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2021 Florida Statutes (Including 2021B Session)

Title XLVIII EARLY LEARNING-20 EDUCATION CODE
Chapter 1006
SUPPORT FOR LEARNING
CHAPTER 1006
CHAPTER 1006
SUPPORT FOR LEARNING
PART I
PUBLIC K-12 EDUCATION SUPPORT FOR LEARNING AND STUDENT
SERVICES
(ss. 1006.025-1006.42)
PART II
PUBLIC POSTSECONDARY EDUCATION SUPPORT FOR LEARNING AND STUDENT
SERVICES
(ss. 1006.50-1006.751)
PART I
PUBLIC K-12 EDUCATION SUPPORT
FOR LEARNING AND STUDENT SERVICES
A. Learning Services Generally
B. Student Food and Health Services
C. Student Discipline
and School Safety
D. Student Extracurricular
Activities and Athletics
E. Transportation of
Public K-12 Students
F. Instructional Materials for
K-12 Public Education
A. Learning Services Generally
1006.025 Guidance services.
1006.03 Diagnostic and learning resource centers.
1006.04 Educational multiagency services for students with severe emotional disturbance.
1006.025 Guidance services.—
(1) Each district school board shall annually submit a district guidance report to the Commissioner of Education by June 30.
(2) The guidance report shall include, but not be limited to, the following:
(a) Examination of student access to certified school counselors.
(b) Degree to which a district has adopted or implemented a guidance model program.
(c) Evaluation of the information and training available to certified school counselors and career specialists to advise students on areas of critical need, labor market trends, and technical training requirements.
(d) Progress toward incorporation of best practices for advisement as identified by the department.
(e) Consideration of alternative guidance systems or ideas, including, but not limited to, a teacher-advisor model, mentoring, partnerships with the business community, web-based delivery, and parental involvement.
(f) A guidance plan for the district.
(3) The department shall provide resources to district school boards that may assist districts in preparing the annual guidance report. The resources shall include, but are not limited to, materials relating to guidance model programs, training available through the department for career guidance, adopted best practices, alternative guidance systems or ideas, and a model district guidance plan.
History.—s. 5, ch. 2004-357; s. 51, ch. 2013-35; s. 8, ch. 2013-89.
1006.03 Diagnostic and learning resource centers.—
(1) The department shall maintain regional diagnostic and learning resource centers for exceptional students, to assist in the provision of medical, physiological, psychological, and educational testing and other services designed to evaluate and diagnose exceptionalities, to make referrals for necessary instruction and services, and to facilitate the provision of instruction and services to exceptional students. The department shall cooperate with the Department of Children and Families in identifying service needs and areas.
(2) Within its identified service area, each regional center shall:
(a) Provide assistance to parents, teachers, and other school personnel and community organizations in locating and identifying exceptional children and planning educational programs for them.
(b) Assist in the provision of services for exceptional children, using to the maximum, but not supplanting, the existing facilities and services of each district.
(c) Provide orientation meetings at least annually for teachers, principals, supervisors, and community agencies to familiarize them with center facilities and services for exceptional children.
(d) Plan, coordinate, and assist in the implementation of inservice training programs, consistent with each district’s program of staff development, for the development and updating of attitudes, skills, and instructional practices and procedures necessary to the education of exceptional children.
(e) Assist districts in the identification, selection, acquisition, use, and evaluation of media and materials appropriate to the implementation of instructional programs based on individual educational plans for exceptional children.
(f) Provide for the dissemination and diffusion of significant information and promising practices derived from educational research, demonstration, and other projects.
(g) Assist in the delivery, modification, and integration of instructional technology, including microcomputer applications and adaptive and assistive devices, appropriate to the unique needs of exceptional students.
(3) Diagnostic and resource centers may provide testing and evaluation services to private school students and other children who are not enrolled in public schools.
(4) Diagnostic and learning resource centers may assist districts in providing testing and evaluation services for infants and preschool children with or at risk of developing disabilities, and may assist districts in providing interdisciplinary training and resources to parents of infants and preschool children with or at risk of developing disabilities and to school readiness programs.
History.—s. 267, ch. 2002-387; s. 374, ch. 2014-19.
1006.04 Educational multiagency services for students with severe emotional disturbance.—
(1)(a) The multiagency network for students with emotional and behavioral disabilities works with education, mental health, child welfare, and juvenile justice professionals, along with other agencies and families, to provide children with mental illness or emotional and behavioral problems and their families with access to the services and supports they need to succeed. District school boards should provide educational programs, and state departments and agencies administering children’s mental health funds should provide mental health treatment and residential services when needed, as part of the multiagency network.
(b) The purpose of the multiagency network is to:
1. Enable students with severe emotional disturbance to learn appropriate behaviors, reduce dependency, and fully participate in all aspects of school and community living.
2. Develop individual programs for students with severe emotional disturbance, including necessary educational, residential, and mental health treatment services.
3. Provide programs and services as close as possible to the student’s home in the least restrictive manner consistent with the student’s needs.
4. Integrate a wide range of services necessary to support students with severe emotional disturbance and their families.
(c) The multiagency network shall:
1. Support and represent the needs of students in each school district in joint planning with fiscal agents of children’s mental health funds, including the expansion of school-based mental health services, transition services, and integrated education and treatment programs.
2. Improve coordination of services for children with or at risk of emotional or behavioral disabilities and their families by assisting multiagency collaborative initiatives to identify critical issues and barriers of mutual concern and develop local response systems that increase home and school connections and family engagement.
3. Increase parent and youth involvement and development with local systems of care.
4. Facilitate student and family access to effective services and programs for students with and at risk of emotional or behavioral disabilities that include necessary educational, residential, and mental health treatment services, enabling these students to learn appropriate behaviors, reduce dependency, and fully participate in all aspects of school and community living.
5. Participate in the planning process for promoting a coordinated system of care for children and adolescents pursuant to s. 394.4955.
(2) The department may award grants to district school boards for statewide planning and development of the multiagency network for students with severe emotional disturbance. The educational services shall be provided in a manner consistent with the requirements of ss. 402.22 and 1003.57.
(3) State departments and agencies may use appropriate funds for the multiagency network for students with severe emotional disturbance.
History.—s. 269, ch. 2002-387; s. 23, ch. 2018-3; s. 11, ch. 2020-107.
B. Student Food and Health Services
1006.061 Child abuse, abandonment, and neglect policy.
1006.062 Administration of medication and provision of medical services by district school board personnel.
1006.0625 Administration of psychotropic medication; prohibition; conditions.
1006.063 Eye-protective devices required in certain laboratory courses.
1006.061 Child abuse, abandonment, and neglect policy.—Each district school board, charter school, and private school that accepts scholarship students who participate in a state scholarship program under chapter 1002 shall:
(1) Post in a prominent place in each school a notice that, pursuant to chapter 39, all employees and agents of the district school board, charter school, or private school have an affirmative duty to report all actual or suspected cases of child abuse, abandonment, or neglect; have immunity from liability if they report such cases in good faith; and have a duty to comply with child protective investigations and all other provisions of law relating to child abuse, abandonment, and neglect. The notice shall also include the statewide toll-free telephone number of the central abuse hotline.
(2) Post in a prominent place at each school site and on each school’s website, if available, the policies and procedures for reporting alleged misconduct by educational support employees, instructional personnel, or school administrators which affects the health, safety, or welfare of a student; the contact person to whom the report is made; and the penalties imposed on educational support employees, instructional personnel, or school administrators who fail to report suspected or actual child abuse or alleged misconduct by other educational support employees, instructional personnel, or school administrators.
(3) Require the principal of the charter school or private school, or the district school superintendent, or the superintendent’s designee, at the request of the Department of Children and Families, to act as a liaison to the Department of Children and Families and the Child Protection Team, as defined in s. 39.01, when in a case of suspected child abuse, abandonment, or neglect or an unlawful sexual offense involving a child the case is referred to such a team; except that this does not relieve or restrict the Department of Children and Families from discharging its duty and responsibility under the law to investigate and report every suspected or actual case of child abuse, abandonment, or neglect or unlawful sexual offense involving a child.
(4)(a) Post in a prominent place in a clearly visible location and public area of the school which is readily accessible to and widely used by students a sign in English and Spanish that contains:
1. The statewide toll-free telephone number of the central abuse hotline as provided in chapter 39.
2. Instructions to call 911 for emergencies.
3. Directions for accessing the Department of Children and Families Internet website for more information on reporting abuse, neglect, and exploitation.
4. Directions for accessing the Department of Education’s website for more information on reporting acts that violate s. 800.101.
(b) The information in paragraph (a) must be put on at least one poster in each school, on a sheet that measures at least 11 inches by 17 inches, produced in large print, and placed at student eye level for easy viewing.

The Department of Education shall develop, and publish on the department’s Internet website, sample notices suitable for posting in accordance with subsections (1), (2), and (4).

History.—s. 273, ch. 2002-387; s. 20, ch. 2008-108; s. 17, ch. 2010-24; s. 375, ch. 2014-19; s. 11, ch. 2015-79; s. 25, ch. 2018-6; s. 124, ch. 2019-3; s. 6, ch. 2021-138.
1006.062 Administration of medication and provision of medical services by district school board personnel.—
(1) Notwithstanding the provisions of the Nurse Practice Act, part I of chapter 464, district school board personnel may assist students in the administration of prescription medication when the following conditions have been met:
(a) Each district school board shall include in its approved school health services plan a procedure to provide training, by a registered nurse, a licensed practical nurse, or an advanced practice registered nurse licensed under chapter 464 or by a physician licensed under chapter 458 or chapter 459, or a physician assistant licensed under chapter 458 or chapter 459, to the school personnel designated by the school principal to assist students in the administration of prescribed medication. Such training may be provided in collaboration with other school districts, through contract with an education consortium, or by any other arrangement consistent with the intent of this subsection.
(b) Each district school board shall adopt policies and procedures governing the administration of prescription medication by district school board personnel. The policies and procedures shall include, but not be limited to, the following provisions:
1. For each prescribed medication, the student’s parent shall provide to the school principal a written statement which grants to the school principal or the principal’s designee permission to assist in the administration of such medication and which explains the necessity for the medication to be provided during the school day, including any occasion when the student is away from school property on official school business. The school principal or the principal’s trained designee shall assist the student in the administration of the medication.
2. Each prescribed medication to be administered by district school board personnel shall be received, counted, and stored in its original container. When the medication is not in use, it shall be stored in its original container in a secure fashion under lock and key in a location designated by the school principal.
(2) There shall be no liability for civil damages as a result of the administration of the medication when the person administering the medication acts as an ordinarily reasonably prudent person would have acted under the same or similar circumstances.
(3) Nonmedical district school board personnel shall not be allowed to perform invasive medical services that require special medical knowledge, nursing judgment, and nursing assessment, including, but not limited to:
(a) Sterile catheterization.
(b) Nasogastric tube feeding.
(c) Cleaning and maintaining a tracheostomy and deep suctioning of a tracheostomy.
(4) Nonmedical assistive personnel shall be allowed to perform health-related services upon successful completion of child-specific training by a registered nurse or advanced practice registered nurse licensed under chapter 464, a physician licensed pursuant to chapter 458 or chapter 459, or a physician assistant licensed pursuant to chapter 458 or chapter 459. All procedures shall be monitored periodically by a nurse, advanced practice registered nurse, physician assistant, or physician, including, but not limited to:
(a) Intermittent clean catheterization.
(b) Gastrostomy tube feeding.
(c) Monitoring blood glucose.
(d) Administering emergency injectable medication.
(5) For all other invasive medical services not listed in this subsection, a registered nurse or advanced practice registered nurse licensed under chapter 464, a physician licensed pursuant to chapter 458 or chapter 459, or a physician assistant licensed pursuant to chapter 458 or chapter 459 shall determine if nonmedical district school board personnel shall be allowed to perform such service.
(6) Each district school board shall establish emergency procedures in accordance with s. 381.0056(4) for life-threatening emergencies.
(7) District school board personnel shall not refer students to or offer students at school facilities contraceptive services without the consent of a parent or legal guardian. To the extent that this subsection conflicts with any provision of chapter 381, the provisions of chapter 381 control.
1(8) Each district school board shall adopt a policy and a procedure for allowing a student who is a qualified patient, as defined in s. 381.986, to use marijuana obtained pursuant to that section. Such policy and procedure shall ensure access by the qualified patient; identify how the marijuana will be received, accounted for, and stored; and establish processes to prevent access by other students and school personnel whose access would be unnecessary for the implementation of the policy.
History.—s. 274, ch. 2002-387; s. 120, ch. 2013-15; ss. 1, 13, ch. 2017-232; s. 89, ch. 2018-106; s. 39, ch. 2020-9.
1Note.—Section 1, ch. 2017-232, provides that “[i]t is the intent of the Legislature to implement s. 29, Article X of the State Constitution by creating a unified regulatory structure. If s. 29, Article X of the State Constitution is amended or a constitutional amendment related to cannabis or marijuana is adopted, this act shall expire 6 months after the effective date of such amendment.” If such amendment or adoption takes place, subsection (8), as created by s.13, ch. 2017-232, is repealed.
1006.0625 Administration of psychotropic medication; prohibition; conditions.—
(1) As used in this section, the term “psychotropic medication” means a prescription medication that is used for the treatment of mental disorders and includes, without limitation, antihypnotics, antipsychotics, antidepressants, anxiety agents, sedatives, psychomotor stimulants, and mood stabilizers.
(2) A public school may not deny any student access to programs or services because the parent of the student has refused to place the student on psychotropic medication.
(3) A public school teacher and school district personnel may share school-based observations of a student’s academic, functional, and behavioral performance with the student’s parent and offer program options and other assistance that is available to the parent and the student based on the observations. However, a public school teacher and school district personnel may not compel or attempt to compel any specific actions by the parent or require that a student take medication. A parent may refuse psychological screening of the student.

Any medical decision made to address a student’s needs is a matter between the student, the student’s parent, and a competent health care professional chosen by the parent.

History.—s. 6, ch. 2005-65.
1006.063 Eye-protective devices required in certain laboratory courses.—
(1) Eye-protective devices shall be worn by students, teachers, and visitors in courses including, but not limited to, chemistry, physics, or chemical-physical laboratories, at any time at which the individual is engaged in or observing an activity or the use of hazardous substances likely to cause injury to the eyes. Activity or the use of hazardous substances likely to cause injury to the eye includes:
(a) Heat treatment; tempering or kiln firing of any metal or other materials;
(b) Working with caustic or explosive materials; or
(c) Working with hot liquids or solids, including chemicals which are flammable, caustic, toxic, or irritating.
(2) District school boards shall furnish plano safety glasses or devices for students, may provide such glasses to teachers, and shall furnish such equipment for all visitors to such classrooms or laboratories, or may purchase such plano safety glasses or devices in large quantities and sell them at cost to students and teachers, but shall not purchase, furnish, or dispense prescription glasses or lenses.
History.—s. 275, ch. 2002-387.
C. Student Discipline
and School Safety
1006.07 District school board duties relating to student discipline and school safety.
1006.08 District school superintendent duties relating to student discipline and school safety.
1006.09 Duties of school principal relating to student discipline and school safety.
1006.10 Authority of school bus drivers and district school boards relating to student discipline and student safety on school buses.
1006.11 Standards for use of reasonable force.
1006.12 Safe-school officers at each public school.
1006.13 Policy of zero tolerance for crime and victimization.
1006.135 Hazing prohibited at schools with any of grades 6-12.
1006.14 Secret societies prohibited in public K-12 schools.
1006.145 Disturbing school functions; penalty.
1006.147 Bullying and harassment prohibited.
1006.148 Dating violence and abuse prohibited.
1006.1493 Florida Safe Schools Assessment Tool.
1006.07 District school board duties relating to student discipline and school safety.—The district school board shall provide for the proper accounting for all students, for the attendance and control of students at school, and for proper attention to health, safety, and other matters relating to the welfare of students, including:
(1) CONTROL OF STUDENTS.—
(a) Adopt rules for the control, discipline, in-school suspension, suspension, and expulsion of students and decide all cases recommended for expulsion. Suspension hearings are exempted from the provisions of chapter 120. Expulsion hearings shall be governed by ss. 120.569 and 120.57(2) and are exempt from s. 286.011. However, the student’s parent must be given notice of the provisions of s. 286.011 and may elect to have the hearing held in compliance with that section. The district school board may prohibit the use of corporal punishment, if the district school board adopts or has adopted a written program of alternative control or discipline.
(b) Require each student at the time of initial registration for school in the school district to note previous school expulsions, arrests resulting in a charge, juvenile justice actions, and any corresponding referral to mental health services by the school district, and have the authority as the district school board of a receiving school district to honor the final order of expulsion or dismissal of a student by any in-state or out-of-state public district school board or private school, or lab school, for an act which would have been grounds for expulsion according to the receiving district school board’s code of student conduct, in accordance with the following procedures:
1. A final order of expulsion shall be recorded in the records of the receiving school district.
2. The expelled student applying for admission to the receiving school district shall be advised of the final order of expulsion.
3. The district school superintendent of the receiving school district may recommend to the district school board that the final order of expulsion be waived and the student be admitted to the school district, or that the final order of expulsion be honored and the student not be admitted to the school district. If the student is admitted by the district school board, with or without the recommendation of the district school superintendent, the student may be placed in an appropriate educational program and referred to mental health services identified by the school district pursuant to s. 1012.584(4), when appropriate, at the direction of the district school board.
(2) CODE OF STUDENT CONDUCT.—Adopt a code of student conduct for elementary schools and a code of student conduct for middle and high schools and distribute the appropriate code to all teachers, school personnel, students, and parents, at the beginning of every school year. Each code shall be organized and written in language that is understandable to students and parents and shall be discussed at the beginning of every school year in student classes, school advisory council meetings, and parent and teacher association or organization meetings. Each code shall be based on the rules governing student conduct and discipline adopted by the district school board and shall be made available in the student handbook or similar publication. Each code shall include, but is not limited to:
(a) Consistent policies and specific grounds for disciplinary action, including in-school suspension, out-of-school suspension, expulsion, and any disciplinary action that may be imposed for the possession or use of alcohol on school property or while attending a school function or for the illegal use, sale, or possession of controlled substances as defined in chapter 893.
(b) Procedures to be followed for acts requiring discipline, including corporal punishment.
(c) An explanation of the responsibilities and rights of students with regard to attendance, respect for persons and property, knowledge and observation of rules of conduct, the right to learn, free speech and student publications, assembly, privacy, and participation in school programs and activities.
(d)1. An explanation of the responsibilities of each student with regard to appropriate dress, respect for self and others, and the role that appropriate dress and respect for self and others has on an orderly learning environment. Each district school board shall adopt a dress code policy that prohibits a student, while on the grounds of a public school during the regular school day, from wearing clothing that exposes underwear or body parts in an indecent or vulgar manner or that disrupts the orderly learning environment.
2. Any student who violates the dress policy described in subparagraph 1. is subject to the following disciplinary actions:
a. For a first offense, a student shall be given a verbal warning and the school principal shall call the student’s parent or guardian.
b. For a second offense, the student is ineligible to participate in any extracurricular activity for a period of time not to exceed 5 days and the school principal shall meet with the student’s parent or guardian.
c. For a third or subsequent offense, a student shall receive an in-school suspension pursuant to s. 1003.01(5) for a period not to exceed 3 days, the student is ineligible to participate in any extracurricular activity for a period not to exceed 30 days, and the school principal shall call the student’s parent or guardian and send the parent or guardian a written letter regarding the student’s in-school suspension and ineligibility to participate in extracurricular activities.
(e) Notice that illegal use, possession, or sale of controlled substances, as defined in chapter 893, by any student while the student is upon school property or in attendance at a school function is grounds for disciplinary action by the school and may also result in criminal penalties being imposed.
(f) Notice that use of a wireless communications device includes the possibility of the imposition of disciplinary action by the school or criminal penalties if the device is used in a criminal act. A student may possess a wireless communications device while the student is on school property or in attendance at a school function. Each district school board shall adopt rules governing the use of a wireless communications device by a student while the student is on school property or in attendance at a school function.
(g) Notice that the possession of a firearm or weapon as defined in chapter 790 by any student while the student is on school property or in attendance at a school function is grounds for disciplinary action and may also result in criminal prosecution. Simulating a firearm or weapon while playing or wearing clothing or accessories that depict a firearm or weapon or express an opinion regarding a right guaranteed by the Second Amendment to the United States Constitution is not grounds for disciplinary action or referral to the criminal justice or juvenile justice system under this section or s. 1006.13. Simulating a firearm or weapon while playing includes, but is not limited to:
1. Brandishing a partially consumed pastry or other food item to simulate a firearm or weapon.
2. Possessing a toy firearm or weapon that is 2 inches or less in overall length.
3. Possessing a toy firearm or weapon made of plastic snap-together building blocks.
4. Using a finger or hand to simulate a firearm or weapon.
5. Vocalizing an imaginary firearm or weapon.
6. Drawing a picture, or possessing an image, of a firearm or weapon.
7. Using a pencil, pen, or other writing or drawing utensil to simulate a firearm or weapon.

However, a student may be subject to disciplinary action if simulating a firearm or weapon while playing substantially disrupts student learning, causes bodily harm to another person, or places another person in reasonable fear of bodily harm. The severity of consequences imposed upon a student, including referral to the criminal justice or juvenile justice system, must be proportionate to the severity of the infraction and consistent with district school board policies for similar infractions. If a student is disciplined for such conduct, the school principal or his or her designee must call the student’s parent. Disciplinary action resulting from a student’s clothing or accessories shall be determined pursuant to paragraph (d) unless the wearing of the clothing or accessory causes a substantial disruption to student learning, in which case the infraction may be addressed in a manner that is consistent with district school board policies for similar infractions. This paragraph does not prohibit a public school from adopting a school uniform policy.

