S-3223.1
SENATE BILL 5498
State of Washington | 67th Legislature | 2022 Regular Session |
BySenators C. Wilson, Billig, Das, Lovelett, Lovick, Nobles, Wagoner, and Wellman
Prefiled 12/07/21.Read first time 01/10/22.Referred to Committee on Early Learning & K-12 Education.
AN ACT Relating to posthumous high school diplomas; amending RCW
28A.230.120; and creating a new section.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:
NEW SECTION. Sec. 1. This act may be known and cited as Evitan's law.
Sec. 2. RCW
28A.230.120 and 2008 c 185 s 1 are each amended to read as follows:
(1) School districts shall issue diplomas to students signifying graduation from high school upon the students' satisfactory completion of all local and state graduation requirements. Districts shall grant students the option of receiving a final transcript in addition to the regular diploma.
(2) School districts or schools of attendance shall establish policies and procedures to notify senior students of the transcript option and shall direct students to indicate their decisions in a timely manner. School districts shall make appropriate provisions to assure that students who choose to receive a copy of their final transcript shall receive such transcript after graduation.
(3)(a) A school district may issue a high school diploma to a person who:
(i) Is an honorably discharged member of the armed forces of the United States; and
(ii) Left high school before graduation to serve in World War II, the Korean conflict, or the Vietnam era as defined in RCW
41.04.005.
(b) A school district may issue a diploma to or on behalf of a person otherwise eligible under (a) of this subsection notwithstanding the fact that the person holds a high school equivalency certification or is deceased.
(c) The superintendent of public instruction shall adopt a form for a diploma application to be used by a veteran or a person acting on behalf of a deceased veteran under this subsection (3). The superintendent of public instruction shall specify what constitutes acceptable evidence of eligibility for a diploma.
(4)(a) A school district shall issue a high school diploma to a deceased student, at the request of the parent, guardian, or custodian, if the student:
(i) Was enrolled in a public school in the district at the time of death;
(ii) Had completed at least 75 percent of the total number of credits required for graduation as established by the state board of education under RCW 28A.230.090 before the time of death; and (iii) Died after the completion of the 11th grade school year or equivalent.
(b) The high school diploma may not be issued before the graduation date of the class in which the student was enrolled at the time of death.
(c) School districts are not required to award a diploma to a deceased student at the same ceremony or event as other graduating students.
(d) Nothing in this subsection limits the retroactive issuance of a high school diploma.
(e) Diplomas issued under this subsection (4) do not count toward student graduation counts or for any other purpose of federal and state accountability data collection.
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