 21. COURTS -- PROBATE -- JUVENILE
CHAPTER 2151. JUVENILE COURT
ESTABLISHMENT AND JURISDICTION
ORC Ann. 2151.14 (2009)
§ 2151.14. Duties and powers of probation department; records; command assistance
(A) The chief probation officer, under the direction of the juvenile judge, shall have charge of the work of the probation department. The department shall make any investigations that the judge directs, keep a written record of the investigations, and submit the record to the judge or deal with them as the judge directs. The department shall furnish to any person placed on community control a statement of the conditions of community control and shall instruct the person regarding them. The department shall keep informed concerning the conduct and condition of each person under its supervision and shall report on their conduct and condition to the judge as the judge directs. Each probation officer shall use all suitable methods to aid persons on community control and to bring about improvement in their conduct and condition. The department shall keep full records of its work, keep accurate and complete accounts of money collected from persons under its supervision, give receipts for the money, and make reports on the money as the judge directs.
(B) Except as provided in this division or in division (C) or (D) of this section, the reports and records of the department shall be considered confidential information and shall not be made public. If an officer is preparing pursuant to section 2947.06 or 2951.03 of the Revised Code or Criminal Rule 32.2 a presentence investigation report pertaining to a person, the department shall make available to the officer, for use in preparing the report, any reports and records it possesses regarding any adjudications of that person as a delinquent child or regarding the dispositions made relative to those adjudications. A probation officer may serve the process of the court within or without the county, make arrests without warrant upon reasonable information or upon view of the violation of this chapter or Chapter 2152. of the Revised Code, detain the person arrested pending the issuance of a warrant, and perform any other duties, incident to the office, that the judge directs. All sheriffs, deputy sheriffs, constables, marshals, deputy marshals, chiefs of police, municipal corporation and township police officers, and other peace officers shall render assistance to probation officers in the performance of their duties when requested to do so by any probation officer.
(C) When a complaint has been filed alleging that a child is delinquent by reason of having committed an act that would constitute a violation of section 2907.02, 2907.03, 2907.05, or 2907.06 of the Revised Code if committed by an adult and the arresting authority, a court, or a probation officer discovers that the child or a person whom the child caused to engage in sexual activity, as defined in section 2907.01 of the Revised Code, has a communicable disease, the arresting authority, court, or probation officer immediately shall notify the victim of the delinquent act of the nature of the disease.
(D) (1) In accordance with division (D)(2) of this section, subject to the limitation specified in division (D)(4) of this section, and in connection with a disposition pursuant to section 2151.354 [2151.35.4] of the Revised Code when a child has been found to be an unruly child, a disposition pursuant to sections 2152.19 and 2152.20 of the Revised Code when a child has been found to be a delinquent child, or a disposition pursuant to sections 2152.20 and 2152.21 of the Revised Code when a child has been found to be a juvenile traffic offender, the court may issue an order requiring boards of education, governing bodies of chartered nonpublic schools, public children services agencies, private child placing agencies, probation departments, law enforcement agencies, and prosecuting attorneys that have records related to the child in question to provide copies of one or more specified records, or specified information in one or more specified records, that the individual or entity has with respect to the child to any of the following individuals or entities that request the records in accordance with division (D)(3)(a) of this section:
(a) The child;
(b) The attorney or guardian ad litem of the child;
(c) A parent, guardian, or custodian of the child;
(d) A prosecuting attorney;
(e) A board of education of a public school district;
(f) A probation department of a juvenile court;
(g) A public children services agency or private child placing agency that has custody of the child, is providing services to the child or the child's family, or is preparing a social history or performing any other function for the juvenile court;
(h) The department of youth services when the department has custody of the child or is performing any services for the child that are required by the juvenile court or by statute;
(i) The individual in control of a juvenile detention or rehabilitation facility to which the child has been committed;
(j) An employee of the juvenile court that found the child to be an unruly child, a delinquent child, or a juvenile traffic offender;
(k) Any other entity that has custody of the child or is providing treatment, rehabilitation, or other services for the child pursuant to a court order, statutory requirement, or other arrangement.
(2) Any individual or entity listed in divisions (D)(1)(a) to (k) of this section may file a motion with the court that requests the court to issue an order as described in division (D)(1) of this section. If such a motion is filed, the court shall conduct a hearing on it. If at the hearing the movant demonstrates a need for one or more specified records, or for information in one or more specified records, related to the child in question and additionally demonstrates the relevance of the information sought to be obtained from those records, and if the court determines that the limitation specified in division (D)(4) of this section does not preclude the provision of a specified record or specified information to the movant, then the court may issue an order to a designated individual or entity to provide the movant with copies of one or more specified records or with specified information contained in one or more specified records.
