Jennifer's Law is a law in the U.S. state of Texas that permits school districts to award posthumous diplomas to students who die during their senior year of high school.
Namesake
The law is named for
Jennifer Ann Crecente, an
Austin, Texas
Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of Texas, as well as the county seat, seat and largest city of Travis County, Texas, Travis County, with portions extending into Hays County, Texas, Hays and Williamson County, Texas, Williamson co ...
high school
senior
Senior (shortened as Sr.) means "the elder" in Latin and is often used as a suffix for the elder of two or more people in the same family with the same given name, usually a parent or grandparent. It may also refer to:
* Senior (name), a surname ...
who was murdered a few months before her graduation by a former boyfriend. Though she was on track for her diploma, the district did not award one to her posthumously. Thus, her family petitioned for a change in the law.
History
On February 15, 2007, Senator
Eliot Shapleigh
Eliot Shapleigh (born November 11, 1952) is an American politician. He served in the Texas Senate from 1997 to 2011, from the 29th district, which is in El Paso County.
Community involvement
Unite El Paso
In 1992, Shapleigh co-founded an org ...
from
El Paso, Texas
El Paso (; "the pass") is a city in and the county seat, seat of El Paso County, Texas, El Paso County in the western corner of the U.S. state of Texas. The 2020 population of the city from the United States Census Bureau, U.S. Census Bureau w ...
filed SB 697 in the
Texas Senate to create "Jennifer's Law." Representative Bolton filed companion bill HB 1563 in the
Texas House of Representatives
The Texas House of Representatives is the lower house of the bicameral Texas Legislature. It consists of 150 members who are elected from single-member districts for two-year terms. As of the 2010 United States census, each member represents abou ...
. The bill passed the Education Committees of both the Senate and House unanimously.
The Texas Senate passed the bill on May 23, 2007, followed by the Texas House on May 25, 2007. Both chambers passed the bill unanimously (31-0 in the Senate and 146–0 in the House with two "present/not voting"), which allowed the bill to take effect immediately upon the Governor's signature.
Governor
A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...
Rick Perry
James Richard Perry (born March 4, 1950) is an American politician who served as the 14th United States secretary of energy from 2017 to 2019 and as the 47th governor of Texas from 2000 to 2015. Perry also ran unsuccessfully for the Republica ...
signed by the governor on June 15, 2007.
Usage
"Jennifer's Law" allows for parents of a deceased high school student (the student does not have to be the victim of a crime to qualify) to request a posthumous diploma from the school district in Texas to which the student's high school belongs, subject to the following conditions:
* The student must have been enrolled in their Senior year of high school.
* The law applies to students beginning the school year of 2005–2006 (this was Jennifer's senior year; thus making her eligible for the diploma).
* The student must have academically been "on track" to receive a diploma by the end of the year. The definition of "the end of the year" would include a summer session.
* The student must not have been convicted of a
felony
A felony is traditionally considered a crime of high seriousness, whereas a misdemeanor is regarded as less serious. The term "felony" originated from English common law (from the French medieval word "félonie") to describe an offense that resu ...
or
adjudicated
Adjudication is the legal process by which an arbiter or judge reviews evidence and argumentation, including legal reasoning set forth by opposing parties or litigants, to come to a decision which determines rights and obligations between the pa ...
as having committed actions that would constitute a felony.
Text of House Bill 1563
References
{{reflist
2007 legislation
Texas statutes
2007 in Texas