(h) Notice that violence against any district school board personnel by a student is grounds for in-school suspension, out-of-school suspension, expulsion, or imposition of other disciplinary action by the school and may also result in criminal penalties being imposed.
(i) Notice that violation of district school board transportation policies, including disruptive behavior on a school bus or at a school bus stop, by a student is grounds for suspension of the student’s privilege of riding on a school bus and may be grounds for disciplinary action by the school and may also result in criminal penalties being imposed.
(j) Notice that violation of the district school board’s sexual harassment policy by a student is grounds for in-school suspension, out-of-school suspension, expulsion, or imposition of other disciplinary action by the school and may also result in criminal penalties being imposed.
(k) Policies to be followed for the assignment of violent or disruptive students to an alternative educational program or referral of such students to mental health services identified by the school district pursuant to s. 1012.584(4).
(l) Notice that any student who is determined to have brought a firearm or weapon, as defined in chapter 790, to school, to any school function, or onto any school-sponsored transportation, or to have possessed a firearm at school, will be expelled, with or without continuing educational services, from the student’s regular school for a period of not less than 1 full year and referred to mental health services identified by the school district pursuant to s. 1012.584(4) and the criminal justice or juvenile justice system. District school boards may assign the student to a disciplinary program or second chance school for the purpose of continuing educational services during the period of expulsion. District school superintendents may consider the 1-year expulsion requirement on a case-by-case basis and request the district school board to modify the requirement by assigning the student to a disciplinary program or second chance school if the request for modification is in writing and it is determined to be in the best interest of the student and the school system.
(m) Notice that any student who is determined to have made a threat or false report, as defined by ss. 790.162 and 790.163, respectively, involving school or school personnel’s property, school transportation, or a school-sponsored activity will be expelled, with or without continuing educational services, from the student’s regular school for a period of not less than 1 full year and referred for criminal prosecution and mental health services identified by the school district pursuant to s. 1012.584(4) for evaluation or treatment, when appropriate. District school boards may assign the student to a disciplinary program or second chance school for the purpose of continuing educational services during the period of expulsion. District school superintendents may consider the 1-year expulsion requirement on a case-by-case basis and request the district school board to modify the requirement by assigning the student to a disciplinary program or second chance school if it is determined to be in the best interest of the student and the school system.
(n) Criteria for recommending to law enforcement that a student who commits a criminal offense be allowed to participate in a civil citation or similar prearrest diversion program as an alternative to expulsion or arrest. All civil citation or similar prearrest diversion programs must comply with s. 985.12.
(o) Criteria for assigning a student who commits a petty act of misconduct, as defined by the district school board pursuant to s. 1006.13(2)(c), to a school-based intervention program. If a student’s assignment is based on a noncriminal offense, the student’s participation in a school-based intervention program may not be entered into the Juvenile Justice Information System Prevention Web.
(3) STUDENT CRIME WATCH PROGRAM.—By resolution of the district school board, implement a student crime watch program to promote responsibility among students and improve school safety. The student crime watch program shall allow students and the community to anonymously relay information concerning unsafe and potentially harmful, dangerous, violent, or criminal activities, or the threat of these activities, to appropriate public safety agencies and school officials.
(4) EMERGENCY DRILLS; EMERGENCY PROCEDURES.—
(a) Formulate and prescribe policies and procedures, in consultation with the appropriate public safety agencies, for emergency drills and for actual emergencies, including, but not limited to, fires, natural disasters, active assailant and hostage situations, and bomb threats, for all students and faculty at all public schools of the district comprised of grades K-12. Drills for active assailant and hostage situations shall be conducted in accordance with developmentally appropriate and age-appropriate procedures at least as often as other emergency drills. District school board policies shall include commonly used alarm system responses for specific types of emergencies and verification by each school that drills have been provided as required by law and fire protection codes and may provide accommodations for drills conducted by exceptional student education centers. District school boards shall establish emergency response and emergency preparedness policies and procedures that include, but are not limited to, identifying the individuals responsible for contacting the primary emergency response agency and the emergency response agency that is responsible for notifying the school district for each type of emergency.
(b) Provide timely notification to parents of threats pursuant to policies adopted under subsection (7) and the following unlawful acts or significant emergencies that occur on school grounds, during school transportation, or during school-sponsored activities:
1. Weapons possession or use when there is intended harm toward another person, hostage, and active assailant situations. The active assailant situation training for each school must engage the participation of the district school safety specialist, threat assessment team members, faculty, staff, and students and must be conducted by the law enforcement agency or agencies that are designated as first responders to the school’s campus.
2. Murder, homicide, or manslaughter.
3. Sex offenses, including rape, sexual assault, or sexual misconduct with a student by school personnel.
4. Natural emergencies, including hurricanes, tornadoes, and severe storms.
5. Exposure as a result of a manmade emergency.
(c) Beginning with the 2021-2022 school year, each public school, including charter schools, shall implement a mobile panic alert system capable of connecting diverse emergency services technologies to ensure real-time coordination between multiple first responder agencies. Such system, known as “Alyssa’s Alert,” must integrate with local public safety answering point infrastructure to transmit 911 calls and mobile activations.
(d) In addition to the requirements of paragraph (c), a public school district may implement additional strategies or systems to ensure real-time coordination between multiple first responder agencies in a school security emergency.
(e) For the 2020-2021 fiscal year and subject to the appropriation of funds in the General Appropriations Act for this purpose, the department shall issue a competitive solicitation to contract for a mobile panic alert system that may be used by each school district. The department shall consult with the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School Public Safety Commission, the Department of Law Enforcement, and the Division of Emergency Management in the development of the competitive solicitation for the mobile panic alert system.
(f) Establish a schedule to test the functionality and coverage capacity of all emergency communication systems and determine if adequate signal strength is available in all areas of the school’s campus.
(5) EDUCATIONAL SERVICES IN DETENTION FACILITIES.—Offer educational services to minors who have not graduated from high school and eligible students with disabilities under the age of 22 who have not graduated with a standard diploma or its equivalent who are detained in a county or municipal detention facility as defined in s. 951.23. These educational services shall be based upon the estimated length of time the student will be in the facility and the student’s current level of functioning. District school superintendents or their designees shall be notified by the county sheriff or chief correctional officer, or his or her designee, upon the assignment of a student under the age of 21 to the facility. A cooperative agreement with the district school board and applicable law enforcement units shall be developed to address the notification requirement and the provision of educational services to these students.
(6) SAFETY AND SECURITY BEST PRACTICES.—Each district school superintendent shall establish policies and procedures for the prevention of violence on school grounds, including the assessment of and intervention with individuals whose behavior poses a threat to the safety of the school community.
(a) Each district school superintendent shall designate a school safety specialist for the district. The school safety specialist must be a school administrator employed by the school district or a law enforcement officer employed by the sheriff’s office located in the school district. Any school safety specialist designated from the sheriff’s office must first be authorized and approved by the sheriff employing the law enforcement officer. Any school safety specialist designated from the sheriff’s office remains the employee of the office for purposes of compensation, insurance, workers’ compensation, and other benefits authorized by law for a law enforcement officer employed by the sheriff’s office. The sheriff and the school superintendent may determine by agreement the reimbursement for such costs, or may share the costs, associated with employment of the law enforcement officer as a school safety specialist. The school safety specialist must earn a certificate of completion of the school safety specialist training provided by the Office of Safe Schools within 1 year after appointment and is responsible for the supervision and oversight for all school safety and security personnel, policies, and procedures in the school district. The school safety specialist shall:
1. Review school district policies and procedures for compliance with state law and rules, including the district’s timely and accurate submission of school environmental safety incident reports to the department pursuant to s. 1001.212(8).
2. Provide the necessary training and resources to students and school district staff in matters relating to youth mental health awareness and assistance; emergency procedures, including active shooter training; and school safety and security.
3. Serve as the school district liaison with local public safety agencies and national, state, and community agencies and organizations in matters of school safety and security.
4. In collaboration with the appropriate public safety agencies, as that term is defined in s. 365.171, by October 1 of each year, conduct a school security risk assessment at each public school using the Florida Safe Schools Assessment Tool developed by the Office of Safe Schools pursuant to s. 1006.1493. Based on the assessment findings, the district’s school safety specialist shall provide recommendations to the district school superintendent and the district school board which identify strategies and activities that the district school board should implement in order to address the findings and improve school safety and security. Each district school board must receive such findings and the school safety specialist’s recommendations at a publicly noticed district school board meeting to provide the public an opportunity to hear the district school board members discuss and take action on the findings and recommendations. Each school safety specialist shall report such findings and school board action to the Office of Safe Schools within 30 days after the district school board meeting.
(b) Each school safety specialist shall coordinate with the appropriate public safety agencies, as defined in s. 365.171, that are designated as first responders to a school’s campus to conduct a tour of such campus once every 3 years and provide recommendations related to school safety. The recommendations by the public safety agencies must be considered as part of the recommendations by the school safety specialist pursuant to paragraph (a).
(c) Each district school board and charter school governing board must adopt an active assailant response plan. By October 1, 2019, and annually thereafter, each district school superintendent and charter school principal shall certify that all school personnel have received annual training on the procedures contained in the active assailant response plan for the applicable school district or charter school.
(7) THREAT ASSESSMENT TEAMS.—Each district school board shall adopt policies for the establishment of threat assessment teams at each school whose duties include the coordination of resources and assessment and intervention with individuals whose behavior may pose a threat to the safety of school staff or students consistent with the model policies developed by the Office of Safe Schools. Such policies must include procedures for referrals to mental health services identified by the school district pursuant to s. 1012.584(4), when appropriate, and procedures for behavioral threat assessments in compliance with the instrument developed pursuant to s. 1001.212(12).
(a) A threat assessment team shall include persons with expertise in counseling, instruction, school administration, and law enforcement. The threat assessment teams shall identify members of the school community to whom threatening behavior should be reported and provide guidance to students, faculty, and staff regarding recognition of threatening or aberrant behavior that may represent a threat to the community, school, or self. Upon the availability of the behavioral threat assessment instrument developed pursuant to s. 1001.212(12), the threat assessment team shall use that instrument.
(b) Upon a preliminary determination that a student poses a threat of violence or physical harm to himself or herself or others, a threat assessment team shall immediately report its determination to the superintendent or his or her designee. The superintendent or his or her designee shall immediately attempt to notify the student’s parent or legal guardian. Nothing in this subsection shall preclude school district personnel from acting immediately to address an imminent threat.
(c) Upon a preliminary determination by the threat assessment team that a student poses a threat of violence to himself or herself or others or exhibits significantly disruptive behavior or need for assistance, authorized members of the threat assessment team may obtain criminal history record information pursuant to s. 985.04(1). A member of a threat assessment team may not disclose any criminal history record information obtained pursuant to this section or otherwise use any record of an individual beyond the purpose for which such disclosure was made to the threat assessment team.
(d) Notwithstanding any other provision of law, all state and local agencies and programs that provide services to students experiencing or at risk of an emotional disturbance or a mental illness, including the school districts, school personnel, state and local law enforcement agencies, the Department of Juvenile Justice, the Department of Children and Families, the Department of Health, the Agency for Health Care Administration, the Agency for Persons with Disabilities, the Department of Education, the Statewide Guardian Ad Litem Office, and any service or support provider contracting with such agencies, may share with each other records or information that are confidential or exempt from disclosure under chapter 119 if the records or information are reasonably necessary to ensure access to appropriate services for the student or to ensure the safety of the student or others. All such state and local agencies and programs shall communicate, collaborate, and coordinate efforts to serve such students.
(e) If an immediate mental health or substance abuse crisis is suspected, school personnel shall follow policies established by the threat assessment team to engage behavioral health crisis resources. Behavioral health crisis resources, including, but not limited to, mobile crisis teams and school resource officers trained in crisis intervention, shall provide emergency intervention and assessment, make recommendations, and refer the student for appropriate services. Onsite school personnel shall report all such situations and actions taken to the threat assessment team, which shall contact the other agencies involved with the student and any known service providers to share information and coordinate any necessary followup actions. Upon the student’s transfer to a different school, the threat assessment team shall verify that any intervention services provided to the student remain in place until the threat assessment team of the receiving school independently determines the need for intervention services.
(f) Each threat assessment team established pursuant to this subsection shall report quantitative data on its activities to the Office of Safe Schools in accordance with guidance from the office and shall utilize the threat assessment database developed pursuant to s. 1001.212(13) upon the availability of the database.
(8) SAFETY IN CONSTRUCTION PLANNING.—A district school board must allow the law enforcement agency or agencies that are designated as first responders to the district’s campus and school’s campuses to tour such campuses once every 3 years. Any changes related to school safety and emergency issues recommended by a law enforcement agency based on a campus tour must be documented by the district school board.
(9) SCHOOL ENVIRONMENTAL SAFETY INCIDENT REPORTING.—Each district school board shall adopt policies to ensure the accurate and timely reporting of incidents related to school safety and discipline. The district school superintendent is responsible for school environmental safety incident reporting. A district school superintendent who fails to comply with this subsection is subject to the penalties specified in law, including, but not limited to, s. 1001.42(13)(b) or s. 1001.51(12)(b), as applicable. The State Board of Education shall adopt rules establishing the requirements for the school environmental safety incident report.
(10) REPORTING OF INVOLUNTARY EXAMINATIONS.—Each district school board shall adopt a policy to require the district superintendent to annually report to the department the number of involuntary examinations, as defined in s. 394.455, which are initiated at a school, on school transportation, or at a school-sponsored activity.
History.—s. 277, ch. 2002-387; s. 1, ch. 2004-272; s. 2, ch. 2010-204; s. 11, ch. 2011-51; s. 1, ch. 2011-103; s. 1, ch. 2013-63; s. 1, ch. 2014-219; s. 5, ch. 2016-156; s. 24, ch. 2018-3; s. 10, ch. 2019-22; s. 2, ch. 2020-145; s. 6, ch. 2021-176.
1006.08 District school superintendent duties relating to student discipline and school safety.—
(1) The district school superintendent shall recommend plans to the district school board for the proper accounting for all students of school age, for the attendance and control of students at school, and for the proper attention to health, safety, and other matters which will best promote the welfare of students. Each district school superintendent shall fully support the authority of his or her principals, teachers, and school bus drivers to remove disobedient, disrespectful, violent, abusive, uncontrollable, or disruptive students from the classroom and the school bus and, when appropriate and available, to place such students in an alternative educational setting. When the district school superintendent makes a recommendation for expulsion to the district school board, he or she shall give written notice to the student and the student’s parent of the recommendation, setting forth the charges against the student and advising the student and his or her parent of the student’s right to due process as prescribed by ss. 120.569 and 120.57(2). When district school board action on a recommendation for the expulsion of a student is pending, the district school superintendent may extend the suspension assigned by the principal beyond 10 school days if such suspension period expires before the next regular or special meeting of the district school board.
(2) Notwithstanding the provisions of s. 985.04(7) or any other provision of law to the contrary, the court shall, within 48 hours of the finding, notify the appropriate district school superintendent of the name and address of any student found to have committed a delinquent act, or who has had adjudication of a delinquent act withheld which, if committed by an adult, would be a felony, the name and address of any student found guilty of a felony, or the name and address of any student the court refers to mental health services. Notification shall include the specific delinquent act found to have been committed or for which adjudication was withheld, or the specific felony for which the student was found guilty.
(3) Except to the extent necessary to protect the health, safety, and welfare of other students, the information obtained by the district school superintendent pursuant to this section may be released only to appropriate school personnel or as otherwise provided by law.
History.—s. 278, ch. 2002-387; s. 38, ch. 2003-391; s. 128, ch. 2006-120; s. 25, ch. 2018-3.
1006.09 Duties of school principal relating to student discipline and school safety.—
(1)(a) Subject to law and to the rules of the State Board of Education and the district school board, the principal in charge of the school or the principal’s designee shall develop policies for delegating to any teacher or other member of the instructional staff or to any bus driver transporting students of the school responsibility for the control and direction of students. Each school principal shall fully support the authority of his or her teachers and school bus drivers to remove disobedient, disrespectful, violent, abusive, uncontrollable, or disruptive students from the classroom and the school bus and, when appropriate and available, place such students in an alternative educational setting. The principal or the principal’s designee must give full consideration to the recommendation for discipline made by a teacher, other member of the instructional staff, or a bus driver when making a decision regarding student referral for discipline.
(b) The principal or the principal’s designee may suspend a student only in accordance with the rules of the district school board. The principal or the principal’s designee shall make a good faith effort to immediately inform a student’s parent by telephone of a student’s suspension and the reasons for the suspension. Each suspension and the reasons for the suspension shall be reported in writing within 24 hours to the student’s parent by United States mail. Each suspension and the reasons for the suspension shall also be reported in writing within 24 hours to the district school superintendent. A good faith effort shall be made by the principal or the principal’s designee to employ parental assistance or other alternative measures prior to suspension, except in the case of emergency or disruptive conditions which require immediate suspension or in the case of a serious breach of conduct as defined by rules of the district school board. Such rules shall require oral and written notice to the student of the charges and an explanation of the evidence against him or her prior to the suspension. Each student shall be given an opportunity to present his or her side of the story. No student shall be suspended for unexcused tardiness, lateness, absence, or truancy. The principal or the principal’s designee may suspend any student transported to or from school at public expense from the privilege of riding on a school bus for violation of district school board transportation policies, which shall include a policy regarding behavior at school bus stops, and the principal or the principal’s designee shall give notice in writing to the student’s parent and to the district school superintendent within 24 hours. School personnel shall not be held legally responsible for suspensions of students made in good faith.
(c) The principal or the principal’s designee may recommend to the district school superintendent the expulsion of any student who has committed a serious breach of conduct, including, but not limited to, willful disobedience, open defiance of authority of a member of his or her staff, violence against persons or property, or any other act which substantially disrupts the orderly conduct of the school. A recommendation of expulsion or assignment to a second chance school may also be made for any student found to have intentionally made false accusations that jeopardize the professional reputation, employment, or professional certification of a teacher or other member of the school staff, according to the district school board code of student conduct. Any recommendation of expulsion shall include a detailed report by the principal or the principal’s designated representative on the alternative measures taken prior to the recommendation of expulsion.
(2) Suspension proceedings, pursuant to rules of the State Board of Education, may be initiated against any enrolled student who is formally charged with a felony, or with a delinquent act which would be a felony if committed by an adult, by a proper prosecuting attorney for an incident which allegedly occurred on property other than public school property, if that incident is shown, in an administrative hearing with notice provided to the parents of the student by the principal of the school pursuant to rules adopted by the State Board of Education and to rules developed pursuant to s. 1001.54, to have an adverse impact on the educational program, discipline, or welfare in the school in which the student is enrolled. Any student who is suspended as the result of such proceedings may be suspended from all classes of instruction on public school grounds during regular classroom hours for a period of time, which may exceed 10 days, as determined by the district school superintendent. The suspension shall not affect the delivery of educational services to the student, and the student shall be immediately enrolled in a daytime alternative education program, or an evening alternative education program, where appropriate. If the court determines that the student did commit the felony or delinquent act which would have been a felony if committed by an adult, the district school board may expel the student, provided that expulsion under this subsection shall not affect the delivery of educational services to the student in any residential, nonresidential, alternative, daytime, or evening program outside of the regular school setting. Any student who is subject to discipline or expulsion for unlawful possession or use of any substance controlled under chapter 893 may be entitled to a waiver of the discipline or expulsion:
(a) If the student divulges information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person who supplied the controlled substance to him or her, or if the student voluntarily discloses his or her unlawful possession of the controlled substance prior to his or her arrest. Any information divulged which leads to arrest and conviction is not admissible in evidence in a subsequent criminal trial against the student divulging the information.
(b) If the student commits himself or herself, or is referred by the court in lieu of sentence, to a state-licensed drug abuse program and successfully completes the program.
(3) A student may be disciplined or expelled for unlawful possession or use of any substance controlled under chapter 893 upon the third violation of this provision.
(4) When a student has been the victim of a violent crime perpetrated by another student who attends the same school, the school principal shall make full and effective use of the provisions of subsection (2) and s. 1006.13(6). A school principal who fails to comply with this subsection shall be ineligible for any portion of the performance pay or the differentiated pay under s. 1012.22. However, if any party responsible for notification fails to properly notify the school, the school principal shall be eligible for the performance pay or differentiated pay.
(5) Any recommendation for the suspension or expulsion of a student with a disability must be made in accordance with rules adopted by the State Board of Education.
(6) Each school principal must ensure that standardized forms prescribed by rule of the State Board of Education are used to report data concerning school safety and discipline to the department. The school principal must develop a plan to verify the accuracy of reported incidents.
(7) The State Board of Education shall adopt by rule a standardized form to be used by each school principal to report data concerning school safety and discipline.
(8) The school principal shall require all school personnel to report to the principal or principal’s designee any suspected unlawful use, possession, or sale by a student of any controlled substance, as defined in s. 893.02; any counterfeit controlled substance, as defined in s. 831.31; any alcoholic beverage, as defined in s. 561.01(4); or model glue. School personnel are exempt from civil liability when reporting in good faith to the proper school authority such suspected unlawful use, possession, or sale by a student. Only a principal or principal’s designee is authorized to contact a parent or legal guardian of a student regarding this situation. Reports made and verified under this subsection shall be forwarded to an appropriate agency. The principal or principal’s designee shall timely notify the student’s parent that a verified report made under this subsection with respect to the student has been made and forwarded.
(9) A school principal or a school employee designated by the principal, if she or he has reasonable suspicion that a prohibited or illegally possessed substance or object is contained within a student’s locker or other storage area, may search the locker or storage area. The district school board shall require and each school principal shall cause to be posted in each public K-12 school, in a place readily seen by students, a notice stating that a student’s locker or other storage area is subject to search, upon reasonable suspicion, for prohibited or illegally possessed substances or objects. This subsection does not prohibit the use of metal detectors or specially trained animals in the course of a search for illegally possessed substances or objects.
History.—s. 279, ch. 2002-387; s. 39, ch. 2003-391; s. 36, ch. 2006-74; s. 2, ch. 2009-53; s. 8, ch. 2011-1; s. 21, ch. 2013-35; s. 35, ch. 2016-145.
1006.10 Authority of school bus drivers and district school boards relating to student discipline and student safety on school buses.—
(1) The school bus driver shall require order and good behavior by all students being transported on school buses.
(2) The district school board shall require a system of progressive discipline of transported students for actions which are prohibited by the code of student conduct. Disciplinary actions, including suspension of students from riding on district school board owned or contracted school buses, shall be subject to district school board policies and procedures and may be imposed by the principal or the principal’s designee. The principal or the principal’s designee may delegate any disciplinary authority to school bus drivers except for suspension of students from riding the bus.
(3) The school bus driver shall control students during the time students are on the school bus, but shall not have such authority when students are waiting at the school bus stop or when students are en route to or from the school bus stop except when the bus is present at the bus stop.
(4) If an emergency should develop due to the conduct of students on the bus, the school bus driver may take such steps as are immediately necessary to protect the students on the bus.
(5) School bus drivers shall not be required to operate a bus under conditions in which one or more students pose a clear and present danger to the safety of the driver or other students, or the safety of the bus while in operation. The district school board shall have measures in place designed to protect the school bus driver from threats or physical injury from students.
(6) District school boards may use transportation, school safety, or FEFP funds to provide added security for buses transporting disruptive or delinquent students to and from school or other educational activities.
(7) In the case of a student having engaged in violent or blatantly unsafe actions while riding the school bus, the district school board shall take corrective measures to ensure, to the extent feasible, that such actions are not repeated prior to reassigning the student to the bus.
History.—s. 280, ch. 2002-387.
1006.11 Standards for use of reasonable force.—
(1) The State Board of Education shall adopt standards for the use of reasonable force by district school board personnel to maintain a safe and orderly learning environment. Such standards shall be distributed to each school in the state and shall provide guidance to district school board personnel in receiving the limitations on liability specified in subsection (2).
(2) Except in the case of excessive force or cruel and unusual punishment, a teacher or other member of the instructional staff, a principal or the principal’s designated representative, or a school bus driver shall not be civilly or criminally liable for any action carried out in conformity with the State Board of Education and district school board rules regarding the control, discipline, suspension, and expulsion of students, including, but not limited to, any exercise of authority under s. 1003.32 or s. 1006.09.
History.—s. 281, ch. 2002-387.
1006.12 Safe-school officers at each public school.—For the protection and safety of school personnel, property, students, and visitors, each district school board and school district superintendent shall partner with law enforcement agencies or security agencies to establish or assign one or more safe-school officers at each school facility within the district, including charter schools. A district school board must collaborate with charter school governing boards to facilitate charter school access to all safe-school officer options available under this section. The school district may implement any combination of the options in subsections (1)-(4) to best meet the needs of the school district and charter schools.
(1) SCHOOL RESOURCE OFFICER.—A school district may establish school resource officer programs through a cooperative agreement with law enforcement agencies.
(a) School resource officers shall undergo criminal background checks, drug testing, and a psychological evaluation and be certified law enforcement officers, as defined in s. 943.10(1), who are employed by a law enforcement agency as defined in s. 943.10(4). The powers and duties of a law enforcement officer shall continue throughout the employee’s tenure as a school resource officer.
(b) School resource officers shall abide by district school board policies and shall consult with and coordinate activities through the school principal, but shall be responsible to the law enforcement agency in all matters relating to employment, subject to agreements between a district school board and a law enforcement agency. Activities conducted by the school resource officer which are part of the regular instructional program of the school shall be under the direction of the school principal.
(c) Complete mental health crisis intervention training using a curriculum developed by a national organization with expertise in mental health crisis intervention. The training shall improve officers’ knowledge and skills as first responders to incidents involving students with emotional disturbance or mental illness, including de-escalation skills to ensure student and officer safety.
(2) SCHOOL SAFETY OFFICER.—A school district may commission one or more school safety officers for the protection and safety of school personnel, property, and students within the school district. The district school superintendent may recommend, and the district school board may appoint, one or more school safety officers.
(a) School safety officers shall undergo criminal background checks, drug testing, and a psychological evaluation and be law enforcement officers, as defined in s. 943.10(1), certified under the provisions of chapter 943 and employed by either a law enforcement agency or by the district school board. If the officer is employed by the district school board, the district school board is the employing agency for purposes of chapter 943, and must comply with the provisions of that chapter.
(b) A school safety officer has and shall exercise the power to make arrests for violations of law on district school board property and to arrest persons, whether on or off such property, who violate any law on such property under the same conditions that deputy sheriffs are authorized to make arrests. A school safety officer has the authority to carry weapons when performing his or her official duties.
(c) School safety officers must complete mental health crisis intervention training using a curriculum developed by a national organization with expertise in mental health crisis intervention. The training shall improve officers’ knowledge and skills as first responders to incidents involving students with emotional disturbance or mental illness, including de-escalation skills to ensure student and officer safety.
(d) A district school board may enter into mutual aid agreements with one or more law enforcement agencies as provided in chapter 23. A school safety officer’s salary may be paid jointly by the district school board and the law enforcement agency, as mutually agreed to.
(3) SCHOOL GUARDIAN.—At the school district’s or the charter school governing board’s discretion, as applicable, pursuant to s. 30.15, a school district or charter school governing board may participate in the Coach Aaron Feis Guardian Program to meet the requirement of establishing a safe-school officer. The following individuals may serve as a school guardian, in support of school-sanctioned activities for purposes of s. 790.115, upon satisfactory completion of the requirements under s. 30.15(1)(k) and certification by a sheriff:
(a) A school district employee or personnel, as defined under s. 1012.01, or a charter school employee, as provided under s. 1002.33(12)(a), who volunteers to serve as a school guardian in addition to his or her official job duties; or
(b) An employee of a school district or a charter school who is hired for the specific purpose of serving as a school guardian.
(4) SCHOOL SECURITY GUARD.—A school district or charter school governing board may contract with a security agency as defined in s. 493.6101(18) to employ as a school security guard an individual who holds a Class “D” and Class “G” license pursuant to chapter 493, provided the following training and contractual conditions are met:
(a) An individual who serves as a school security guard, for purposes of satisfying the requirements of this section, must:
1. Demonstrate completion of 144 hours of required training pursuant to s. 30.15(1)(k)2.
2. Pass a psychological evaluation administered by a psychologist licensed under chapter 490 and designated by the Department of Law Enforcement and submit the results of the evaluation to the sheriff’s office, school district, or charter school governing board, as applicable. The Department of Law Enforcement is authorized to provide the sheriff’s office, school district, or charter school governing board with mental health and substance abuse data for compliance with this paragraph.
3. Submit to and pass an initial drug test and subsequent random drug tests in accordance with the requirements of s. 112.0455 and the sheriff’s office, school district, or charter school governing board, as applicable.
4. Successfully complete ongoing training, weapon inspection, and firearm qualification on at least an annual basis and provide documentation to the sheriff’s office, school district, or charter school governing board, as applicable.
(b) The contract between a security agency and a school district or a charter school governing board regarding requirements applicable to school security guards serving in the capacity of a safe-school officer for purposes of satisfying the requirements of this section shall define the entity or entities responsible for training and the responsibilities for maintaining records relating to training, inspection, and firearm qualification.
(c) School security guards serving in the capacity of a safe-school officer pursuant to this subsection are in support of school-sanctioned activities for purposes of s. 790.115, and must aid in the prevention or abatement of active assailant incidents on school premises.
(5) NOTIFICATION.—The school district shall notify the county sheriff and the Office of Safe Schools immediately after, but no later than 72 hours after:
(a) A safe-school officer is dismissed for misconduct or is otherwise disciplined.
(b) A safe-school officer discharges his or her firearm in the exercise of the safe-school officer’s duties, other than for training purposes.
(6) EXEMPTION.—Any information that would identify whether a particular individual has been appointed as a safe-school officer pursuant to this section held by a law enforcement agency, school district, or charter school is exempt from s. 119.07(1) and s. 24(a), Art. I of the State Constitution. This subsection is subject to the Open Government Sunset Review Act in accordance with s. 119.15 and shall stand repealed on October 2, 2023, unless reviewed and saved from repeal through reenactment by the Legislature.

