January 21, 2003, Introduced by Senators BRATER, THOMAS, CLARK-COLEMAN, SCOTT,
CHERRY, EMERSON, SCHAUER, BERNERO, OLSHOVE, JACOBS, BASHAM and
GOSCHKA and referred to the Committee on Education.
A bill to amend 1976 PA 451, entitled
"The revised school code,"
by amending sections 1561 and 1596 (MCL 380.1561 and 380.1596),
section 1561 as amended by 1996 PA 339, and by adding section
1591.
THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF MICHIGAN ENACT:
1 Sec. 1561. (1) Except as otherwise provided in this
2 section, every parent, guardian, or other person in this state
3 having control and charge of a child from the age of 6 to the
4 child's sixteenth eighteenth
birthday shall send that child to
5 a public school during the entire school year. The child's
6 attendance shall be continuous and consecutive for the school
7 year fixed by the school district in which the child is
8 enrolled. In a school district that maintains school during the
9 entire calendar year and in which the school year is divided into
1 quarters, a child is not required to attend the public school
2 more than 3 quarters in 1 calendar year, but a child shall not be
3 absent for 2 or more consecutive quarters.
4 (2) A child becoming 6 years of age before December 1 shall
5 be enrolled on the first school day of the school year in which
6 the child's sixth birthday occurs. A child becoming 6 years of
7 age on or after December 1 shall be enrolled on the first school
8 day of the school year following the school year in which the
9 child's sixth birthday occurs.
10 (3) A child is not required to attend a public school in any
11 of the following cases:
12 (a) The child is attending regularly and is being taught in a
13 state approved nonpublic school, which teaches subjects
14 comparable to those taught in the public schools to children of
15 corresponding age and grade, as determined by the course of study
16 for the public schools of the district within which the nonpublic
17 school is located.
18 (b) The child is less than 9 years of age and does not reside
19 within 2-1/2 miles by the nearest traveled road of a public
20 school. If transportation is furnished for pupils in the school
21 district of the child's residence, this subdivision does not
22 apply.
23 (c) The child is age 12 or 13 and is in attendance at
24 confirmation classes conducted for a period of 5 months or less.
25 (d) The child is regularly enrolled in a public school while
26 in attendance at religious instruction classes for not more than
27 2 class hours per week, off public school property during public
1 school hours, upon written request of the parent, guardian, or
2 person in loco parentis under rules promulgated by the state
3 board.
4 (e) The child has graduated from high school or has fulfilled
5 all requirements for high school graduation.
6 (f) The child is being educated at the child's home by his or
7 her parent or legal guardian in an organized educational program
8 in the subject areas of reading, spelling, mathematics, science,
9 history, civics, literature, writing, and English grammar.
10 (4) For a child being educated at the child's home by his or
11 her parent or legal guardian, exemption from the requirement to
12 attend public school may exist under either subsection (3)(a) or
13 (3)(f), or both.
14 (5) If the program is offered in the school district in which
15 the pupil resides, a child age 16 or 17 may satisfy the school
16 attendance requirements of this section by attending a program
17 under section 1591 according to the requirements of that
18 section.
19 (6) If a child age 16 or 17 provides to the school district
20 proof that he or she is engaged in regular employment averaging
21 25 or more hours per week and that the employment is necessitated
22 by economic hardship or family need, the child may satisfy the
23 school attendance requirements of this section by attending a
24 public school at least 15 hours per week.
25 Sec. 1591. (1) A school board may offer any of the
26 following, and a pupil age 16, 17, or 18 may complete some or all
27 of the requirements for a high school diploma by successfully
1 completing 1 or a combination of the following:
2 (a) An alternative education program approved by the
3 department.
4 (b) A program of vocational education that includes
5 apprenticeship or work study and that requires the pupil to
6 attend school at least 10 hours per week for the entire school
7 year.
8 (c) A program of independent study that is approved by the
9 school district and meets state board guidelines for independent
10 study.
11 (d) Academic coursework at a community college.
12 (2) A community college or, upon request by the board of a
13 constituent school district, an intermediate school board, either
14 solely or as part of a consortium of intermediate school
15 districts, may provide services or conduct cooperative
16 educational programs related to a program described in
17 subsection (1). An intermediate school board may charge a
18 constituent school district for the costs of services provided
19 under this subsection.
20 Sec. 1596. (1) The board of a school district other than a
21 primary school district may establish 1 or more ungraded schools
22 for the instruction of certain pupils classified in subsection
23 (2). The board may require the pupils to attend an ungraded
24 school or a department of the school as the board directs.
25 (2) The following
cases of persons, aged A child age 7 to
26 the sixteenth his or her eighteenth birthday residing who
27 resides in the school
district shall be deemed and who meets 1
1 or more of the following is considered a juvenile disorderly
2 persons person and in the judgment of the proper
school
3 authorities may be assigned to the ungraded school or
4 department:
5 (a) Class 1,
habitual truants A habitual truant from the
6 school in which they
are he or she is enrolled as pupils a
7 pupil.
8 (b) Class 2,
children A child who, while attending school,
9 are is incorrigibly turbulent, disobedient, and
insubordinate,
10 or who are is
immoral in conduct.
11 (c) Class 3,
children A child who are is not attending
12 school and who habitually
frequent frequents streets and other
13 public places, having no lawful business, employment, or
14 occupation.