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.
The law is named for Jennifer Ann Crecente, an Austin, Texas high school senior 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.
On February 15, 2007, Senator Eliot Shapleigh from El Paso, Texas filed SB 697 in the Texas Senate to create "Jennifer's Law." [1] [2] Representative Bolton filed companion bill HB 1563 in the Texas House of Representatives. 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 Rick Perry signed by the governor on June 15, 2007. [3]
"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:
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The Jennifer Ann Crecente Memorial Group, Inc., commonly known as "Jennifer Ann's Group", is a Code Section 501(c)(3) public charity based in Atlanta, Georgia, whose aims are to educate young people about the prevalence of teen dating violence, how to identify these relationships, and how to extricate themselves safely from such relationships.
Jennifer Ann Crecente, a victim of teen dating violence, was an 18-year-old high school student who was shot and killed in southwest Austin, Texas, by Justin Crabbe, boyfriend, on February 15, 2006. Crecente's murder was the first in Austin in 2006. In response to her murder, two charitable organizations have been formed, a memorial grant created in her name, and legislation passed in Texas to prevent teen dating violence.
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