If a district school board, through its adopted policies, procedures, or actions, denies a charter school access to any safe-school officer options pursuant to this section, the school district must assign a school resource officer or school safety officer to the charter school. Under such circumstances, the charter school’s share of the costs of the school resource officer or school safety officer may not exceed the safe school allocation funds provided to the charter school pursuant to s. 1011.62(13) and shall be retained by the school district.

History.—s. 282, ch. 2002-387; s. 3, ch. 2018-1; ss. 6, 26, ch. 2018-3; s. 125, ch. 2019-3; s. 11, ch. 2019-22; s. 10, ch. 2021-44; s. 7, ch. 2021-176.
1006.13 Policy of zero tolerance for crime and victimization.—
(1) District school boards shall promote a safe and supportive learning environment in schools by protecting students and staff from conduct that poses a threat to school safety. A threat assessment team may use alternatives to expulsion or referral to law enforcement agencies to address disruptive behavior through restitution, civil citation, teen court, neighborhood restorative justice, or similar programs. Zero-tolerance policies may not be rigorously applied to petty acts of misconduct. Zero-tolerance policies must apply equally to all students regardless of their economic status, race, or disability.
(2) Each district school board shall adopt a policy of zero tolerance that:
(a) Defines criteria for reporting to a law enforcement agency any act that poses a threat to school safety that occurs whenever or wherever students are within the jurisdiction of the district school board.
(b) Defines acts that pose a threat to school safety.
(c) Defines petty acts of misconduct which are not a threat to school safety and do not require consultation with law enforcement.
(d) Minimizes the victimization of students, staff, or volunteers, including taking all steps necessary to protect the victim of any violent crime from any further victimization.
(e) Establishes a procedure that provides each student with the opportunity for a review of the disciplinary action imposed pursuant to s. 1006.07.
(f) Requires the threat assessment team to consult with law enforcement when a student exhibits a pattern of behavior, based upon previous acts or the severity of an act, that would pose a threat to school safety.
(3) Zero-tolerance policies must require students found to have committed one of the following offenses to be expelled, with or without continuing educational services, from the student’s regular school for a period of not less than 1 full year, and to be referred to the criminal justice or juvenile justice system.
(a) Bringing a firearm or weapon, as defined in chapter 790, to school, to any school function, or onto any school-sponsored transportation or possessing a firearm at school.
(b) Making a threat or false report, as defined by ss. 790.162 and 790.163, respectively, involving school or school personnel’s property, school transportation, or a school-sponsored activity.

District school boards may assign the student to a disciplinary program for the purpose of continuing educational services during the period of expulsion. District school superintendents may consider the 1-year expulsion requirement on a case-by-case basis and request the district school board to modify the requirement by assigning the student to a disciplinary program or second chance school if the request for modification is in writing and it is determined to be in the best interest of the student and the school system. If a student committing any of the offenses in this subsection is a student who has a disability, the district school board shall comply with applicable State Board of Education rules.

(4)(a) Each district school board shall enter into agreements with the county sheriff’s office and local police department specifying guidelines for ensuring that acts that pose a threat to school safety, whether committed by a student or adult, are reported to a law enforcement agency.
(b) The agreements must include the role of school resource officers, if applicable, in handling reported incidents and a procedure requiring school personnel to consult with school resource officers concerning appropriate delinquent acts and crimes.
(c) The school principal shall notify all school personnel as to their responsibilities regarding incident reporting, that acts which pose a threat to school safety and crimes are properly reported to the school principal, or his or her designee, and that the disposition of the incident is properly documented.
(5) Notwithstanding any other provision of law, each district school board shall adopt rules providing that any student found to have committed any offense in s. 784.081(1), (2), or (3) shall be expelled or placed in an alternative school setting or other program, as appropriate. Upon being charged with the offense, the student shall be removed from the classroom immediately and placed in an alternative school setting pending disposition.
(6)(a) Notwithstanding any provision of law prohibiting the disclosure of the identity of a minor, whenever any student who is attending a public school is adjudicated guilty of or delinquent for, or is found to have committed, regardless of whether adjudication is withheld, or pleads guilty or nolo contendere to, a felony violation of:
1. Chapter 782, relating to homicide;
2. Chapter 784, relating to assault, battery, and culpable negligence;
3. Chapter 787, relating to kidnapping, false imprisonment, luring or enticing a child, and custody offenses;
4. Chapter 794, relating to sexual battery;
5. Chapter 800, relating to lewdness and indecent exposure;
6. Chapter 827, relating to abuse of children;
7. Section 812.13, relating to robbery;
8. Section 812.131, relating to robbery by sudden snatching;
9. Section 812.133, relating to carjacking; or
10. Section 812.135, relating to home-invasion robbery,

and, before or at the time of such adjudication, withholding of adjudication, or plea, the offender was attending a school attended by the victim or a sibling of the victim of the offense, the Department of Juvenile Justice shall notify the appropriate district school board of the adjudication or plea, the requirements in this paragraph, and whether the offender is prohibited from attending that school or riding on a school bus whenever the victim or a sibling of the victim is attending the same school or riding on the same school bus, except as provided pursuant to a written disposition order under s. 985.455(2). Upon receipt of such notice, the district school board shall take appropriate action to effectuate the provisions in paragraph (b).

(b) Each district school board shall adopt a cooperative agreement with the Department of Juvenile Justice which establishes guidelines for ensuring that any no contact order entered by a court is reported and enforced and that all of the necessary steps are taken to protect the victim of the offense. Any offender described in paragraph (a), who is not exempted as provided in paragraph (a), may not attend any school attended by the victim or a sibling of the victim of the offense or ride on a school bus on which the victim or a sibling of the victim is riding. The offender shall be permitted by the district school board to attend another school within the district in which the offender resides, only if the other school is not attended by the victim or sibling of the victim of the offense; or the offender may be permitted by another district school board to attend a school in that district if the offender is unable to attend any school in the district in which the offender resides.
(c) If the offender is unable to attend any other school in the district in which the offender resides and is prohibited from attending a school in another school district, the district school board in the school district in which the offender resides shall take every reasonable precaution to keep the offender separated from the victim while on school grounds or on school transportation. The steps to be taken by a district school board to keep the offender separated from the victim must include, but are not limited to, in-school suspension of the offender and the scheduling of classes, lunch, or other school activities of the victim and the offender so as not to coincide.
(d) The offender, or the parents of the offender if the offender is a juvenile, shall arrange and pay for transportation associated with or required by the offender’s attending another school or that would be required as a consequence of the prohibition against riding on a school bus on which the victim or a sibling of the victim is riding. However, the offender or the parents of the offender may not be charged for existing modes of transportation that can be used by the offender at no additional cost to the district school board.
(7) Any disciplinary or prosecutorial action taken against a student who violates a zero-tolerance policy must be based on the particular circumstances of the student’s misconduct.
(8) A threat assessment team may use alternatives to expulsion or referral to law enforcement agencies unless the use of such alternatives will pose a threat to school safety.
History.—s. 283, ch. 2002-387; s. 129, ch. 2006-120; s. 3, ch. 2009-53; s. 6, ch. 2016-156; s. 27, ch. 2018-3; s. 12, ch. 2019-22.
1006.135 Hazing prohibited at schools with any of grades 6-12.—
(1) DEFINITION.—As used in this section, “hazing” means any action or situation that endangers the mental or physical health or safety of a student at a school with any of grades 6 through 12 for purposes including, but not limited to, initiation or admission into or affiliation with any organization operating under the sanction of a school with any of grades 6 through 12. “Hazing” includes, but is not limited to:
(a) Pressuring, coercing, or forcing a student into:
1. Violating state or federal law;
2. Consuming any food, liquor, drug, or other substance; or
3. Participating in physical activity that could adversely affect the health or safety of the student.
(b) Any brutality of a physical nature, such as whipping, beating, branding, or exposure to the elements.

Hazing does not include customary athletic events or other similar contests or competitions or any activity or conduct that furthers a legal and legitimate objective.

