House Bill 1927

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    Florida House of Representatives - 2000                HB 1927

        By Representative R. Diaz de la Portilla






  1                      A bill to be entitled

  2         An act relating to school attendance; amending

  3         s. 232.01, F.S.; revising provisions relating

  4         to eligibility for enrollment in public

  5         kindergartens; authorizing the enrollment of

  6         certain children who are determined to be ready

  7         for entrance into kindergarten; providing

  8         eligibility requirements; providing school

  9         district requirements; requiring the Department

10         of Education to adopt rules; providing an

11         effective date.

12

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

14

15         Section 1.  Paragraphs (a) and (b) of subsection (1) of

16  section 232.01, Florida Statutes, are amended to read:

17         232.01  School attendance.--

18         (1)(a)1.  All children who have attained the age of 6

19  years or who will have attained the age of 6 years by February

20  1 of any school year or who are older than 6 years of age but

21  who have not attained the age of 16 years, except as

22  hereinafter provided, are required to attend school regularly

23  during the entire school term.

24         2.a.  Children who will have attained the age of 5

25  years on or before September 1 of the school year are eligible

26  for admission to public kindergartens during that school year

27  under rules prescribed by the school board.

28         b.  Beginning in the 2001-2002 school year, children

29  who will have attained the age of 5 years after September 1

30  but before October 1 of the school year are eligible to

31  participate in the school readiness uniform screening

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    Florida House of Representatives - 2000                HB 1927

    737-104-00






  1  developed by the Florida Partnership for School Readiness.

  2  Beginning in the 2002-2003 school year, children who will have

  3  attained the age of 5 years after September 1 but before

  4  November 1 of the school year are eligible to participate in

  5  the school readiness uniform screening. Beginning in the

  6  2003-2004 school year, children who will have attained the age

  7  of 5 years after September 1 but before December 1 of the

  8  school year are eligible to participate in the school

  9  readiness uniform screening.  Beginning in the 2004-2005

10  school year, children who will have attained the age of 5

11  years after September 1 but before January 1 of the school

12  year are eligible to participate in the school readiness

13  uniform screening.  Upon the written request of an eligible

14  child's parent or guardian, the school district must provide

15  one opportunity for the child to participate in the school

16  readiness uniform screening at a time convenient to the parent

17  or guardian. The Department of Education shall adopt rules to

18  allow any child who is assessed under this sub-subparagraph by

19  the school district as ready for entrance into kindergarten to

20  be eligible for admission to public kindergartens during that

21  school year. Any child who is assessed under this

22  sub-subparagraph by the school district as not ready for

23  entrance into kindergarten is subject to the admission

24  requirements of sub-subparagraph a.

25         3.  Children who will have attained the age of 3 years

26  on or before September 1 of the school year are eligible for

27  admission to prekindergarten early intervention programs

28  during that school year as provided in s. 230.2305 or a

29  preschool program as provided in s. 228.061. All children from

30  birth to the age of kindergarten eligibility who meet the

31  eligibility criteria in s. 411.01(6) are eligible for

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    Florida House of Representatives - 2000                HB 1927

    737-104-00






  1  admission to the school readiness program of their choice

  2  pursuant to s. 411.01.

  3         (b)  Any child who:

  4         1.  Has attained the age of 6 years on or before

  5  September 1 of the school year and who has been enrolled in a

  6  public school or who has attained the age of 6 years on or

  7  before September 1 and;

  8         2.  Has satisfactorily completed the requirements for

  9  kindergarten in a nonpublic school from which the district

10  school board accepts transfer of academic credit;,

11         3.  Has been enrolled in a public kindergarten under

12  the provisions of sub-subparagraph (a)2.b.; or who

13         4.  Otherwise meets the criteria for admission or

14  transfer in a manner similar to that applicable to other

15  grades,

16

17  shall progress according to the district's pupil progression

18  plan. However, nothing in this section shall authorize the

19  state or any school district to oversee or exercise control

20  over the curricula or academic programs of nonpublic schools

21  or home education programs.

22         Section 2.  This act shall take effect July 1, 2000.

23

24            *****************************************

25                          HOUSE SUMMARY

26
      Revises provisions relating to eligibility for enrollment
27    in public kindergarten to authorize the enrollment of
      certain children who are determined to be ready for
28    entrance into kindergarten. Requires the Department of
      Education to adopt rules.
29

30

31

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