This bill establishes a procedure for a high school proficiency exam waiver of mandatory school attendance. It amends current law to allow students under the age of 16 to be exempt from compulsory school attendance if they pass a high school equivalency exam. The bill also allows students to choose to take the exam at the Department of Education and requires the department to choose or develop a high school proficiency exam and adopt rules for its procedures and implementation. If a student passes the exam, they are no longer bound by mandatory school attendance requirements and may continue to attend school if they choose. Alternatively, they can receive a high school diploma either from the school district they have been attending or from the state. The bill also requires the procedures for the high school proficiency exam to be printed in all public school student handbooks. The fiscal impact of the bill includes additional personnel and equipment costs for the Department of Education to administer the exam, but the number of students who would take and pass the exam is unknown, so the impact on school district funding and expenses is indeterminable.

Statutes affected:
Introduced: 193:1, 194:23-b