(2) SCHOOL DISTRICT POLICY.—Each school district shall adopt in rule a policy that prohibits hazing and establishes consequences for a student who commits an act of hazing. The policy must include:
(a) A definition of hazing, which must include the definition provided in this section.
(b) A procedure for reporting an alleged act of hazing, including provisions that permit a person to anonymously report such an act. However, disciplinary action may not be based solely on an anonymous report.
(c) A requirement that a school with any of grades 9 through 12 report an alleged act of hazing to a local law enforcement agency if the alleged act meets the criteria established under subsection (3).
(d) A provision for referral of victims and perpetrators of hazing to a certified school counselor.
(e) A requirement that each incident of hazing be reported in the school’s safety and discipline report required under s. 1006.09(6). The report must include the number of hazing incidents reported, the number of incidents referred to a local law enforcement agency, the number of incidents that result in disciplinary action taken by the school, and the number of incidents that do not result in either referral to a local law enforcement agency or disciplinary action taken by the school.
(3) CRIMINAL PENALTIES.—This subsection applies only to students in any of grades 9 through 12.
(a)1. A person who commits an act of hazing upon another person who is a member of or an applicant to any type of student organization commits a felony of the third degree, punishable as provided in s. 775.082 or s. 775.083, if the person knew or should have known the act would result in serious bodily injury or death of such other person and the act results in serious bodily injury or death of such other person.
2. A person who commits an act of hazing upon another person who is a member of or an applicant to any type of student organization commits a misdemeanor of the first degree, punishable as provided in s. 775.082 or s. 775.083, if the person knew or should have known the act would create a potential risk of physical injury or death to such other person and the act creates a potential risk of physical injury or death to such other person.
(b) As a condition of any sentence imposed pursuant to paragraph (a), the court:
1. Shall order the defendant to attend and complete a 4-hour hazing education course and may also impose a condition of drug or alcohol probation.
2. May require the defendant to make a public apology to the students and victims at the school.
3. May require the defendant to participate in a school-sponsored antihazing campaign to raise awareness of what constitutes hazing and the penalties for hazing.
(c) It is not a defense to a charge of hazing that:
1. Consent of the victim had been obtained;
2. The conduct or activity that resulted in the death or injury of a person was not part of an official organizational event or was not otherwise sanctioned or approved by the organization; or
3. The conduct or activity that resulted in death or injury of the person was not done as a condition of membership to an organization.
(4) CONSTRUCTION.—This section shall not be construed to preclude prosecution for a more general offense resulting from the same criminal transaction or episode.
History.—s. 2, ch. 2005-146; s. 9, ch. 2014-184.
1006.14 Secret societies prohibited in public K-12 schools.—
(1) It is unlawful for any person, group, or organization to organize or establish a fraternity, sorority, or other secret society whose membership is comprised in whole or in part of students enrolled in any public K-12 school or to go upon any public K-12 school premises for the purpose of soliciting any students to join such an organization.
(2) A secret society shall be interpreted to be a fraternity, sorority, or other organization whose active membership is comprised wholly or partly of students enrolled in public K-12 schools and which perpetuates itself wholly or partly by taking in additional members from the students enrolled in public K-12 schools on the basis of the decision of its membership rather than on the right of any student who is qualified by the rules of the school to be a member of and take part in any class or group exercise designated and classified according to gender, subjects included in the course of study, or program of school activities fostered and promoted by the district school board and district school superintendent or by school principals.
(3) This section shall not be construed to prevent the establishment of an organization fostered and promoted by school authorities, or approved and accepted by school authorities, and whose membership is selected on the basis of good character, good scholarship, leadership ability, and achievement. Full information regarding the charter, principles, purposes, and conduct of any such accepted organization shall be made available to all students and instructional personnel of the school.
(4) This section shall not be construed to relate to any junior organization or society sponsored by the Police Athletic League, Knights of Pythias, Oddfellows, Moose, Woodmen of the World, Knights of Columbus, Elks, Masons, B’nai B’rith, Young Men’s and Young Women’s Hebrew Associations, Young Men’s and Young Women’s Christian Associations, Kiwanis, Rotary, Optimist, Civitan, Exchange Clubs, Florida Federation of Garden Clubs, and Florida Federation of Women’s Clubs.
(5) It is unlawful for any student enrolled in any public K-12 school to be a member of, to join or to become a member of or to pledge himself or herself to become a member of any secret fraternity, sorority, or group wholly or partly formed from the membership of students attending public K-12 schools or to take part in the organization or formation of any such fraternity, sorority, or secret society; provided that this does not prevent any student from belonging to any organization fostered and promoted by the school authorities, or approved and accepted by the school authorities and whose membership is selected on the basis of good character, good scholarship, leadership ability, and achievement.
(6) The district school board may enforce the provisions of this section and prescribe and enforce such rules as are necessary. District school boards shall enforce the provisions of this section by suspending or, if necessary, expelling any student in any public K-12 school who violates this section.
History.—s. 284, ch. 2002-387; s. 46, ch. 2004-41.
1006.145 Disturbing school functions; penalty.—Any person not subject to the rules of a school who creates a disturbance on the property or grounds of any school, who commits any act that interrupts the orderly conduct of a school or any activity thereof commits a misdemeanor of the second degree, punishable as provided in s. 775.082 or s. 775.083.
History.—s. 286, ch. 2002-387.
1006.147 Bullying and harassment prohibited.—
(1) This section may be cited as the “Jeffrey Johnston Stand Up for All Students Act.”
(2) Bullying or harassment of any student or employee of a public K-12 educational institution is prohibited:
(a) During any education program or activity conducted by a public K-12 educational institution;
(b) During any school-related or school-sponsored program or activity or on a school bus of a public K-12 educational institution;
(c) Through the use of data or computer software that is accessed through a computer, computer system, or computer network within the scope of a public K-12 educational institution; or
(d) Through the use of data or computer software that is accessed at a nonschool-related location, activity, function, or program or through the use of technology or an electronic device that is not owned, leased, or used by a school district or school, if the bullying substantially interferes with or limits the victim’s ability to participate in or benefit from the services, activities, or opportunities offered by a school or substantially disrupts the education process or orderly operation of a school. This paragraph does not require a school to staff or monitor any nonschool-related activity, function, or program.
(3) For purposes of this section:
(a) “Bullying” includes cyberbullying and means systematically and chronically inflicting physical hurt or psychological distress on one or more students and may involve:
1. Teasing;
2. Social exclusion;
3. Threat;
4. Intimidation;
5. Stalking;
6. Physical violence;
7. Theft;
8. Sexual, religious, or racial harassment;
9. Public or private humiliation; or
10. Destruction of property.
(b) “Cyberbullying” means bullying through the use of technology or any electronic communication, which includes, but is not limited to, any transfer of signs, signals, writing, images, sounds, data, or intelligence of any nature transmitted in whole or in part by a wire, radio, electromagnetic system, photoelectronic system, or photooptical system, including, but not limited to, electronic mail, Internet communications, instant messages, or facsimile communications. Cyberbullying includes the creation of a web page or weblog in which the creator assumes the identity of another person, or the knowing impersonation of another person as the author of posted content or messages, if the creation or impersonation creates any of the conditions enumerated in the definition of bullying. Cyberbullying also includes the distribution by electronic means of a communication to more than one person or the posting of material on an electronic medium that may be accessed by one or more persons, if the distribution or posting creates any of the conditions enumerated in the definition of bullying.
(c) “Harassment” means any threatening, insulting, or dehumanizing gesture, use of data or computer software, or written, verbal, or physical conduct directed against a student or school employee that:
1. Places a student or school employee in reasonable fear of harm to his or her person or damage to his or her property;
2. Has the effect of substantially interfering with a student’s educational performance, opportunities, or benefits; or
3. Has the effect of substantially disrupting the orderly operation of a school.
(d) “Within the scope of a public K-12 educational institution” means, regardless of ownership, any computer, computer system, or computer network that is physically located on school property or at a school-related or school-sponsored program or activity.
(e) Definitions in s. 815.03 and the definition in s. 784.048(1)(d) relating to stalking are applicable to this section.
(f) The definitions of “bullying” and “harassment” include:
1. Retaliation against a student or school employee by another student or school employee for asserting or alleging an act of bullying or harassment. Reporting an act of bullying or harassment that is not made in good faith is considered retaliation.
2. Perpetuation of conduct listed in paragraph (a), paragraph (b), or paragraph (c) by an individual or group with intent to demean, dehumanize, embarrass, or cause physical harm to a student or school employee by:
a. Incitement or coercion;
b. Accessing or knowingly causing or providing access to data or computer software through a computer, computer system, or computer network within the scope of the district school system; or
c. Acting in a manner that has an effect substantially similar to the effect of bullying or harassment.
(4) Each school district shall adopt and review at least every 3 years a policy prohibiting bullying and harassment of a student or employee of a public K-12 educational institution. Each school district’s policy shall be in substantial conformity with the Department of Education’s model policy. The school district bullying and harassment policy shall afford all students the same protection regardless of their status under the law. The school district may establish separate discrimination policies that include categories of students. The school district shall involve students, parents, teachers, administrators, school staff, school volunteers, community representatives, and local law enforcement agencies in the process of adopting and reviewing the policy. The school district policy must be implemented by each school principal in a manner that is ongoing throughout the school year and integrated with the school’s curriculum, bullying prevention and intervention program, discipline policies, and other violence prevention efforts. The school district policy must contain, at a minimum, the following components:
(a) A statement prohibiting bullying and harassment.
(b) A definition of bullying and a definition of harassment that include the definitions listed in this section.
(c) A description of the type of behavior expected from each student and employee of a public K-12 educational institution.
(d) The consequences for a student or employee of a public K-12 educational institution who commits an act of bullying or harassment.
(e) The consequences for a student or employee of a public K-12 educational institution who is found to have wrongfully and intentionally accused another of an act of bullying or harassment.
(f) A procedure for receiving reports of an alleged act of bullying or harassment, including provisions that permit a person to anonymously report such an act. However, this paragraph does not permit formal disciplinary action to be based solely on an anonymous report.
(g) A procedure for the prompt investigation of a report of bullying or harassment and the persons responsible for the investigation. The investigation of a reported act of bullying or harassment is deemed to be a school-related activity and begins with a report of such an act. Incidents that require a reasonable investigation when reported to appropriate school authorities shall include alleged incidents of bullying or harassment allegedly committed against a child while the child is en route to school aboard a school bus or at a school bus stop.
(h) A process to investigate whether a reported act of bullying or harassment is within the scope of the district school system and, if not, a process for referral of such an act to the appropriate jurisdiction. Computers without web-filtering software or computers with web-filtering software that is disabled shall be used when complaints of cyberbullying are investigated.
(i) A procedure for providing immediate notification to the parents of a victim of bullying or harassment and the parents of the perpetrator of an act of bullying or harassment, as well as notification to all local agencies where criminal charges may be pursued against the perpetrator.
(j) A procedure to refer victims and perpetrators of bullying or harassment for counseling.
(k) A procedure for including incidents of bullying or harassment in the school’s report of data concerning school safety and discipline required under s. 1006.09(6). The report must include each incident of bullying or harassment and the resulting consequences, including discipline and referrals. The report must include in a separate section each alleged incident of bullying or harassment that does not meet the criteria of a prohibited act under this section with recommendations regarding such incidents. The Department of Education shall aggregate information contained in the reports.
(l) A list of programs authorized by the school district that provide instruction to students, parents, teachers, school administrators, counseling staff, and school volunteers on identifying, preventing, and responding to bullying or harassment, including instruction on recognizing behaviors that lead to bullying and harassment and taking appropriate preventive action based on those observations.
(m) A procedure for regularly reporting to a victim’s parents the actions taken to protect the victim.
(n) A procedure for publicizing the policy, which must include its publication in the code of student conduct required under s. 1006.07(2) and in all employee handbooks.
(5) A school employee, school volunteer, student, or parent who promptly reports in good faith an act of bullying or harassment to the appropriate school official designated in the school district’s policy and who makes this report in compliance with the procedures set forth in the policy is immune from a cause of action for damages arising out of the reporting itself or any failure to remedy the reported incident.
(6)(a) The physical location or time of access of a computer-related incident cannot be raised as a defense in any disciplinary action initiated under this section.
(b) This section does not apply to any person who uses data or computer software that is accessed through a computer, computer system, or computer network when acting within the scope of his or her lawful employment or investigating a violation of this section in accordance with school district policy.
(7) Distribution of safe schools funds provided to a school district shall be contingent upon and payable to the school district upon the school district’s compliance with all reporting procedures contained in this section.
(8) On or before January 1 of each year, the Commissioner of Education shall report to the Governor, the President of the Senate, and the Speaker of the House of Representatives on the implementation of this section. The report shall include data collected pursuant to paragraph (4)(k).
(9) Nothing in this section shall be construed to abridge the rights of students or school employees that are protected by the First Amendment to the Constitution of the United States.
History.—s. 1, ch. 2008-123; s. 1, ch. 2013-87; s. 57, ch. 2014-39; s. 1, ch. 2016-119; ss. 96, 110, ch. 2019-167.
1006.148 Dating violence and abuse prohibited.—
(1) Each district school board shall adopt and implement a dating violence and abuse policy. The policy shall:
(a) Prohibit dating violence and abuse by any student on school property, during a school-sponsored activity, or during school-sponsored transportation.
(b) Provide procedures for responding to such incidents of dating violence or abuse, including accommodations for students experiencing dating violence or abuse.
(c) Define dating violence and abuse and provide for a teen dating violence and abuse component in the health education curriculum, according to s. 1003.42(2)(n)2., with emphasis on prevention education.
(d) Be implemented in a manner that is integrated with a school district’s discipline policies.
(2) Each district school board shall provide training for teachers, staff, and school administrators to implement this section.
History.—s. 2, ch. 2010-217; s. 58, ch. 2014-39; s. 2, ch. 2021-83.
1006.1493 Florida Safe Schools Assessment Tool.—
(1) The department, through the Office of Safe Schools pursuant s. 1001.212, shall contract with a security consulting firm that specializes in the development of risk assessment software solutions and has experience in conducting security assessments of public facilities to develop, update, and implement a risk assessment tool, which shall be known as the Florida Safe Schools Assessment Tool (FSSAT). The FSSAT must be the primary physical site security assessment tool as revised and required by the Office of Safe Schools which is used by school officials at each school district and public school site in the state in conducting security assessments.
(2) The FSSAT must help school officials identify threats, vulnerabilities, and appropriate safety controls for the schools that they supervise, pursuant to the security risk assessment requirements of s. 1006.07(6).
(a) At a minimum, the FSSAT must address all of the following components:
1. School emergency and crisis preparedness planning;
2. Security, crime, and violence prevention policies and procedures;
3. Physical security measures;
4. Professional development training needs;
5. An examination of support service roles in school safety, security, and emergency planning;
6. School security and school police staffing, operational practices, and related services;
7. School and community collaboration on school safety; and
8. A return on investment analysis of the recommended physical security controls.
(b) The department shall require by contract that the security consulting firm:
1. Generate written automated reports on assessment findings for review by the department and school and district officials;
2. Provide training to the department and school officials in the use of the FSSAT and other areas of importance identified by the department;
3. Advise in the development and implementation of templates, formats, guidance, and other resources necessary to facilitate the implementation of this section at state, district, school, and local levels; and
4. Review recommendations of the School Hardening and Harm Mitigation Workgroup established under s. 1001.212(11) to address physical security measures identified by the FSSAT.
(3) The Office of Safe Schools shall make the FSSAT available no later than May 1 of each year. The office must provide annual training to each district’s school safety specialist and other appropriate school district personnel on the assessment of physical site security and completing the FSSAT.
(4) By December 1 of each year, the department shall report to the Governor, the President of the Senate, and the Speaker of the House of Representatives on the status of implementation across school districts and schools. The report must include a summary of the positive school safety measures in place at the time of the assessment and any recommendations for policy changes or funding needed to facilitate continued school safety planning, improvement, and response at the state, district, or school levels.
(5) In accordance with ss. 119.071(3)(a) and 281.301, data and information related to security risk assessments administered pursuant to this section and s. 1006.07(6) and the security information contained in the annual report required pursuant to subsection (4) are confidential and exempt from public records requirements.
History.—s. 28, ch. 2018-3; s. 13, ch. 2019-22.
D. Student Extracurricular
Activities and Athletics
1006.15 Student standards for participation in interscholastic and intrascholastic extracurricular student activities; regulation.
1006.16 Insuring school students engaged in athletic activities against injury.
1006.165 Well-being of students participating in extracurricular activities; training.
1006.18 Cheerleader safety standards.
1006.19 Audit of records of nonprofit corporations and associations handling interscholastic activities.
1006.195 District school board, charter school authority and responsibility to establish student eligibility regarding participation in interscholastic and intrascholastic extracurricular activities.
1006.20 Athletics in public K-12 schools.
1006.205 Fairness in Women’s Sports Act.
1006.15 Student standards for participation in interscholastic and intrascholastic extracurricular student activities; regulation.—
(1) This section may be cited as the “Craig Dickinson Act.”
(2) Interscholastic extracurricular student activities are an important complement to the academic curriculum. Participation in a comprehensive extracurricular and academic program contributes to student development of the social and intellectual skills necessary to become a well-rounded adult. As used in this section, the term “extracurricular” means any school-authorized or education-related activity occurring during or outside the regular instructional school day.
(3)(a) As used in this section and s. 1006.20, the term “eligible to participate” includes, but is not limited to, a student participating in tryouts, off-season conditioning, summer workouts, preseason conditioning, in-season practice, or contests. The term does not mean that a student must be placed on any specific team for interscholastic or intrascholastic extracurricular activities. To be eligible to participate in interscholastic extracurricular student activities, a student must:
1. Maintain a grade point average of 2.0 or above on a 4.0 scale, or its equivalent, in the previous semester or a cumulative grade point average of 2.0 or above on a 4.0 scale, or its equivalent, in the courses required by s. 1002.3105(5) or s. 1003.4282.
2. Execute and fulfill the requirements of an academic performance contract between the student, the district school board, the appropriate governing association, and the student’s parents, if the student’s cumulative grade point average falls below 2.0, or its equivalent, on a 4.0 scale in the courses required by s. 1002.3105(5) or s. 1003.4282. At a minimum, the contract must require that the student attend summer school, or its graded equivalent, between grades 9 and 10 or grades 10 and 11, as necessary.
3. Have a cumulative grade point average of 2.0 or above on a 4.0 scale, or its equivalent, in the courses required by s. 1002.3105(5) or s. 1003.4282 during his or her junior or senior year.
4. Maintain satisfactory conduct, including adherence to appropriate dress and other codes of student conduct policies described in s. 1006.07(2). If a student is convicted of, or is found to have committed, a felony or a delinquent act that would have been a felony if committed by an adult, regardless of whether adjudication is withheld, the student’s participation in interscholastic extracurricular activities is contingent upon established and published district school board policy.
(b) Any student who is exempt from attending a full school day based on rules adopted by the district school board for double session schools or programs, experimental schools, or schools operating under emergency conditions must maintain the grade point average required by this section and pass each class for which he or she is enrolled.
(c) An individual home education student is eligible to participate at the public school to which the student would be assigned according to district school board attendance area policies or which the student could choose to attend pursuant to s. 1002.31, or may develop an agreement to participate at a private school, in the interscholastic extracurricular activities of that school, provided the following conditions are met:
1. The home education student must meet the requirements of the home education program pursuant to s. 1002.41.
2. During the period of participation at a school, the home education student must demonstrate educational progress as required in paragraph (b) in all subjects taken in the home education program by a method of evaluation agreed upon by the parent and the school principal which may include: review of the student’s work by a certified teacher chosen by the parent; grades earned through correspondence; grades earned in courses taken at a Florida College System institution, university, or trade school; standardized test scores above the 35th percentile; or any other method designated in s. 1002.41.
3. The home education student must meet the same residency requirements as other students in the school at which he or she participates.
4. The home education student must meet the same standards of acceptance, behavior, and performance as required of other students in extracurricular activities.
5. The student must register with the school his or her intent to participate in interscholastic extracurricular activities as a representative of the school before participation. A home education student must be able to participate in curricular activities if that is a requirement for an extracurricular activity.
6. A student who transfers from a home education program to a public school before or during the first grading period of the school year is academically eligible to participate in interscholastic extracurricular activities during the first grading period provided the student has a successful evaluation from the previous school year, pursuant to subparagraph 2.
7. Any public school or private school student who has been unable to maintain academic eligibility for participation in interscholastic extracurricular activities is ineligible to participate in such activities as a home education student until the student has successfully completed one grading period in home education pursuant to subparagraph 2. to become eligible to participate as a home education student.
(d) An individual charter school student pursuant to s. 1002.33 is eligible to participate at the public school to which the student would be assigned according to district school board attendance area policies or which the student could attend in any interscholastic extracurricular activity of that school, unless such activity is provided by the student’s charter school, if the following conditions are met:
1. The charter school student must meet the requirements of the charter school education program as determined by the charter school governing board.
2. During the period of participation at a school, the charter school student must demonstrate educational progress as required in paragraph (b).
3. The charter school student must meet the same residency requirements as other students in the school at which he or she participates.
4. The charter school student must meet the same standards of acceptance, behavior, and performance that are required of other students in extracurricular activities.
5. The charter school student must register with the school his or her intent to participate in interscholastic extracurricular activities as a representative of the school before participation. A charter school student must be able to participate in curricular activities if that is a requirement for an extracurricular activity.
6. A student who transfers from a charter school program to a traditional public school before or during the first grading period of the school year is academically eligible to participate in interscholastic extracurricular activities during the first grading period if the student has a successful evaluation from the previous school year, pursuant to subparagraph 2.
7. Any public school or private school student who has been unable to maintain academic eligibility for participation in interscholastic extracurricular activities is ineligible to participate in such activities as a charter school student until the student has successfully completed one grading period in a charter school pursuant to subparagraph 2. to become eligible to participate as a charter school student.
(e) A student of the Florida Virtual School full-time program may participate in any interscholastic extracurricular activity at the public school to which the student would be assigned according to district school board attendance area policies or which the student could choose to attend pursuant to s. 1002.31 if the student:
1. During the period of participation in the interscholastic extracurricular activity, meets the requirements in paragraph (a).
2. Meets any additional requirements as determined by the board of trustees of the Florida Virtual School.
3. Meets the same residency requirements as other students in the school at which he or she participates.
4. Meets the same standards of acceptance, behavior, and performance that are required of other students in extracurricular activities.
5. Registers his or her intent to participate in interscholastic extracurricular activities with the school before participation. A Florida Virtual school student must be able to participate in curricular activities if that is a requirement for an extracurricular activity.
(f) A student who transfers from the Florida Virtual School full-time program to a traditional public school before or during the first grading period of the school year is academically eligible to participate in interscholastic extracurricular activities during the first grading period if the student has a successful evaluation from the previous school year pursuant to paragraph (a).
(g) A public school or private school student who has been unable to maintain academic eligibility for participation in interscholastic extracurricular activities is ineligible to participate in such activities as a Florida Virtual School student until the student successfully completes one grading period in the Florida Virtual School pursuant to paragraph (a).
(h)1. A school district or charter school may not delay eligibility or otherwise prevent a student participating in controlled open enrollment, or a choice program, from being immediately eligible to participate in interscholastic and intrascholastic extracurricular activities.
2. A student may not participate in a sport if the student participated in that same sport at another school during that school year, unless the student meets one of the following criteria:
a. Dependent children of active duty military personnel whose move resulted from military orders.
b. Children who have been relocated due to a foster care placement in a different school zone.
c. Children who move due to a court-ordered change in custody due to separation or divorce, or the serious illness or death of a custodial parent.
d. Authorized for good cause in district or charter school policy.
(4) The student standards for participation in interscholastic extracurricular activities must be applied beginning with the student’s first semester of the 9th grade. Each student must meet such other requirements for participation as may be established by the district school board; however, a district school board may not establish requirements for participation in interscholastic extracurricular activities which make participation in such activities less accessible to home education students than to other students. Except as set forth in paragraph (3)(c), evaluation processes or requirements that are placed on home education student participants may not go beyond those that apply under s. 1002.41 to home education students generally.
(5) Any organization or entity that regulates or governs interscholastic extracurricular activities of public schools:
(a) Shall permit home education associations to join as member schools.
(b) Shall not discriminate against any eligible student based on an educational choice of public, private, or home education.
(6) Public schools are prohibited from membership in any organization or entity which regulates or governs interscholastic extracurricular activities and discriminates against eligible students in public, private, or home education.
(7) Any insurance provided by district school boards for participants in extracurricular activities shall cover the participating home education student. If there is an additional premium for such coverage, the participating home education student shall pay the premium.
(8)(a) The Florida High School Athletic Association (FHSAA), in cooperation with each district school board, shall facilitate a program in which a middle school or high school student who attends a private school shall be eligible to participate in an interscholastic or intrascholastic sport at a public high school, a public middle school, or a 6-12 public school to which the student would be assigned according to district school board attendance area policies and procedures or which the student could choose to attend pursuant to s. 1002.31, provided the public school has not reached capacity as determined by the district school board, if:
1. The private school in which the student is enrolled is not a member of the FHSAA.
2. The private school student meets the guidelines for the conduct of the program established by the FHSAA’s board of directors and the district school board. At a minimum, such guidelines shall provide:
a. A deadline for each sport by which the private school student’s parents must register with the public school in writing their intent for their child to participate at that school in the sport.
b. Requirements for a private school student to participate, including, but not limited to, meeting the same standards of eligibility, acceptance, behavior, educational progress, and performance which apply to other students participating in interscholastic or intrascholastic sports at a public school or FHSAA member private school.
(b) The parents of a private school student participating in a public school sport under this subsection are responsible for transporting their child to and from the public school at which the student participates. The private school the student attends, the public school at which the student participates in a sport, the district school board, and the FHSAA are exempt from civil liability arising from any injury that occurs to the student during such transportation.
(c) For each academic year, a private school student may only participate at the public school in which the student is first registered under sub-subparagraph (a)2.a. or makes himself or herself a candidate for an athletic team by engaging in a practice.
(d) The athletic director of each participating FHSAA member public school shall maintain the student records necessary for eligibility, compliance, and participation in the program.
(e) Any non-FHSAA member private school that has a student who wishes to participate in this program must make all student records, including, but not limited to, academic, financial, disciplinary, and attendance records, available upon request of the FHSAA.
(f) A student must apply to participate in this program through the FHSAA program application process.
(g) Only students who are enrolled in non-FHSAA member private schools consisting of 125 students or fewer are eligible to participate in the program in any given academic year.
(9)(a) A student who transfers to a school during the school year may seek to immediately join an existing team if the roster for the specific interscholastic or intrascholastic extracurricular activity has not reached the activity’s identified maximum size and if the coach for the activity determines that the student has the requisite skill and ability to participate. The FHSAA and school district or charter school may not declare such a student ineligible because the student did not have the opportunity to comply with qualifying requirements.
(b) A student may not participate in a sport if the student participated in that same sport at another school during that school year, unless the student meets one of the following criteria:
1. Dependent children of active duty military personnel whose move resulted from military orders.
2. Children who have been relocated due to a foster care placement in a different school zone.
3. Children who move due to a court-ordered change in custody due to separation or divorce, or the serious illness or death of a custodial parent.
4. Authorized for good cause in district or charter school policy.
History.—s. 288, ch. 2002-387; s. 1, ch. 2008-228; s. 17, ch. 2011-3; s. 75, ch. 2011-5; s. 2, ch. 2011-103; s. 1, ch. 2011-117; s. 9, ch. 2012-192; s. 52, ch. 2013-35; s. 182, ch. 2014-17; s. 59, ch. 2014-39; s. 22, ch. 2016-237; s. 1, ch. 2017-186; s. 26, ch. 2018-6.
1006.16 Insuring school students engaged in athletic activities against injury.—Any district school board, school athletic association, or school may formulate, conduct, and purchase a plan or method of insuring, or may self-insure, school students against injury sustained by reason of such students engaging and participating in the athletic activities conducted or sponsored by the district school board, association, or school in which such students are enrolled. A district school board, school athletic association, or school may add a surcharge to the fee charged for admission to athletic events as a means of producing revenue to purchase such insurance or to provide self-insurance. Any district school board may pay for all or part of such plan or method of insurance or self-insurance from available district school board funds.
History.—s. 289, ch. 2002-387.
1006.165 Well-being of students participating in extracurricular activities; training.—
(1)(a) Each public school that is a member of the Florida High School Athletic Association (FHSAA) must have an operational automated external defibrillator on the school grounds. The defibrillator must be available in a clearly marked and publicized location for each athletic contest, practice, workout, or conditioning session, including those conducted outside of the school year. Public and private partnerships are encouraged to cover the cost associated with the purchase and placement of the defibrillator and training in the use of the defibrillator.
(b) Beginning June 1, 2021, a school employee or volunteer with current training in cardiopulmonary resuscitation and use of a defibrillator must be present at each athletic event during and outside of the school year, including athletic contests, practices, workouts, and conditioning sessions. The training must include completion of a course in cardiopulmonary resuscitation or a basic first aid course that includes cardiopulmonary resuscitation training, and demonstrated proficiency in the use of a defibrillator. Each employee or volunteer who is reasonably expected to use a defibrillator must complete this training.
(c) The location of each defibrillator must be registered with a local emergency medical services medical director. Each employee or volunteer required to complete the training under paragraph (b) must annually be notified in writing of the location of each defibrillator on school grounds.
(d) The use of defibrillators by employees and volunteers is covered under ss. 768.13 and 768.1325.
(2)(a) In order to better protect student athletes participating in athletics during hot weather and avoid preventable injury or death, the FHSAA shall:
1. Make training and resources available to each member school for the effective monitoring of heat stress.
2. Establish guidelines for monitoring heat stress and identify heat stress levels at which a school must make a cooling zone available for each outdoor athletic contest, practice, workout, or conditioning session. Heat stress must be determined by measuring the ambient temperature, humidity, wind speed, sun angle, and cloud cover at the site of the athletic activity.
3. Require member schools to monitor heat stress and modify athletic activities, including suspending or moving activities, based on the heat stress guidelines.
4. Establish hydration guidelines, including appropriate introduction of electrolytes after extended activities or when a student participates in multiple activities in a day.
5. Establish requirements for cooling zones, including, at a minimum, the immediate availability of cold-water immersion tubs or equivalent means to rapidly cool internal body temperature when a student exhibits symptoms of exertional heat stroke and the presence of an employee or volunteer trained to implement cold-water immersion.
6. Require each school’s emergency action plan, as required by the FHSAA, to include a procedure for onsite cooling using cold-water immersion or equivalent means before a student is transported to a hospital for exertional heat stroke.

The requirements of this paragraph apply year-round.

