Bill Text: FL S0886 | 2016 | Regular Session | Comm Sub


Bill Title: Parent and Student Rights

Spectrum: Bipartisan Bill

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2016-03-11 - Died on Calendar, companion bill(s) passed, see CS/CS/HB 7029 (Ch. 2016-237) [S0886 Detail]

Download: Florida-2016-S0886-Comm_Sub.html
       Florida Senate - 2016                              CS for SB 886
       
       
        
       By the Committee on Appropriations; and Senator Benacquisto
       
       576-04231-16                                           2016886c1
    1                        A bill to be entitled                      
    2         An act relating to parent and student rights; amending
    3         s. 1002.20, F.S.; revising public school educational
    4         choice options available to students throughout the
    5         state to include CAPE Digital Tool certificates, CAPE
    6         industry certifications, and collegiate high school
    7         programs; authorizing parents of public school
    8         students to seek private educational choice options
    9         through the Florida Personal Learning Scholarship
   10         Accounts Program under certain circumstances;
   11         providing the right of a parent to know an estimated
   12         amount of money expended for the education of his or
   13         her child; requiring the Department of Education to
   14         provide each school district with such information;
   15         requiring the school districts to provide notification
   16         to parents; authorizing the information to be
   17         published in the student handbook or a similar
   18         publication; amending s. 1002.31, F.S.; deleting the
   19         definition of and provisions relating to the term
   20         “controlled open enrollment”; requiring each school
   21         district to establish a public school parental choice
   22         policy that authorizes parents to choose to enroll
   23         their child in and transport their child to any public
   24         school that has not reached capacity in the state;
   25         authorizing a school district to provide
   26         transportation to students who participate in the
   27         public school parental choice; prohibiting the
   28         displacement of certain students who participate in
   29         public school parental choice; authorizing a student
   30         participating in the public school parental choice to
   31         remain at a school until a certain time; revising
   32         requirements for the public school parental choice
   33         plan; requiring a district school board to incorporate
   34         certain information in its determination of the
   35         capacity of each school; authorizing a parent to
   36         enroll and transport his or her child to a public
   37         school that has not reached capacity by a specified
   38         date; requiring the school district to report a
   39         student for purposes of the school district’s funding;
   40         amending s. 1002.33, F.S.; requiring a charter school
   41         with space available to be open to any student in the
   42         state; creating s. 1003.3101, F.S.; requiring each
   43         school district board to establish a classroom teacher
   44         transfer process for parents, to approve or deny a
   45         transfer request within a certain timeframe, to notify
   46         a parent of a denial, and to post an explanation of
   47         the transfer process in the student handbook or a
   48         similar publication; amending s. 1012.42, F.S.;
   49         authorizing a parent of a child whose teacher is
   50         teaching outside the teacher’s field to request that
   51         the child be transferred to another classroom teacher
   52         within the school and grade in which the child is
   53         currently enrolled within a specified timeframe;
   54         specifying that a transfer does not provide a parent
   55         the right to choose a specific teacher; amending ss.
   56         1002.38, 1002.451, and 1006.15, F.S.; conforming
   57         provisions to changes made by the act; providing an
   58         effective date.
   59          
   60  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
   61  
   62         Section 1. Paragraphs (a) and (b) of subsection (6) of
   63  section 1002.20, Florida Statutes, are amended, and subsection
   64  (25) is added to that section, to read:
   65         1002.20 K-12 student and parent rights.—Parents of public
   66  school students must receive accurate and timely information
   67  regarding their child’s academic progress and must be informed
   68  of ways they can help their child to succeed in school. K-12
   69  students and their parents are afforded numerous statutory
   70  rights including, but not limited to, the following:
   71         (6) EDUCATIONAL CHOICE.—
   72         (a) Public educational school choices.—Parents of public
   73  school students may seek whatever public educational school
   74  choice options that are applicable and available to students
   75  throughout the state in their school districts. These options
   76  may include public school parental choice controlled open
   77  enrollment, single-gender programs, lab schools, virtual
   78  instruction programs, charter schools, charter technical career
   79  centers, magnet schools, alternative schools, special programs,
   80  auditory-oral education programs, CAPE Digital Tool
   81  certificates, CAPE industry certifications, collegiate high
   82  school programs, advanced placement, dual enrollment,
   83  International Baccalaureate, International General Certificate
   84  of Secondary Education (pre-AICE), Advanced International
   85  Certificate of Education, early admissions, credit by
   86  examination or demonstration of competency, the New World School
   87  of the Arts, the Florida School for the Deaf and the Blind, and
   88  the Florida Virtual School. These options may also include the
   89  public educational school choice options of the Opportunity
   90  Scholarship Program and the McKay Scholarships for Students with
   91  Disabilities Program.
   92         (b) Private educational school choices.—Parents of public
   93  school students may seek private educational school choice
   94  options under certain programs.
   95         1. Under the McKay Scholarships for Students with
   96  Disabilities Program, the parent of a public school student with
   97  a disability may request and receive a McKay Scholarship for the
   98  student to attend a private school in accordance with s.
   99  1002.39.
  100         2. Under the Florida Tax Credit Scholarship Program, the
  101  parent of a student who qualifies for free or reduced-price
  102  school lunch or who is currently placed, or during the previous
  103  state fiscal year was placed, in foster care as defined in s.
  104  39.01 may seek a scholarship from an eligible nonprofit
  105  scholarship-funding organization in accordance with s. 1002.395.
  106         3. Under the Florida Personal Learning Scholarship Accounts
  107  Program, the parent of a student with a qualifying disability
  108  may apply for a personal learning scholarship to be used for
  109  educational needs in accordance with s. 1002.385.
  110         (25) FISCAL TRANSPARENCY.—A parent has the right to know
  111  the average amount of money estimated to be expended from all
  112  local, state, and federal sources, for the education of his or
  113  her child, including operating and capital outlay expenses. The
  114  department shall annually provide each district the estimated
  115  amount of funding allocated for a student in the district by
  116  grade level and level of support. Each district must notify
  117  parents of the estimated amount of funding allocated for a
  118  student similar to their child, based upon grade level and level
  119  of support. The fiscal transparency notification may be included
  120  in the student handbook or a similar publication.
  121         Section 2. Section 1002.31, Florida Statutes, is amended to
  122  read:
  123         1002.31 Controlled open enrollment; Public school parental
  124  choice.—
  125         (1) As used in this section, “controlled open enrollment”
  126  means a public education delivery system that allows school
  127  districts to make student school assignments using parents’
  128  indicated preferential school choice as a significant factor.
  129         (1)(2) Each district school board shall establish a public
  130  school parental choice policy that authorizes a parent to choose
  131  to enroll his or her child in and transport his or her child to
  132  any public school in the state which has not reached capacity,
  133  including charter schools. This policy may offer controlled open
  134  enrollment within the public schools which is in addition to the
  135  existing choice programs, such as virtual instruction programs,
  136  magnet schools, alternative schools, special programs, advanced
  137  placement, and dual enrollment. The district may provide
  138  transportation to the students at the district’s discretion. A
  139  student assigned to a school may not be displaced by the public
  140  school parental choice policy included in the district’s plan.
  141  For the purposes of continuity of educational choice, a student
  142  may continue to attend the chosen school until the student
  143  completes the highest grade offered by the school.
  144         (2)(3) Each district school board offering controlled open
  145  enrollment shall adopt by rule and post on its website a public
  146  school parental choice controlled open enrollment plan that
  147  which must:
  148         (a) Adhere to federal desegregation requirements.
  149         (b) Include an application process required to participate
  150  in controlled open enrollment that allows parents to declare
  151  school preferences, including placement of siblings within the
  152  same school.
  153         (c) Provide a lottery procedure to determine student
  154  assignment and establish an appeals process for hardship cases.
  155         (c)(d) Afford parents of students in multiple session
  156  schools preferred access to controlled open enrollment.
