April 7th, 2009

Zero Tolerance Bill Passes Senate Committee on Education Pre-K - 12
~Department of Juvenile Justice priority bill continues forward push~

Tallahassee -- The Florida Senate Committee on Education Pre-K - 12 has unanimously passed Sen. Stephen Wise’s SB 1540, relating to zero tolerance policies, which require that children no longer be referred to law enforcement for minor violations such as bringing plastic butter knives to school, drawing pictures of guns or throwing an eraser.

“I thank Chairman Stephen Wise and the members of this committee for bringing this issue to the forefront,” said DJJ Secretary Frank Peterman, Jr. “This bill will work to reduce the number of children entering the juvenile justice system and better address delinquency in our schools.”

SB 1540 would:

• Define and distinguish petty acts of misconduct and offenses that pose serious threats to school safety.
• Prohibit the reporting of petty acts of misconduct and certain misdemeanors to law enforcement.
• Require schools that still have corporal punishment policies to review them every three years at a public meeting.

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