Florida Senate - 2024                                    SB 1266
       
       
        
       By Senator Stewart
       
       
       
       
       
       17-01644-24                                           20241266__
    1                        A bill to be entitled                      
    2         An act relating to educational services in Department
    3         of Juvenile Justice programs; amending s. 1003.52,
    4         F.S.; requiring school districts to annually provide
    5         certain students in a juvenile justice program with at
    6         least one opportunity to take the high school
    7         equivalency examination at no cost to the student;
    8         providing an effective date.
    9          
   10  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
   11  
   12         Section 1. Paragraph (c) of subsection (3) of section
   13  1003.52, Florida Statutes, is amended to read:
   14         1003.52 Educational services in Department of Juvenile
   15  Justice programs.—
   16         (3) The district school board of the county in which the
   17  juvenile justice education prevention, day treatment,
   18  residential, or detention program is located shall provide or
   19  contract for appropriate educational assessments and an
   20  appropriate program of instruction and special education
   21  services.
   22         (c) The district school board shall make provisions for
   23  each student to participate in basic, CAPE, and exceptional
   24  student programs as appropriate. Students served in Department
   25  of Juvenile Justice education programs shall have access to the
   26  appropriate courses and instruction to prepare them for the high
   27  school equivalency examination. Students participating in high
   28  school equivalency examination preparation programs shall be
   29  funded at the basic program cost factor for Department of
   30  Juvenile Justice programs in the Florida Education Finance
   31  Program. Each program shall be conducted according to applicable
   32  law providing for the operation of public schools and rules of
   33  the State Board of Education. School districts shall provide the
   34  high school equivalency examination exit option for all juvenile
   35  justice education programs and provide each student who is 16
   36  years of age or older with the opportunity to take the high
   37  school equivalency examination at least once a year at no cost
   38  to the student.
   39         Section 2. This act shall take effect July 1, 2024.