  157         (d)(e) Maintain socioeconomic, demographic, and racial
  158  balance.
  159         (e)(f) Address the availability of transportation.
  160         (f) Maintain existing eligibility criteria for educational
  161  choice, pursuant to s. 1002.20(6)(a).
  162         (g) Identify schools that have not reached capacity. In
  163  determining the capacity of each school, the district school
  164  board shall incorporate the specifications, plans, elements, and
  165  commitments contained in the school district educational
  166  facilities plan and the long-term work programs required under
  167  s. 1013.35.
  168         (h) Provide preferential treatment to all of the following:
  169         1. Dependent children of active duty military personnel.
  170         2.Siblings who could attend the same school.
  171         3. Students residing in the district.
  172         4. Children who have been relocated due to a foster care
  173  placement.
  174         (3) Beginning in the 2017-2018 school year, or earlier if
  175  authorized by the district, a parent may choose to enroll his or
  176  her child in and transport his or her child to any public school
  177  that has not reached capacity, including charter schools, in any
  178  school district in this state. The school district shall accept
  179  the student and report the student for purposes of the
  180  district’s funding pursuant to the Florida Education Finance
  181  Program.
  182         (4) For a student in grades 9 through 12, interscholastic
  183  and intrascholastic extracurricular student activity eligibility
  184  may be impacted by choosing to attend a school other than the
  185  school assigned by the district.
  186         (5)(4) In accordance with the reporting requirements of s.
  187  1011.62, each district school board shall annually report the
  188  number of students exercising public school choice, by type of
  189  educational choice, in accordance with attending the various
  190  types of public schools of choice in the district, including
  191  schools such as virtual instruction programs, magnet schools,
  192  and public charter schools, according to rules adopted by the
  193  State Board of Education.
  194         (6)(5) For a school or program that is a public school of
  195  choice under this section, the calculation for compliance with
  196  maximum class size pursuant to s. 1003.03 is the average number
  197  of students at the school level.
  198         Section 3. Paragraph (a) of subsection (10) of section
  199  1002.33, Florida Statutes, is amended to read:
  200         1002.33 Charter schools.—
  201         (10) ELIGIBLE STUDENTS.—
  202         (a) A charter school must shall be open to any student
  203  covered in an interdistrict agreement or residing in the school
  204  district in which the charter school is located; however, in the
  205  case of a charter lab school, the charter lab school must shall
  206  be open to any student eligible to attend the lab school as
  207  provided in s. 1002.32 or who resides in the school district in
  208  which the charter lab school is located. A charter school with
  209  space available must be open to any student in the state,
  210  pursuant to s. 1002.31. Any eligible student must shall be
  211  allowed interdistrict transfer to attend a charter school when
  212  based on good cause. Good cause includes shall include, but is
  213  not limited to, geographic proximity to a charter school in a
  214  neighboring school district.
  215         Section 4. Section 1003.3101, Florida Statutes, is created
  216  to read:
  217         1003.3101Additional educational choice options.—Each
  218  school district board shall establish a transfer process for a
  219  parent to request his or her child be transferred to another
  220  classroom teacher. A school must approve or deny the transfer
  221  within 2 weeks after receiving a request. If a request for
  222  transfer is denied, the school must notify the parent and
  223  specify the reasons for the denial. An explanation of the
  224  transfer process must be made available in the student handbook
  225  or a similar publication.
  226         Section 5. Subsection (2) of section 1012.42, Florida
  227  Statutes, is amended to read:
  228         1012.42 Teacher teaching out-of-field.—
  229         (2) NOTIFICATION REQUIREMENTS.—When a teacher in a district
  230  school system is assigned teaching duties in a class dealing
  231  with subject matter that is outside the field in which the
  232  teacher is certified, outside the field that was the applicant’s
  233  minor field of study, or outside the field in which the
  234  applicant has demonstrated sufficient subject area expertise, as
  235  determined by district school board policy in the subject area
  236  to be taught, the parents of all students in the class shall be
  237  notified in writing of such assignment. A parent who receives
  238  this notification may, after the October student membership
  239  survey, request that his or her child be transferred to another
  240  classroom teacher within the school and grade in which the
  241  student is currently enrolled. The school district shall grant
  242  the parent’s request and transfer the student to a different
  243  classroom teacher within a reasonable period of time, not to
  244  exceed 2 weeks. This subsection does not provide a parent the
  245  right to choose a specific teacher.
