BILL ANALYSIS
Senate Research Center S.B. 697
AUTHOR'S / SPONSOR'S STATEMENT OF INTENT
Under current law, school districts are not authorized to issue high school diplomas posthumously to students who attended high school in the district and were victims of a criminal homicide during the school year. Jennifer Crecente was killed by her boyfriend in South Austin on February 15, 2007. Jennifer was a student at Bowie High School who had aspirations to become a psychiatrist and who loved to take photographs. Three months after her death, with her graduation day approaching, the Crecente family received a certificate for Jennifer's 12 years of work and dedication in furthering her education. Unfortunately, students who have died before completing all required courses are not eligible to obtain their high school diploma. The Crecente family has had difficulty coping with Jennifer's death and they have tried to obtain her high school diploma to honor Jennifer's desire to pursue her goal to become a psychiatrist.
As proposed, S.B. 697 requires a school district, on request of the student's parent, to issue a high school diploma posthumously to each student who attended high school in the district during the 2005-2006 school year at grade level 12 and who was the victim of criminal homicide during that school year. This bill is restricted to school districts that have at least 80,000 students enrolled during that school year.
RULEMAKING AUTHORITY
SECTION BY SECTION ANALYSIS
SECTION 1. Amends Subchapter B, Chapter 28, Education Code, by adding Section 28.0254, as follows:
Sec. 28.0254. HIGH SCHOOL DIPLOMA FOR CERTAIN CRIME VICTIMS. (a) Provides that this section applies only to a school district with an enrollment at the beginning of the school year of more than 80,000 students.
(b) Requires a school district, notwithstanding any other provision of this code and on request of the student's parent, to issue a high school diploma posthumously to each student who attended high school in the district during the 2005-2006 school year at grade level 12 and was the victim of criminal homicide during that school year.
(c) Provides that this section expires September 1, 2008.
SECTION 2. Effective date: upon passage or September 1, 2007.