(b) Each athletic coach and sponsor of extracurricular activities involving outdoor practices or events shall annually complete training in exertional heat illness identification, prevention, and response, including effective administration of cooling zones.
History.—s. 8, ch. 2006-301; s. 2, ch. 2020-91.
1006.18 Cheerleader safety standards.—The Florida High School Athletic Association or successor organization shall adopt statewide uniform safety standards for student cheerleaders and spirit groups that participate in any school activity or extracurricular student activity. The Florida High School Athletic Association or successor organization shall adopt the “Official High School Spirit Rules,” published by the National Federation of State High School Associations, as the statewide uniform safety standards.
History.—s. 291, ch. 2002-387; s. 1, ch. 2003-129.
1006.19 Audit of records of nonprofit corporations and associations handling interscholastic activities.—
(1) Each nonprofit association or corporation that operates for the purpose of supervising and controlling interscholastic activities of public high schools and whose membership is composed of duly certified representatives of public high schools, and whose rules and regulations are established by members thereof, shall have an annual financial audit of its accounts and records by an independent certified public accountant retained by it and paid from its funds. The accountant shall furnish a copy of the audit report to the Auditor General.
(2) Any such nonprofit association or corporation shall keep adequate and complete records of all moneys received by it, including the source and amount, and all moneys spent by it, including salaries, fees, expenses, travel allowances, and all other items of expense. All records of any such organization shall be open for inspection by the Auditor General.
History.—s. 292, ch. 2002-387.
1006.195 District school board, charter school authority and responsibility to establish student eligibility regarding participation in interscholastic and intrascholastic extracurricular activities.—Notwithstanding any provision to the contrary in ss. 1006.15, 1006.18, and 1006.20, regarding student eligibility to participate in interscholastic and intrascholastic extracurricular activities:
(1)(a) A district school board must establish, through its code of student conduct, student eligibility standards and related student disciplinary actions regarding student participation in interscholastic and intrascholastic extracurricular activities. The code of student conduct must provide that:
1. A student not currently suspended from interscholastic or intrascholastic extracurricular activities, or suspended or expelled from school, pursuant to a district school board’s suspension or expulsion powers provided in law, including ss. 1006.07, 1006.08, and 1006.09, is eligible to participate in interscholastic and intrascholastic extracurricular activities.
2. A student may not participate in a sport if the student participated in that same sport at another school during that school year, unless the student meets the criteria in s. 1006.15(3)(h).
3. A student’s eligibility to participate in any interscholastic or intrascholastic extracurricular activity may not be affected by any alleged recruiting violation until final disposition of the allegation pursuant to s. 1006.20(2)(b).
(b) Students who participate in interscholastic and intrascholastic extracurricular activities for, but are not enrolled in, a public school pursuant to s. 1006.15(3)(c)-(e) and (8), are subject to the district school board’s code of student conduct for the limited purpose of establishing and maintaining the student’s eligibility to participate at the school.
(c) The provisions of this subsection apply to interscholastic and intrascholastic extracurricular activities conducted by charter schools and private schools, as applicable, except that the charter school governing board, or equivalent private school authority, is responsible for the authority and responsibility otherwise provided to district school boards.
(2)(a) The Florida High School Athletic Association (FHSAA) continues to retain jurisdiction over the following provisions in s. 1006.20, which may not be implemented in a manner contrary to this section: membership in the FHSAA; recruiting prohibitions and violations; student medical evaluations; investigations; sanctions for coaches; school eligibility and forfeiture of contests; student concussions or head injuries; the sports medical advisory committee; and the general operational provisions of the FHSAA.
(b) The FHSAA must adopt, and prominently publish, the text of this section on its website and in its bylaws, rules, procedures, training and education materials, and all other governing authority documents by August 1, 2016.
History.—s. 23, ch. 2016-237; s. 54, ch. 2017-3.
1006.20 Athletics in public K-12 schools.—
(1) GOVERNING NONPROFIT ORGANIZATION.—The Florida High School Athletic Association (FHSAA) is designated as the governing nonprofit organization of athletics in Florida public schools. If the FHSAA fails to meet the provisions of this section, the commissioner shall designate a nonprofit organization to govern athletics with the approval of the State Board of Education. The FHSAA is not a state agency as defined in s. 120.52. The FHSAA shall be subject to the provisions of s. 1006.19. A private school that wishes to engage in high school athletic competition with a public high school may become a member of the FHSAA. Any high school in the state, including charter schools, virtual schools, and home education cooperatives, may become a member of the FHSAA and participate in the activities of the FHSAA. However, membership in the FHSAA is not mandatory for any school. The FHSAA must allow a private school the option of maintaining full membership in the association or joining by sport and may not discourage a private school from simultaneously maintaining membership in another athletic association. The FHSAA may allow a public school the option to apply for consideration to join another athletic association. The FHSAA may not deny or discourage interscholastic competition between its member schools and non-FHSAA member Florida schools, including members of another athletic governing organization, and may not take any retributory or discriminatory action against any of its member schools that participate in interscholastic competition with non-FHSAA member Florida schools. The FHSAA may not unreasonably withhold its approval of an application to become an affiliate member of the National Federation of State High School Associations submitted by any other organization that governs interscholastic athletic competition in this state. The bylaws of the FHSAA are the rules by which high school athletic programs in its member schools, and the students who participate in them, are governed, unless otherwise specifically provided by statute. For the purposes of this section, “high school” includes grades 6 through 12.
(2) ADOPTION OF BYLAWS, POLICIES, OR GUIDELINES.—
(a) The FHSAA shall adopt bylaws that, unless specifically provided by statute, establish eligibility requirements for all students who participate in high school athletic competition in its member schools. The bylaws governing residence and transfer shall allow the student to be immediately eligible in the school in which he or she first enrolls each school year or the school in which the student makes himself or herself a candidate for an athletic team by engaging in a practice prior to enrolling in the school. The bylaws shall also allow the student to be immediately eligible in the school to which the student has transferred. The student shall be eligible in that school so long as he or she remains enrolled in that school. Subsequent eligibility shall be determined and enforced through the FHSAA’s bylaws. Requirements governing eligibility and transfer between member schools shall be applied similarly to public school students and private school students.
(b) The FHSAA shall adopt bylaws that specifically prohibit the recruiting of students for athletic purposes. The bylaws shall prescribe penalties and an appeals process for athletic recruiting violations.
1. If it is determined that a school has recruited a student in violation of FHSAA bylaws, the FHSAA may require the school to participate in a higher classification for the sport in which the recruited student competes for a minimum of one classification cycle, in addition to the penalties in subparagraphs 2. and 3. and any other appropriate fine or sanction imposed on the school, its coaches, or adult representatives who violate recruiting rules.
2. Any recruitment by a school district employee or contractor in violation of FHSAA bylaws results in escalating punishments as follows:
a. For a first offense, a $5,000 forfeiture of pay for the school district employee or contractor who committed the violation.
b. For a second offense, suspension without pay for 12 months from coaching, directing, or advertising an extracurricular activity and a $5,000 forfeiture of pay for the school district employee or contractor who committed the violation.
c. For a third offense, a $5,000 forfeiture of pay for the school district employee or contractor who committed the violation. If the individual who committed the violation holds an educator certificate, the FHSAA shall also refer the violation to the department for review pursuant to s. 1012.796 to determine whether probable cause exists, and, if there is a finding of probable cause, the commissioner shall file a formal complaint against the individual. If the complaint is upheld, the individual’s educator certificate shall be revoked for 3 years, in addition to any penalties available under s. 1012.796. Additionally, the department shall revoke any adjunct teaching certificates issued pursuant to s. 1012.57 and all permissions under ss. 1012.39 and 1012.43, and the educator is ineligible for such certificates or permissions for a period of time equal to the period of revocation of his or her state-issued certificate.
3. Notwithstanding any other provision of law, a school, team, or activity shall forfeit all competitions, including honors resulting from such competitions, in which a student who participated in any fashion was recruited in a manner prohibited pursuant to state law or the FHSAA bylaws.
4. A student may not be declared ineligible based on violation of recruiting rules unless the student or parent has falsified any enrollment or eligibility document or accepted any benefit if such benefit is not generally available to the school’s students or family members or is based in any way on athletic interest, potential, or performance.
5. A student’s eligibility to participate in any interscholastic or intrascholastic extracurricular activity, as determined by a district school board pursuant to s. 1006.195(1)(a)3., may not be affected by any alleged recruiting violation until final disposition of the allegation.
(c) The FHSAA shall adopt bylaws that require all students participating in interscholastic athletic competition or who are candidates for an interscholastic athletic team to satisfactorily pass a medical evaluation each year before participating in interscholastic athletic competition or engaging in any practice, tryout, workout, conditioning, or other physical activity associated with the student’s candidacy for an interscholastic athletic team, including activities that occur outside of the school year. Such medical evaluation may be administered only by a practitioner licensed under chapter 458, chapter 459, chapter 460, or s. 464.012 or registered under s. 464.0123 and in good standing with the practitioner’s regulatory board. The bylaws shall establish requirements for eliciting a student’s medical history and performing the medical evaluation required under this paragraph, which shall include a physical assessment of the student’s physical capabilities to participate in interscholastic athletic competition as contained in a uniform preparticipation physical evaluation and history form. The evaluation form shall incorporate the recommendations of the American Heart Association for participation cardiovascular screening and shall provide a place for the signature of the practitioner performing the evaluation with an attestation that each examination procedure listed on the form was performed by the practitioner or by someone under the direct supervision of the practitioner. The form shall also contain a place for the practitioner to indicate if a referral to another practitioner was made in lieu of completion of a certain examination procedure. The form shall provide a place for the practitioner to whom the student was referred to complete the remaining sections and attest to that portion of the examination. The preparticipation physical evaluation form shall advise students to complete a cardiovascular assessment and shall include information concerning alternative cardiovascular evaluation and diagnostic tests. Results of such medical evaluation must be provided to the school. A student is not eligible to participate, as provided in s. 1006.15(3), in any interscholastic athletic competition or engage in any practice, tryout, workout, or other physical activity associated with the student’s candidacy for an interscholastic athletic team until the results of the medical evaluation have been received and approved by the school.
(d) Notwithstanding the provisions of paragraph (c), a student may participate in interscholastic athletic competition or be a candidate for an interscholastic athletic team if the parent of the student objects in writing to the student undergoing a medical evaluation because such evaluation is contrary to his or her religious tenets or practices. However, in such case, there shall be no liability on the part of any person or entity in a position to otherwise rely on the results of such medical evaluation for any damages resulting from the student’s injury or death arising directly from the student’s participation in interscholastic athletics where an undisclosed medical condition that would have been revealed in the medical evaluation is a proximate cause of the injury or death.
(e) The FHSAA shall adopt bylaws that regulate persons who conduct investigations on behalf of the FHSAA. The bylaws shall include provisions that require an investigator to:
1. Undergo level 2 background screening under s. 435.04, establishing that the investigator has not committed any disqualifying offense listed in s. 435.04, unless the investigator can provide proof of compliance with level 2 screening standards submitted within the previous 5 years to meet any professional licensure requirements, provided:
a. The investigator has not had a break in service from a position that requires level 2 screening for more than 90 days; and
b. The investigator submits, under penalty of perjury, an affidavit verifying that the investigator has not committed any disqualifying offense listed in s. 435.04 and is in full compliance with this paragraph.
2. Be appointed as an investigator by the executive director.
3. Carry a photo identification card that shows the FHSAA name, logo, and the investigator’s official title.
4. Adhere to the following guidelines:
a. Investigate only those alleged violations assigned by the executive director or the board of directors.
b. Conduct interviews on Monday through Friday between the hours of 9 a.m. and 7 p.m. only, unless previously agreed to by the interviewee.
c. Allow the parent of any student being interviewed to be present during the interview.
d. Search residences or other private areas only with the permission of the executive director and the written consent of the student’s parent and only with a parent or a representative of the parent present.
(f) The FHSAA shall adopt bylaws that establish sanctions for coaches who have committed major violations of the FHSAA’s bylaws and policies.
1. Major violations include, but are not limited to, knowingly allowing an ineligible student to participate in a contest representing a member school in an interscholastic contest or committing a violation of the FHSAA’s recruiting or sportsmanship policies.
2. Sanctions placed upon an individual coach may include, but are not limited to, prohibiting or suspending the coach from coaching, participating in, or attending any athletic activity sponsored, recognized, or sanctioned by the FHSAA and the member school for which the coach committed the violation. If a coach is sanctioned by the FHSAA and the coach transfers to another member school, those sanctions remain in full force and effect during the term of the sanction.
3. If a member school is assessed a financial penalty as a result of a coach committing a major violation, the coach shall reimburse the member school before being allowed to coach, participate in, or attend any athletic activity sponsored, recognized, or sanctioned by the FHSAA and a member school.
4. The FHSAA shall establish a due process procedure for coaches sanctioned under this paragraph, consistent with the appeals procedures set forth in subsection (7).
(g) The FHSAA shall adopt bylaws establishing the process and standards by which FHSAA determinations of eligibility are made. Such bylaws shall provide that:
1. Ineligibility must be established by a preponderance of the evidence;
2. Student athletes, parents, and schools must have notice of the initiation of any investigation or other inquiry into eligibility and may present, to the investigator and to the individual making the eligibility determination, any information or evidence that is credible, persuasive, and of a kind reasonably prudent persons rely upon in the conduct of serious affairs;
3. An investigator may not determine matters of eligibility but must submit information and evidence to the executive director or a person designated by the executive director or by the board of directors for an unbiased and objective determination of eligibility; and
4. A determination of ineligibility must be made in writing, setting forth the findings of fact and specific violation upon which the decision is based.
(h) In lieu of bylaws adopted under paragraph (g), the FHSAA may adopt bylaws providing as a minimum the procedural safeguards of ss. 120.569 and 120.57, making appropriate provision for appointment of unbiased and qualified hearing officers.
(i) The FHSAA bylaws may not limit the competition of student athletes prospectively for rule violations of their school or its coaches or their adult representatives. The FHSAA bylaws may not unfairly punish student athletes for eligibility or recruiting violations perpetrated by a teammate, coach, or administrator. Contests may not be forfeited for inadvertent eligibility violations unless the coach or a school administrator should have known of the violation. Contests may not be forfeited for other eligibility violations or recruiting violations in excess of the number of contests that the coaches and adult representatives responsible for the violations are prospectively suspended.
(j) The FHSAA shall adopt guidelines to educate athletic coaches, officials, administrators, and student athletes and their parents of the nature and risk of concussion and head injury.
(k) The FHSAA shall adopt bylaws or policies that require the parent of a student who is participating in interscholastic athletic competition or who is a candidate for an interscholastic athletic team to sign and return an informed consent that explains the nature and risk of concussion and head injury, including the risk of continuing to play after concussion or head injury, each year before participating in interscholastic athletic competition or engaging in any practice, tryout, workout, or other physical activity associated with the student’s candidacy for an interscholastic athletic team.
(l) The FHSAA shall adopt bylaws or policies that require each student athlete who is suspected of sustaining a concussion or head injury in a practice or competition to be immediately removed from the activity. A student athlete who has been removed from an activity may not return to practice or competition until the student submits to the school a written medical clearance to return stating that the student athlete no longer exhibits signs, symptoms, or behaviors consistent with a concussion or other head injury. Medical clearance must be authorized by the appropriate health care practitioner trained in the diagnosis, evaluation, and management of concussions as defined by the Sports Medicine Advisory Committee of the Florida High School Athletic Association.
(m) The FHSAA shall adopt bylaws for the establishment and duties of a sports medicine advisory committee composed of the following members:
1. Eight physicians licensed under chapter 458 or chapter 459 with at least one member licensed under chapter 459.
2. One chiropractor licensed under chapter 460.
3. One podiatrist licensed under chapter 461.
4. One dentist licensed under chapter 466.
5. Three athletic trainers licensed under part XIII of chapter 468.
6. One member who is a current or retired head coach of a high school in the state.
(3) GOVERNING STRUCTURE OF THE FHSAA.—
(a) The FHSAA shall operate as a representative democracy in which the sovereign authority is within its member schools. Except as provided in this section, the FHSAA shall govern its affairs through its bylaws.
(b) Each member school, on its annual application for membership, shall name its official representative to the FHSAA. This representative must be either the school principal or his or her designee. That designee must either be an assistant principal or athletic director housed within that same school.
(c) The FHSAA’s membership shall be divided along existing county lines into four contiguous and compact administrative regions, each containing an equal or nearly equal number of member schools to ensure equitable representation on the FHSAA’s board of directors, representative assembly, and appeals committees.
(4) BOARD OF DIRECTORS.—
(a) The executive authority of the FHSAA shall be vested in its board of directors. Any entity that appoints members to the board of directors shall examine the ethnic and demographic composition of the board when selecting candidates for appointment and shall, to the greatest extent possible, make appointments that reflect state demographic and population trends. The board of directors shall be composed of 16 persons, as follows:
1. Four public member school representatives, one elected from among its public school representative members within each of the four administrative regions.
2. Four nonpublic member school representatives, one elected from among its nonpublic school representative members within each of the four administrative regions.
3. Three representatives appointed by the commissioner, one appointed from the two northernmost administrative regions and one appointed from the two southernmost administrative regions. The third representative shall be appointed to balance the board for diversity or state population trends, or both.
4. Two district school superintendents, one elected from the two northernmost administrative regions by the members in those regions and one elected from the two southernmost administrative regions by the members in those regions.
5. Two district school board members, one elected from the two northernmost administrative regions by the members in those regions and one elected from the two southernmost administrative regions by the members in those regions.
6. The commissioner or his or her designee from the department executive staff.
(b) A quorum of the board of directors shall consist of nine members.
(c) The board of directors shall elect a president and a vice president from among its members. These officers shall also serve as officers of the FHSAA.
(d) Members of the board of directors shall serve terms of 3 years and are eligible to succeed themselves only once. A member of the board of directors, other than the commissioner or his or her designee, may serve a maximum of 6 consecutive years. The FHSAA’s bylaws shall establish a rotation of terms to ensure that a majority of the members’ terms do not expire concurrently.
(e) The authority and duties of the board of directors, acting as a body and in accordance with the FHSAA’s bylaws, are as follows:
1. To act as the incorporated FHSAA’s board of directors and to fulfill its obligations as required by the FHSAA’s charter and articles of incorporation.
2. To establish such guidelines, regulations, policies, and procedures as are authorized by the bylaws.
3. To employ an FHSAA executive director, who shall have the authority to waive the bylaws of the FHSAA in order to comply with statutory changes.
4. To levy annual dues and other fees and to set the percentage of contest receipts to be collected by the FHSAA.
5. To approve the budget of the FHSAA.
6. To organize and conduct statewide interscholastic competitions, which may or may not lead to state championships, and to establish the terms and conditions for these competitions.
7. To act as an administrative board in the interpretation of, and final decision on, all questions and appeals arising from the directing of interscholastic athletics of member schools.
(5) REPRESENTATIVE ASSEMBLY.—
(a) The legislative authority of the FHSAA is vested in its representative assembly.
(b) The representative assembly shall be composed of the following:
1. An equal number of member school representatives from each of the four administrative regions.
2. Four district school superintendents, one elected from each of the four administrative regions by the district school superintendents in their respective administrative regions.
3. Four district school board members, one elected from each of the four administrative regions by the district school board members in their respective administrative regions.
4. The commissioner or his or her designee from the department executive staff.
(c) The FHSAA’s bylaws shall establish the number of member school representatives to serve in the representative assembly from each of the four administrative regions and shall establish the method for their selection.
(d) No member of the board of directors other than the commissioner or his or her designee can serve in the representative assembly.
(e) The representative assembly shall elect a chairperson and a vice chairperson from among its members.
(f) Elected members of the representative assembly shall serve terms of 2 years and are eligible to succeed themselves for two additional terms. An elected member, other than the commissioner or his or her designee, may serve a maximum of 6 consecutive years in the representative assembly.
(g) A quorum of the representative assembly consists of one more than half of its members.
(h) The authority of the representative assembly is limited to its sole duty, which is to consider, adopt, or reject any proposed amendments to the FHSAA’s bylaws.
(i) The representative assembly shall meet as a body annually. A two-thirds majority of the votes cast by members present is required for passage of any proposal.
(6) PUBLIC LIAISON ADVISORY COMMITTEE.—
(a) The FHSAA shall establish, sustain, fund, and provide staff support to a public liaison advisory committee composed of the following:
1. The commissioner or his or her designee.
2. A member public school principal.
3. A member private school principal.
4. A member school principal who is a member of a racial minority.
5. An active athletic director.
6. An active coach, who is employed full time by a member school.
7. A student athlete.
8. A district school superintendent.
9. A district school board member.
10. A member of the Florida House of Representatives.
11. A member of the Florida Senate.
12. A parent of a high school student.
13. A member of a home education association.
14. A representative of the business community.
15. A representative of the news media.
(b) No member of the board of directors, committee on appeals, or representative assembly is eligible to serve on the public liaison advisory committee.
(c) The public liaison advisory committee shall elect a chairperson and vice chairperson from among its members.
(d) The authority and duties of the public liaison advisory committee are as follows:
1. To act as a conduit through which the general public may have input into the decisionmaking process of the FHSAA and to assist the FHSAA in the development of procedures regarding the receipt of public input and disposition of complaints related to high school athletic and competition programs.
2. To conduct public hearings annually in each of the four administrative regions during which interested parties may address issues regarding the effectiveness of the rules, operation, and management of the FHSAA.
3. To conduct an annual evaluation of the FHSAA as a whole and present a report of its findings, conclusion, and recommendations to the board of directors, to the commissioner, and to the respective education committees of the Florida Senate and the Florida House of Representatives. The recommendations must delineate policies and procedures that will improve the implementation and oversight of high school athletic programs by the FHSAA.
(e) The public liaison advisory committee shall meet four times annually. Additional meetings may be called by the committee chairperson, the FHSAA president, or the FHSAA executive director.
(7) APPEALS.—
(a) The FHSAA shall establish a procedure of due process which ensures each student the opportunity to appeal an unfavorable ruling with regard to his or her eligibility to compete. The initial appeal shall be made to a committee on appeals within the administrative region in which the student lives. The FHSAA’s bylaws shall establish the number, size, and composition of each committee on appeals.
(b) No member of the board of directors is eligible to serve on a committee on appeals.
(c) Members of a committee on appeals shall serve terms of 3 years and are eligible to succeed themselves only once. A member of a committee on appeals may serve a maximum of 6 consecutive years. The FHSAA’s bylaws shall establish a rotation of terms to ensure that a majority of the members’ terms do not expire concurrently.
(d) The authority and duties of a committee on appeals shall be to consider requests by member schools seeking exceptions to bylaws and regulations, to hear undue hardship eligibility cases filed by member schools on behalf of student athletes, and to hear appeals filed by member schools or student athletes.
(e) A student athlete or member school that receives an unfavorable ruling from a committee on appeals shall be entitled to appeal that decision to the board of directors at its next regularly scheduled meeting or called meeting. The board of directors shall have the authority to uphold, reverse, or amend the decision of the committee on appeals. In all such cases, the decision of the board of directors shall be final.
(f) The FHSAA shall expedite the appeals process on determinations of ineligibility so that disposition of the appeal can be made before the end of the applicable sports season, if possible.
(g) In any appeal from a decision on eligibility made by the executive director or a designee, a school or student athlete filing the appeal must be permitted to present information and evidence that was not available at the time of the initial determination or if the determination was not made by an unbiased, objective individual using a process allowing full due process rights to be heard and to present evidence. If evidence is presented on appeal, a de novo decision must be made by the committee or board hearing the appeal, or the determination may be suspended and the matter remanded for a new determination based on all the evidence. If a de novo decision is made on appeal, the decision must be made in writing, setting forth the findings of fact and specific violation upon which the decision is based. If a de novo decision is not required, the decision appealed must be set aside if the decision on ineligibility was not based on clear and convincing evidence. Any further appeal shall be considered on a record that includes all evidence presented.
(8) AMENDMENT OF BYLAWS.—Each member school representative, the board of directors acting as a whole or as members acting individually, any advisory committee acting as a whole to be established by the FHSAA, and the FHSAA’s executive director are empowered to propose amendments to the bylaws. Any other individual may propose an amendment by securing the sponsorship of any of the aforementioned individuals or bodies. All proposed amendments must be submitted directly to the representative assembly for its consideration. The representative assembly, while empowered to adopt, reject, or revise proposed amendments, may not, in and of itself, as a body be allowed to propose any amendment for its own consideration.
History.—s. 293, ch. 2002-387; s. 2, ch. 2003-129; s. 70, ch. 2003-416; s. 1, ch. 2007-192; s. 1, ch. 2007-193; s. 23, ch. 2009-20; s. 2, ch. 2012-167; s. 2, ch. 2012-188; s. 121, ch. 2013-15; s. 24, ch. 2016-237; s. 40, ch. 2020-9; s. 3, ch. 2020-91.
1006.205 Fairness in Women’s Sports Act.—
(1) SHORT TITLE.—This section may be cited as the “Fairness in Women’s Sports Act.”
(2) LEGISLATIVE INTENT AND FINDINGS.—
(a) It is the intent of the Legislature to maintain opportunities for female athletes to demonstrate their strength, skills, and athletic abilities and to provide them with opportunities to obtain recognition and accolades, college scholarships, and the numerous other long-term benefits that result from participating and competing in athletic endeavors.
(b) The Legislature finds that maintaining the fairness for women athletic opportunities is an important state interest. The Legislature finds that requiring the designation of separate sex-specific athletic teams or sports is necessary to maintain fairness for women’s athletic opportunities.
(3) DESIGNATION OF ATHLETIC TEAMS OR SPORTS.—
(a) Interscholastic, intercollegiate, intramural, or club athletic teams or sports that are sponsored by a public secondary school or public postsecondary institution must be expressly designated as one of the following based on the biological sex at birth of team members:
1. Males, men, or boys;
2. Females, women, or girls; or
3. Coed or mixed, including both males and females.
(b) Athletic teams or sports designated for males, men, or boys may be open to students of the female sex.
(c) Athletic teams or sports designated for females, women, or girls may not be open to students of the male sex.
(d) For purposes of this section, a statement of a student’s biological sex on the student’s official birth certificate is considered to have correctly stated the student’s biological sex at birth if the statement was filed at or near the time of the student’s birth.
(4) CAUSE OF ACTION; CIVIL REMEDIES.—
(a) Any student who is deprived of an athletic opportunity or suffers any direct or indirect harm as a result of a violation of this section shall have a private cause of action for injunctive relief, damages, and any other relief available under law against the school or public postsecondary institution.
(b) Any student who is subject to retaliation or other adverse action by a school, public postsecondary institution, or athletic association or organization as a result of reporting a violation of this section to an employee or representative of the school, institution, or athletic association or organization, or to any state or federal agency with oversight of schools or public postsecondary institutions in the state, shall have a private cause of action for injunctive relief, damages, and any other relief available under law against the school, institution, or athletic association or organization.
(c) Any school or public postsecondary institution that suffers any direct or indirect harm as a result of a violation of this section shall have a private cause of action for injunctive relief, damages, and any other relief available under law against the governmental entity, licensing or accrediting organization, or athletic association or organization.
(d) All civil actions brought under this section must be initiated within 2 years after the alleged harm occurred. Persons or organizations who prevail on a claim brought under this section shall be entitled to monetary damages, including for any psychological, emotional, or physical harm suffered; reasonable attorney fees and costs; and any other appropriate relief.
History.—s. 12, ch. 2021-35.
E. Transportation of
Public K-12 Students
1006.21 Duties of district school superintendent and district school board regarding transportation.
1006.22 Safety and health of students being transported.
1006.23 Hazardous walking conditions.
1006.24 Tort liability; liability insurance.
1006.25 School buses.
1006.261 Use of school buses for public purposes.
1006.27 Pooling of school buses and related purchases by district school boards; transportation services contracts.
1006.21 Duties of district school superintendent and district school board regarding transportation.—
(1) The district school superintendent shall ascertain which students should be transported to school or to school activities, determine the most effective arrangement of transportation routes to accommodate these students; recommend such routing to the district school board; recommend plans and procedures for providing facilities for the economical and safe transportation of students; recommend such rules as may be necessary and see that all rules relating to the transportation of students approved by the district school board, as well as rules of the State Board of Education, are properly carried into effect, as prescribed in this chapter.
(2) After considering recommendations of the district school superintendent, the district school board shall make provision for the transportation of students to the public schools or school activities they are required or expected to attend; authorize transportation routes arranged efficiently and economically; provide the necessary transportation facilities, and, when authorized under rules of the State Board of Education and if more economical to do so, provide limited subsistence in lieu thereof; and adopt the necessary rules to ensure safety, economy, and efficiency in the operation of all buses, as prescribed in this chapter.
(3) District school boards, after considering recommendations of the district school superintendent:
(a) Shall provide transportation for each student in prekindergarten disability programs and in kindergarten through grade 12 membership in a public school when, and only when, transportation is necessary to provide adequate educational facilities and opportunities which otherwise would not be available and to transport students whose homes are more than a reasonable walking distance, as defined by rules of the State Board of Education, from the nearest appropriate school.
(b) Shall provide transportation for public elementary school students in membership whose grade level does not exceed grade 6, and may provide transportation for public school students in membership in grades 7 through 12, if such students are subjected to hazardous walking conditions as provided in s. 1006.23 while en route to or from school.
(c) May provide transportation for public school migrant, exceptional, nursery, and other public school students in membership below kindergarten; kindergarten through grade 12 students in membership in a public school; and adult students in membership in adult career, basic, and high school graduation programs in a public school when, and only when, transportation is necessary to provide adequate educational facilities and opportunities which otherwise would not be available.
(d) May provide transportation for the transportation disadvantaged as defined in s. 427.011 and for other school-age children as provided for in s. 1006.261.
(e) Shall provide necessary transportation to pregnant students or student parents, and the children of those students, when the district school board operates a teenage parent program pursuant to s. 1003.54.
(f) May provide transportation for other persons to events or activities in which the district school board or school has agreed to participate or cosponsor. The district school board shall adopt a policy to address liability for trips pursuant to this paragraph.
(g) May provide transportation for welfare transition program participants as defined in s. 414.0252.
(4) In each case in which transportation of students is impracticable in the opinion of the district school board, the district school board may take steps for making available educational facilities as are authorized by law or rule of the State Board of Education and as, in the opinion of the district school board, are practical.
(5) Contiguous school districts shall make provisions for reciprocal policies and agreements for contracts for school bus transportation services, inspections, and screening requirements for public schools and public charter schools.
History.—s. 295, ch. 2002-387; s. 47, ch. 2004-41; s. 102, ch. 2004-357; s. 17, ch. 2009-59.
1006.22 Safety and health of students being transported.—Maximum regard for safety and adequate protection of health are primary requirements that must be observed by district school boards in routing buses, appointing drivers, and providing and operating equipment, in accordance with all requirements of law and rules of the State Board of Education in providing transportation pursuant to s. 1006.21:
(1)(a) District school boards shall use school buses, as defined in s. 1006.25, for all regular transportation. Regular transportation or regular use means transportation of students to and from school or school-related activities that are part of a scheduled series or sequence of events to the same location. “Students” means, for the purposes of this section, students enrolled in the public schools in prekindergarten disability programs and in kindergarten through grade 12. District school boards may regularly use motor vehicles other than school buses only under the following conditions:
1. When the transportation is for physically handicapped or isolated students and the district school board has elected to provide for the transportation of the student through written or oral contracts or agreements.
2. When the transportation is a part of a comprehensive contract for a specialized educational program between a district school board and a service provider who provides instruction, transportation, and other services.
3. When the transportation is provided through a public transit system.
4. When the transportation is for trips to and from school sites or agricultural education sites or for trips to and from agricultural education-related events or competitions, but is not for customary transportation between a student’s residence and such sites.
5. When the transportation is for trips to and from school sites to allow students to participate in a career education program that is not offered at the high school in which such students are enrolled but is not for customary transportation between a student’s residence and such sites.
(b) When the transportation of students is provided, as authorized in this subsection, in a vehicle other than a school bus that is owned, operated, rented, contracted, or leased by a school district or charter school, the following provisions shall apply:
1. The vehicle must be a passenger car or multipurpose passenger vehicle or truck, as defined in 49 C.F.R. part 571, designed to transport fewer than 10 students. Students must be transported in designated seating positions and must use the occupant crash protection system provided by the manufacturer unless the student’s physical condition prohibits such use.
2. An authorized vehicle may not be driven by a student on a public right-of-way. An authorized vehicle may be driven by a student on school or private property as part of the student’s educational curriculum if no other student is in the vehicle.
3. The driver of an authorized vehicle transporting students must maintain a valid driver license and must comply with the requirements of the school district’s locally adopted safe driver plan, which includes review of driving records for disqualifying violations.
4. The district school board or charter school must adopt a policy that addresses procedures and liability for trips under this paragraph, including a provision that school buses are to be used whenever practical and specifying consequences for violation of the policy.
(2) Except as provided in subsection (1), district school boards may authorize the transportation of students in privately owned motor vehicles on a case-by-case basis only in the following circumstances:
(a) When a student is ill or injured and must be taken home or to a medical treatment facility under nonemergency circumstances; and
1. The school has been unable to contact the student’s parent or the parent or responsible adult designated by the parent is not available to provide the transportation;
2. Proper adult supervision of the student is available at the location to which the student is being transported;
3. The transportation is approved by the school principal, or a school administrator designated by the principal to grant or deny such approval, or in the absence of the principal and designee, by the highest ranking school administrator or teacher available under the circumstances; and
4. If the school has been unable to contact the parent prior to the transportation, the school shall continue to seek to contact the parent until the school is able to notify the parent of the transportation and the pertinent circumstances.
(b) When the transportation is in connection with a school function or event regarding which the district school board or school has undertaken to participate or to sponsor or provide the participation of students; and
1. The function or event is a single event that is not part of a scheduled series or sequence of events to the same location, such as, but not limited to, a field trip, a recreational outing, an interscholastic competition or cooperative event, an event connected with an extracurricular activity offered by the school, or an event connected to an educational program, such as, but not limited to, a job interview as part of a cooperative education program;
2. Transportation is not available, as a practical matter, using a school bus or school district passenger car; and
3. Each student’s parent is notified, in writing, regarding the transportation arrangement and gives written consent before a student is transported in a privately owned motor vehicle.
(c) When a district school board requires employees such as school social workers and attendance officers to use their own motor vehicles to perform duties of employment, and such duties include the occasional transportation of students.
(3) When approval is granted for the transportation of students in a privately owned vehicle, the provisions of s. 1006.24 regarding liability for tort claims are applicable. District school board employees who provide approved transportation in privately owned vehicles are acting within the scope of their employment. Parents or other responsible adults who provide approved transportation in privately owned vehicles have the same exposure to, and protections from, risks of personal liability as do district school board employees acting within the scope of their employment.
(4) Each district school board may establish policies that restrict the use of privately owned motor vehicles to circumstances that are more limited than are described in this section or that prohibit such use. Each district school board may establish written policies that provide for more extensive requirements for approval, parental notification and consent procedures, insurance coverage, driver qualifications, or a combination of these.
(5) When transportation is authorized in privately owned vehicles, students may be transported only in designated seating positions and must use the occupant crash protection system provided by the vehicle manufacturer.
(6) District school boards may contract with a common carrier to transport students to and from in-season and postseason athletic contests and to and from a school function or event in which the district school board or a school has undertaken to participate or to provide for or sponsor the participation of students.
(7) Transportation for adult students may be provided by any appropriate means as authorized by the district school board when the transportation is accepted as a responsibility by the district school board as provided in s. 1006.21.
(8) Notwithstanding any other provision of this section, in an emergency situation that constitutes an imminent threat to student health or safety, school personnel may take whatever action is necessary under the circumstances to protect student health and safety.
(9) Except as provided in s. 1006.261, transportation is not the responsibility of the district school board in connection with any event or activity that is not an event or activity offered by the district school board or an event or an activity in which the district school board or school has agreed to participate, cosponsor, or require the participation of students, and the district school board has no liability for transportation arranged and provided by parents or other parties to such events or activities.
(10) Each district school board shall designate and adopt a specific plan for adequate examination, maintenance, and repair of transportation equipment. Examination of the mechanical and safety condition of each school bus must be made as required pursuant to rule of the State Board of Education. The State Board of Education shall base the rule on student safety considerations.
(11) The district school superintendent shall notify the district school board of any school bus that does not meet all requirements of law and rules of the State Board of Education, and the district school board shall, if the school bus is in an unsafe condition, withdraw it from use as a school bus until the bus meets the requirements. The department may inspect or have inspected any school bus to determine whether the bus meets requirements of law and rules of the State Board of Education. The department may, after due notice to a district school board that any school bus does not meet certain requirements of law and rules of the State Board of Education, rule that the bus must be withdrawn from use as a school bus, this ruling to be effective immediately or upon a date specified in the ruling, whereupon the district school board shall withdraw the school bus from use as a school bus until it meets requirements of law and rules of the State Board of Education and until the department has officially revoked the pertinent ruling. Notwithstanding any other provisions of this chapter, general purpose urban transit systems are declared qualified to transport students to and from school.
(12)(a) The routing and scheduling of school buses must be planned to eliminate the necessity for students to stand while a school bus is in motion. When circumstances of an emergency nature, as defined by written district school board policy, temporarily require transporting students on school buses in excess of the rated seating capacity, the buses must proceed at a reduced rate of speed to maximize safety of the students, taking into account existing traffic conditions. Each district school board is responsible for prompt relief of the emergency condition by providing additional equipment, bus rerouting, bus rescheduling, or other appropriate remedial action, and must maintain written district school board policies to address such situations.
(b) Each district school board, after considering recommendations from the district school superintendent, shall designate, by map or otherwise, or shall provide by district school board rule for the designation of, nontransportation zones that are composed of all areas in the school district from which it is unnecessary or impracticable to furnish transportation. Nontransportation zones must be designated annually before the opening of school and the designation of bus routes for the succeeding school year. Each district school board, after considering recommendations from the district school superintendent, shall specifically designate, or shall provide by district school board rule for the designation of, specific routes to be traveled regularly by school buses, and each route must meet the requirements prescribed by rules of the State Board of Education.
(c) Each district school board shall establish school bus stops, or provide by district school board rule for the establishment of school bus stops, as necessary at the most reasonably safe locations available. Where unusual traffic hazards exist at school bus stops on roads maintained by the state outside of municipalities, the Department of Transportation, in concurrence and cooperation with and upon request of the district school board, shall place signs at such bus stops warning motorists of the location of the stops.
(13) The State Board of Education may adopt rules to implement this section as are necessary or desirable in the interest of student health and safety.
History.—s. 296, ch. 2002-387; s. 14, ch. 2006-301; s. 22, ch. 2019-119.
1006.23 Hazardous walking conditions.—
(1) DEFINITION.—As used in this section, the term “student” means any public elementary school student whose grade level does not exceed grade 6.
(2) HAZARDOUS WALKING CONDITIONS.—
(a) Walkways parallel to the road.—
1. It shall be considered a hazardous walking condition with respect to any road along which students must walk in order to walk to and from school if there is not an area at least 4 feet wide adjacent to the road, not including drainage ditches, sluiceways, swales, or channels, having a surface upon which students may walk without being required to walk on the road surface. In addition, whenever the road along which students must walk is uncurbed and has a posted speed limit of 50 miles per hour or greater, the area as described above for students to walk upon shall be set off the road by no less than 3 feet from the edge of the road.
2. Subparagraph 1. does not apply when the road along which students must walk:
a. Is a road on which the volume of traffic is less than 180 vehicles per hour, per direction, during the time students walk to and from school; or
b. Is located in a residential area and has a posted speed limit of 30 miles per hour or less.
(b) Walkways perpendicular to the road.—It shall be considered a hazardous walking condition with respect to any road across which students must walk in order to walk to and from school if:
1. The traffic volume on the road exceeds the rate of 360 vehicles per hour, per direction (including all lanes), during the time students walk to and from school and if the crossing site is uncontrolled. For purposes of this subsection, an “uncontrolled crossing site” is an intersection or other designated crossing site where no crossing guard, traffic enforcement officer, or stop sign or other traffic control signal is present during the times students walk to and from school.
2. The total traffic volume on the road exceeds 4,000 vehicles per hour through an intersection or other crossing site controlled by a stop sign or other traffic control signal, unless crossing guards or other traffic enforcement officers are also present during the times students walk to and from school.

