| 1 | A bill to be entitled |
| 2 | An act relating to school attendance; amending s. 1003.21, |
| 3 | F.S.; requiring that a student who is withdrawing from |
| 4 | school be assigned a counselor or other school personnel |
| 5 | to provide educational information until the student is 18 |
| 6 | years old; amending s. 1003.428, F.S.; requiring 9th |
| 7 | graders and students who are withdrawing from school to |
| 8 | receive instruction about the effects of withdrawing from |
| 9 | high school and certain available options; providing an |
| 10 | effective date. |
| 11 |
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| 12 | Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: |
| 13 |
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| 14 | Section 1. Paragraph (c) of subsection (1) of section |
| 15 | 1003.21, Florida Statutes, is amended to read: |
| 16 | 1003.21 School attendance.-- |
| 17 | (1) |
| 18 | (c) A student who has not graduated and who attains the |
| 19 | age of 16 years during the school year is not subject to |
| 20 | compulsory school attendance after beyond the date upon which he |
| 21 | or she attains that age if the student files a formal |
| 22 | declaration of intent to terminate school enrollment with the |
| 23 | district school board. Such Public school students who have |
| 24 | attained the age of 16 years and who have not graduated are |
| 25 | subject to compulsory school attendance until the formal |
| 26 | declaration of intent is filed with the district school board. |
| 27 | The declaration must acknowledge that terminating school |
| 28 | enrollment is likely to reduce the student's earning potential |
| 29 | and must be signed by the student and the student's parent. The |
| 30 | school district must notify the student's parent of receipt of |
| 31 | the student's declaration of intent to terminate school |
| 32 | enrollment. The student's guidance counselor or other school |
| 33 | personnel must conduct an exit interview with the student to |
| 34 | determine the reasons for the student's decision to terminate |
| 35 | school enrollment and actions that could be taken to keep the |
| 36 | student in school. The student must be informed of opportunities |
| 37 | to continue his or her education in a different environment, |
| 38 | including, but not limited to, adult education and GED test |
| 39 | preparation. Additionally, the student must complete a survey in |
| 40 | a format prescribed by the Department of Education to provide |
| 41 | data on student reasons for terminating enrollment and actions |
| 42 | taken by schools to keep students enrolled. The school must also |
| 43 | assign a counselor or other school personnel to the student who |
| 44 | shall serve as a resource for educational information until the |
| 45 | student attains the age of 18. |
| 46 | Section 2. Present subsections (9) through (11) of section |
| 47 | 1003.428, Florida Statutes, are redesignated as subsections (10) |
| 48 | through (12), respectively, and a new subsection (9) is added to |
| 49 | that section to read: |
| 50 | 1003.428 General requirements for high school graduation; |
| 51 | revised.-- |
| 52 | (9) Each student who is in the second semester of the 9th |
| 53 | grade and any student who is withdrawing from school without |
| 54 | graduating or transferring to another school must be given |
| 55 | instruction that includes a detailed discussion of: |
| 56 | (a) The value of a high school education, both financially |
| 57 | and culturally; |
| 58 | (b) The alternative assessments, such as the SAT and the |
| 59 | ACT, the scores of which could help the student obtain a high |
| 60 | school diploma; and |
| 61 | (c) The options for secondary and postsecondary education |
| 62 | which are available, including secondary career and professional |
| 63 | academy opportunities, workforce training, and enrolling in a |
| 64 | community college or university, and the prerequisites to each, |
| 65 | with or without a diploma. |
| 66 | Section 3. This act shall take effect upon becoming a law. |