(3) (a) Any individual or entity that is authorized by an order issued pursuant to division (D)(1) of this section to obtain copies of one or more specified records, or specified information, related to a particular child may file a written request for copies of the records or for the information with any individual or entity required by the order to provide copies of the records or the information. The request shall be in writing, describe the type of records or the information requested, explain the need for the records or the information, and be accompanied by a copy of the order.
(b) If an individual or entity that is required by an order issued pursuant to division (D)(1) of this section to provide one or more specified records, or specified information, related to a child receives a written request for the records or information in accordance with division (D)(3)(a) of this section, the individual or entity immediately shall comply with the request to the extent it is able to do so, unless the individual or entity determines that it is unable to comply with the request because it is prohibited by law from doing so, or unless the requesting individual or entity does not have authority to obtain the requested records or information. If the individual or entity determines that it is unable to comply with the request, it shall file a motion with the court that issued the order requesting the court to determine the extent to which it is required to comply with the request for records or information. Upon the filing of the motion, the court immediately shall hold a hearing on the motion, determine the extent to which the movant is required to comply with the request for records or information, and issue findings of fact and conclusions of law in support of its determination. The determination of the court shall be final. If the court determines that the movant is required to comply with the request for records or information, it shall identify the specific records or information that must be supplied to the individual or entity that requested the records or information.
(c) If an individual or entity is required to provide copies of one or more specified records pursuant to division (D) of this section, the individual or entity may charge a fee for the copies that does not exceed the cost of supplying them.
(4) Division (D) of this section does not require, authorize, or permit the dissemination of any records or any information contained in any records if the dissemination of the records or information generally is prohibited by any provision of the Revised Code and a specific provision of the Revised Code does not specifically authorize or permit the dissemination of the records or information pursuant to division (D) of this section.
§ 2151.141. Request for copies of records concerning child alleged to be abused, neglected or dependent
(A) If a complaint filed with respect to a child pursuant to section 2151.27 of the Revised Code alleges that a child is an abused, neglected, or dependent child, any individual or entity that is listed in divisions (D)(1)(a) to (k) of section 2151.14 of the Revised Code and that is investigating whether the child is an abused, neglected, or dependent child, has custody of the child, is preparing a social history for the child, or is providing any services for the child may request any board of education, governing body of a chartered nonpublic school, public children services agency, private child placing agency, probation department, law enforcement agency, or prosecuting attorney that has any records related to the child to provide the individual or entity with a copy of the records. The request shall be in writing, describe the type of records requested, explain the need for the records, be accompanied by a copy of the complaint, and describe the relationship of the requesting individual or entity to the child. The individual or entity shall provide a copy of the request to the child in question, the attorney or guardian ad litem of the child, and the parent, guardian, or custodian of the child.
(B) (1) Any board of education, governing body of a chartered nonpublic school, public children services agency, private child placing agency, probation department, law enforcement agency, or prosecuting attorney that has any records related to a child who is the subject of a complaint as described in division (A) of this section and that receives a request for a copy of the records pursuant to division (A) of this section shall comply with the request, unless the individual or entity determines that it is unable to do so because it is prohibited by law from complying with the request, the request does not comply with division (A) of this section, or a complaint as described in division (A) of this section has not been filed with respect to the child who is the subject of the requested records. If the individual or entity determines that it is unable to comply with the request, it shall file a motion with the court in which the complaint as described in division (A) of this section was filed or was alleged to have been filed requesting the court to determine the extent to which it is required to comply with the request for records. Upon the filing of the motion, the court immediately shall hold a hearing on the motion, determine the extent to which the movant is required to comply with the request for records, and issue findings of fact and conclusions of law in support of its determination. The determination of the court shall be final. If the court determines that the movant is required to comply with the request for records, it shall identify the specific records that must be supplied to the individual or entity that requested them.
