167.071. School attendance officers in seven-director districts, powers and duties--powers of police officers in certain areas.

MISSOURI STATUTES AND CODES

167.071. School attendance officers in seven-director districts, powers and duties--powers of police officers in certain areas.

School attendance officers in seven-director districts, powersand duties--powers of police officers in certain areas.

167.071. 1. In school districts having seven or moredirectors the school board may appoint and remove at pleasure oneor more school attendance officers and shall pay them from thepublic school funds.

2. Each attendance officer has the powers of a deputysheriff in the performance of his duties. He shall investigatethe claims of children for exemptions under section 167.031, andreport his findings to the person authorized by that section togrant the exemption sought. He shall refer all cases involvingan alleged violation of section 167.031 involving a public schoolto the superintendent of the public school of the district wherethe child legally resides and all cases involving an allegedviolation of section 167.031 involving a private, parochial,parish or home school to the prosecuting attorney of the countywherein the child legally resides. When reasonable doubt existsas to the age of any such child he may require a properlyattested birth certificate or an affidavit stating the child'sage, date of birth, physical characteristics and bearing thesignature of the child. He may visit and enter any mine, office,factory, workshop, business house, place of amusement, or otherplace in which children are employed or engaged in any kind ofservice, or any place or building in which children loiter oridle during school hours; may require a properly attestedcertificate of the attendance of any child at school; may arrest,without warrant, any truant, or nonattendants or other juveniledisorderly persons, and place them in some school or take them totheir homes, or take them to any place of detention provided forneglected children in the county or school district. He shallserve in the cases which he prosecutes without additional fee orcompensation. Each attendance officer appointed by a schoolboard shall carry into effect the regulations lawfully prescribedby the board by which he was appointed.

3. In any urban school district, any metropolitan schooldistrict and in school districts having seven or more directors andwhich are located in a first class county having a charter formof government, any duly commissioned city or county policeofficer shall be ex officio school attendance officers. Anypolice officer exercising duties of ex officio school attendanceofficer need not refer any child apprehended pursuant to theprovisions of this section to juvenile court or a juvenileofficer, but nothing in this subsection shall be construed tolimit the police officer's regular powers and duties as a peaceofficer.