Traffic volume shall be determined by the most current traffic engineering study conducted by a state or local governmental agency.

(c) Crossings over the road.—It shall be considered a hazardous walking condition with respect to any road at any uncontrolled crossing site which students must walk in order to walk to and from school if:
1. The road has a posted speed limit of 50 miles per hour or greater; or
2. The road has six lanes or more, not including turn lanes, regardless of the speed limit.
(3) IDENTIFICATION OF HAZARDOUS CONDITIONS.—
(a) When a request for review is made by the district school superintendent with respect to a road over which a state or local governmental entity has jurisdiction concerning a condition perceived to be hazardous to students in that district who live within the 2-mile limit and who walk to school, such condition shall be inspected jointly by a representative of the school district, a representative of the state or local governmental entity with jurisdiction over the perceived hazardous location, and a representative of the municipal police department for a municipal road, a representative of the sheriff’s office for a county road, or a representative of the Department of Transportation for a state road. If the jurisdiction is within an area for which there is a metropolitan planning organization, a representative of that organization shall also be included. The governmental representatives shall determine whether the condition constitutes a hazardous walking condition as provided in subsection (2). If the governmental representatives concur that a condition constitutes a hazardous walking condition as provided in subsection (2), the governmental entity with jurisdiction shall report that determination in writing to the district school superintendent, who shall initiate a formal request for correction as provided in subsection (4).
(b) If the governmental representatives are unable to reach a consensus, the reasons for lack of consensus shall be reported to the district school superintendent, who shall provide a report and recommendation to the district school board. The district school board may initiate a proceeding under chapter 86 seeking a determination as to whether the condition constitutes a hazardous walking condition as provided in subsection (2) after providing at least 30 days’ notice in writing to the state or local governmental entity having jurisdiction over the road of its intent to do so unless, within 30 days after such notice is provided, the state or local governmental entity concurs in writing that the condition is a hazardous walking condition as provided in subsection (2) and provides the position statement pursuant to subsection (4). If a proceeding is initiated under this paragraph, the district school board has the burden of proving such condition by the greater weight of evidence. If the district school board prevails, the district school superintendent shall report the outcome to the Department of Education and initiate a formal request for correction of the hazardous walking condition as provided in subsection (4).
(4) TRANSPORTATION; CORRECTION OF HAZARDS.—
(a) A district school board and other governmental entities shall work cooperatively to identify conditions that are hazardous along student walking routes to school, and a district school board shall provide transportation to students who would be subjected to such conditions. Additionally, state or local governmental entities with jurisdiction over a road along which a hazardous walking condition is determined to exist shall correct the condition within a reasonable period of time.
(b) Upon a determination pursuant to subsection (3) that a hazardous walking condition exists, the district school superintendent shall request a position statement with respect to correction of such condition from the state or local governmental entity with jurisdiction over the road. Within 90 days after receiving such request, the state or local governmental entity shall inform the district school superintendent whether the entity will include correction of the hazardous walking condition in its next annual 5-year transportation work program and, if so, when correction of the condition will be completed. If the hazardous walking condition will not be included in the state or local governmental entity’s next annual 5-year transportation work program, the factors justifying such conclusion must be stated in writing to the district school superintendent and the Department of Education.
(c) State funds shall be allocated for the transportation of students subjected to a hazardous walking condition. However, such funding shall cease upon correction of the hazardous walking condition or upon the projected completion date, whichever occurs first.
(5) CIVIL ACTION.—In a civil action for damages brought against a governmental entity under s. 768.28, the designation of a hazardous walking condition under this section is not admissible in evidence.
(6) INTERLOCAL AGREEMENTS.—This section does not prohibit a district school board and other governmental entities from entering into an interlocal agreement pursuant to s. 163.31777 that addresses the identification and correction of hazardous walking conditions, if such agreement:
(a) Implements the Safe Paths to Schools Program as provided in s. 335.066; or
(b) Establishes standards for the safety of students walking to school and procedures for identifying and correcting hazardous walking conditions that meet or exceed the standards and procedures provided in subsections (2), (3), and (4).
History.—s. 297, ch. 2002-387; s. 2, ch. 2015-101.
1006.24 Tort liability; liability insurance.—
(1) Each district school board shall be liable for tort claims arising out of any incident or occurrence involving a school bus or other motor vehicle owned, maintained, operated, or used by the district school board to transport persons, to the same extent and in the same manner as the state or any of its agencies or subdivisions is liable for tort claims under s. 768.28, except that the total liability to persons being transported for all claims or judgments of such persons arising out of the same incident or occurrence shall not exceed an amount equal to $5,000 multiplied by the rated seating capacity of the school bus or other vehicle, as determined by rules of the State Board of Education, or $100,000, whichever is greater. The provisions of s. 768.28 apply to all claims or actions brought against district school boards, as authorized in this subsection.
(2) Each district school board may secure and keep in force a medical payments plan or medical payments insurance on school buses and other vehicles. If a medical payments plan or insurance is provided, it shall be carried in a sum of no less than $500 per person.
(3) Expenses, costs, or premiums to protect against liability for torts as provided in this section may be paid from any available funds of the district school board.
(4) If vehicles used in transportation are not owned by the district school board, the district school board may require owners of such vehicles to show evidence of adequate insurance during the time that such vehicles are in the services of the district school board.
History.—s. 298, ch. 2002-387.
1006.25 School buses.—School buses shall be defined and meet specifications as follows:
(1) DEFINITION.—For the purpose of this part, a “school bus” is a motor vehicle regularly used for the transportation of prekindergarten disability program and kindergarten through grade 12 students of the public schools to and from school or to and from school activities, and owned, operated, rented, contracted, or leased by any district school board, except:
(a) Passenger cars, multipurpose passenger vehicles, and trucks as defined in 49 C.F.R. part 571.
(b) Motor vehicles subject to, and meeting all requirements of, the United States Department of Transportation, Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations under Title 49, Code of Federal Regulations and operated by carriers operating under the jurisdiction of these regulations but not used exclusively for the transportation of public school students.
(2) SPECIFICATIONS.—Each school bus as defined in 49 C.F.R. part 571 and subsection (1) that is rented, leased, purchased, or contracted for must meet the applicable federal motor vehicle safety standards and other specifications as prescribed by rules of the State Board of Education.
(3) STANDARDS FOR LEASED VEHICLES.—A motor vehicle owned and operated by a county or municipal transit authority that is leased by the district school board for transportation of public school students must meet such standards as the State Board of Education establishes by rule. A school bus authorized by a district school board to carry passengers other than school students must have the words “School Bus” and any other signs and insignia that mark or designate it as a school bus covered, removed, or otherwise concealed while such passengers are being transported.
(4) OCCUPANT PROTECTION SYSTEMS.—Students may be transported only in designated seating positions, except as provided in s. 1006.22(12), and must use the occupant crash protection system provided by the manufacturer, which system must comply with the requirements of 49 C.F.R. part 571 or with specifications of the State Board of Education.
History.—s. 299, ch. 2002-387.
1006.261 Use of school buses for public purposes.—
(1)(a) Each district school board may enter into agreements with the governing body of a county or municipality in the school district or any state agency or agencies established or identified to assist in the provision of public transportation and other public purposes, including, but not limited to, providing for the needs of the transportation disadvantaged, as defined in s. 427.011, including, but not limited to, the elderly, pursuant to Pub. L. No. 89-73, as amended, for the use of the school buses of the school district by departments, boards, commissions, or officers of such county or municipality or of the state for county, municipal, or state purposes, including, but not limited to, transportation of the transportation disadvantaged or other public purposes. Each such agreement shall provide for reimbursement of the district school board, in full or in part, for the proportionate share of fixed and operating costs incurred by the district school board attributable to the use of the buses pursuant to the agreement or attributable to the maintenance or other activities conducted by the district school board.
(b) Each district school board may enter into agreements with local workforce development boards for the provision of transportation services to participants in the welfare transition program. Agreements must provide for reimbursement in full or in part for the proportionate share of fixed and operating costs incurred by the district school board attributable to the use of buses in accordance with the agreement.
(c) Each district school board may enter into agreements with nonprofit corporations and nonprofit civic associations and groups to allow the use of school buses to transport school-age children for activities sponsored by such associations and groups, including, but not limited to, the Girl Scouts, the Boy Scouts, 4-H Clubs, the Y.M.C.A., and similar groups. The use of school buses for these activities shall be pursuant to rules adopted by the district school board and with compensation to the district school board at least equal to the costs incurred by the board for such use.
(2)(a) The governing body or state agency or agencies established or identified pursuant to Pub. L. No. 89-73, or the nonprofit corporation or nonprofit civic organization or group, or an agency established or identified to assist the transportation disadvantaged as defined in s. 427.011, or a public agency otherwise receiving services from a district school board shall indemnify and hold harmless the district school board from any and all liability by virtue of the use of the buses pursuant to an agreement authorized by this section.
(b) For purposes of liability for negligence, state agencies or subdivisions as defined in s. 768.28(2) shall be covered by s. 768.28. Every other corporation or organization shall provide liability insurance coverage in the minimum amounts of $100,000 on any claim or judgment and $200,000 on all claims and judgments arising from the same incident or occurrence.
(3) When the buses are used for nonschool purposes other than the transportation of the transportation disadvantaged, the flashing red lights and white strobe lights shall not be used, and the “School Bus” inscriptions on the front and rear of the buses shall be covered or concealed.
History.—s. 300, ch. 2002-387; s. 3, ch. 2008-43; s. 53, ch. 2016-216.
1006.27 Pooling of school buses and related purchases by district school boards; transportation services contracts.—
(1) The department shall assist district school boards in securing school buses, contractual needs, equipment, and supplies at as reasonable prices as possible by providing a plan under which district school boards may voluntarily pool their bids for such purchases. The department shall prepare bid forms and specifications, obtain quotations of prices and make such information available to district school boards in order to facilitate this service. District school boards from time to time, as prescribed by State Board of Education rule, shall furnish the department with information concerning the prices paid for such items and the department shall furnish to district school boards periodic information concerning the lowest prices at which school buses, equipment, and related supplies are available based upon comparable specifications.
(2) If a contract between any district school board and any person, business, or entity to provide the district school board with school bus service for the transportation of students in the district provides that the person, business, or entity shall own, operate, and maintain school buses for such service, the district school board may purchase the number of buses needed for the district through the department and sell them to the person, business, or entity as a part of the contract for such service.
History.—s. 301, ch. 2002-387.
F. Instructional Materials for
K-12 Public Education
1006.28 Duties of district school board, district school superintendent; and school principal regarding K-12 instructional materials.
1006.283 District school board instructional materials review process.
1006.29 State instructional materials reviewers.
1006.30 Affidavit of state instructional materials reviewers.
1006.31 Duties of the Department of Education and school district instructional materials reviewer.
1006.32 Prohibited acts.
1006.33 Bids or proposals; advertisement and its contents.
1006.34 Powers and duties of the commissioner and the department in selecting and adopting instructional materials.
1006.35 Accuracy of instructional materials.
1006.36 Term of adoption for instructional materials.
1006.37 Requisition of instructional materials from publisher’s depository.
1006.38 Duties, responsibilities, and requirements of instructional materials publishers and manufacturers.
1006.39 Production and dissemination of educational materials and products by department.
1006.40 Use of instructional materials allocation; instructional materials, library books, and reference books; repair of books.
1006.41 Disposal of instructional materials.
1006.42 Responsibility of students and parents for instructional materials.
1006.28 Duties of district school board, district school superintendent; and school principal regarding K-12 instructional materials.—
(1) DEFINITIONS.—
(a) As used in this section, the term:
1. “Adequate instructional materials” means a sufficient number of student or site licenses or sets of materials that are available in bound, unbound, kit, or package form and may consist of hardbacked or softbacked textbooks, electronic content, consumables, learning laboratories, manipulatives, electronic media, and computer courseware or software that serve as the basis for instruction for each student in the core subject areas of mathematics, language arts, social studies, science, reading, and literature.
2. “Instructional materials” has the same meaning as in s. 1006.29(2).
(b) As used in this section and s. 1006.283, the term “resident” means a person who has maintained his or her residence in this state for the preceding year, has purchased a home that is occupied by him or her as his or her residence, or has established a domicile in this state pursuant to s. 222.17.
(c) As used in this section and ss. 1006.283, 1006.32, 1006.35, 1006.37, 1006.38, 1006.40, and 1006.42, the term “purchase” includes purchase, lease, license, and acquire.
(2) DISTRICT SCHOOL BOARD.—The district school board has the constitutional duty and responsibility to select and provide adequate instructional materials for all students in accordance with the requirements of this part. The district school board also has the following specific duties and responsibilities:
(a) Courses of study; adoption.—Adopt courses of study, including instructional materials, for use in the schools of the district.
1. Each district school board is responsible for the content of all instructional materials and any other materials used in a classroom, made available in a school library, or included on a reading list, whether adopted and purchased from the state-adopted instructional materials list, adopted and purchased through a district instructional materials program under s. 1006.283, or otherwise purchased or made available. Each district school board shall maintain on its website a current list of instructional materials, by grade level, purchased by the district.
2. Each district school board must adopt a policy regarding an objection by a parent or a resident of the county to the use of a specific instructional material, which clearly describes a process to handle all objections and provides for resolution. The process must provide the parent or resident the opportunity to proffer evidence to the district school board that:
a. An instructional material does not meet the criteria of s. 1006.31(2) or s. 1006.40(3)(d) if it was selected for use in a course or otherwise made available to students in the school district but was not subject to the public notice, review, comment, and hearing procedures under s. 1006.283(2)(b)8., 9., and 11.
b. Any material used in a classroom, made available in a school library, or included on a reading list contains content that is pornographic or prohibited under s. 847.012, is not suited to student needs and their ability to comprehend the material presented, or is inappropriate for the grade level and age group for which the material is used.

