Senate Bill sb1238

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    Florida Senate - 2006                                  SB 1238

    By Senator Wilson





    33-28-06

  1                      A bill to be entitled

  2         An act relating to mandatory school attendance;

  3         amending ss. 1002.20, 1003.21, and 1003.51,

  4         F.S.; changing the age for mandatory school

  5         attendance from 16 to 18; providing an

  6         effective date.

  7  

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

  9  

10         Section 1.  Paragraphs (a) and (b) of subsection (2) of

11  section 1002.20, Florida Statutes, are amended to read:

12         1002.20  K-12 student and parent rights.--Parents of

13  public school students must receive accurate and timely

14  information regarding their child's academic progress and must

15  be informed of ways they can help their child to succeed in

16  school. K-12 students and their parents are afforded numerous

17  statutory rights 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 18 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 18 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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    Florida Senate - 2006                                  SB 1238
    33-28-06




 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 18 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(13).

14         Section 2.  Paragraphs (a) and (c) of subsection (1) of

15  section 1003.21, Florida Statutes, are amended to read:

16         1003.21  School attendance.--

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

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

19  1 of any school year or who are older than 6 years of age but

20  who have not attained the age of 18 16 years, except as

21  otherwise provided, are required to attend school regularly

22  during the entire school term.

23         2.  Children who will have attained the age of 5 years

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

25  admission to public kindergartens during that school year

26  under rules adopted by the district school board.

27         (c)  A student who attains the age of 18 16 years

28  during the school year is not subject to compulsory school

29  attendance beyond the date upon which he or she attains that

30  age if the student files a formal declaration of intent to

31  terminate school enrollment with the district school board.

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    Florida Senate - 2006                                  SB 1238
    33-28-06




 1  The declaration must acknowledge that terminating school

 2  enrollment is likely to reduce the student's earning potential

 3  and must be signed by the student and the student's parent.

 4  The school district must notify the student's parent of

 5  receipt of the student's declaration of intent to terminate

 6  school enrollment.

 7         Section 3.  Subsection (4) of section 1003.51, Florida

 8  Statutes, is amended to read:

 9         1003.51  Other public educational services.--

10         (4)  The Department of Education shall ensure that

11  district school boards notify students in juvenile justice

12  residential or nonresidential facilities who attain the age of

13  18 16 years of the provisions of law regarding compulsory

14  school attendance and make available the option of enrolling

15  in a program to attain a Florida high school diploma by taking

16  the general educational development test prior to release from

17  the facility. District school boards or community colleges, or

18  both, shall waive GED testing fees for youth in Department of

19  Juvenile Justice residential programs and shall, upon request,

20  designate schools operating for the purpose of providing

21  educational services to youth in Department of Juvenile

22  Justice programs as GED testing centers, subject to GED

23  testing center requirements. The administrative fees for the

24  general education development test required by the Department

25  of Education are the responsibility of district school boards

26  and may be required of providers by contractual agreement.

27         Section 4.  This act shall take effect July 1, 2006.

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