| 1 | A bill to be entitled |
| 2 | An act relating to mandatory school attendance; amending |
| 3 | ss. 1002.20, 1003.21, and 1003.51, F.S.; changing the age |
| 4 | for mandatory school attendance from 16 to 18; providing |
| 5 | an effective date. |
| 6 |
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| 7 | Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: |
| 8 |
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| 9 | Section 1. Paragraphs (a) and (b) of subsection (2) of |
| 10 | section 1002.20, Florida Statutes, are amended to read: |
| 11 | 1002.20 K-12 student and parent rights.--Parents of public |
| 12 | school students must receive accurate and timely information |
| 13 | regarding their child's academic progress and must be informed |
| 14 | of ways they can help their child to succeed in school. K-12 |
| 15 | students and their parents are afforded numerous statutory |
| 16 | rights including, but not limited to, the following: |
| 17 | (2) ATTENDANCE.-- |
| 18 | (a) Compulsory school attendance.--The compulsory school |
| 19 | attendance laws apply to all children between the ages of 6 and |
| 20 | 18 16 years, as provided in s. 1003.21(1) and (2)(a), and, in |
| 21 | accordance with the provisions of s. 1003.21(1) and (2)(a): |
| 22 | 1. A student who attains the age of 18 16 years during the |
| 23 | school year has the right to file a formal declaration of intent |
| 24 | to terminate school enrollment if the declaration is signed by |
| 25 | the parent. The parent has the right to be notified by the |
| 26 | school district of the district's receipt of the student's |
| 27 | declaration of intent to terminate school enrollment. |
| 28 | 2. Students who become or have become married or who are |
| 29 | pregnant and parenting have the right to attend school and |
| 30 | receive the same or equivalent educational instruction as other |
| 31 | students. |
| 32 | (b) Regular school attendance.--Parents of students who |
| 33 | have attained the age of 6 years by February 1 of any school |
| 34 | year but who have not attained the age of 18 16 years must |
| 35 | comply with the compulsory school attendance laws. Parents have |
| 36 | the option to comply with the school attendance laws by |
| 37 | attendance of the student in a public school; a parochial, |
| 38 | religious, or denominational school; a private school; a home |
| 39 | education program; or a private tutoring program, in accordance |
| 40 | with the provisions of s. 1003.01(13). |
| 41 | Section 2. Paragraphs (a) and (c) of subsection (1) of |
| 42 | section 1003.21, Florida Statutes, are amended to read: |
| 43 | 1003.21 School attendance.-- |
| 44 | (1)(a)1. All children who have attained the age of 6 years |
| 45 | or who will have attained the age of 6 years by February 1 of |
| 46 | any school year or who are older than 6 years of age but who |
| 47 | have not attained the age of 18 16 years, except as otherwise |
| 48 | provided, are required to attend school regularly during the |
| 49 | entire school term. |
| 50 | 2. Children who will have attained the age of 5 years on |
| 51 | or before September 1 of the school year are eligible for |
| 52 | admission to public kindergartens during that school year under |
| 53 | rules adopted by the district school board. |
| 54 | (c) A student who attains the age of 18 16 years during |
| 55 | the school year is not subject to compulsory school attendance |
| 56 | beyond the date upon which he or she attains that age if the |
| 57 | student files a formal declaration of intent to terminate school |
| 58 | enrollment with the district school board. The declaration must |
| 59 | acknowledge that terminating school enrollment is likely to |
| 60 | reduce the student's earning potential and must be signed by the |
| 61 | student and the student's parent. The school district must |
| 62 | notify the student's parent of receipt of the student's |
| 63 | declaration of intent to terminate school enrollment. |
| 64 | Section 3. Subsection (4) of section 1003.51, Florida |
| 65 | Statutes, is amended to read: |
| 66 | 1003.51 Other public educational services.-- |
| 67 | (4) The Department of Education shall ensure that district |
| 68 | school boards notify students in juvenile justice residential or |
| 69 | nonresidential facilities who attain the age of 18 16 years of |
| 70 | the provisions of law regarding compulsory school attendance and |
| 71 | make available the option of enrolling in a program to attain a |
| 72 | Florida high school diploma by taking the general educational |
| 73 | development test prior to release from the facility. District |
| 74 | school boards or community colleges, or both, shall waive GED |
| 75 | testing fees for youth in Department of Juvenile Justice |
| 76 | residential programs and shall, upon request, designate schools |
| 77 | operating for the purpose of providing educational services to |
| 78 | youth in Department of Juvenile Justice programs as GED testing |
| 79 | centers, subject to GED testing center requirements. The |
| 80 | administrative fees for the general education development test |
| 81 | required by the Department of Education are the responsibility |
| 82 | of district school boards and may be required of providers by |
| 83 | contractual agreement. |
| 84 | Section 4. This act shall take effect July 1, 2005. |