If the district school board finds that an instructional material does not meet the criteria under sub-subparagraph a. or that any other material contains prohibited content under sub-subparagraph b., the school district shall discontinue use of the material for any grade level or age group for which such use is inappropriate or unsuitable.

3. Each district school board must establish a process by which the parent of a public school student or a resident of the county may contest the district school board’s adoption of a specific instructional material. The parent or resident must file a petition, on a form provided by the school board, within 30 calendar days after the adoption of the material by the school board. The school board must make the form available to the public and publish the form on the school district’s website. The form must be signed by the parent or resident, include the required contact information, and state the objection to the instructional material based on the criteria of s. 1006.31(2) or s. 1006.40(3)(d). Within 30 days after the 30-day period has expired, the school board must, for all petitions timely received, conduct at least one open public hearing before an unbiased and qualified hearing officer. The hearing officer may not be an employee or agent of the school district. The hearing is not subject to the provisions of chapter 120; however, the hearing must provide sufficient procedural protections to allow each petitioner an adequate and fair opportunity to be heard and present evidence to the hearing officer.

The school board’s decision after convening a hearing is final and not subject to further petition or review.

(b) Instructional materials.—Provide for proper requisitioning, distribution, accounting, storage, care, and use of all instructional materials and furnish such other instructional materials as may be needed. Instructional materials used must be consistent with the district goals and objectives and the course descriptions established in rule of the State Board of Education, as well as with the applicable Next Generation Sunshine State Standards provided for in s. 1003.41.
(c) Other instructional materials.—Provide such other teaching accessories and aids as are needed for the school district’s educational program.
(d) School library media services; establishment and maintenance.—Establish and maintain a program of school library media services for all public schools in the district, including school library media centers, or school library media centers open to the public, and, in addition such traveling or circulating libraries as may be needed for the proper operation of the district school system. Each school district shall provide training to school librarians and media specialists regarding the prohibition against distributing harmful materials to minors under s. 847.012 and applicable case law, and best practices for providing students access to age-appropriate materials and library resources. Upon written request, a school district shall provide access to any material or book specified in the request that is maintained in a district school system library and is available for review.
(3) DISTRICT SCHOOL SUPERINTENDENT.—
(a) The district school superintendent has the duty to recommend such plans for improving, providing, distributing, accounting for, and caring for instructional materials and other instructional aids as will result in general improvement of the district school system, as prescribed in this part, in accordance with adopted district school board rules prescribing the duties and responsibilities of the district school superintendent regarding the requisition, purchase, receipt, storage, distribution, use, conservation, records, and reports of, and management practices and property accountability concerning, instructional materials, and providing for an evaluation of any instructional materials to be requisitioned that have not been used previously in the district’s schools. The district school superintendent must keep adequate records and accounts for all financial transactions for funds collected pursuant to subsection (4).
(b) Each district school superintendent shall notify the department by April 1 of each year the state-adopted instructional materials that will be requisitioned for use in his or her school district. The notification shall include a district school board plan for instructional materials use to assist in determining if adequate instructional materials have been requisitioned.
(4) SCHOOL PRINCIPAL.—The school principal has the following duties for the management and care of instructional materials at the school:
(a) Proper use of instructional materials.—The principal shall assure that instructional materials are used to provide instruction to students enrolled at the grade level or levels for which the materials are designed, pursuant to adopted district school board rule. The school principal shall communicate to parents the manner in which instructional materials are used to implement the curricular objectives of the school.
(b) Money collected for lost or damaged instructional materials; enforcement.—The school principal shall collect from each student or the student’s parent the purchase price of any instructional material the student has lost, destroyed, or unnecessarily damaged and to report and transmit the money collected to the district school superintendent. The failure to collect such sum upon reasonable effort by the school principal may result in the suspension of the student from participation in extracurricular activities or satisfaction of the debt by the student through community service activities at the school site as determined by the school principal, pursuant to policies adopted by district school board rule.
(c) Sale of instructional materials.—The school principal, upon request of the parent of a student in the school, shall sell to the parent any instructional materials used in the school. All such sales shall be made pursuant to rule adopted by the district school board, and the principal shall annually provide information to parents that they may purchase instructional materials and how to purchase the materials.
(d) Disposition of funds.—All money collected from the sale, exchange, loss, or damage of instructional materials shall be transmitted to the district school superintendent to be deposited in the district school board fund and added to the district appropriation for instructional materials.
(e) Accounting for instructional materials.—Principals shall see that all instructional materials are fully and properly accounted for as prescribed by adopted rules of the district school board.
History.—s. 303, ch. 2002-387; s. 18, ch. 2009-59; s. 1, ch. 2009-222; s. 17, ch. 2010-154; s. 18, ch. 2011-55; s. 1, ch. 2013-237; s. 1, ch. 2014-15; s. 60, ch. 2014-39; s. 2, ch. 2017-177; s. 14, ch. 2021-9.
1006.283 District school board instructional materials review process.—
(1) A district school board or consortium of school districts may implement an instructional materials program that includes the review, recommendation, adoption, and purchase of instructional materials. The district school superintendent shall certify to the department by March 31 of each year that all instructional materials for core courses used by the district are aligned with applicable state standards. A list of the core instructional materials that will be used or purchased for use by the school district shall be included in the certification.
(2)(a) If a district school board chooses to implement its own instructional materials program, the school board shall adopt rules implementing the district’s instructional materials program which must include its processes, criteria, and requirements for the following:
1. Selection of reviewers, one or more of whom must be parents with children in public schools.
2. Review of instructional materials.
3. Selection of instructional materials, including a thorough review of curriculum content.
4. Reviewer recommendations.
5. District school board adoption.
6. Purchase of instructional materials.
(b) District school board rules must also:
1. Identify, by subject area, a review cycle for instructional materials.
2. Specify the qualifications for an instructional materials reviewer and the process for selecting reviewers; list a reviewer’s duties and responsibilities, including compliance with the requirements of s. 1006.31; and provide that all instructional materials recommended by a reviewer be accompanied by the reviewer’s statement that the materials align with the state standards pursuant to s. 1003.41 and the requirements of s. 1006.31.
3. State the requirements for an affidavit to be made by each district instructional materials reviewer which substantially meet the requirements of s. 1006.30.
4. Comply with s. 1006.32, relating to prohibited acts.
5. Establish a process that certifies the accuracy of instructional materials.
6. Incorporate applicable requirements of s. 1006.31, which relates to the duties of instructional materials reviewers.
7. Incorporate applicable requirements of s. 1006.38, relating to the duties, responsibilities, and requirements of publishers of instructional materials.
8. Establish the process by which instructional materials are adopted by the district school board, which must include:
a. A process to allow student editions of recommended instructional materials to be accessed and viewed online by the public at least 20 calendar days before the school board hearing and public meeting as specified in this subparagraph. This process must include reasonable safeguards against the unauthorized use, reproduction, and distribution of instructional materials considered for adoption.
b. An open, noticed school board hearing to receive public comment on the recommended instructional materials.
c. An open, noticed public meeting to approve an annual instructional materials plan to identify any instructional materials that will be purchased through the district school board instructional materials review process pursuant to this section. This public meeting must be held on a different date than the school board hearing.
d. Notice requirements for the school board hearing and the public meeting that must specifically state which instructional materials are being reviewed and the manner in which the instructional materials can be accessed for public review. The hearing must allow the parent of a public school student or a resident of the county to proffer evidence that a recommended instructional material does not meet the criteria provided in s. 1006.31(2), taking into consideration course expectations based on the district’s comprehensive plan for student progression under s. 1008.25(2) and course descriptions in the course code directory.
9. Establish the process by which the district school board shall receive public comment on, and review, the recommended instructional materials.
10. Establish the process by which instructional materials will be purchased, including advertising, bidding, and purchasing requirements.
11. Establish the process by which the school district will notify parents of their ability to access their children’s instructional materials through the district’s local instructional improvement system and by which the school district will encourage parents to access the system. This notification must be displayed prominently on the school district’s website and provided annually in written format to all parents of enrolled students.
(3)(a) The school board may assess and collect fees from publishers participating in the instructional materials approval process. The amount assessed and collected must be posted on the school district’s website and reported to the department. The fees may not exceed the actual cost of the review process, and the fees may not exceed $3,500 per submission by a publisher. Any fees collected for this process shall be allocated for the support of the review process and maintained in a separate line item for auditing purposes.
(b) The fees shall be used to cover the actual cost of substitute teachers for each workday that a member of a school district’s instructional staff is absent from his or her assigned duties for the purpose of rendering service as an instructional materials reviewer. In addition, each reviewer may be paid a stipend and is entitled to reimbursement for travel expenses and per diem in accordance with s. 112.061 for actual service in meetings.
(4) Instructional materials that have been reviewed by the district instructional materials reviewers and approved must have been determined to align with all applicable state standards pursuant to s. 1003.41 and the requirements in s. 1006.31. The district school superintendent shall annually certify to the department that all instructional materials for core courses used by the district are aligned with all applicable state standards and have been reviewed, selected, and adopted by the district school board in accordance with the school board hearing and public meeting requirements of this section.
(5) A publisher that offers instructional materials to a district school board must provide such materials at a price that, including all costs of electronic transmission, does not exceed the lowest price at which the publisher offers such instructional materials for approval or sale to any state or school district in the United States.
(6) A publisher shall reduce automatically the price of the instructional materials to the district school board to the extent that reductions in price are made elsewhere in the United States.
(7) The school district shall make available, upon request for public inspection, sample copies of all instructional materials that have been purchased by the district school board.
History.—s. 2, ch. 2013-237; s. 2, ch. 2014-15; s. 3, ch. 2017-177.
1006.29 State instructional materials reviewers.—
(1)(a) The commissioner shall determine annually the areas in which instructional materials shall be submitted for adoption, taking into consideration the desires of the district school boards. The commissioner shall also determine the number of titles to be adopted in each area.
(b) By April 15 of each school year, the commissioner shall appoint three state or national experts in the content areas submitted for adoption to review the instructional materials and evaluate the content for alignment with the applicable Next Generation Sunshine State Standards. These reviewers shall be designated as state instructional materials reviewers and shall review the materials for the level of instructional support and the accuracy and appropriateness of progression of introduced content. Instructional materials shall be made electronically available to the reviewers. The initial review of the materials shall be made by only two of the three reviewers. If the two reviewers reach different results, the third reviewer shall break the tie. The reviewers shall independently make recommendations to the commissioner regarding materials that should be placed on the list of adopted materials through an electronic feedback review system.
(c) The commissioner shall request each district school superintendent to nominate one classroom teacher or district-level content supervisor to review two or three of the submissions recommended by the state instructional materials reviewers. School districts shall ensure that these district reviewers are provided with the support and time necessary to accomplish a thorough review of the instructional materials. District reviewers shall independently rate the recommended submissions on the instructional usability of the resources.
(d) The department may assess and collect fees from publishers participating in the instructional materials approval process. The amount assessed and collected must be posted on the department’s website. The fees may not exceed the actual cost of the review process and may not exceed $1,000 per submission by a publisher. Fees collected for this process shall be deposited into the department’s Operating Trust Fund so that each instructional materials reviewer under paragraph (b) may be paid a stipend.
(2) For purposes of state adoption, the term “instructional materials” means items having intellectual content that by design serve as a major tool for assisting in the instruction of a subject or course. These items may be available in bound, unbound, kit, or package form and may consist of hardbacked or softbacked textbooks, electronic content, consumables, learning laboratories, manipulatives, electronic media, and computer courseware or software. A publisher or manufacturer providing instructional materials as a single bundle shall also make the instructional materials available as separate and unbundled items, each priced individually. A publisher may also offer sections of state-adopted instructional materials in digital or electronic versions at reduced rates to districts, schools, and teachers.
(3) Beginning in the 2015-2016 academic year, all adopted instructional materials for students in kindergarten through grade 12 must be provided in an electronic or digital format. For purposes of this section, the term:
(a) “Electronic format” means text-based or image-based content in a form that is produced on, published by, and readable on computers or other digital devices and is an electronic version of a printed book, whether or not any printed equivalent exists.
(b) “Digital format” means text-based or image-based content in a form that provides the student with various interactive functions; that can be searched, tagged, distributed, and used for individualized and group learning; that includes multimedia content such as video clips, animations, and virtual reality; and that has the ability to be accessed at any time and anywhere.

The terms do not include electronic or computer hardware even if such hardware is bundled with software or other electronic media, nor does it include equipment or supplies.

(4) By October 1, 2013, the department shall publish minimum and recommended technology requirements that include specifications for hardware, software, networking, security, and guidelines on the number of students per device necessary to ensure that students can access all electronic and digital instructional materials.
(5) The department shall develop a training program for persons selected as state instructional materials reviewers and school district reviewers. The program shall be structured to assist reviewers in developing the skills necessary to make valid, culturally sensitive, and objective decisions regarding the content and rigor of instructional materials. All persons serving as instructional materials reviewers must complete the training program prior to beginning the review and selection process.
History.—s. 304, ch. 2002-387; s. 1950, ch. 2003-261; s. 19, ch. 2010-154; s. 21, ch. 2011-55; s. 11, ch. 2013-45; s. 3, ch. 2014-15.
1006.30 Affidavit of state instructional materials reviewers.—Before transacting any business, each state instructional materials reviewer shall make an affidavit, to be filed with the department, that:
(1) The reviewer will faithfully discharge the duties imposed upon him or her.
(2) The reviewer has no interest in any publishing or manufacturing organization that produces or sells instructional materials.
(3) The reviewer is in no way connected with the distribution of the instructional materials.
(4) The reviewer does not have any direct or indirect pecuniary interest in the business or profits of any person engaged in manufacturing, publishing, or selling instructional materials designed for use in the public schools.
(5) The reviewer will not accept any emolument or promise of future reward of any kind from any publisher or manufacturer of instructional materials or his or her agent or anyone interested in, or intending to bias his or her judgment in any way in, the selection of any materials to be adopted.
(6) The reviewer understands that it is unlawful to discuss matters relating to instructional materials submitted for adoption with any agent of a publisher or manufacturer of instructional materials, either directly or indirectly, except during the period when the publisher or manufacturer is providing a presentation for the reviewer during his or her review of the instructional materials submitted for adoption.
History.—s. 305, ch. 2002-387; s. 22, ch. 2011-55.
1006.31 Duties of the Department of Education and school district instructional materials reviewer.—The duties of the instructional materials reviewer are:
(1) PROCEDURES.—To adhere to procedures prescribed by the department or the district for evaluating instructional materials submitted by publishers and manufacturers in each adoption. This section applies to both the state and district approval processes.
(2) EVALUATION OF INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIALS.—To use the selection criteria listed in s. 1006.34(2)(b) and recommend for adoption only those instructional materials aligned with the Next Generation Sunshine State Standards provided for in s. 1003.41. Instructional materials recommended by each reviewer shall be, to the satisfaction of each reviewer, accurate, objective, balanced, noninflammatory, current, free of pornography and material prohibited under s. 847.012, and suited to student needs and their ability to comprehend the material presented. Reviewers shall consider for recommendation materials developed for academically talented students, such as students enrolled in advanced placement courses. When recommending instructional materials, each reviewer shall:
(a) Include only instructional materials that accurately portray the ethnic, socioeconomic, cultural, religious, physical, and racial diversity of our society, including men and women in professional, career, 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) Include only materials that 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) Include materials that encourage thrift, fire prevention, and humane treatment of people and animals.
(d) 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. A reviewer may not recommend any instructional materials that contain any matter reflecting unfairly upon persons because of their race, color, creed, national origin, ancestry, gender, religion, disability, socioeconomic status, or occupation.
(3) REPORT OF REVIEWERS.—After a thorough study of all data submitted on each instructional material, to submit an electronic report to the department. The report shall be made public and must include responses to each section of the report format prescribed by the department.
History.—s. 306, ch. 2002-387; s. 103, ch. 2004-357; s. 23, ch. 2011-55; s. 3, ch. 2013-237; s. 4, ch. 2014-15; s. 61, ch. 2014-39; s. 4, ch. 2017-177.
1006.32 Prohibited acts.—
(1) A publisher or manufacturer of instructional material, or any representative thereof, may not offer to give any emolument, money, or other valuable thing, or any inducement, to any district school board official or state instructional materials reviewer to directly or indirectly introduce, recommend, vote for, or otherwise influence the adoption or purchase of any instructional materials.
(2) A district school board official or a state instructional materials reviewer may not solicit or accept any emolument, money, or other valuable thing, or any inducement, to directly or indirectly introduce, recommend, vote for, or otherwise influence the adoption or purchase of any instructional material.
(3) A district school board or publisher may not participate in a pilot program of materials being considered for adoption during the 18-month period before the official adoption of the materials by the commissioner. Any pilot program during the first 2 years of the adoption period must have the prior approval of the commissioner.
(4) Any publisher or manufacturer of instructional materials or representative thereof or any district school board official or state instructional materials reviewer who violates any provision of this section commits a misdemeanor of the second degree, punishable as provided in s. 775.082 or s. 775.083. Any representative of a publisher or manufacturer who violates any provision of this section, in addition to any other penalty, shall be banned from practicing business in the state for a period of 1 calendar year.
(5) This section does not prohibit any publisher, manufacturer, or agent from supplying, for purposes of examination, necessary sample copies of instructional materials to any district school board official or state instructional materials reviewer.
(6) This section does not prohibit a district school board official or state instructional materials reviewer from receiving sample copies of instructional materials.
(7) This section does not prohibit or restrict a district school board official from receiving royalties or other compensation, other than compensation paid to him or her as commission for negotiating sales to district school boards, from the publisher or manufacturer of instructional materials written, designed, or prepared by such district school board official, and adopted by the commissioner or purchased by any district school board. No district school board official shall be allowed to receive royalties on any materials not on the state-adopted list purchased for use by his or her district school board.
(8) A district school superintendent, district school board member, teacher, or other person officially connected with the government or direction of public schools may not receive during the months actually engaged in performing duties under his or her contract any private fee, gratuity, donation, or compensation, in any manner whatsoever, for promoting the sale or exchange of any instructional material, map, or chart in any public school, or be an agent for the sale or the publisher of any instructional material or reference work, or have a direct or indirect pecuniary interest in the introduction of any such instructional material, and any such agency or interest shall disqualify any person so acting or interested from holding any district school board employment whatsoever, and the person commits a misdemeanor of the second degree, punishable as provided in s. 775.082 or s. 775.083; however, this subsection does not prevent the adoption of any instructional material written in whole or in part by a Florida author.
History.—s. 307, ch. 2002-387; s. 24, ch. 2011-55.
1006.33 Bids or proposals; advertisement and its contents.—
(1)(a) Beginning on or before May 15 of any year in which an instructional materials adoption is to be initiated, the department shall advertise in the Florida Administrative Register 4 weeks preceding the date on which the bids shall be received, that at a certain designated time, not later than June 15, sealed bids or proposals to be deposited with the department will be received from publishers or manufacturers for the furnishing of instructional materials proposed to be adopted as listed in the advertisement beginning April 1 following the adoption.
(b) The advertisement shall state that, beginning in 2010-2011, each bidder shall furnish electronic sample copies of all instructional materials submitted, at a time designated by the department, which copies shall be identical with the copies approved and accepted by state instructional materials reviewers, as prescribed in this section, and with the copies furnished to the department and district school superintendents, as provided in this part. A school district may not request samples in addition to the electronic sample copies.
(c) The advertisement shall state that a contract covering the adoption of the instructional materials shall be for a definite term.
(d) The advertisement shall fix the time within which the required contract must be executed and shall state that the department reserves the right to reject any or all bids.
(e) The advertisement shall give information regarding digital specifications that have been adopted by the department, including minimum format requirements that will enable electronic and digital content to be accessed through the district’s local instructional improvement system and a variety of mobile, electronic, and digital devices. Beginning with specifications released in 2014, the digital specifications shall include requiring the capability for searching by state standards and site and student-level licensing. Such digital format specifications shall be appropriate for the interoperability of the content. The department may not adopt specifications that require the instructional materials to include specific references to FCAT and Next Generation Sunshine State Standards and benchmarks at the point of student use.
(2) The bids submitted shall be for furnishing the designated materials in accordance with specifications of the department. The bid shall state the lowest wholesale price at which the materials will be furnished, at the time the adoption period provided in the contract begins.
(3) The department shall require each publisher or manufacturer of instructional materials who submits a bid under this part to deposit with the department such sum of money or certified check as may be determined by the department, the amount to be not less than $500 and not more than $2,500, according to the number of instructional materials covered by the bid, which deposit shall be forfeited to the state and placed in the General Revenue Fund if the bidder making the deposit fails or refuses to execute the contract and bond within 30 days after receipt of the contract in case his or her bid or proposal is accepted. The commissioner shall, upon determining that the deposit is correct and proper, transmit the deposit to the Chief Financial Officer, who shall deposit the funds for credit to the Textbook Bid Trust Fund and issue his or her official receipt.
(4) Sample copies of all instructional materials that have been made the bases of contracts under this part shall, upon request for the purpose of public inspection, be made available by the publisher to the department and the district school superintendent of each district school board that adopts the instructional materials from the state list upon request for the purpose of public inspection.
(5) Notwithstanding the requirements of this section and rules adopted to implement this section, for the 2020 adoption cycle, the department may establish timeframes for the advertisement and submission of bids for instructional materials. This subsection expires July 1, 2022.
History.—s. 308, ch. 2002-387; s. 1951, ch. 2003-261; s. 20, ch. 2010-154; s. 25, ch. 2011-55; s. 60, ch. 2013-14; s. 5, ch. 2020-94.
1006.34 Powers and duties of the commissioner and the department in selecting and adopting instructional materials.—
(1) PROCEDURES FOR EVALUATING INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIALS.—The State Board of Education shall adopt rules prescribing the procedures by which the department shall evaluate instructional materials submitted by publishers and manufacturers in each adoption. Included in these procedures shall be provisions affording each publisher or manufacturer or his or her representative an opportunity to provide a virtual presentation to state instructional materials reviewers on the merits of each instructional material submitted in each adoption.
(2) SELECTION AND ADOPTION OF INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIALS.—
(a) The department shall notify all publishers and manufacturers of instructional materials who have submitted bids that within 3 weeks after the deadline for receiving bids, at a designated time and place, it will open the bids submitted and deposited with it. At the time and place designated, the bids shall be opened, read, and tabulated in the presence of the bidders or their representatives. No one may revise his or her bid after the bids have been filed. When all bids have been carefully considered, the commissioner shall, from the list of suitable, usable, and desirable instructional materials reported by the state instructional materials reviewers, select and adopt instructional materials for each grade and subject field in the curriculum of public elementary, middle, and high schools in which adoptions are made and in the subject areas designated in the advertisement. The adoption shall continue for the period specified in the advertisement, beginning on the ensuing April 1. The adoption shall not prevent the extension of a contract as provided in subsection (3). The commissioner shall always reserve the right to reject any and all bids. The commissioner may ask for new sealed bids from publishers or manufacturers whose instructional materials were recommended by the state instructional materials reviewers as suitable, usable, and desirable; specify the dates for filing such bids and the date on which they shall be opened; and proceed in all matters regarding the opening of bids and the awarding of contracts as required by this part. In all cases, bids shall be accompanied by a cash deposit or certified check of from $500 to $2,500, as the department may direct. The department, in adopting instructional materials, shall give due consideration both to the prices bid for furnishing instructional materials and to the report and recommendations of the state instructional materials reviewers. When the commissioner has finished with the report of the state instructional materials reviewers, the report shall be filed and preserved with the department and shall be available at all times for public inspection.
(b) In the selection of instructional materials, library media, and other reading material used in the public school system, the standards used to determine the propriety of the material shall include:
1. The age of the students who normally could be expected to have access to the material.
2. The educational purpose to be served by the material. Priority shall be given to the selection of materials that align with the Next Generation Sunshine State Standards as provided for in s. 1003.41 and include the instructional objectives contained within the curriculum frameworks for career and technical education and adult and adult general education adopted by rule of the State Board of Education under s. 1004.92.
3. The degree to which the material would be supplemented and explained by mature classroom instruction as part of a normal classroom instructional program.
4. The consideration of the broad racial, ethnic, socioeconomic, and cultural diversity of the students of this state.

