Florida Senate - 2009                                    SB 1250
       
       
       
       By Senator Sobel
       
       
       
       
       31-01650-09                                           20091250__
    1                        A bill to be entitled                      
    2         An act relating to corporal punishment; amending s.
    3         1002.20, F.S.; requiring that a district school board
    4         review its policy allowing corporal punishment once
    5         every 3 years during a district school board meeting;
    6         requiring that the district school board take public
    7         testimony during such meeting; providing for the
    8         expiration of the district school board's corporal
    9         punishment policy if such meeting is not held;
   10         providing an effective date.
   11         
   12  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
   13         
   14         Section 1. Paragraph (c) of subsection (4) of section
   15  1002.20, Florida Statutes, is amended to read:
   16         1002.20 K-12 student and parent rights.—Parents of public
   17  school students must receive accurate and timely information
   18  regarding their child's academic progress and must be informed
   19  of ways they can help their child to succeed in school. K-12
   20  students and their parents are afforded numerous statutory
   21  rights including, but not limited to, the following:
   22         (4) DISCIPLINE.—
   23         (c) Corporal punishment.—In accordance with the provisions
   24  of s. 1003.32, corporal punishment of a public school student
   25  may only be administered by a teacher or school principal within
   26  guidelines of the school principal and according to district
   27  school board policy. Another adult must be present and must be
   28  informed in the student's presence of the reason for the
   29  punishment. Upon request, the teacher or school principal must
   30  provide the parent with a written explanation of the reason for
   31  the punishment and the name of the other adult who was present.
   32  A district school board that has a policy allowing the use of
   33  corporal punishment as a form of discipline shall review its
   34  policy on corporal punishment once every 3 years during a
   35  district school board meeting held pursuant to s. 1001.372. The
   36  district school board must take public testimony at the board
   37  meeting. If such board meeting is not held in accordance with
   38  this paragraph, the portion of the district school board's
   39  policy which allows corporal punishment shall expire.
   40         Section 2. This act shall take effect upon becoming a law.