(2) In addition to or in lieu of the motion described in division (B)(1) of this section, a law enforcement agency or prosecuting attorney that receives a request for a copy of records pursuant to division (A) of this section may file a motion for a protective order as described in this division with the court in which the complaint as described in division (A) of this section was filed or alleged to have been filed. Upon the filing of a motion of that nature, the court shall conduct a hearing on the motion. If at the hearing the law enforcement agency or prosecuting attorney demonstrates that any of the following applies and if, after considering the purposes for which the records were requested pursuant to division (A) of this section, the best interest of the child, and any demonstrated need to prevent specific information in the records from being disclosed, the court determines that the issuance of a protective order is necessary, then the court shall issue a protective order that appropriately limits the disclosure of one or more specified records or specified information in one or more specified records:
(a) The records or information in the records relate to a case in which the child is alleged to be a delinquent child or a case in which a child is transferred for trial as an adult pursuant to section 2152.12 of the Revised Code and Juvenile Rule 30, and the adjudication hearing in the case, the trial in the case, or other disposition of the case has not been concluded.
(b) The records in question, or the records containing the information in question, are confidential law enforcement investigatory records, as defined in section 149.43 of the Revised Code.
(c) The records or information in the records relate to a case in which the child is or was alleged to be a delinquent child or to a case in which a child is or was transferred for trial as an adult pursuant to section 2152.12 of the Revised Code and Juvenile Rule 30; another case is pending against any child or any adult in which the child is alleged to be a delinquent child, the child is so transferred for trial as an adult, or the adult is alleged to be a criminal offender; the allegations in the case to which the records or information relate and the allegations in the other case are based on the same act or transaction, are based on two or more connected transactions or constitute parts of a common scheme or plan, or are part of a course of criminal conduct; and the adjudication hearing in, trial in, or other disposition of the other case has not been concluded.
(C) If an individual or entity is required to provide copies of records pursuant to this section, the individual or entity may charge a fee for the copies that does not exceed the cost of supplying them.
(D) This section does not require, authorize, or permit, the dissemination of any records or any information contained in any records if the dissemination of the records or information generally is prohibited by section 2151.142 [2151.14.2] or another section of the Revised Code and a waiver as described in division (B)(1) of section 2151.142 [2151.14.2] of the Revised Code or a specific provision of the Revised Code does not specifically authorize or permit the dissemination of the records or information pursuant to this section.
§ 2151.142. Confidentiality of residential addresses of public children services agency or private child placing agency personnel
(A) As used in this section, "public record" and "journalist" have the same meanings as in section 149.43 of the Revised Code.
(B) Both of the following apply to the residential address of each officer or employee of a public children services agency or a private child placing agency who performs official responsibilities or duties described in section 2151.14, 2151.141 [2151.14.1], 2151.33, 2151.353 [2151.35.3], 2151.412 [2151.41.2], 2151.413 [2151.41.3], 2151.414 [2151.41.4], 2151.415 [2151.41.5], 2151.416 [2151.41.6], 2151.417 [2151.41.7], or 2151.421 [2151.42.1] or another section of the Revised Code and to the residential address of persons related to that officer or employee by consanguinity or affinity:
(1) Other officers and employees of a public children services agency, private child placing agency, juvenile court, or law enforcement agency shall consider those residential addresses to be confidential information. The officer or employee of the public children services agency or private child placing agency may waive the confidentiality of those residential addresses by giving express permission for their disclosure to other officers or employees of a public children services agency, private child placing agency, juvenile court, or law enforcement agency.
(2) To the extent that those residential addresses are contained in public records kept by a public children services agency, private child placing agency, juvenile court, or law enforcement agency, they shall not be considered to be information that is subject to inspection or copying as part of a public record under section 149.43 of the Revised Code.
(C) Except as provided in division (D) of this section, in the absence of a waiver as described in division (B)(1) of this section, no officer or employee of a public children services agency, private child placing agency, juvenile court, or law enforcement agency shall disclose the residential address of an officer or employee of a public children services agency or private child placing agency, or the residential address of a person related to that officer or employee by consanguinity or affinity, that is confidential information under division (B)(1) of this section to any person, when the disclosing officer or employee knows that the person is or may be a subject of an investigation, interview, examination, criminal case, other case, or other matter with which the officer or employee to whom the residential address relates currently is or has been associated.
(D) If, on or after the effective date of this section, a journalist requests a public children services agency, private child placing agency, juvenile court, or law enforcement agency to disclose a residential address that is confidential information under division (B)(1) of this section, the agency or juvenile court shall disclose to the journalist the residential address if all of the following apply:
(1) The request is in writing, is signed by the journalist, includes the journalist's name and title, and includes the name and address of the journalist's employer.
