| 1 | A bill to be entitled |
| 2 | An act relating to school improvement and education |
| 3 | accountability; amending s. 1008.345, F.S.; requiring |
| 4 | certain schools with a school grade of "F" to implement a |
| 5 | policy for single-gender classes; providing requirements |
| 6 | for uniform policies, including procedures for enrolling a |
| 7 | student in coeducational classes and periodic review of |
| 8 | policy implementation; requiring such schools to implement |
| 9 | a school uniform policy; requiring maintenance of policies |
| 10 | until certain conditions are met; amending s. 1004.68, |
| 11 | F.S.; correcting a cross-reference; providing an effective |
| 12 | date. |
| 13 |
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| 14 | Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: |
| 15 |
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| 16 | Section 1. Subsection (8) of section 1008.345, Florida |
| 17 | Statutes, is renumbered as subsection (9) and a new subsection |
| 18 | (8) is added to that section to read: |
| 19 | 1008.345 Implementation of state system of school |
| 20 | improvement and education accountability.-- |
| 21 | (8) In order to meet the educational needs of students in |
| 22 | low-performing schools, nonvocational elementary and secondary |
| 23 | schools receiving a school grade of "F" shall implement: |
| 24 | (a) A single-gender education policy that divides students |
| 25 | into classes by gender. The admissions requirements, educational |
| 26 | benefits, qualifications of faculty and staff, and quality and |
| 27 | accessibility of facilities and resources for female and male |
| 28 | students enrolled in single-gender classes must be substantially |
| 29 | equal and administered in an even-handed manner. Additionally, a |
| 30 | single-gender education policy implemented pursuant to this |
| 31 | subsection must contain the following: |
| 32 | 1. A procedure for providing notice to parents of the |
| 33 | school's conversion to single-gender classes. |
| 34 | 2. A procedure for allowing parents to opt out of the |
| 35 | school's single-gender education program and enroll their child |
| 36 | in coeducational classes. |
| 37 | 3. A procedure for periodic review of the single-gender |
| 38 | education policy by the district school superintendent to assess |
| 39 | whether the policy has been implemented in a nondiscriminatory |
| 40 | manner and in a way that most effectively ensures the success of |
| 41 | the program. |
| 42 | (b) A schoolwide policy for school uniforms for students. |
| 43 |
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| 44 | Policies required by this subsection must remain in force until |
| 45 | the school achieves a school grade of "A." |
| 46 | Section 2. Subsection (2) of section 1004.68, Florida |
| 47 | Statutes, is amended to read: |
| 48 | 1004.68 Community college; degrees and certificates; tests |
| 49 | for certain skills.-- |
| 50 | (2) Each community college board of trustees shall require |
| 51 | the use of scores on tests for college-level communication and |
| 52 | computation skills provided in s. 1008.345(9)(8) as a condition |
| 53 | for graduation with an associate in arts degree. |
| 54 | Section 3. This act shall take effect July 1, 2007. |