On Friday, February 27th, 2004 at 1:00 p.m., Governor Doyle signed AB 183 (Youth Options) into law as Act 131.

The Department of Public Instruction has already sent a letter to each school district explaining the changes in the law. Please contact DPI with your questions on how to implement the law changes in your district. The SAA strongly supported AB 183. This is a great legislative victory for the SAA. Act 131 will have immediate impact for school districts, but the significance of this legislation will only grow in the years to come.

Act 131:

• Retains 11th and 12th grade eligibility for the Youth Options program.
• Allows school boards to limit the credits for which the district will pay to 18 per pupil. Previous law was 15 credits per semester for a total of 60.
• Provides that if a pupil receives a failing grade or fails to complete a course for which the school board has made payment, the school board may request reimbursement from the student/family.
• Allows technical colleges to admit a pupil under the Youth Options program only if there is space available.

Many thanks to all of you for your grassroots lobbying efforts on AB 183. If you should have any questions or require additional information, please feel free to contact me.