(2) The request states that disclosure of the residential address would be in the public interest.
(3) The request adequately identifies the person whose residential address is requested.
(4) The public children services agency, private child placing agency, juvenile court, or law enforcement agency receiving the request is one of the following:
(a) The agency or juvenile court with which the official in question serves or with which the employee in question is employed;
(b) The agency or juvenile court that has custody of the records of the agency with which the official in question serves or with which the employee in question is employed.
TITLE 33. EDUCATION -- LIBRARIES
CHAPTER 3319. SCHOOLS -- SUPERINTENDENT; TEACHERS; EMPLOYEES
SCHOOL REPORTS
ORC Ann. 3319.321 (2009)
§ 3319.321. Confidentiality of student information; law enforcement and military recruitment use
(A) No person shall release, or permit access to, the directory information concerning any students attending a public school to any person or group for use in a profit-making plan or activity. Notwithstanding division (B)(4) of section 149.43 of the Revised Code, a person may require disclosure of the requestor's identity or the intended use of the directory information concerning any students attending a public school to ascertain whether the directory information is for use in a profit-making plan or activity.
(B) No person shall release, or permit access to, personally identifiable information other than directory information concerning any student attending a public school, for purposes other than those identified in division (C), (E), (G), or (H) of this section, without the written consent of the parent, guardian, or custodian of each such student who is less than eighteen years of age, or without the written consent of each such student who is eighteen years of age or older.
(1) For purposes of this section, "directory information" includes a student's name, address, telephone listing, date and place of birth, major field of study, participation in officially recognized activities and sports, weight and height of members of athletic teams, dates of attendance, date of graduation, and awards received.
(2) (a) Except as provided in division (B)(2)(b) of this section, no school district board of education shall impose any restriction on the presentation of directory information that it has designated as subject to release in accordance with the "Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974," 88 Stat. 571, 20 U.S.C. 1232q, as amended, to representatives of the armed forces, business, industry, charitable institutions, other employers, and institutions of higher education unless such restriction is uniformly imposed on each of these types of representatives, except that if a student eighteen years of age or older or a student's parent, guardian, or custodian has informed the board that any or all such information should not be released without such person's prior written consent, the board shall not release that information without such person's prior written consent.
(b) The names and addresses of students in grades ten through twelve shall be released to a recruiting officer for any branch of the United States armed forces who requests such information, except that such data shall not be released if the student or student's parent, guardian, or custodian submits to the board a written request not to release such data. Any data received by a recruiting officer shall be used solely for the purpose of providing information to students regarding military service and shall not be released to any person other than individuals within the recruiting services of the armed forces.
(3) Except for directory information and except as provided in division (E), (G), or (H) of this section, information covered by this section that is released shall only be transferred to a third or subsequent party on the condition that such party will not permit any other party to have access to such information without written consent of the parent, guardian, or custodian, or of the student who is eighteen years of age or older.
(4) Except as otherwise provided in this section, any parent of a student may give the written parental consent required under this section. Where parents are separated or divorced, the written parental consent required under this section may be obtained from either parent, subject to any agreement between such parents or court order governing the rights of such parents. In the case of a student whose legal guardian is in an institution, a person independent of the institution who has no other conflicting interests in the case shall be appointed by the board of education of the school district in which the institution is located to give the written parental consent required under this section.
(5) (a) A parent of a student who is not the student's residential parent, upon request, shall be permitted access to any records or information concerning the student under the same terms and conditions under which access to the records or information is available to the residential parent of that student, provided that the access of the parent who is not the residential parent is subject to any agreement between the parents, to division (F) of this section, and, to the extent described in division (B)(5)(b) of this section, is subject to any court order issued pursuant to section 3109.051 [3109.05.1] of the Revised Code and any other court order governing the rights of the parents.
(b) If the residential parent of a student has presented the keeper of a record or information that is related to the student with a copy of an order issued under division (H)(1) of section 3109.051 [3109.05.1] of the Revised Code that limits the terms and conditions under which the parent who is not the residential parent of the student is to have access to records and information pertaining to the student or with a copy of any other court order governing the rights of the parents that so limits those terms and conditions, and if the order pertains to the record or information in question, the keeper of the record or information shall provide access to the parent who is not the residential parent only to the extent authorized in the order. If the residential parent has presented the keeper of the record or information with such an order, the keeper of the record shall permit the parent who is not the residential parent to have access to the record or information only in accordance with the most recent such order that has been presented to the keeper by the residential parent or the parent who is not the residential parent.
