Senate Bill sb1330
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Florida Senate - 2003 SB 1330
By Senator Atwater
25-357-03 See HB 9
1 A bill to be entitled
2 An act relating to public school attendance;
3 amending ss. 1002.20, 1003.21, and 1003.51,
4 F.S.; raising the age of compulsory school
5 attendance from 16 years of age to 17 years of
6 age; conforming provisions relating to a
7 student's right to file a formal declaration of
8 intent to terminate school enrollment;
9 providing an effective date.
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11 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
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13 Section 1. Paragraphs (a) and (b) of subsection (2) of
14 section 1002.20, Florida Statutes, are amended to read:
15 1002.20 K-12 student and parent rights.--K-12 students
16 and their parents are afforded numerous statutory rights
17 including, but not limited to, the following:
18 (2) ATTENDANCE.--
19 (a) Compulsory school attendance.--The compulsory
20 school attendance laws apply to all children between the ages
21 of 6 and 17 16 years, as provided in s. 1003.21(1) and (2)(a),
22 and, in accordance with the provisions of s. 1003.21(1) and
23 (2)(a):
24 1. A student who attains the age of 17 16 years during
25 the school year has the right to file a formal declaration of
26 intent to terminate school enrollment if the declaration is
27 signed by the parent. The parent has the right to be notified
28 by the school district of the district's receipt of the
29 student's declaration of intent to terminate school
30 enrollment.
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CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
Florida Senate - 2003 SB 1330
25-357-03 See HB 9
1 2. Students who become or have become married or who
2 are pregnant and parenting have the right to attend school and
3 receive the same or equivalent educational instruction as
4 other students.
5 (b) Regular school attendance.--Parents of students
6 who have attained the age of 6 years by February 1 of any
7 school year but who have not attained the age of 17 16 years
8 must comply with the compulsory school attendance laws.
9 Parents have the option to comply with the school attendance
10 laws by attendance of the student in a public school; a
11 parochial, religious, or denominational school; a private
12 school; a home education program; or a private tutoring
13 program, in accordance with the provisions of s. 1003.01
14 (13)(14).
15 Section 2. Paragraphs (a) and (c) of subsection (1) of
16 section 1003.21, Florida Statutes, are amended to read:
17 1003.21 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 17 16 years, except as
22 otherwise provided, are required to attend school regularly
23 during the entire school term.
24 2. Children who will have attained the age of 5 years
25 on or before September 1 of the school year are eligible for
26 admission to public kindergartens during that school year
27 under rules adopted by the district school board.
28 (c) A student who attains the age of 17 16 years
29 during the school year is not subject to compulsory school
30 attendance beyond the date upon which he or she attains that
31 age if the student files a formal declaration of intent to
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CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
Florida Senate - 2003 SB 1330
25-357-03 See HB 9
1 terminate school enrollment with the district school board.
2 The declaration must acknowledge that terminating school
3 enrollment is likely to reduce the student's earning potential
4 and must be signed by the student and the student's parent.
5 The school district must notify the student's parent of
6 receipt of the student's declaration of intent to terminate
7 school enrollment.
8 Section 3. Subsection (4) of section 1003.51, Florida
9 Statutes, is amended to read:
10 1003.51 Other public educational services.--
11 (4) The Department of Education shall ensure that
12 district school boards notify students in juvenile justice
13 residential or nonresidential facilities who attain the age of
14 17 16 years of the provisions of law regarding compulsory
15 school attendance and make available the option of enrolling
16 in a program to attain a Florida high school diploma by taking
17 the general educational development test prior to release from
18 the facility. District school boards or community colleges, or
19 both, shall waive GED testing fees for youth in Department of
20 Juvenile Justice residential programs and shall, upon request,
21 designate schools operating for the purpose of providing
22 educational services to youth in Department of Juvenile
23 Justice programs as GED testing centers, subject to GED
24 testing center requirements. The administrative fees for the
25 general education development test required by the Department
26 of Education are the responsibility of district school boards
27 and may be required of providers by contractual agreement.
28 Section 4. This act shall take effect July 1, 2003.
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