Virginia Rules is an educational program designed to help instructors, parents and students understand the laws that apply to Virginia teens in their everyday lives. Learn what the law says about the relationship between teens and their parents, the authority, responsibilities, and liability of parents, how Virginia law defines Children in Need of Supervision and Children in Need of Services, and child abuse and neglect. Custody and control means you must obey your parents unless they ask you to break the law, and they must take care of you.
Parents must provide you with necessary food, clothing, shelter, and medical care as well as supervision, discipline, protection, and education. They cannot desert or abandon you. When you turn 18, you are considered an adult. Your parents are no longer legally responsible, nor do they have legal control over you. A court may declare that the minor is emancipated if it is found that:. In , Virginia became the 12th state to eliminate child marriage in the United States. First, they must ensure you are enrolled in school.
Anyone between the ages of five and 17 is required to attend school. Parents may choose to send their children to a public, private, denominational, or parochial school. If certain requirements are met, parents may also teach their children at home. However, you may refuse to obey your parents if they ask or tell you to commit a crime. If you continue serious disobedience, your parents may seek intervention by the juvenile court.
Once the court becomes involved, the court will have authority over you and can decide where you will live and what you will do.
If you are younger than 18, Virginia law prohibits your getting a tattoo, except in the presence of your parent or guardian, or when done under medical supervision. Anyone who illegally performs a tattoo is guilty of a Class 1 misdemeanor. A city or county may establish a legal curfew when minors are not allowed to be out on the street without lawful business. There are usually exceptions when you are traveling to or from work.
