| 1 | A bill to be entitled |
| 2 | An act relating to district school board policies and |
| 3 | procedures; amending s. 1001.43, F.S.; providing |
| 4 | legislative intent to recognize student academic |
| 5 | achievement; encouraging each district school board to |
| 6 | adopt policies and procedures that provide for an annual |
| 7 | "Academic Scholarship Signing Day"; providing an effective |
| 8 | date. |
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| 10 | Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: |
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| 12 | Section 1. Subsection (14) is added to section 1001.43, |
| 13 | Florida Statutes, to read: |
| 14 | 1001.43 Supplemental powers and duties of district school |
| 15 | board.--The district school board may exercise the following |
| 16 | supplemental powers and duties as authorized by this code or |
| 17 | State Board of Education rule. |
| 18 | (14) RECOGNITION OF ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT.-- |
| 19 | (a) The Legislature recognizes the importance of promoting |
| 20 | student academic achievement, motivating students to attain |
| 21 | academic achievement, and providing positive acknowledgment for |
| 22 | that achievement. It is the intent of the Legislature that |
| 23 | school districts bestow the same level of recognition to the |
| 24 | state's academic scholars as to its athletic scholars. |
| 25 | (b) The district school board is encouraged to adopt |
| 26 | policies and procedures to provide for a student "Academic |
| 27 | Scholarship Signing Day" by declaring the third Tuesday in April |
| 28 | each year as "Academic Scholarship Signing Day." The "Academic |
| 29 | Scholarship Signing Day" shall recognize the outstanding |
| 30 | academic achievement of high school seniors who sign a letter of |
| 31 | intent to accept an academic scholarship offered to the student |
| 32 | by a postsecondary educational institution. District school |
| 33 | board policies and procedures may include, but not be limited |
| 34 | to, conducting assemblies or other appropriate public events in |
| 35 | which students offered academic scholarships assemble and sign |
| 36 | actual or ceremonial documents accepting those scholarships. The |
| 37 | district school board may encourage holding such events in an |
| 38 | assembly or gathering of high school freshmen or sophomores as a |
| 39 | means of making academic success and recognition visible to |
| 40 | these students. |
| 41 | Section 2. This act shall take effect July 1, 2010. |