South Carolina General Assembly
117th Session, 2007-2008

Download This Bill in Microsoft Word format

Indicates Matter Stricken
Indicates New Matter

S. 641

STATUS INFORMATION

General Bill
Sponsors: Senator Thomas
Document Path: l:\council\bills\nbd\11479ac07.doc

Introduced in the Senate on April 5, 2007
Introduced in the House on April 15, 2008
Last Amended on April 9, 2008
Currently residing in the House Committee on Education and Public Works

Summary: Twins

HISTORY OF LEGISLATIVE ACTIONS

     Date      Body   Action Description with journal page number
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    4/5/2007  Senate  Introduced and read first time SJ-4
    4/5/2007  Senate  Referred to Committee on Education SJ-4
    4/1/2008  Senate  Committee report: Favorable with amendment Education SJ-5
    4/2/2008          Scrivener's error corrected
    4/2/2008  Senate  Committee Amendment Amended and Adopted SJ-21
    4/3/2008          Scrivener's error corrected
    4/9/2008  Senate  Amended SJ-86
    4/9/2008  Senate  Read second time SJ-86
   4/10/2008  Senate  Read third time and sent to House SJ-30
   4/10/2008          Scrivener's error corrected
   4/15/2008  House   Introduced and read first time HJ-19
   4/15/2008  House   Referred to Committee on Education and Public Works HJ-19

View the latest legislative information at the LPITS web site

VERSIONS OF THIS BILL

4/5/2007
4/1/2008
4/2/2008
4/2/2008-A
4/3/2008
4/9/2008
4/10/2008

(Text matches printed bills. Document has been reformatted to meet World Wide Web specifications.)

Indicates Matter Stricken

Indicates New Matter

AMENDED

April 9, 2008

S. 641

Introduced by Senator Thomas

S. Printed 4/9/08--S.    [SEC 4/10/08 4:16 PM]

Read the first time April 5, 2007.

            

A BILL

TO AMEND THE CODE OF LAWS OF SOUTH CAROLINA, 1976, BY ADDING SECTION 59-63-35 SO AS TO PROVIDE THAT A SCHOOL SHALL DEFER TO THE DECISION OF PARENTS OF TWINS AS TO WHETHER OR NOT THE TWINS WILL BE IN THE SAME CLASSROOM.

Amend Title To Conform

Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the State of South Carolina:

SECTION    1.    Article 1, Chapter 63, Title 59 of the 1976 Code is amended by adding:

"Section 59-63-35.    A parent or guardian may request that their twins or multiples, who are enrolled in the same school and in the same grade, be placed in the same classroom. Upon receiving the parent or guardian's request in writing, the principal must grant the parent or guardian's request if the twins or multiples are on the same educational level and meet the class' qualifications. If after sixty classroom days, the principal has documented reasons as to why separating the twins or multiples best serves the school's health or safety needs, the principal may separate the twins or multiples. A parent or guardian may appeal the decision to the local school board."

SECTION    2.    Section 59-65-10(A) of the 1976 Code is amended to read:

"(A)    All parents or guardians shall cause their children or wards to attend regularly a public or private school or kindergarten of this State which has been approved by the State Board of Education or a member school of the South Carolina Independent Schools' Association or some similar organization, or a parochial, denominational, or church-related school, or other programs which have been approved by the State Board of Education from the school year in which the child or ward is five years of age before September first until the child or ward attains his seventeenth birthday or graduates from high school. A parent or guardian whose child or ward is not six years of age on or before the first day of September of a particular school year may elect for their child or ward not to attend kindergarten. For this purpose, the parent or guardian shall sign a written document making the election with the governing body of the school district in which the parent or guardian resides. The form of this written document must be prescribed by regulation of the Department of Education. Upon the written election being executed, that child or ward may not be required to attend kindergarten. A parent or guardian whose child or ward is six years of age on or before the first day of September of a particular school year may elect for their child or ward to attend kindergarten or first grade if the child did not attend kindergarten in the previous school year. For this purpose, the parent or guardian shall sign a written document making the election with the governing body of the school district in which the parent or guardian resides. The form of this written document must be prescribed by regulation of the Department of Education. Upon the written election being executed, that child or ward may attend either kindergarten or first grade. The school's governing body must comply with the election. Nothing in this section shall be construed to prohibit a child who does not meet the required standards for the first grade from remaining in kindergarten."

SECTION    3.    Section 59-63-20 of the 1976 Code is amended to read:

"Section 59-63-20.    It is not lawful unlawful for any a person who is less than five or more than twenty-one years of age to attend any of the public schools a public school of this State, including kindergarten, except that:

(1)    persons over twenty-one years of age may attend night schools;

(2)    when a pupil is in the graduating class and becomes twenty-one years of age before graduation, he is permitted to complete the term if he is otherwise qualified to do so;

(3)    students may enter kindergarten in the public schools of this State if they will attain the age of five on or before September first of the applicable school year or have substantially initiated a an accredited public or private school kindergarten program in another this State or another state that has a different attendance age requirement from South Carolina public schools;

(4)    students may not enter the first grade in the public schools of this State unless they will attain the age of six on or before September first of the applicable school year or have substantially initiated a first grade an accredited program in another state that has a different attendance age requirement from South Carolina or have attended a an accredited public or private school kindergarten program for one full school year;

(5)    the restrictions in this section may be waived by the local board of school trustees in any the proper case. However, that if the provisions of items (3) and (4) of this section are not complied with, the school district is not entitled to receive any state aid for any students who fail to meet these requirements;

(6)    four-year olds may attend optional child development programs and all three-year-old, four-year-old, and five-year-old children with disabilities in accordance with their individual education program, may participate in any public education preschool program, including optional child development programs. Children with disabilities served in four-year-old optional child development programs may be counted for funding under both funding sources."

SECTION    4.    This act takes effect July 1, 2007.

----XX----

This web page was last updated on Monday, October 10, 2011 at 1:29 P.M.