Bill Text: FL S1522 | 2016 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Education
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 1-0)
Status: (Failed) 2016-03-11 - Died in Education Pre-K - 12, companion bill(s) passed, see CS/HB 837 (Ch. 2016-137) [S1522 Detail]
Download: Florida-2016-S1522-Introduced.html
Florida Senate - 2016 SB 1522
By Senator Stargel
15-01315C-16 20161522__
1 A bill to be entitled
2 An act relating to education; amending s. 1002.41,
3 F.S.; specifying that a home education program is not
4 a school district program; authorizing a school
5 district to provide exceptional student education
6 related services to certain home education program
7 students; requiring reporting and funding through the
8 Florida Education Finance Program; requiring that home
9 education program students be provided access to
10 certain courses and programs offered by the school
11 district; requiring that home education program
12 students be provided access to certain certifications
13 and assessments offered by the school district;
14 providing for a textbook reimbursement for home
15 education program students; providing for the
16 disbursement of the reimbursement; requiring that a
17 home education student be verified by the school
18 district before award of the reimbursement;
19 prohibiting a school district from taking certain
20 actions against a home education program student’s
21 parent unless such action is required for a school
22 district program; amending s. 1003.27, F.S.; requiring
23 a school and school district to comply with specified
24 provisions before instituting criminal prosecution
25 against certain parents relating to compulsory school
26 attendance; amending s. 1007.271, F.S.; prohibiting a
27 home education articulation agreement from limiting
28 courses or programs beyond the limitations for other
29 students; authorizing the agreement to allow
30 additional courses under certain circumstances;
31 providing an exemption from the grade point average
32 requirement for initial enrollment in a dual
33 enrollment program for certain home education
34 students; prohibiting articulation agreements for
35 private schools and home education students from
36 containing specified payment provisions; requiring
37 each public postsecondary institution to develop a
38 comprehensive dual enrollment articulation agreement
39 for home education students; requiring a specified
40 committee for each institution to develop the
41 agreement; amending s. 1009.536, F.S.; specifying
42 student eligibility for the Florida Gold Seal
43 Vocational Scholars award; providing an effective
44 date.
45
46 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
47
48 Section 1. Subsections (3) and (9) of section 1002.41,
49 Florida Statutes, are amended, and subsections (10), (11), (12),
50 (13), and (14) are added to that section, to read:
51 1002.41 Home education programs.—
52 (3) A home education program is not a school district
53 program and shall be excluded from meeting the requirements of a
54 school day.
55 (9) Home education program students may receive Testing and
56 evaluation services at diagnostic and resource centers shall be
57 available to home education program students, in accordance with
58 the provisions of s. 1006.03.
59 (10) A school district may provide exceptional student
60 education-related services, as defined in State Board of
61 Education rule, to a home education program student with a
62 disability who is eligible for the services and who enrolls in a
63 public school for the purpose of receiving those related
64 services. The school district providing the services shall
65 report each student as a full-time equivalent student in a
66 manner prescribed by the Department of Education, and funding
67 shall be provided through the Florida Education Finance Program
68 pursuant to s. 1011.62.
69 (11) Home education program students shall be provided
70 access to career and technical courses and programs offered by
71 the school district.
72 (12) Industry certifications, national assessments, and
73 statewide, standardized assessments offered by the school
74 district shall be available to home education program students.
75 Each school district shall notify home education program
76 students of the available certifications and assessments; the
77 date, time, and locations for the administration of each
78 certification and assessment; and the deadline for notifying the
79 school district of the student’s intent to participate and the
80 student’s preferred location.
81 (13) Home education program students shall be provided an
82 annual textbook reimbursement in the amount of $81.42. The
83 reimbursement shall be disbursed by an eligible nonprofit
84 scholarship-funding organization, as defined in s. 1002.395,
85 selected by the Department of Education. A student’s enrollment
86 in a home education program must be verified by the student’s
87 school district before the reimbursement may be awarded.
88 (14) A school district may not further regulate, exercise
89 control over, or require documentation from parents of home
90 education program students beyond the requirements of this
91 section unless the regulation, control, or documentation is
92 necessary for participation in a school district program.
