Senate Bill sb0336c1

    Florida Senate - 2007                    CS for SB's 336 & 416

    By the Committee on Education Pre-K - 12; and Senator Wilson





    581-2244-07

  1                      A bill to be entitled

  2         An act relating to school attendance; amending

  3         s. 1003.21, F.S.; requiring a student who is

  4         withdrawing to be assigned a counselor or other

  5         school personnel to provide educational

  6         information until the student is 18 years old;

  7         amending s. 1003.428, F.S.; requiring 9th

  8         graders or students who are withdrawing from

  9         school to receive instruction about the effects

10         of withdrawing from high school; providing an

11         effective date.

12  

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

14  

15         Section 1.  Paragraph (c) of subsection (1) of section

16  1003.21, Florida Statutes, is amended to read:

17         1003.21  School attendance.--

18         (1)

19         (c)  A student who has not graduated and who attains

20  the age of 16 years during the school year is not subject to

21  compulsory school attendance after beyond the date upon which

22  he or she attains that age if the student files a formal

23  declaration of intent to terminate school enrollment with the

24  district school board. Such Public school students who have

25  attained the age of 16 years and who have not graduated are

26  subject to compulsory school attendance until the formal

27  declaration of intent is filed with the district school board.

28  The declaration must acknowledge that terminating school

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

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

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

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    Florida Senate - 2007                    CS for SB's 336 & 416
    581-2244-07




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

 2  school enrollment. The student's guidance counselor or other

 3  school personnel must conduct an exit interview with the

 4  student to determine the reasons for the student's decision to

 5  terminate school enrollment and actions that could be taken to

 6  keep the student in school. The student must be informed of

 7  opportunities to continue his or her education in a different

 8  environment, including, but not limited to, adult education

 9  and GED test preparation. Additionally, the student must

10  complete a survey in a format prescribed by the Department of

11  Education to provide data on student reasons for terminating

12  enrollment and actions taken by schools to keep students

13  enrolled. The school must also assign a counselor or other

14  school personnel to the student who shall serve as a resource

15  for educational information until the student attains the age

16  of 18.

17         Section 2.  Present subsections (9) through (11) of

18  section 1003.428, Florida Statutes, are redesignated as

19  subsections (10) through (12), respectively, and a new

20  subsection (9) is added to that section, to read:

21         1003.428  General requirements for high school

22  graduation; revised.--

23         (9)  Each student who is in the second semester of the

24  9th grade, or any student who is withdrawing from school

25  without graduating or transferring to another school, must be

26  given instruction that includes a detailed discussion of the

27  relative advantages and disadvantages of the following:

28         (a)  The value of a high school education, both

29  financially and culturally;

30  

31  

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    Florida Senate - 2007                    CS for SB's 336 & 416
    581-2244-07




 1         (b)  The alternative assessments, such as the SAT and

 2  the ACT, the scores of which could help the student obtain a

 3  high school diploma; and

 4         (c)  The secondary and postsecondary options that are

 5  available, including secondary career and professional academy

 6  opportunities, workforce training, and enrolling in a

 7  community college or university, and the prerequisites to

 8  each, with or without a diploma.

 9         Section 3.  This act shall take effect upon becoming a

10  law.

11  

12          STATEMENT OF SUBSTANTIAL CHANGES CONTAINED IN
                       COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE FOR
13                         SB's 336 and 416

14                                 

15  The committee substitute:

16  Requires that 9th grade students, prior to the second
    semester, and students who withdraw from public school without
17  graduating or transferring to another school must be provided
    instruction regarding the financial and cultural value of a
18  high school education, alternative assessments through which
    the student might obtain a high school diploma, available
19  opportunities to participate in career academies, and
    workforce training and postsecondary education options that
20  are available to the student; and

21  Requires the school to assign a counselor or other school
    personnel to serve as a resource for educational information
22  for any student who withdraws without graduating or
    transferring to another school, until the student reaches 18
23  years of age.

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