Thousands of parents could face a choice: volunteer at your child's school or pay a $100 fine.

A bill introduced in the Ohio legislature would require parents to donate at least 13 hours of time to their school district each year or pay the price. And, if parents failed to pay up, the fine could be deducted from their state income tax refunds.

School districts would report parents who didn't volunteer to the Ohio Department of Education.

"This is just one of those stupid ideas that surface every now and then," said Elizabeth Papp Taylor, former council president of the Shaker Heights Parent Teacher Organization. "It will get crushed."

Papp Taylor said the legislation is unfair, especially to parents already burdened with more than one job. People volunteer because it gives them pleasure, not because it is required of them, she said.

House Bill 519 was introduced by Rep. Sandra Williams, a Cleveland Democrat, and co-sponsored by six other lawmakers including Rep. Stephen Dyer, a Democrat from Green, and Rep. Barbara Boyd, a Cleveland Heights Democrat.

• Allows a nonrefundable credit against the corporate franchise or commercial activity tax for employer-paid leave for employees participating in school activities.

• Requires districts to establish mentoring programs for students.

• Levies a $100 fine against parents who don't volunteer at least 13 hours a year. If fine not paid, the state would withhold $100 from future state refund.

Neither Williams nor Boyd returned phone calls on Tuesday. But Dyer said he co-sponsored the bill because he believes in the spirit of the legislation.

He acknowledged that the measure may have to undergo revisions in committee and said he doesn't want it to become overly burdensome for parents.

"Ensuring that parents play a vital role in their children's life is the reason I signed on to it," Dyer said. "There are plenty of studies out there that say children whose parents are involved, do better in school."

School districts would have to offer a three-hour orientation seminar for parents before they began volunteering. The seminars would include tips for helping children succeed in school.

Each school district would adopt a policy describing volunteer opportunities available. Those could include tutoring, participating on school or district committees, assisting with extracurricular activities, chaperoning field trips, clerical work and lunchroom or library duty.

The bill also requires school districts to create a mentoring program for students. All mentors would have to undergo criminal background checks and complete an annual training course developed by the school district.

Robert Boynton, the Amherst schools superintendent, said he worries that the legislation would become another unfunded mandate. He supports the need for parent involvement, but is wary of the method.

"Legislating volunteering doesn't sound logical to me," he said.

For 15 years, Diana Leitch, the mother of four children, has volunteered with the Rocky River school district. She said the legislators are not taking into account how parents spend their time with their kids outside of school, such as taking part in church activities.

"There is a lot of ways to be involved in your child's life," she said. "It doesn't just have to take place in the school."