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.