(C) Nothing in this section shall limit the administrative use of public school records by a person acting exclusively in the person's capacity as an employee of a board of education or of the state or any of its political subdivisions, any court, or the federal government, and nothing in this section shall prevent the transfer of a student's record to an educational institution for a legitimate educational purpose. However, except as provided in this section, public school records shall not be released or made available for any other purpose. Fingerprints, photographs, or records obtained pursuant to section 3313.96 or 3319.322 [3319.32.2] of the Revised Code, or pursuant to division (E) of this section, or any medical, psychological, guidance, counseling, or other information that is derived from the use of the fingerprints, photographs, or records, shall not be admissible as evidence against the minor who is the subject of the fingerprints, photographs, or records in any proceeding in any court. The provisions of this division regarding the administrative use of records by an employee of the state or any of its political subdivisions or of a court or the federal government shall be applicable only when the use of the information is required by a state statute adopted before November 19, 1974, or by federal law.
(D) A board of education may require, subject to division (E) of this section, a person seeking to obtain copies of public school records to pay the cost of reproduction and, in the case of data released under division (B)(2)(b) of this section, to pay for any mailing costs, which payment shall not exceed the actual cost to the school.
(E) A principal or chief administrative officer of a public school, or any employee of a public school who is authorized to handle school records, shall provide access to a student's records to a law enforcement officer who indicates that the officer is conducting an investigation and that the student is or may be a missing child, as defined in section 2901.30 of the Revised Code. Free copies of information in the student's record shall be provided, upon request, to the law enforcement officer, if prior approval is given by the student's parent, guardian, or legal custodian. Information obtained by the officer shall be used solely in the investigation of the case. The information may be used by law enforcement agency personnel in any manner that is appropriate in solving the case, including, but not limited to, providing the information to other law enforcement officers and agencies and to the bureau of criminal identification and investigation for purposes of computer integration pursuant to section 2901.30 of the Revised Code.
(F) No person shall release to a parent of a student who is not the student's residential parent or to any other person, or permit a parent of a student who is not the student's residential parent or permit any other person to have access to, any information about the location of any elementary or secondary school to which a student has transferred or information that would enable the parent who is not the student's residential parent or the other person to determine the location of that elementary or secondary school, if the elementary or secondary school to which the student has transferred and that requested the records of the student under section 3313.672 [3313.67.2] of the Revised Code informs the elementary or secondary school from which the student's records are obtained that the student is under the care of a shelter for victims of domestic violence, as defined in section 3113.33 of the Revised Code.
(G) A principal or chief administrative officer of a public school, or any employee of a public school who is authorized to handle school records, shall comply with any order issued pursuant to division (D)(1) of section 2151.14 of the Revised Code, any request for records that is properly made pursuant to division (D)(3)(a) of section 2151.14 or division (A) of section 2151.141 [2151.14.1] of the Revised Code, and any determination that is made by a court pursuant to division (D)(3)(b) of section 2151.14 or division (B)(1) of section 2151.141 [2151.14.1] of the Revised Code.
(H) Notwithstanding any provision of this section, a principal of a public school, to the extent permitted by the "Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974," shall make the report required in section 3319.45 of the Revised Code that a pupil committed any violation listed in division (A) of section 3313.662 [3313.66.2] of the Revised Code on property owned or controlled by, or at an activity held under the auspices of, the board of education, regardless of whether the pupil was sixteen years of age or older. The principal is not required to obtain the consent of the pupil who is the subject of the report or the consent of the pupil's parent, guardian, or custodian before making a report pursuant to section 3319.45 of the Revised Code.