93 Section 2. Subsection (2) of section 1003.27, Florida
94 Statutes, is amended to read:
95 1003.27 Court procedure and penalties.—The court procedure
96 and penalties for the enforcement of the provisions of this
97 part, relating to compulsory school attendance, shall be as
98 follows:
99 (2) NONENROLLMENT AND NONATTENDANCE CASES.—
100 (a) In each case of nonenrollment or of nonattendance upon
101 the part of a student who is required to attend some school,
102 when no valid reason for such nonenrollment or nonattendance is
103 found, the district school superintendent shall institute a
104 criminal prosecution against the student’s parent. However,
105 criminal prosecution may not be instituted against the student’s
106 parent until the school and school district have complied with
107 s. 1003.26.
108 (b) Each public school principal or the principal’s
109 designee shall notify the district school board of each minor
110 student under its jurisdiction who accumulates 15 unexcused
111 absences in a period of 90 calendar days. Each designee of the
112 governing body of each private school, and each parent whose
113 child is enrolled in a home education program, may provide the
114 Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles with the legal
115 name, sex, date of birth, and social security number of each
116 minor student under his or her jurisdiction who fails to satisfy
117 relevant attendance requirements and who fails to otherwise
118 satisfy the requirements of s. 322.091. The district school
119 superintendent must provide the Department of Highway Safety and
120 Motor Vehicles the legal name, sex, date of birth, and social
121 security number of each minor student who has been reported
122 under this paragraph and who fails to otherwise satisfy the
123 requirements of s. 322.091. The Department of Highway Safety and
124 Motor Vehicles may not issue a driver license or learner’s
125 driver license to, and shall suspend any previously issued
126 driver license or learner’s driver license of, any such minor
127 student, pursuant to the provisions of s. 322.091.
128 (c) Each designee of the governing body of each private
129 school and each parent whose child is enrolled in a home
130 education program may provide the Department of Highway Safety
131 and Motor Vehicles with the legal name, sex, date of birth, and
132 social security number of each minor student under his or her
133 jurisdiction who fails to satisfy relevant attendance
134 requirements and who fails to otherwise satisfy the requirements
135 of s. 322.091. The Department of Highway Safety and Motor
136 Vehicles may not issue a driver license or learner’s driver
137 license to, and shall suspend any previously issued driver
138 license or learner’s driver license of, any such minor student,
139 pursuant to the provisions of s. 322.091.
140 Section 3. Subsections (22) through (24) are renumbered as
141 subsections (23) through (25), respectively, paragraph (b) of
142 subsection (13), subsection (16), and paragraph (n) of
143 subsection (21) of section 1007.271, Florida Statutes, are
144 amended, and a new subsection (22) is added to that section, to
145 read:
146 1007.271 Dual enrollment programs.—
147 (13)
148 (b) Each postsecondary institution shall enter into a home
149 education articulation agreement with each home education
150 student seeking enrollment in a dual enrollment course and the
151 student’s parent. The home education articulation agreement
152 shall include, at a minimum:
153 1. A delineation of courses and programs available to
154 dually enrolled home education students. Courses and programs
155 may be added, revised, or deleted at any time by the
156 postsecondary institution. The articulation agreement may not
157 limit the courses or programs beyond those for other dually
158 enrolled students, but may allow home education students to take
159 additional courses on a space available basis.
160 2. The initial and continued eligibility requirements for
161 home education student participation, not to exceed those
162 required of other dually enrolled students. A high school grade
163 point average may not be required for home education students
164 who meet the minimum score on a common placement test adopted by
165 the State Board of Education which indicates that the student is
166 ready for college-level coursework; however, home education
167 student eligibility requirements for continued enrollment in
168 college credit dual enrollment courses must include the
169 maintenance of the minimum postsecondary grade point average
170 established by the postsecondary institution.
171 3. The student’s responsibilities for providing his or her
172 own instructional materials and transportation.
173 4. A copy of the statement on transfer guarantees developed
174 by the Department of Education under subsection (15).
175 (16) Public school, private school, or home education
176 program students who meet the eligibility requirements of this
177 section and who choose to participate in dual enrollment
178 programs are exempt from the payment of registration, tuition,
179 and laboratory fees.
