Roach said senate bill 852 requires that suspended students be in the presence of a parent or legal guardian during the school day. On July 10, Putnam school board members approved advertising an addendum regarding the new suspension law that will included with a student planner that pupils sign for at the beginning of the school year. Normally, the law would have been printed in the Code of Conduct, included in the planner, but the booklet was sent to the printers May 15, prior to school officials learning that the change was needed. Board members are being asked to approve the addendum at their Aug. 14 meeting.
Students can receive a one-year mandatory expulsion from the date of the offense.
He said a description of weapons, measurements can be found in the Florida Criminal Law Book, Chapter 790. He said, however, the new legislation allows the superintendent discretion to send students to an alternative program in expulsion cases. I'm glad the state built that into it because in some case there would be no intent to use. The assistant director said suspensions are for one to 10 days, and students can be sent to alternative programs like Putnam Academy. Expulsions can be for a maximum of two years, and all educational services are suspended for the student.