A law within Florida has been sparking a lot of controversy recently from students and parents alike, even though it’s been on the books for a while.

Since February 1999, there has been an enacted law that doesn’t allow students to get a driver’s license or learner’s permit if they miss 15 days of school within a 90 day period, under age 18.

Students who already have their driver’s licenses would have it suspended until they have a regular attendance record at school. Even students who drop out can’t get their license until they turn 18.

So how does the DMV know?

A computer-generated list is automatically sent from schools to their school districts and contain the names of every student with unacceptable attendance. Those lists are then sent to the DMV and those students are suspended from any kind of driving permits or licenses until they can repair their attendance.

Students are notified of their suspension via a letter sent from the Department of Motor Vehicles in Tallahassee.

Thousands of students each year have had their licenses and permits revoked and have even been suspended from school. In the 2006-2007 school year, over 9,000 students were penalized due to their attendance.

Moral of the story: students should make sure that an excuse note is turned into the appropriate student service office.