Lose a book, pay the price bill heads to Crist

Students who lose or damage instructional materials will have to pay schools 100 percent replacement costs under a bill that made it through under the wire Friday, stripped of a House add-on to require civics for all middle schoolers.

SB 1248, sponsored by Sen. Stephen Wise, R-Jacksonville, changes current law, which requires students to repay costs for lost or damaged books at a rate of 50 to 75 percent if more than a year old.

For students having trouble paying back the costs, there's a provision that allows for a penalty or in-kind activity in lieu of payment, such as scraping gum off the bottom of desks.

Also in the bill, a provision pushed for years by Rep. Rick Kriseman, D-St. Petersburg, to encourage service-learning programs in K-12 schools.