  246         Section 6. Paragraph (e) of subsection (3) of section
  247  1002.38, Florida Statutes, is amended to read:
  248         1002.38 Opportunity Scholarship Program.—
  249         (3) SCHOOL DISTRICT OBLIGATIONS.—
  250         (e) If the parent chooses to request that the student be
  251  enrolled in a higher-performing public school in the school
  252  district, transportation costs to the higher-performing public
  253  school shall be the responsibility of the school district. The
  254  district may utilize state categorical transportation funds or
  255  state-appropriated public educational school choice incentive
  256  funds for this purpose.
  257         Section 7. Paragraph (c) of subsection (1) and paragraph
  258  (a) of subsection (6) of section 1002.451, Florida Statutes, are
  259  amended to read:
  260         1002.451 District innovation school of technology program.—
  261         (1) DISTRICT INNOVATION SCHOOL OF TECHNOLOGY.—
  262         (c) An innovation school of technology must be open to any
  263  student covered in an interdistrict agreement or residing in the
  264  school district in which the innovation school of technology is
  265  located. An innovation school of technology shall enroll an
  266  eligible student who submits a timely application if the number
  267  of applications does not exceed the capacity of a program,
  268  class, grade level, or building. If the number of applications
  269  exceeds capacity, all applicants shall have an equal chance of
  270  being admitted through a public random selection process.
  271  However, a district may give enrollment preference to students
  272  who identify the innovation school of technology as the
  273  student’s preferred choice pursuant to the district’s public
  274  school parental choice controlled open enrollment plan.
  275         (6) APPLICATION PROCESS AND PERFORMANCE CONTRACT.—
  276         (a) A district school board may apply to the State Board of
  277  Education for an innovation school of technology if the
  278  district:
  279         1. Has at least 20 percent of its total enrollment in
  280  public educational school choice programs or at least 5 percent
  281  of its total enrollment in charter schools;
  282         2. Has no material weaknesses or instances of material
  283  noncompliance noted in the annual financial audit conducted
  284  pursuant to s. 218.39; and
  285         3. Has received a district grade of “A” or “B” in each of
  286  the past 3 years.
  287         Section 8. Paragraphs (c), (d), and (e) of subsection (3)
  288  of section 1006.15, Florida Statutes, are amended to read:
  289         1006.15 Student standards for participation in
  290  interscholastic and intrascholastic extracurricular student
  291  activities; regulation.—
  292         (3)
  293         (c) An individual home education student is eligible to
  294  participate at the public school to which the student would be
  295  assigned according to district school board attendance area
  296  policies or which the student could choose to attend pursuant to
  297  public school parental choice district or interdistrict
  298  controlled open enrollment provisions, or may develop an
  299  agreement to participate at a private school, in the
  300  interscholastic extracurricular activities of that school,
  301  provided the following conditions are met:
  302         1. The home education student must meet the requirements of
  303  the home education program pursuant to s. 1002.41.
  304         2. During the period of participation at a school, the home
  305  education student must demonstrate educational progress as
  306  required in paragraph (b) in all subjects taken in the home
  307  education program by a method of evaluation agreed upon by the
  308  parent and the school principal which may include: review of the
  309  student’s work by a certified teacher chosen by the parent;
  310  grades earned through correspondence; grades earned in courses
  311  taken at a Florida College System institution, university, or
  312  trade school; standardized test scores above the 35th
  313  percentile; or any other method designated in s. 1002.41.
  314         3. The home education student must meet the same residency
  315  requirements as other students in the school at which he or she
  316  participates.
