The Middletown parents accused of locking their 12-year-old daughter in the basement for nearly one month pleaded not guilty Tuesday to the misdemeanor charge of child endangering.

Joanna and Shawn Blackston were in Butler County Juvenile Court on Tuesday morning for a pretrial hearing before visiting Judge Matthew Crehan.

A trial date was set for 9 a.m. Nov. 12 in Butler County Common Pleas Court. The couple faces up to six months in jail if convicted or they could receive probation.

The Blackstons had faced felony kidnapping and unlawful restraint charges, but the Butler County grand jury dismissed those charges. They had faced up to 10 years in prison on the kidnapping charge.

The Blackstons were arrested in July, just days after Butler County Children Services and Middletown police were called to their home at 1606 Philadelphia Ave. Officials said the girl was allegedly locked in the basement for about a month, while the other children in the home were allowed to live in their upstairs bedrooms.

Ched Peck, who represents Joanna Blackston, 37, called the charges against his client and her husband, Shawn Blackston, 40, “very serious.” Peck said he hopes the children are “one step closer” to being placed back in the home now that felony charges have been dismissed against his client.

The six Blackston children — ages 15, 14, 12, 9, 3 and 2 — are in foster care, Peck said.

Tim Upton, who represents Shawn Blackston, refused to comment after the hearing.

Shawn Blackston had been represented by public defender Daniel Allnutt when the case was in Middletown Municipal Court before being bound to the grand jury. The grand jury certified the child endangering charges to be heard in juvenile court.

Butler County Commissioner Cindy Carpenter has called for organizational change at Butler County Children Services in the wake of the case. Butler County Commission President Don Dixon said the board is looking at ways to improve services and share information.

Reports from an ombudsman assigned to children services and the agency’s quality assurance manager indicated the agency did not do enough to protect children in the Blackston case.

Butler County Children Services Director Jeff Centers has said followup did not happen soon enough after the release of internal reports that the oldest child had asked that someone check on her siblings’ living conditions. Two BCCS employees involved in the Blackston case remain on paid leave pending a determination if disciplinary action is needed, Centers said.