The Florida Senate

1006.31  Duties of each state instructional materials committee.--The duties of each state instructional materials committee are:

(1)  PLACE AND TIME OF MEETING.--To meet at the call of the commissioner, at a place in the state designated by him or her, for the purpose of evaluating and recommending instructional materials for adoption by the state. All meetings of state instructional materials committees shall be announced publicly in the Florida Administrative Weekly at least 2 weeks prior to the date of convening. All meetings of the committees shall be open to the public.

(2)  ORGANIZATION.--To elect a chair and vice chair for each adoption. An employee of the department shall serve as secretary to the committee and keep an accurate record of its proceedings. All records of committee motions and votes, and summaries of committee debate shall be incorporated into a publishable document and shall be available for public inspection and duplication.

(3)  PROCEDURES.--To adhere to procedures prescribed by the commissioner for evaluating instructional materials submitted by publishers and manufacturers in each adoption.

(4)  EVALUATION OF INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIALS.--To evaluate carefully all instructional materials submitted, to ascertain which instructional materials, if any, submitted for consideration best implement the selection criteria developed by the commissioner and those curricular objectives included within applicable performance standards provided for in s. 1001.03(1).

(a)  When recommending instructional materials for use in the schools, each committee shall include only instructional materials that accurately portray the ethnic, socioeconomic, cultural, and racial diversity of our society, including men and women in professional, career and technical, and executive roles, and the role and contributions of the entrepreneur and labor in the total development of this state and the United States.

(b)  When recommending instructional materials for use in the schools, each committee shall include only materials which accurately portray, whenever appropriate, humankind's place in ecological systems, including the necessity for the protection of our environment and conservation of our natural resources and the effects on the human system of the use of tobacco, alcohol, controlled substances, and other dangerous substances.

(c)  When recommending instructional materials for use in the schools, each committee shall require such materials as it deems necessary and proper to encourage thrift, fire prevention, and humane treatment of people and animals.

(d)  When recommending instructional materials for use in the schools, each committee shall require, when appropriate to the comprehension of students, that materials for social science, history, or civics classes contain the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution of the United States. No instructional materials shall be recommended by any committee for use in the schools which contain any matter reflecting unfairly upon persons because of their race, color, creed, national origin, ancestry, gender, or occupation.

(e)  All instructional materials recommended by each committee for use in the schools shall be, to the satisfaction of each committee, accurate, objective, and current and suited to the needs and comprehension of students at their respective grade levels. Instructional materials committees shall consider for adoption materials developed for academically talented students such as those enrolled in advanced placement courses.

(5)  REPORT OF COMMITTEE.--Each committee, after a thorough study of all data submitted on each instructional material, and after each member has carefully evaluated each instructional material, shall present a written report to the commissioner. Such report shall be made public, and shall include:

(a)  A description of the procedures used in determining the instructional materials to be recommended to the commissioner.

(b)  Recommendations of instructional materials for each grade and subject field in the curriculum of public elementary, middle, and high schools in which adoptions are to be made. If deemed advisable, the committee may include such other information, expression of opinion, or recommendation as would be helpful to the commissioner. If there is a difference of opinion among the members of the committee as to the merits of any instructional materials, any member may file an expression of his or her individual opinion.

The findings of the committees, including the evaluation of instructional materials, shall be in sessions open to the public. All decisions leading to determinations of the committees shall be by roll call vote, and at no time will a secret ballot be permitted.

History.--s. 306, ch. 2002-387.