Resolve, Directing the Department of Education To Develop a Process To Provide Alternative Pathways To Learning for Certain High School Students

Sec. 1. Review; develop process. Resolved: That the Commissioner of Education, referred to in this resolve as "the commissioner," shall review the issues presented when secondary school students, after repeated school interventions and individualized, targeted efforts, continue to be habitually disruptive in the classroom. The commissioner shall examine the impact of the presence of such students on the rest of the classroom and the school community and shall assess the benefits and detriments to those students and to those schools of requiring continued school attendance by those students. The commissioner shall examine the establishment of an exemption from the laws governing compulsory school attendance and shall develop a process to identify those secondary school students who, because of the students' recurring discipline issues, might benefit from exemption from the laws governing compulsory school attendance. The commissioner shall identify potential options for alternative pathways to successful learning for such students, including but not limited to trade apprenticeships, internships and independent learning leading to high school equivalency certification, and shall examine ways to ensure that information regarding these alternative pathways is made available to such students; and be it further

Sec. 2. Report. Resolved: That the commissioner shall submit a report of the findings under section 1, together with any necessary implementing legislation, to the Joint Standing Committee on Education no later than December 4, 2013. The committee may submit a bill based on the commissioner's report to the Second Regular Session of the 126th Legislature.

SUMMARY

This resolve directs the Commissioner of Education to review the issues presented when secondary school students, after repeated school interventions and individualized, targeted efforts, continue to be habitually disruptive in the classroom. The resolve directs the commissioner to examine the impact of the presence of such students on the rest of the classroom and the school community and develop a process to identify secondary school students who, because of the students' recurring discipline issues, might benefit from exemption from the laws governing compulsory school attendance. The resolve directs the commissioner to identify potential options for alternative pathways to successful learning for such students, including but not limited to trade apprenticeships, internships and independent learning leading to high school equivalency certification, and examine ways to ensure that information regarding these alternative pathways is made available to such students.