Florida Senate - 2015              PROPOSED COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE
       Bill No. CS for SB 688
       
       
       
       
       
                               Ì490678VÎ490678                          
       
       576-02346-15                                                    
       Proposed Committee Substitute by the Committee on Appropriations
       (Appropriations Subcommittee on Education)
    1                        A bill to be entitled                      
    2         An act relating to the opening and closing of public
    3         schools; amending s. 1001.42, F.S.; revising a
    4         requirement for the uniform opening date of public
    5         schools; amending s. 1003.621, F.S.; providing that
    6         academically high-performing school districts must
    7         comply with provisions relating to the uniform opening
    8         date of public schools; providing an exception for
    9         certain school districts for a certain timeframe;
   10         providing an effective date.
   11          
   12  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
   13  
   14         Section 1. Paragraph (f) of subsection (4) of section
   15  1001.42, Florida Statutes, is amended to read:
   16         1001.42 Powers and duties of district school board.—The
   17  district school board, acting as a board, shall exercise all
   18  powers and perform all duties listed below:
   19         (4) ESTABLISHMENT, ORGANIZATION, AND OPERATION OF SCHOOLS.
   20  Adopt and provide for the execution of plans for the
   21  establishment, organization, and operation of the schools of the
   22  district, including, but not limited to, the following:
   23         (f) Opening and closing of schools; fixing uniform date.
   24  Adopt policies for the opening and closing of schools and fix
   25  uniform dates; however, beginning with the 2015-2016 2007-2008
   26  school year and each school year thereafter, the opening date
   27  for schools in the district may not be earlier than the third
   28  Monday in August 14 days before Labor Day each year.
   29         Section 2. Present paragraph (k) of subsection (2) of
   30  section 1003.621, Florida Statutes, is redesignated as paragraph
   31  (l), and a new paragraph (k) is added to that subsection, to
   32  read:
   33         1003.621 Academically high-performing school districts.—It
   34  is the intent of the Legislature to recognize and reward school
   35  districts that demonstrate the ability to consistently maintain
   36  or improve their high-performing status. The purpose of this
   37  section is to provide high-performing school districts with
   38  flexibility in meeting the specific requirements in statute and
   39  rules of the State Board of Education.
   40         (2) COMPLIANCE WITH STATUTES AND RULES.—Each academically
   41  high-performing school district shall comply with all of the
   42  provisions in chapters 1000-1013, and rules of the State Board
   43  of Education which implement these provisions, pertaining to the
   44  following:
   45         (k) Section 1001.42(4)(f), relating to the uniform opening
   46  date for public schools. However, an academically high
   47  performing school district whose calendar for the 2015-2016
   48  school year was approved by the district school board before May
   49  1, 2015, may waive compliance with s. 1001.42(4)(f) for the
   50  2015-2016 school year.
   51         Section 3. This act shall take effect July 1, 2015.