Florida Senate - 2021                                    SB 1962
       
       
        
       By Senator Cruz
       
       
       
       
       
       18-00061-21                                           20211962__
    1                        A bill to be entitled                      
    2         An act relating to educational instruction on African
    3         American history; amending s. 1003.42, F.S.; revising
    4         the required instruction relating to African-American
    5         history to include certain information on present-day
    6         racial injustices and hardships; requiring the
    7         Department of Education to contract with the
    8         Commissioner of Education’s African American History
    9         Task Force in developing a specific framework for such
   10         instruction; requiring the task force to submit its
   11         recommendations to the commissioner and the State
   12         Board of Education by a specified date; requiring each
   13         school district to annually certify, beginning on a
   14         specified date, that it has met certain requirements;
   15         providing an effective date.
   16          
   17  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
   18  
   19         Section 1. Paragraph (h) of subsection (2) of section
   20  1003.42, Florida Statutes, is amended to read:
   21         1003.42 Required instruction.—
   22         (2) Members of the instructional staff of the public
   23  schools, subject to the rules of the State Board of Education
   24  and the district school board, shall teach efficiently and
   25  faithfully, using the books and materials required that meet the
   26  highest standards for professionalism and historical accuracy,
   27  following the prescribed courses of study, and employing
   28  approved methods of instruction, the following:
   29         (h) The history of African Americans, including the history
   30  of African peoples before the political conflicts that led to
   31  the development of slavery, the passage to America, the
   32  enslavement experience, abolition, and the contributions of
   33  African Americans to society; and the present-day racial
   34  injustices and hardships that African Americans face, including,
   35  but not limited to, disparities within the various social
   36  structures. Instructional materials must shall include the
   37  contributions of African Americans to American society. The
   38  department shall contract with the Commissioner of Education’s
   39  African American History Task Force in developing the specific
   40  framework for the instruction required by this paragraph. The
   41  task force shall submit its recommendations to the Commissioner
   42  of Education and the State Board of Education by March 1, 2022.
   43  Beginning January 1, 2023, and each January 1 thereafter, each
   44  school district shall certify and provide evidence to the
   45  department, in a manner prescribed by the department, that the
   46  requirements of this paragraph have been met.
   47  
   48  The State Board of Education is encouraged to adopt standards
   49  and pursue assessment of the requirements of this subsection. A
   50  character development program that incorporates the values of
   51  the recipients of the Congressional Medal of Honor and that is
   52  offered as part of a social studies, English Language Arts, or
   53  other schoolwide character building and veteran awareness
   54  initiative meets the requirements of paragraphs (s) and (t).
   55         Section 2. This act shall take effect July 1, 2021.