As Introduced                            1            

122nd General Assembly                                             4            

   Regular Session                                 H. B. No. 396   5            

      1997-1998                                                    6            


     REPRESENTATIVES MEAD-GARDNER-REID-TIBERI-SCHULER-JONES-       8            

          GARCIA-THOMAS-COLONNA-CORBIN-PRINGLE-O'BRIEN             8/1          


                                                                   11           

                           A   B I L L                                          

             To amend sections 3313.61 and 3325.08 of the Revised  13           

                Code to permit the "home" school districts of      14           

                students receiving high school  diplomas from the  15           

                State School for the Blind or State School for     16           

                the Deaf also to grant these students high school  17           

                diplomas.                                          18           




BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF OHIO:        20           

      Section 1.  That sections 3313.61 and 3325.08 of the         22           

Revised Code be amended to read as follows:                        23           

      Sec. 3313.61.  (A)  A diploma shall be granted by the board  31           

of education of any city, exempted village, or local school        32           

district that operates a high school to any person to whom all of  33           

the following apply:                                               34           

      (1)  The person has successfully completed the curriculum    36           

in any high school or the individualized education program         37           

developed for the person by any high school pursuant to section    38           

3323.08 of the Revised Code;                                       39           

      (2)  The person has attained at least the applicable scores  41           

designated under division (B) of section 3301.0710 of the Revised  42           

Code on all the tests required by that division unless the person  43           

was excused from taking any such test pursuant to division (C)(1)  44           

of section 3301.0711 or section 3313.532 of the Revised Code or    45           

unless division (H) of this section applies to the person;         46           

      (3)  The person is not eligible to receive an honors         48           

diploma granted pursuant to division (B) of this section.          49           

                                                          2      

                                                                 
      No EXCEPT AS PROVIDED IN DIVISIONS (C), (E), AND (J) OF      52           

THIS SECTION, NO diploma shall be granted under this division to   53           

anyone except as provided under this division.                     54           

      (B)  In lieu of a diploma granted under division (A) of      56           

this section, an honors diploma shall be granted, in accordance    57           

with rules of the state board of education, by any such district   58           

board to anyone who successfully completes the curriculum in any   59           

high school or the individualized education program developed for  60           

the person by any high school pursuant to section 3323.08 of the   61           

Revised Code, who has attained at least the applicable scores      62           

designated under division (B) of section 3301.0710 of the Revised  63           

Code on all the tests required by that division, and who has met   64           

additional criteria established by the state board for the         65           

granting of such a diploma.  No EXCEPT AS PROVIDED IN DIVISION     67           

(J) OF THIS SECTION, NO honors diploma shall be granted to anyone  68           

failing to comply with this division and no more than one honors   69           

diploma shall be granted to any student under this division.       70           

      The state board shall adopt rules prescribing the granting   72           

of honors diplomas under this division.  These rules may           73           

prescribe the granting of honors diplomas that recognize a         74           

student's achievement as a whole or that recognize a student's     75           

achievement in one or more specific subjects or both.  In any      76           

case, the rules shall designate two or more criteria for the       77           

granting of each type of honors diploma the board establishes      78           

under this division and the number of such criteria that must be   79           

met for the granting of that type of diploma.  The number of such  80           

criteria for any type of honors diploma shall be at least one      81           

less than the total number of criteria designated for that type    82           

and no one or more particular criteria shall be required of all    83           

persons who are to be granted that type of diploma.                84           

      (C)  Any such district board administering any of the tests  86           

required by section 3301.0710 of the Revised Code to any person    87           

requesting to take such test pursuant to division (B)(4)(b) of     88           

section 3301.0711 of the Revised Code shall award a diploma to     89           

                                                          3      

                                                                 
such person if he THE PERSON attains at least the applicable       90           

scores designated under division (B) of section 3301.0710 of the   92           

Revised Code on all the tests administered and if he THE PERSON    93           

has previously attained the applicable scores on all the other     95           

tests required by division (B) of that section or has been         96           

exempted or excused from any such test pursuant to division (H)    97           

of this section or division (C)(1) of section 3301.0711 or         98           

section 3313.532 of the Revised Code.                              99           

      (D)  Each diploma awarded under this section shall be        101          

signed by the president and treasurer of the issuing board, the    102          

superintendent of schools, and the principal of the high school.   103          

Each diploma shall bear the date of its issue, be in such form as  104          

the district board prescribes, and be paid for out of the          105          

district's general fund.                                           106          

      (E)  A person who is a resident of Ohio and is eligible      108          

under state board of education minimum standards to receive a      109          

high school diploma based in whole or in part on credits earned    110          

while an inmate of a correctional institution operated by the      111          

state or any political subdivision thereof, shall be granted such  112          

diploma by the correctional institution operating the programs in  113          

which such credits were earned, and by the board of education of   114          

the school district in which the inmate resided immediately prior  115          

to his THE INMATE'S placement in the institution.  The diploma     116          

granted by the correctional institution shall be signed by the     118          

director of the institution, and by the person serving as          119          

principal of the institution's high school and shall bear the      120          

date of issue.                                                                  

