Bill Text: FL S0940 | 2010 | Regular Session | Introduced

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Bill Title: School Attendance/Withdrawal from School [SPSC]

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)

Status: (Failed) 2010-04-30 - Died in Committee on Education Pre-K - 12 [S0940 Detail]

Download: Florida-2010-S0940-Introduced.html

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Florida Senate - 2010                                     SB 940 
 
By Senator Wilson 
33-00948-10                                            2010940__ 
1                        A bill to be entitled 
2         An act relating to school attendance; amending s. 
3         1003.21, F.S.; requiring that a student who is 
4         withdrawing from school be assigned a counselor or 
5         other school personnel to provide educational 
6         information until the student is 18 years of age; 
7         amending s. 1003.428, F.S.; requiring that 9th grade 
8         students in their second semester and students who are 
9         withdrawing from school receive detailed instruction 
10         regarding the effects of withdrawing from high school 
11         without graduating and certain available options; 
12         providing an effective date. 
13 
14  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: 
15 
16         Section 1. Paragraph (c) of subsection (1) of section 
17  1003.21, Florida Statutes, is amended to read: 
18         1003.21 School attendance.— 
19         (1) 
20         (c) A student who has not graduated and who attains the age 
21  of 16 years during the school year is not subject to compulsory 
22  school attendance after beyond the date upon which he or she 
23  attains that age if the student files a formal declaration of 
24  intent to terminate school enrollment with the district school 
25  board. Such Public school students who have attained the age of 
26  16 years and who have not graduated are subject to compulsory 
27  school attendance until the formal declaration of intent is 
28  filed with the district school board. The declaration must 
29  acknowledge that terminating school enrollment is likely to 
30  reduce the student’s earning potential and must be signed by the 
31  student and the student’s parent. The school district must 
32  notify the student’s parent of receipt of the student’s 
33  declaration of intent to terminate school enrollment. The 
34  student’s guidance counselor or other school personnel must 
35  conduct an exit interview with the student to determine the 
36  reasons for the student’s decision to terminate school 
37  enrollment and actions that could be taken to keep the student 
38  in school. The student must be informed of opportunities to 
39  continue his or her education in a different environment, 
40  including, but not limited to, adult education and GED test 
41  preparation. Additionally, the student must complete a survey in 
42  a format prescribed by the Department of Education to provide 
43  data on student reasons for terminating enrollment and actions 
44  taken by schools to keep students enrolled. The school must also 
45  assign a counselor or other school personnel to the student who 
46  shall serve as a resource for educational information until the 
47  student attains the age of 18. 
48         Section 2. Present subsections (9) through (11) of section 
49  1003.428, Florida Statutes, are redesignated as subsections (10) 
50  through (12), respectively, and a new subsection (9) is added to 
51  that section, to read: 
52         1003.428 General requirements for high school graduation; 
53  revised.— 
54         (9) Each student who is in the second semester of the 9th 
55  grade and any student who is withdrawing from school without 
56  graduating or transferring to another school must receive 
57  detailed instruction concerning: 
58         (a) The value of a high school education, both financially 
59  and culturally; 
60         (b) Alternative assessments, such as the SAT and the ACT, 
61  the scores of which could help the student obtain a high school 
62  diploma; and 
63         (c) Available options for secondary and postsecondary 
64  education, including, but not limited to, secondary career and 
65  professional academy opportunities, workforce training, and 
66  enrolling in a community college or university, and the 
67  prerequisites to each, with or without a diploma. 
68         Section 3. This act shall take effect upon becoming a law.