Florida Senate - 2021                                     SB 200
       
       
        
       By Senator Berman
       
       
       
       
       
       31-00413-21                                            2021200__
    1                        A bill to be entitled                      
    2         An act relating to student retention; authorizing a
    3         parent to request that his or her student be retained
    4         in a grade level for a specified school year;
    5         requiring such request to be submitted in a specified
    6         manner; requiring school district superintendents to
    7         grant such requests if they are timely received;
    8         authorizing school district superintendents to grant
    9         requests that are not timely received; requiring
   10         school districts to administer a certain assessment to
   11         specified students; requiring such students to
   12         participate in the assessment; clarifying that
   13         specified students may qualify for midyear promotion;
   14         authorizing a parent to request such promotion or to
   15         request that his or her student continue to be
   16         retained; requiring school districts to approve such
   17         requests; requiring school districts to report certain
   18         data to the Department of Education by a specified
   19         date; providing for future repeal; providing an
   20         effective date.
   21          
   22  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
   23  
   24         Section 1. Notwithstanding s. 1008.25, Florida Statutes, a
   25  parent may choose to retain his or her K-12 public school
   26  student in the grade level to which the student was assigned at
   27  the beginning of the 2020-2021 school year for the 2021-2022
   28  school year.
   29         (1) A parent who wishes for his or her student to be
   30  retained under this act shall submit a retention request in
   31  writing to the school district superintendent. Only requests
   32  received by the superintendent on or before June 1, 2021, must
   33  be considered. A school district superintendent who timely
   34  receives such a request shall grant the request. A school
   35  district superintendent who receives such a written request
   36  after the deadline for receipt may grant the request upon his or
   37  her discretion.
   38         (2) School districts shall administer a midyear assessment
   39  to a student retained pursuant to this act. Such assessment
   40  shall evaluate the student’s progression to mastery of the
   41  standards imposed under s. 1003.41, Florida Statutes. A student
   42  retained pursuant to this act shall participate in such midyear
   43  assessment, the statewide, standardized assessments administered
   44  under s. 1008.22, Florida Statutes, and any other statewide
   45  educational tests required by law.
   46         (3) A student for whom a parent requests retention may
   47  qualify for whole-grade promotion, midyear promotion, or
   48  subject-matter acceleration pursuant to s. 1002.3105, Florida
   49  Statutes, during the 2021-2022 school year. In such case, the
   50  parent may request that the school district promote his or her
   51  student accordingly or that his or her student be retained
   52  pursuant to the parent’s retention request. School districts
   53  shall grant all such requests.
   54         (4) By June 1, 2022, school districts shall report to the
   55  Department of Education the number of students retained pursuant
   56  to this act for all or part of the 2021-2022 school year.
   57         (5) This act shall stand repealed on June 30, 2022, unless
   58  reviewed and saved from repeal through reenactment by the
   59  Legislature.
   60         Section 2. This act shall take effect upon becoming a law.