  317         4. The home education student must meet the same standards
  318  of acceptance, behavior, and performance as required of other
  319  students in extracurricular activities.
  320         5. The student must register with the school his or her
  321  intent to participate in interscholastic extracurricular
  322  activities as a representative of the school before the
  323  beginning date of the season for the activity in which he or she
  324  wishes to participate. A home education student must be able to
  325  participate in curricular activities if that is a requirement
  326  for an extracurricular activity.
  327         6. A student who transfers from a home education program to
  328  a public school before or during the first grading period of the
  329  school year is academically eligible to participate in
  330  interscholastic extracurricular activities during the first
  331  grading period provided the student has a successful evaluation
  332  from the previous school year, pursuant to subparagraph 2.
  333         7. Any public school or private school student who has been
  334  unable to maintain academic eligibility for participation in
  335  interscholastic extracurricular activities is ineligible to
  336  participate in such activities as a home education student until
  337  the student has successfully completed one grading period in
  338  home education pursuant to subparagraph 2. to become eligible to
  339  participate as a home education student.
  340         (d) An individual charter school student pursuant to s.
  341  1002.33 is eligible to participate at the public school to which
  342  the student would be assigned according to district school board
  343  attendance area policies or which the student could choose to
  344  attend, pursuant to district or interdistrict public school
  345  parental choice controlled open-enrollment provisions, in any
  346  interscholastic extracurricular activity of that school, unless
  347  such activity is provided by the student’s charter school, if
  348  the following conditions are met:
  349         1. The charter school student must meet the requirements of
  350  the charter school education program as determined by the
  351  charter school governing board.
  352         2. During the period of participation at a school, the
  353  charter school student must demonstrate educational progress as
  354  required in paragraph (b).
  355         3. The charter school student must meet the same residency
  356  requirements as other students in the school at which he or she
  357  participates.
  358         4. The charter school student must meet the same standards
  359  of acceptance, behavior, and performance that are required of
  360  other students in extracurricular activities.
  361         5. The charter school student must register with the school
  362  his or her intent to participate in interscholastic
  363  extracurricular activities as a representative of the school
  364  before the beginning date of the season for the activity in
  365  which he or she wishes to participate. A charter school student
  366  must be able to participate in curricular activities if that is
  367  a requirement for an extracurricular activity.
  368         6. A student who transfers from a charter school program to
  369  a traditional public school before or during the first grading
  370  period of the school year is academically eligible to
  371  participate in interscholastic extracurricular activities during
  372  the first grading period if the student has a successful
  373  evaluation from the previous school year, pursuant to
  374  subparagraph 2.
  375         7. Any public school or private school student who has been
  376  unable to maintain academic eligibility for participation in
  377  interscholastic extracurricular activities is ineligible to
  378  participate in such activities as a charter school student until
  379  the student has successfully completed one grading period in a
  380  charter school pursuant to subparagraph 2. to become eligible to
  381  participate as a charter school student.
  382         (e) A student of the Florida Virtual School full-time
  383  program may participate in any interscholastic extracurricular
  384  activity at the public school to which the student would be
  385  assigned according to district school board attendance area
  386  policies or which the student could choose to attend, pursuant
  387  to district or interdistrict public school parental choice
  388  controlled open enrollment policies, if the student:
  389         1. During the period of participation in the
  390  interscholastic extracurricular activity, meets the requirements
  391  in paragraph (a).
  392         2. Meets any additional requirements as determined by the
  393  board of trustees of the Florida Virtual School.
  394         3. Meets the same residency requirements as other students
  395  in the school at which he or she participates.
  396         4. Meets the same standards of acceptance, behavior, and
  397  performance that are required of other students in
  398  extracurricular activities.
  399         5. Registers his or her intent to participate in
  400  interscholastic extracurricular activities with the school
  401  before the beginning date of the season for the activity in
  402  which he or she wishes to participate. A Florida Virtual School
  403  student must be able to participate in curricular activities if
  404  that is a requirement for an extracurricular activity.
  405         Section 9. This act shall take effect July 1, 2016.

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