Florida Senate - 2022 SB 1070 By Senator Jones 35-00824-22 20221070__ 1 A bill to be entitled 2 An act relating to school absence due to sickness or 3 injury; amending s. 1003.24, F.S.; providing that a 4 written statement attesting to the impracticability or 5 inadvisability of attendance on account of sickness or 6 injury may be attested to by a licensed professional 7 other than a practicing physician, as determined by 8 school board policy; providing an effective date. 9 10 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: 11 12 Section 1. Subsection (4) of section 1003.24, Florida 13 Statutes, is amended to read: 14 1003.24 Parents responsible for attendance of children; 15 attendance policy.—Each parent of a child within the compulsory 16 attendance age is responsible for the child’s school attendance 17 as required by law. The absence of a student from school is 18 prima facie evidence of a violation of this section; however, 19 criminal prosecution under this chapter may not be brought 20 against a parent until the provisions of s. 1003.26 have been 21 complied with. A parent of a student is not responsible for the 22 student’s nonattendance at school under any of the following 23 conditions: 24 (4) SICKNESS, INJURY, OR OTHER INSURMOUNTABLE CONDITION. 25 Attendance was impracticable or inadvisable on account of 26 sickness or injury, as attested to by a written statement of a 27 licensed practicing physician or other licensed professional as 28 determined by school board policy, or was impracticable because 29 of some other stated insurmountable condition as defined by and 30 attested to in accordance with rules of the State Board of 31 Education. If a student is continually sick and repeatedly 32 absent from school, he or she must be under the supervision of a 33 physician, or if the absence is related to the student having 34 autism spectrum disorder, receiving services from a licensed 35 health care practitioner or behavior analyst certified pursuant 36 to s. 393.17, in order to receive an excuse from attendance. 37 Such excuse provides that a student’s condition justifies 38 absence for more than the number of days permitted by the 39 district school board. 40 41 Each district school board shall establish an attendance policy 42 that includes, but is not limited to, the required number of 43 days each school year that a student must be in attendance and 44 the number of absences and tardinesses after which a statement 45 explaining such absences and tardinesses must be on file at the 46 school. Each school in the district must determine if an absence 47 or tardiness is excused or unexcused according to criteria 48 established by the district school board. 49 Section 2. This act shall take effect July 1, 2022.