TITLE 51. PUBLIC WELFARE
CHAPTER 5139. YOUTH SERVICES
§ 5139.05. Commitment order; release; access to records; information to be provided to parent, guardian or custodian; visitation denied for disciplinary reasons
(A) The juvenile court may commit any child to the department of youth services as authorized in Chapter 2152. of the Revised Code, provided that any child so committed shall be at least ten years of age at the time of the child's delinquent act, and, if the child is ten or eleven years of age, the delinquent act is a violation of section 2909.03 of the Revised Code or would be aggravated murder, murder, or a first or second degree felony offense of violence if committed by an adult. Any order to commit a child to an institution under the control and management of the department shall have the effect of ordering that the child be committed to the department and assigned to an institution as follows:
(1) For an indefinite term consisting of the prescribed minimum period specified by the court under division (A)(1) of section 2152.16 of the Revised Code and a maximum period not to exceed the child's attainment of twenty-one years of age, if the child was committed pursuant to section 2152.16 of the Revised Code;
(2) Until the child's attainment of twenty-one years of age, if the child was committed for aggravated murder or murder pursuant to section 2152.16 of the Revised Code;
(3) For a period of commitment that shall be in addition to, and shall be served consecutively with and prior to, a period of commitment described in division (A)(1) or (2) of this section, if the child was committed pursuant to section 2152.17 of the Revised Code;
(4) If the child is ten or eleven years of age, to an institution, a residential care facility, a residential facility, or a facility licensed by the department of job and family services that the department of youth services considers best designated for the training and rehabilitation of the child and protection of the public. The child shall be housed separately from children who are twelve years of age or older until the child is released or discharged or until the child attains twelve years of age, whichever occurs first. Upon the child's attainment of twelve years of age, if the child has not been released or discharged, the department is not required to house the child separately.
(B) (1) Except as otherwise provided in section 5139.54 of the Revised Code, the release authority of the department of youth services, in accordance with section 5139.51 of the Revised Code and at any time after the end of the minimum period specified under division (A)(1) of section 2152.16 of the Revised Code, may grant the release from custody of any child committed to the department.
The order committing a child to the department of youth services shall state that the child has been adjudicated a delinquent child and state the minimum period. The jurisdiction of the court terminates at the end of the minimum period except as follows:
(a) In relation to judicial release procedures, supervision, and violations;
(b) With respect to functions of the court related to the revocation of supervised release that are specified in sections 5139.51 and 5139.52 of the Revised Code;
(c) In relation to its duties relating to serious youthful offender dispositional sentences under sections 2152.13 and 2152.14 of the Revised Code.
(2) When a child has been committed to the department under section 2152.16 of the Revised Code, the department shall retain legal custody of the child until one of the following:
(a) The department discharges the child to the exclusive management, control, and custody of the child's parent or the guardian of the child's person or, if the child is eighteen years of age or older, discharges the child.
(b) The committing court, upon its own motion, upon petition of the parent, guardian of the person, or next friend of a child, or upon petition of the department, terminates the department's legal custody of the child.
(c) The committing court grants the child a judicial release to court supervision under section 2152.22 of the Revised Code.
(d) The department's legal custody of the child is terminated automatically by the child attaining twenty-one years of age.
(e) If the child is subject to a serious youthful offender dispositional sentence, the adult portion of that dispositional sentence is imposed under section 2152.14 of the Revised Code.
(C) When a child is committed to the department of youth services, the department may assign the child to a hospital for mental, physical, and other examination, inquiry, or treatment for the period of time that is necessary. The department may remove any child in its custody to a hospital for observation, and a complete report of every observation at the hospital shall be made in writing and shall include a record of observation, treatment, and medical history and a recommendation for future treatment, custody, and maintenance. The department shall thereupon order the placement and treatment that it determines to be most conducive to the purposes of Chapters 2151. and 5139. of the Revised Code. The committing court and all public authorities shall make available to the department all pertinent data in their possession with respect to the case.
(D) Records maintained by the department of youth services pertaining to the children in its custody shall be accessible only to department employees, except by consent of the department, upon the order of the judge of a court of record, or as provided in divisions (D)(1) and (2) of this section. These records shall not be considered "public records," as defined in section 149.43 of the Revised Code.
(1) Except as otherwise provided by a law of this state or the United States, the department of youth services may release records that are maintained by the department of youth services and that pertain to children in its custody to the department of rehabilitation and correction regarding persons who are under the jurisdiction of the department of rehabilitation and correction and who have previously been committed to the department of youth services. The department of rehabilitation and correction may use those records for the limited purpose of carrying out the duties of the department of rehabilitation and correction. Records released by the department of youth services to the department of rehabilitation and correction shall remain confidential and shall not be considered public records as defined in section 149.43 of the Revised Code.
(2) The department of youth services shall provide to the superintendent of the school district in which a child discharged or released from the custody of the department is entitled to attend school under section 3313.64 or 3313.65 of the Revised Code the records described in divisions (D)(4)(a) to (d) of section 2152.18 of the Revised Code. Subject to the provisions of section 3319.321 [3319.32.1] of the Revised Code and the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act, 20 U.S.C. 1232g, as amended, the records released to the superintendent shall remain confidential and shall not be considered public records as defined in section 149.43 of the Revised Code.
