The Florida Senate

Each board shall provide for periodic inspection, other than firesafety inspection, of each educational and ancillary plant at least once during each fiscal year to determine compliance with standards of sanitation and casualty safety prescribed in the rules of the State Board of Education.

Each school cafeteria must post in a visible location and on the school website the school’s semiannual sanitation certificate and a copy of its most recent sanitation inspection report.

Firesafety inspections of each educational and ancillary plant must be made annually by persons certified by the Division of State Fire Marshal to be eligible to conduct firesafety inspections in public educational and ancillary plants. The board shall submit a copy of the firesafety inspection report to the State Fire Marshal and, if there is a local fire official who conducts firesafety inspections, to the local fire official.

In each firesafety inspection report, the board shall include a plan of action and a schedule for the correction of each deficiency which have been formulated in consultation with the local fire control authority. If immediate life-threatening deficiencies are noted in any inspection, the board shall either take action to promptly correct the deficiencies or withdraw the educational or ancillary plant from use until such time as the deficiencies are corrected.

A safety or sanitation inspection of any educational or ancillary plant may be made at any time by the Department of Education or any other state or local agency authorized or required to conduct such inspections by either general or special law. Each agency conducting inspections shall use the standards adopted by the Commissioner of Education in lieu of, and to the exclusion of, any other inspection standards prescribed either by statute or administrative rule. The agency shall submit a copy of the inspection report to the board.

One firesafety inspection of each educational or ancillary plant must be conducted each fiscal year by the county, municipality, or special fire control district in which the plant is located using the standards adopted by the State Fire Marshal. The board shall cooperate with the inspecting authority when a firesafety inspection is made by a governmental authority under this paragraph.

In each firesafety inspection report, the local fire official in conjunction with the board shall include a plan of action and a schedule for the correction of each deficiency. If immediate life-threatening deficiencies are noted in any inspection, the local fire official shall either take action to require the board to promptly correct the deficiencies or withdraw the educational facility from use until the deficiencies are corrected, subject to review by the State Fire Marshal who shall act within 10 days to ensure that the deficiencies are corrected or withdraw the facility from use.

Order that appropriate action be taken to correct all deficiencies in accordance with a schedule determined jointly by the inspecting authority and the board; in developing the schedule, consideration must be given to the seriousness of the deficiencies and the ability of the board to obtain the necessary funds; or

After 30 calendar days’ notice to the board, order all or a portion of the educational or ancillary plant withdrawn from use until the deficiencies are corrected.

Firesafety inspections of ¹community college facilities shall comply with State Board of Education rules.

Firesafety inspections of state universities shall comply with regulations of the Board of Governors.

The designation of serious life-safety hazards, including, but not limited to, nonfunctional fire alarm systems, nonfunctional fire sprinkler systems, doors with padlocks or other locks or devices that preclude egress at any time, inadequate exits, hazardous electrical system conditions, potential structural failure, and storage conditions that create a fire hazard.

The proper placement of functional smoke and heat detectors and accessible, unexpired fire extinguishers.

The maintenance of fire doors without doorstops or wedges improperly holding them open.