Florida Senate - 2021              PROPOSED COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE
       Bill No. CS for SB 200
       
       
       
       
       
                               Ì808686YÎ808686                          
       
       576-02708-21                                                    
       Proposed Committee Substitute by the Committee on Appropriations
       (Appropriations Subcommittee on Education)
    1                        A bill to be entitled                      
    2         An act relating to student retention; authorizing a
    3         parent or guardian to request that his or her student
    4         be retained in a grade level for academic reasons for
    5         a specified school year; requiring that such a request
    6         be submitted in a specified manner; requiring school
    7         principals to consider such requests if they are
    8         timely received; authorizing school principals to
    9         consider requests that are not timely received;
   10         requiring a school principal that considers a request
   11         to inform the student’s teachers of the request and
   12         collaboratively discuss with the parent or guardian
   13         any basis for agreement or disagreement with the
   14         request; authorizing the principal, teachers, and
   15         parent or guardian to collaborate to develop a
   16         customized 1-year education plan for the student in
   17         lieu of retaining the student; requiring a parent or
   18         guardian’s decision regarding retention to control;
   19         prohibiting a retained middle school student from
   20         retaking certain classes; requiring school districts
   21         to report certain data to the Department of Education
   22         by a specified date; providing an effective date.
   23          
   24  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
   25  
   26         Section 1. Notwithstanding s. 1008.25, Florida Statutes, a
   27  parent or guardian may request that his or her K-8 public school
   28  student be retained for the 2021-2022 school year in the grade
   29  level to which the student was assigned at the beginning of the
   30  2020-2021 school year, provided that such request is made for
   31  academic reasons.
   32         (1) A parent or guardian who wishes for his or her student
   33  to be retained as provided by this act must submit, in writing,
   34  to the school principal a retention request that specifies the
   35  academic reasons for the retention. Only requests received by
   36  the principal on or before June 30, 2021, must be considered. A
   37  principal may consider a request received after that date at his
   38  or her discretion.
   39         (2)(a) A principal who considers a retention request
   40  submitted pursuant to subsection (1) shall inform the student’s
   41  teachers of the retention request and collaboratively discuss
   42  with the parent or guardian any basis for agreement or
   43  disagreement with the request.
   44         (b) In lieu of retention, the principal, teachers, and
   45  parent or guardian may collaborate to develop a customized 1
   46  year education plan for the student with the intent of helping
   47  the student return to grade level readiness by the end of the
   48  next academic year. Such plan may include, but need not be
   49  limited to, supplemental educational support, services, and
   50  interventions; summer education; promotion in some, but not all,
   51  courses; and midyear promotion.
   52         (c) The parent or guardian’s decision to promote or retain
   53  his or her student after discussing the retention request with
   54  the principal shall control.
   55         (3) A middle school student who is retained under this
   56  section may be eligible to retake high school credits earned
   57  toward grade forgiveness pursuant to s. 1003.4282(5), Florida
   58  Statutes, only if he or she has earned a grade of “C”, “D,” or
   59  “F.” in the class for which the credits were awarded.
   60         (4) By June 30, 2022, school districts shall report to the
   61  Department of Education the number of students retained pursuant
   62  to this act for all or part of the 2021-2022 school year.
   63         Section 2. This act shall take effect upon becoming a law.