(E) (1) When a child is committed to the department of youth services, the department, orally or in writing, shall notify the parent, guardian, or custodian of a child that the parent, guardian, or custodian may request at any time from the superintendent of the institution in which the child is located any of the information described in divisions (E)(1)(a), (b), (c), and (d) of this section. The parent, guardian, or custodian may provide the department with the name, address, and telephone number of the parent, guardian, or custodian, and, until the department is notified of a change of name, address, or telephone number, the department shall use the name, address, and telephone number provided by the parent, guardian, or custodian to provide notices or answer inquiries concerning the following information:
(a) When the department of youth services makes a permanent assignment of the child to a facility, the department, orally or in writing and on or before the third business day after the day the permanent assignment is made, shall notify the parent, guardian, or custodian of the child of the name of the facility to which the child has been permanently assigned.
If a parent, guardian, or custodian of a child who is committed to the department of youth services requests, orally or in writing, the department to provide the parent, guardian, or custodian with the name of the facility in which the child is currently located, the department, orally or in writing and on or before the next business day after the day on which the request is made, shall provide the name of that facility to the parent, guardian, or custodian.
(b) If a parent, guardian, or custodian of a child who is committed to the department of youth services, orally or in writing, asks the superintendent of the institution in which the child is located whether the child is being disciplined by the personnel of the institution, what disciplinary measure the personnel of the institution are using for the child, or why the child is being disciplined, the superintendent or the superintendent's designee, on or before the next business day after the day on which the request is made, shall provide the parent, guardian, or custodian with written or oral responses to the questions.
(c) If a parent, guardian, or custodian of a child who is committed to the department of youth services, orally or in writing, asks the superintendent of the institution in which the child is held whether the child is receiving any medication from personnel of the institution, what type of medication the child is receiving, or what condition of the child the medication is intended to treat, the superintendent or the superintendent's designee, on or before the next business day after the day on which the request is made, shall provide the parent, guardian, or custodian with oral or written responses to the questions.
(d) When a major incident occurs with respect to a child who is committed to the department of youth services, the department, as soon as reasonably possible after the major incident occurs, shall notify the parent, guardian, or custodian of the child that a major incident has occurred with respect to the child and of all the details of that incident that the department has ascertained.
(2) The failure of the department of youth services to provide any notification required by or answer any requests made pursuant to division (E) of this section does not create a cause of action against the state.
(F) The department of youth services, as a means of punishment while the child is in its custody, shall not prohibit a child who is committed to the department from seeing that child's parent, guardian, or custodian during standard visitation periods allowed by the department of youth services unless the superintendent of the institution in which the child is held determines that permitting that child to visit with the child's parent, guardian, or custodian would create a safety risk to that child, that child's parents, guardian, or custodian, the personnel of the institution, or other children held in that institution.
(G) As used in this section:
(1) "Permanent assignment" means the assignment or transfer for an extended period of time of a child who is committed to the department of youth services to a facility in which the child will receive training or participate in activities that are directed toward the child's successful rehabilitation. "Permanent assignment" does not include the transfer of a child to a facility for judicial release hearings pursuant to section 2152.22 of the Revised Code or for any other temporary assignment or transfer to a facility.
(2) "Major incident" means the escape or attempted escape of a child who has been committed to the department of youth services from the facility to which the child is assigned; the return to the custody of the department of a child who has escaped or otherwise fled the custody and control of the department without authorization; the allegation of any sexual activity with a child committed to the department; physical injury to a child committed to the department as a result of alleged abuse by department staff; an accident resulting in injury to a child committed to the department that requires medical care or treatment outside the institution in which the child is located; the discovery of a controlled substance upon the person or in the property of a child committed to the department; a suicide attempt by a child committed to the department; a suicide attempt by a child committed to the department that results in injury to the child requiring emergency medical services outside the institution in which the child is located; the death of a child committed to the department; an injury to a visitor at an institution under the control of the department that is caused by a child committed to the department; and the commission or suspected commission of an act by a child committed to the department that would be an offense if committed by an adult.
(3) "Sexual activity" has the same meaning as in section 2907.01 of the Revised Code.
(4) "Controlled substance" has the same meaning as in section 3719.01 of the Revised Code.
(5) "Residential care facility" and "residential facility" have the same meanings as in section 2151.011 [2151.01.1] of the Revised Code.