180 (21) Each district school superintendent and each public
181 postsecondary institution president shall develop a
182 comprehensive dual enrollment articulation agreement for the
183 respective school district and postsecondary institution. The
184 superintendent and president shall establish an articulation
185 committee for the purpose of developing the agreement. Each
186 state university president may designate a university
187 representative to participate in the development of a dual
188 enrollment articulation agreement. A dual enrollment
189 articulation agreement shall be completed and submitted annually
190 by the postsecondary institution to the Department of Education
191 on or before August 1. The agreement must include, but is not
192 limited to:
193 (n) A funding provision that delineates costs incurred by
194 each entity.
195 1. School districts shall pay public postsecondary
196 institutions the standard tuition rate per credit hour from
197 funds provided in the Florida Education Finance Program when
198 dual enrollment course instruction takes place on the
199 postsecondary institution’s campus and the course is taken
200 during the fall or spring term. When dual enrollment is provided
201 on the high school site by postsecondary institution faculty,
202 the school district shall reimburse the costs associated with
203 the postsecondary institution’s proportion of salary and
204 benefits to provide the instruction. When dual enrollment course
205 instruction is provided on the high school site by school
206 district faculty, the school district is not responsible for
207 payment to the postsecondary institution. A postsecondary
208 institution may enter into an agreement with the school district
209 to authorize teachers to teach dual enrollment courses at the
210 high school site or the postsecondary institution. A school
211 district may not deny a student access to dual enrollment unless
212 the student is ineligible to participate in the program subject
213 to provisions specifically outlined in this section.
214 2. Subject to annual appropriation in the General
215 Appropriations Act, a public postsecondary institution shall
216 receive an amount of funding equivalent to the standard tuition
217 rate per credit hour for each dual enrollment course taken by a
218 student during the summer term.
219 3. The payment provisions of this paragraph do not apply to
220 an articulation agreement with a private school or home
221 education student.
222 (22) Each public postsecondary institution shall develop a
223 comprehensive dual enrollment articulation agreement for home
224 education students and the postsecondary institution. The
225 president of the institution shall establish an articulation
226 committee composed of postsecondary education representatives
227 and home education parents or home education association
228 representatives for the purpose of developing the agreement.
229 Section 4. Subsection (1) of section 1009.536, Florida
230 Statutes, is amended to read:
231 1009.536 Florida Gold Seal Vocational Scholars award.—The
232 Florida Gold Seal Vocational Scholars award is created within
233 the Florida Bright Futures Scholarship Program to recognize and
234 reward academic achievement and career preparation by high
235 school students who wish to continue their education.
236 (1) A student is eligible for a Florida Gold Seal
237 Vocational Scholars award if the student meets the general
238 eligibility requirements for the Florida Bright Futures
239 Scholarship Program and the student:
240 (a) Completes the secondary school portion of a sequential
241 program of studies that requires at least three secondary school
242 career credits and earns a minimum unweighted grade point
243 average of 3.5 on a 4.0 scale for secondary school career
244 courses comprising the career program. On-the-job training may
245 not be substituted for any of the three required career credits.
246 (b) Demonstrates readiness for postsecondary education by
247 earning a passing score on the Florida College Entry Level
248 Placement Test or its equivalent as identified by the Department
249 of Education.
250 (c) Earns a minimum cumulative weighted grade point average
251 of 3.0, as calculated pursuant to s. 1009.531, on all subjects
252 required for a standard high school diploma, excluding elective
253 courses, or has attended a home education program pursuant to s.
254 1002.41 during grades 11 and 12.
255 (d) Earns a minimum unweighted grade point average of 3.5
256 on a 4.0 scale for secondary career courses comprising the
257 career program.
258 (d)(e) Beginning with high school students graduating in
259 the 2011-2012 academic year and thereafter, completes a program
260 of community service work approved by the district school board,
261 the administrators of a nonpublic school, or the Department of
262 Education for home education program students, which shall
263 include a minimum of 30 hours of service work, and identifies a
264 social problem that interests him or her, develops a plan for
265 his or her personal involvement in addressing the problem, and,
266 through papers or other presentations, evaluates and reflects
267 upon his or her experience.
268 Section 5. This act shall take effect July 1, 2016.
