House Bill 1137

    Florida House of Representatives - 1999                HB 1137

        By Representatives Wasserman Schultz, Warner, Turnbull and
    Ritter





  1                      A bill to be entitled

  2         An act relating to grade forgiveness policies;

  3         amending s. 232.246, F.S.; revising

  4         requirements for district grade forgiveness

  5         policies; providing an effective date.

  6

  7  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:

  8

  9         Section 1.  Paragraph (e) of subsection (5) of section

10  232.246, Florida Statutes, 1998 Supplement, is amended to

11  read:

12         232.246  General requirements for high school

13  graduation.--

14         (5)  Each district school board shall establish

15  standards for graduation from its schools, and these standards

16  must include:

17         (e)  For purposes of paragraphs (c) and (d):

18         1.  Each district shall adopt policies designed to

19  assist students in meeting these requirements. These policies

20  may include, but are not limited to: forgiveness policies,

21  summer school attendance, special counseling, volunteer and/or

22  peer tutors, school-sponsored help sessions, homework

23  hotlines, and study skills classes. Beginning in the 1999-2000

24  school year and each year thereafter, forgiveness policies

25  shall be limited to replacing a grade of "D" or "F," or the

26  equivalent of a grade of "D" or "F," with a grade of "C" or

27  higher, or the equivalent of a grade of "C" or higher, earned

28  subsequently in the same or a comparable course. Course grades

29  for courses required by subsection (1) not replaced according

30  to a district forgiveness policy shall be calculated as a part

31  of the cumulative grade point average required for graduation.

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CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.






    Florida House of Representatives - 1999                HB 1137

    524-162-99






  1         2.  At the end of each semester, the parent or guardian

  2  of each student in grades 9, 10, 11, and 12 who has a

  3  cumulative grade point average of less than 0.5 above the

  4  cumulative grade point average required for graduation shall

  5  be notified that the student is at risk of not meeting the

  6  requirements for graduation. The notice shall contain an

  7  explanation of the policies the district has in place to

  8  assist the student in meeting the grade point average

  9  requirement.

10         3.  Special assistance to obtain a high school

11  equivalency diploma pursuant to s. 229.814 may be given only

12  when the student has completed all requirements for graduation

13  except the attainment of the required cumulative grade point

14  average.

15

16  The standards required in this subsection, and any subsequent

17  modifications, shall be reprinted in the Florida

18  Administrative Code even though not defined as "rules."

19         Section 2.  This act shall take effect July 1, 1999.

20

21            *****************************************

22                          HOUSE SUMMARY

23
      Revises requirements for district grade forgiveness
24    policies.

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