      (F)  Persons who are not residents of Ohio but who are       122          

inmates of correctional institutions operated by the state or any  123          

political subdivision thereof, and who are eligible under state    124          

board of education minimum standards to receive a high school      125          

diploma based in whole or in part on credits earned while an       126          

inmate of the correctional institution, shall be granted a         127          

diploma by the correctional institution offering the program in    128          

                                                          4      

                                                                 
which the credits were earned.  The diploma granted by the         129          

correctional institution shall be signed by the director of the    130          

institution and by the person serving as principal of the          131          

institution's high school and shall bear the date of issue.        132          

      (G)  The state board of education shall provide by rule for  134          

the administration of the tests required by section 3301.0710 of   135          

the Revised Code to inmates of correctional institutions.          136          

      (H)  Any person to whom all of the following apply shall be  138          

exempted from attaining the applicable score on the test in        139          

citizenship designated under division (B) of section 3301.0710 of  140          

the Revised Code:                                                  141          

      (1)  The person is not a citizen of the United States;       143          

      (2)  The person is not a permanent resident of the United    145          

States;                                                            146          

      (3)  The person indicates he does not intend NO INTENTION    148          

to reside in the United States after the completion of high        149          

school.                                                                         

      (I)  Notwithstanding division (D) of section 3311.19 and     151          

division (D) of section 3311.52 of the Revised Code, this section  152          

and section 3311.611 of the Revised Code do not apply to the       153          

board of education of any joint vocational school district or any  154          

cooperative education school district established pursuant to      155          

divisions (A) to (C) of section 3311.52 of the Revised Code.       156          

      (J)  UPON RECEIPT OF A NOTICE UNDER DIVISION (D) OF SECTION  159          

3325.08 OF THE REVISED CODE THAT A STUDENT HAS RECEIVED A DIPLOMA  160          

UNDER THAT SECTION, THE BOARD OF EDUCATION RECEIVING THE NOTICE    161          

MAY GRANT A HIGH SCHOOL DIPLOMA UNDER THIS SECTION TO THE          162          

STUDENT.  THE DIPLOMA GRANTED UNDER THIS SECTION SHALL BE OF THE   163          

SAME TYPE THE NOTICE INDICATES THE STUDENT RECEIVED UNDER SECTION               

3325.08 OF THE REVISED CODE.                                       164          

      Sec. 3325.08.  (A)  A diploma shall be granted by the        173          

superintendent of the state school for the blind and the           174          

superintendent of the state school for the deaf to any student     175          

enrolled in one of these state schools to whom all of the          176          

                                                          5      

                                                                 
following apply:                                                   177          

      (1)  The student has successfully completed the              179          

individualized education program developed for him THE STUDENT     180          

for his THE STUDENT'S high school education pursuant to section    181          

3323.08 of the Revised Code;                                       182          

      (2)  The student has attained at least the applicable        184          

scores designated under division (B) of section 3301.0710 of the   185          

Revised Code on all the tests prescribed by that division unless   186          

the student was excused from taking any such test pursuant to      187          

division (L)(3) of section 3301.0711 of the Revised Code;          188          

      (3)  The student is not eligible to receive an honors        190          

diploma granted pursuant to division (B) of this section.          191          

      No diploma shall be granted under this division to anyone    193          

except as provided under this division.                            194          

      (B)  In lieu of a diploma granted under division (A) of      196          

this section, the superintendent of the state school for the       197          

blind and the superintendent of the state school for the deaf      198          

shall grant an honors diploma, in the same manner that the boards  199          

of education of school districts grant such diplomas under         200          

division (B) of section 3313.61 of the Revised Code, to any        201          

student enrolled in one of these state schools who successfully    202          

completes the individualized education program developed for him   203          

THE STUDENT for his THE STUDENT'S high school education pursuant   205          

to section 3323.08 of the Revised Code, who has attained at least               

the applicable scores designated under division (B) of section     207          

3301.0710 of the Revised Code on all the tests prescribed under    208          

that division, and who has met additional criteria for granting    209          

such a diploma.  These additional criteria shall be the same as    210          

those prescribed by the state board under division (B) of section  211          

3313.61 of the Revised Code for the granting of such diplomas by   212          

school districts.  No honors diploma shall be granted to anyone    213          

failing to comply with this division and not more than one honors  214          

diploma shall be granted to any student under this division.       215          

      (C)  A diploma or honors diploma awarded under this section  217          

                                                          6      

                                                                 
shall be signed by the superintendent of public instruction and    218          

the superintendent of the state school for the blind or the        219          

superintendent of the state school for the deaf, as applicable.    220          

Each diploma shall bear the date of its issue and be in such form  221          

as the school superintendent prescribes.                           222          

      (D)  UPON GRANTING A DIPLOMA TO A STUDENT UNDER THIS         224          

SECTION, THE SUPERINTENDENT OF THE STATE SCHOOL IN WHICH THE       225          

STUDENT IS ENROLLED SHALL PROVIDE NOTICE OF RECEIPT OF THE         226          

DIPLOMA TO THE BOARD OF EDUCATION OF THE SCHOOL DISTRICT WHERE     227          

THE STUDENT IS ENTITLED TO ATTEND SCHOOL UNDER SECTION 3313.64 OR  228          

3313.65 OF THE REVISED CODE WHEN NOT RESIDING AT THE STATE SCHOOL  229          

FOR THE BLIND OR THE STATE SCHOOL FOR THE DEAF.  THE NOTICE SHALL               

INDICATE THE TYPE OF DIPLOMA GRANTED.                              230          

      Section 2.  That existing sections 3313.61 and 3325.08 of    232          

the Revised Code are hereby repealed.                              233          

      Section 3.  Section 3313.61 of the Revised Code is           235          

presented in this act as a composite of the section as amended by  236          

both Am. Sub. H.B. 552 and Am. Sub. H.B. 571 of the 120th General  238          

Assembly, with the new language of neither of the acts shown in    239          

capital letters.  This is in recognition of the principle stated   240          

in division (B) of section 1.52 of the Revised Code that such      241          

amendments are to be harmonized where not substantively            242          

irreconcilable and constitutes a legislative finding that such is  243          

the resulting version in effect prior to the effective date of     244          

this act.