Rights at 18 Years of Age

My question involves juvenile law in the State of: California

Hello. As the title suggests, I recently turned eighteen and am wondering what I am capable of, as my parents have been telling me otherwise.

For a bit of background, my parents and I don't see eye to eye, they are abusive (mentally and physically), and also constabtly abuse drugs. What I had always thought was when i hit eighteen, i am able to go on my own
I don't plan on living on my own, close family friends are allowing me to stay with them as they know my situation. My parents don't know about this plan thankfully but are stating that since I haven't graduated highschool yet, I'm still under their jurisdiction.

Now in some relation to the above, due to events and situations with them, I am failing high school. Although I'm capable of passing, it's hard to get work done around them due to various reasons. If i were able to move out and am free from their jurisdiction, would i be able to drop out of my current high school and enroll into online courses? Or would my only courses of action be to either ride out the year, fail it, and then re enroll for next year or would I only be capable of trying to obtain a GED?

I'm sorry for the length of the message and if i rambled but any help is appreciated
Thank you.

As you are 18, you are legally entitled to screw your life up however you wish. The first and biggest blunder will be quitting school and getting a GED. With all the college graduates, very few employers will choose a person with a second rate high school degree. Their house, their rules. If you want to become an escort, stripper or prostitute, to pay for your own place to live, you are old enough to move out tomorrow.

You are a legal adult - you're free to leave their home and never go back.

You're free to move, you're free to drop out of school and get your GED, or whatever you want to do.

Thank you. They've always had this sort of totalitarian complex so I just wanted to know. I had a feeling they just weretrying to bluff me into forcing to stay. If it changes the situation at all, we don't even live in our own place. We've been staying with my father's parents for about a year and a half now.

There is nothing in the law forcing you to remain in school after you've reached age 18, by the way. If you move out this evening, law enforcement cannot force you back and neither can your parents.

along with that right;

your parents have no obligation to provide you with ANYTHING and if you move out, your father's parents do not have to allow you to move back in, ever.

Further, if you are defiant or incorrigible, the titled owners of the home are free to evict you. Your parents are no longer legally obligated to feed or clothe you, unless there is a current related child support order.

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Quoting AnKurrai

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My question involves juvenile law in the State of: California

Hello. As the title suggests, I recently turned eighteen and am wondering what I am capable of, as my parents have been telling me otherwise.

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You have the right to walk out the front door and never look back ... and you can even flip off mom and dad as you leave, and they can't ground you. However, you may not be permitted to leave with much more than the clothes on your back.

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I don't plan on living on my own, close family friends are allowing me to stay with them as they know my situation. My parents don't know about this plan thankfully but are stating that since I haven't graduated highschool yet, I'm still under their jurisdiction.

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Well ... kinda sorta ... you still have to finish high school, but you are free to move out and notify the school that you will now be responsible for yourself.

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If i were able to move out and am free from their jurisdiction, would i be able to drop out of my current high school and enroll into online courses?

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Sure. I would consult a counselor at the school before simply dropping out as there may be options.

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Or would my only courses of action be to either ride out the year, fail it, and then re enroll for next year or would I only be capable of trying to obtain a GED?

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Not every county has programs that allow you to obtain a high school diploma outside of a standard education. But, there are many programs out there and your county may recognize one. Or, you may have to seek a GED if no program exists in your locale. All the more reason to speak to the counselor at school.

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Quoting cdwjava

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Well ... kinda sorta ... you still have to finish high school, but you are free to move out and notify the school that you will now be responsible for yourself.

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glad you posted that Carl. I'm so used to states around me being less than 18, I failed to check California's compulsory age to attend school. It would appear it is 18.

Heck, I just realized they raised the age in my state to 18 somewhere between 2002 and 2011.



If anybody else is interested, here is a chart provided by the NEA (starting on page 3):


http://www.nea.org/assets/docs/PB40r...oolage2012.pdf

Thank you all for all the help you've given me. I've set up a talk with school councellors to discuss what i can do since i'm set on trying for online courses. Since we have odd living conditions due to how they are, I sleep with my.other grandparents so everything I own is under their roof. Would i still not be allowed to keep all that?