Any instructional material containing pornography or otherwise prohibited by s. 847.012 may not be used or made available within any public school.

(3) CONTRACT WITH PUBLISHERS OR MANUFACTURERS; BOND.—As soon as practicable after the commissioner has adopted any instructional materials and all bidders that have secured the adoption of any instructional materials have been notified thereof by registered letter, the department shall prepare a contract in proper form with every bidder awarded the adoption of any instructional materials. Each contract shall be executed by the commissioner, one copy to be kept by the contractor and one copy to be filed with the department. After giving due consideration to comments by the district school boards, the commissioner, with the agreement of the publisher, may extend or shorten a contract period for a period not to exceed 2 years; and the terms of any such contract shall remain the same as in the original contract. Any publisher or manufacturer to whom any contract is let under this part must give bond in such amount as the department requires, payable to the state, conditioned for the faithful, honest, and exact performance of the contract. The bond must provide for the payment of reasonable attorney’s fees in case of recovery in any suit thereon. The surety on the bond must be a guaranty or surety company lawfully authorized to do business in the state; however, the bond shall not be exhausted by a single recovery but may be sued upon from time to time until the full amount thereof is recovered, and the department may at any time, after giving 30 days’ notice, require additional security or additional bond. The form of any bond or bonds or contract or contracts under this part shall be prepared and approved by the department. At the discretion of the department, a publisher or manufacturer to whom any contract is let under this part may be allowed a cash deposit in lieu of a bond, conditioned for the faithful, honest, and exact performance of the contract. The cash deposit, payable to the department, shall be placed in the Textbook Bid Trust Fund. The department may recover damages on the cash deposit given by the contractor for failure to furnish instructional materials, the sum recovered to inure to the General Revenue Fund.
(4) REGULATIONS GOVERNING THE CONTRACT.—The department may, from time to time, take any necessary actions, consistent with this part, to secure the prompt and faithful performance of all instructional materials contracts; and if any contractor fails or refuses to furnish instructional materials as provided in this part or otherwise breaks his or her contract, the department may sue on the required bond in the name of the state, in the courts of the state having jurisdiction, and recover damages on the bond given by the contractor for failure to furnish instructional materials, the sum recovered to inure to the General Revenue Fund.
(5) RETURN OF DEPOSITS.—
(a) The successful bidder shall be notified by registered mail of the award of contract and shall, within 30 days after receipt of the contract, execute the proper contract and post the required bond. When the bond and contract have been executed, the department shall notify the Chief Financial Officer and request that a warrant be issued against the Textbook Bid Trust Fund payable to the successful bidder in the amount deposited pursuant to this part. The Chief Financial Officer shall issue and forward the warrant to the department for distribution to the bidder.
(b) At the same time or prior thereto, the department shall inform the Chief Financial Officer of the names of the unsuccessful bidders. Upon receipt of such notice, the Chief Financial Officer shall issue warrants against the Textbook Bid Trust Fund payable to the unsuccessful bidders in the amounts deposited pursuant to this part and shall forward the warrants to the department for distribution to the unsuccessful bidders.
(c) One copy of each contract and an original of each bid, whether accepted or rejected, shall be preserved with the department for at least 3 years after the termination of the contract.
(6) DEPOSITS FORFEITED.—If any successful bidder fails or refuses to execute contract and bond within 30 days after receipt of the contract, the cash deposit shall be forfeited to the state and placed by the Chief Financial Officer in the General Revenue Fund.
(7) FORFEITURE OF CONTRACT AND BOND.—If any publisher or manufacturer of instructional materials fails or refuses to furnish instructional materials as provided in the contract, the publisher’s or manufacturer’s bond is forfeited and the commissioner must make another contract.
History.—s. 309, ch. 2002-387; s. 1952, ch. 2003-261; s. 26, ch. 2011-55; s. 62, ch. 2014-39.
1006.35 Accuracy of instructional materials.—
(1) In addition to relying on statements of publishers or manufacturers of instructional materials, the commissioner may conduct or cause to be conducted an independent investigation to determine the accuracy of state-adopted instructional materials.
(2) When errors in state-adopted materials are confirmed, the publisher of the materials shall provide to each district school board that has purchased the materials the corrections in a format approved by the department.
(3) The commissioner may remove materials from the list of state-adopted materials if he or she finds that the content is in error and the publisher refuses to correct the error when notified by the department.
(4) The commissioner may remove materials from the list of state-adopted materials at the request of the publisher if, in his or her opinion, there is no material impact on the state’s education goals.
History.—s. 310, ch. 2002-387; s. 27, ch. 2011-55.
1006.36 Term of adoption for instructional materials.—
(1) The term of adoption of any instructional materials must be a 5-year period beginning on April 1 following the adoption, except that the commissioner may approve terms of adoption of less than 5 years for materials in content areas which require more frequent revision. Any contract for instructional materials may be extended as prescribed in s. 1006.34(3).
(2) The department shall publish annually an official schedule of subject areas to be called for adoption for each of the succeeding 2 years, and a tentative schedule for years 3, 4, and 5. If extenuating circumstances warrant, the commissioner may add one or more subject areas to the official schedule, in which event the commissioner shall develop criteria for such additional subject area or areas and make them available to publishers as soon as practicable before the date on which bids are due. The schedule shall be developed so as to promote balance among the subject areas so that the required expenditure for new instructional materials is approximately the same each year in order to maintain curricular consistency.
History.—s. 311, ch. 2002-387; s. 28, ch. 2011-55.
1006.37 Requisition of instructional materials from publisher’s depository.—
(1) The district school superintendent shall requisition adopted instructional materials from the depository of the publisher with whom a contract has been made. However, the superintendent shall requisition current instructional materials to provide each student with a textbook or other materials as a major tool of instruction in core courses of the subject areas specified in s. 1006.40(2). These materials must be requisitioned within the first 3 years of the adoption cycle, except for instructional materials related to growth of student membership or instructional materials maintenance needs. The superintendent may requisition instructional materials in the core subject areas specified in s. 1006.40(2) that are related to growth of student membership or instructional materials maintenance needs during the 3rd, 4th, 5th, and 6th years of the original contract period.
(2) The district school superintendent shall verify that the requisition is complete and accurate and order the depository to forward to him or her the adopted instructional materials shown by the requisition. The depository shall prepare an invoice of the materials shipped, including shipping charges, and mail it to the superintendent to whom the shipment is being made. The superintendent shall pay the depository within 60 days after receipt of the requisitioned materials from the appropriation for the purchase of adopted instructional materials.
(3) A district school board or a consortium of school districts which implements an instructional materials program pursuant to s. 1006.283 is not required to requisition instructional materials from the publisher’s depository.
History.—s. 312, ch. 2002-387; s. 4, ch. 2013-237.
1006.38 Duties, responsibilities, and requirements of instructional materials publishers and manufacturers.—This section applies to both the state and district approval processes. Publishers and manufacturers of instructional materials, or their representatives, shall:
(1) Comply with all provisions of this part.
(2) Electronically deliver fully developed sample copies of all instructional materials upon which bids are based to the department pursuant to procedures adopted by the State Board of Education.
(3) Submit, at a time designated in s. 1006.33, the following information:
(a) Detailed specifications of the physical characteristics of the instructional materials, including any software or technological tools required for use by the district, school, teachers, or students. The publisher or manufacturer shall comply with these specifications if the instructional materials are adopted and purchased in completed form.
(b) Evidence that the publisher or manufacturer has provided materials that address the performance standards provided for in s. 1001.03(1) and that can be accessed through the school district’s digital classrooms plan and a variety of electronic, digital, and mobile devices.
(c) Evidence that the instructional materials include specific references to statewide standards in the teacher’s manual and incorporate such standards into chapter tests or the assessments.
(4) Make available for purchase by any district school board any diagnostic, criterion-referenced, or other tests that they may develop.
(5) Furnish the instructional materials offered by them at a price in the state which, including all costs of electronic transmission, may not exceed the lowest price at which they offer such instructional materials for adoption or sale to any state or school district in the United States.
(6) Reduce automatically the price of the instructional materials to any district school board to the extent that reductions are made elsewhere in the United States.
(7) Provide any instructional materials free of charge in the state to the same extent as they are provided free of charge to any state or school district in the United States.
(8) Guarantee that all copies of any instructional materials sold in this state will be at least equal in quality to the copies of such instructional materials that are sold elsewhere in the United States and will be kept revised, free from all errors, and up-to-date as may be required by the department.
(9) Agree that any supplementary material developed at the district or state level does not violate the author’s or publisher’s copyright, provided such material is developed in accordance with the doctrine of fair use.
(10) Not in any way, directly or indirectly, become associated or connected with any combination in restraint of trade in instructional materials, nor enter into any understanding, agreement, or combination to control prices or restrict competition in the sale of instructional materials for use in the state.
(11) Maintain or contract with a depository in the state.
(12) For the core subject areas specified in s. 1006.40(2), maintain in the depository for the first 3 years of the contract an inventory of instructional materials sufficient to receive and fill orders.
(13) For the core subject areas specified in s. 1006.40(2), ensure the availability of an inventory sufficient to receive and fill orders for instructional materials for growth, including the opening of a new school, and replacement during the 3rd and subsequent years of the original contract period.
(14) Accurately and fully disclose only the names of those persons who actually authored the instructional materials. In addition to the penalties provided in subsection (16), the commissioner may remove from the list of state-adopted instructional materials those instructional materials whose publisher or manufacturer misleads the purchaser by falsely representing genuine authorship.
(15) Grant, without prior written request, for any copyright held by the publisher or its agencies automatic permission to the department or its agencies for the reproduction of instructional materials and supplementary materials in Braille, large print, or other appropriate format for use by visually impaired students or other students with disabilities that would benefit from use of the materials.
(16) Upon the willful failure of the publisher or manufacturer to comply with the requirements of this section, be liable to the department in the amount of three times the total sum which the publisher or manufacturer was paid in excess of the price required under subsections (5) and (6) and in the amount of three times the total value of the instructional materials and services which the district school board is entitled to receive free of charge under subsection (7).
History.—s. 313, ch. 2002-387; s. 29, ch. 2011-55; s. 5, ch. 2013-237; s. 13, ch. 2014-56.
1006.39 Production and dissemination of educational materials and products by department.—
(1) Educational materials and products developed by or under the direction of the department, through research and development or other efforts, including those subject to copyright, patent, or trademark, shall be made available for use by teachers, students, administrators, and other appropriate persons in the state system of education at the earliest practicable date and in the most economical and efficient manner possible.
(2) To accomplish this objective, the department may publish, produce, or have produced educational materials and products and make them readily available for appropriate use in the state system of education. The department may charge an amount adequate to cover the essential cost of producing and disseminating such materials and products in the state system of education and may sell copies for educational use to private schools in the state and to the public.
(3) All proceeds from the sale of educational materials and products shall be remitted to the Chief Financial Officer and shall be kept in a separate fund to be known as the “Educational Media and Technology Trust Fund” and, when properly budgeted as approved by the Legislature and the Executive Office of the Governor, used to pay the cost of producing and disseminating educational materials and products.
(4) In cases in which the educational materials or products are of such nature, or the circumstances are such, that it is not practicable or feasible for the department to produce or have produced materials and products so developed, it may, after review and approval by the Department of State, license, lease, assign, sell, or otherwise give written consent to any person, firm or corporation for the manufacture or use thereof, on a royalty basis, or for such other consideration as the department finds proper and in the best interest of the state. The department shall protect educational materials and products against improper or unlawful use or infringement and enforce the collection of any sums due for the manufacture or use thereof by any other party.
(5) The department shall not enter into the business of producing or publishing instructional materials for general use in classrooms.
History.—s. 314, ch. 2002-387; s. 1953, ch. 2003-261; s. 30, ch. 2011-55.
1006.40 Use of instructional materials allocation; instructional materials, library books, and reference books; repair of books.—
(1) On or before July 1 each year, the commissioner shall certify to each district school superintendent the estimated allocation of state funds for instructional materials, computed pursuant to the provisions of s. 1011.67 for the ensuing fiscal year.
(2) Each district school board must purchase current instructional materials to provide each student in kindergarten through grade 12 with a major tool of instruction in core courses of the subject areas of mathematics, language arts, science, social studies, reading, and literature. Such purchase must be made within the first 3 years after the effective date of the adoption cycle unless a district school board or a consortium of school districts has implemented an instructional materials program pursuant to s. 1006.283.
(3)(a) Except for a school district or a consortium of school districts that implements an instructional materials program pursuant to s. 1006.283, each district school board shall use the annual allocation only for the purchase of instructional materials that align with state standards and are included on the state-adopted list, except as otherwise authorized in paragraphs (b) and (c).
(b) Up to 50 percent of the annual allocation may be used for:
1. The purchase of library and reference books and nonprint materials.
2. The purchase of other materials having intellectual content which assist in the instruction of a subject or course. These materials may be available in bound, unbound, kit, or package form and may consist of hardbacked or softbacked textbooks, novels, electronic content, consumables, learning laboratories, manipulatives, electronic media, computer courseware or software, and other commonly accepted instructional tools as prescribed by district school board rule.
3. The repair and renovation of textbooks and library books and replacements for items which were part of previously purchased instructional materials.
(c) District school boards may use 100 percent of that portion of the annual allocation designated for the purchase of instructional materials for kindergarten, and 75 percent of that portion of the annual allocation designated for the purchase of instructional materials for first grade, to purchase materials not on the state-adopted list.
(d) Any materials purchased pursuant to this section must be:
1. Free of pornography and material prohibited under s. 847.012.
2. Suited to student needs and their ability to comprehend the material presented.
3. Appropriate for the grade level and age group for which the materials are used or made available.
(4) Each district school board is responsible for the content of all materials used in a classroom or otherwise made available to students. Each district school board shall adopt rules, and each district school superintendent shall implement procedures, that:
(a) Maximize student use of the district-approved instructional materials.
(b) Provide a process for public review of, public comment on, and the adoption of instructional materials, including instructional materials used to teach reproductive health or any disease, including HIV/AIDS, under ss. 1003.42(3) and 1003.46, which satisfies the requirements of s. 1006.283(2)(b)8., 9., and 11.
(5) District school boards may issue purchase orders subsequent to February 1 in an aggregate amount which does not exceed 20 percent of the current year’s allocation, and subsequent to April 1 in an aggregate amount which does not exceed 90 percent of the current year’s allocation, for the purpose of expediting the delivery of instructional materials which are to be paid for from the ensuing year’s allocation. This subsection does not apply to a district school board or a consortium of school districts that implements an instructional materials program pursuant to s. 1006.283.
(6) In any year in which the total instructional materials allocation for a school district has not been expended or obligated prior to June 30, the district school board shall carry forward the unobligated amount and shall add it to the next year’s allocation.
(7) A district school board or a consortium of school districts that implements an instructional materials program pursuant to s. 1006.283 may use the annual allocation to purchase instructional materials not on the state-adopted list. However, instructional materials purchased pursuant to this section which are not included on the state-adopted list must meet the criteria of s. 1006.31(2), align with state standards adopted by the State Board of Education pursuant to s. 1003.41, and be consistent with course expectations based on the district’s comprehensive plan for student progression and course descriptions adopted in state board rule.
History.—s. 315, ch. 2002-387; s. 10, ch. 2009-3; s. 19, ch. 2009-59; s. 21, ch. 2010-154; s. 31, ch. 2011-55; s. 14, ch. 2012-133; s. 6, ch. 2013-237; s. 5, ch. 2014-15; s. 63, ch. 2014-39; s. 62, ch. 2017-116; s. 5, ch. 2017-177; s. 3, ch. 2021-69.
1006.41 Disposal of instructional materials.—
(1) Instructional materials that have become unserviceable or surplus or are no longer on state contract may be disposed of, under adopted rule of the district school board, by:
(a) Giving or lending the materials to other public education programs within the district or state, to the teachers to use in developing supplementary teaching materials, to students or others, or to any charitable organization, governmental agency, home education students, private school, or state.
(b) Selling the materials to used book dealers, recycling plants, pulp mills, or other persons, firms, or corporations upon such terms as are most economically advantageous to the district school board.
(2) The district school board may prescribe by rule the manner for destroying instructional materials that cannot be disposed of as provided in subsection (1).
(3) All moneys received for the sale, exchange, or other disposition of instructional materials shall be deposited in the district school fund and added to the district appropriation for instructional materials.
(4) Instructional materials which have been sold, exchanged, lost, destroyed, or damaged and for which proper charges have been assessed and collected, and instructional materials which have been destroyed by fire or storm damage or by order of a competent health officer or the district school superintendent, shall be dropped from the record of instructional materials for which, as provided by law, district school boards are held responsible.
History.—s. 316, ch. 2002-387.
1006.42 Responsibility of students and parents for instructional materials.—All instructional materials purchased under the provisions of this part are the property of the district school board. When distributed to the students, these instructional materials are on loan to the students while they are pursuing their courses of study and are to be returned at the direction of the school principal or the teacher in charge. Each parent of a student to whom or for whom instructional materials have been issued, is liable for any loss or destruction of, or unnecessary damage to, the instructional materials or for failure of the student to return the instructional materials when directed by the school principal or the teacher in charge, and shall pay for such loss, destruction, or unnecessary damage as provided under s. 1006.28(4).
History.—s. 317, ch. 2002-387; s. 64, ch. 2014-39; s. 6, ch. 2017-177.
PART II
PUBLIC POSTSECONDARY EDUCATION SUPPORT
FOR LEARNING AND STUDENT SERVICES
1006.50 Student handbooks.
1006.51 Student ombudsman office.
1006.52 Education records and applicant records; public records exemption.
1006.53 Religious observances.
1006.54 Universities; public documents distributed to libraries.
1006.55 Law libraries of certain institutions of higher learning designated as state legal depositories.
1006.56 Specified university publications; activities; trust funds.
1006.58 Collections management for museums and galleries of state universities.
1006.59 The Historically Black College and University Library Improvement Program.
1006.60 Codes of conduct; disciplinary measures; rules or regulations.
1006.61 Participation by students in disruptive activities at public postsecondary educational institution; penalties.
1006.62 Expulsion and discipline of students of Florida College System institutions and state universities.
1006.63 Hazing prohibited.
1006.66 Regulation of traffic at universities.
1006.68 HIV and AIDS policy.
1006.69 Vaccination against meningococcal meningitis and hepatitis B.
1006.695 Sexual predator and sexual offender notification; Florida College System institutions, state universities, and career centers.
1006.71 Gender equity in intercollegiate athletics.
1006.73 Florida Postsecondary Academic Library Network.
1006.74 Intercollegiate athlete compensation and rights.
1006.75 Student career services.
1006.751 State university career planning and information; online dashboard.
1006.50 Student handbooks.—
(1) Each Florida College System institution and state university shall compile and update annually a student handbook that includes, but is not limited to, a comprehensive calendar that emphasizes important dates and deadlines, student rights and responsibilities, appeals processes available to students, and a roster of contact persons within the administrative staff available to respond to student inquiries.
(2) Each student handbook shall list the legal and institution-specific sanctions that will be imposed upon students who violate the law or institutional policies regarding controlled substances and alcoholic beverages.
(3) Each student handbook shall provide information related to acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) education or identify sites from which AIDS education information may be obtained.
History.—s. 320, ch. 2002-387; s. 77, ch. 2011-5.
1006.51 Student ombudsman office.—
(1) There is created at each Florida College System institution and state university a student ombudsman office, which is accountable to the president.
(2) Each institution must have an established procedure by which a student may appeal to the office of the ombudsman a decision that is related to the student’s access to courses and credit granted toward the degree. Detailed information concerning this procedure must be included in the institution’s catalog.
(3) Each Florida College System institution and state university shall develop minimum standards for the role of ombudsman or student advocate. The standards shall address the issue of notification of students of opportunities for assistance or appeal.
History.—s. 321, ch. 2002-387; s. 78, ch. 2011-5.
1006.52 Education records and applicant records; public records exemption.—
(1) Each public postsecondary educational institution may prescribe the content and custody of records that the institution may maintain on its students and applicants for admission. A student’s education records, as defined in the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), 20 U.S.C. s. 1232g, and the federal regulations issued pursuant thereto, and applicant records are confidential and exempt from s. 119.07(1) and s. 24(a), Art. I of the State Constitution. For the purpose of this subsection, applicant records are records that are:
(a) Directly related to an applicant for admission to a public postsecondary educational institution who has not been in attendance at the institution; and
(b) Maintained by a public postsecondary educational institution or by a party acting on behalf of the public postsecondary educational institution.
(2)(a) A public postsecondary educational institution may not release a student’s education records without the written consent of the student to any individual, agency, or organization, except in accordance with and as permitted by the FERPA.
(b) Education records released by public postsecondary educational institutions to the Auditor General or the Office of Program Policy Analysis and Government Accountability, which are necessary for such agencies to perform their official duties and responsibilities, must be used and maintained by the Auditor General and the Office of Program Policy Analysis and Government Accountability in accordance with the FERPA.
History.—s. 322, ch. 2002-387; s. 2, ch. 2009-240; s. 1, ch. 2014-11.
1006.53 Religious observances.—Each public postsecondary educational institution shall adopt a policy which reasonably accommodates the religious observance, practice, and belief of individual students in regard to admissions, class attendance, and the scheduling of examinations and work assignments. Each policy shall include a grievance procedure by which a student who believes that he or she has been unreasonably denied an educational benefit due to his or her religious belief or practices may seek redress. Such policy shall be made known to faculty and students annually in inclusion in the institution’s handbook, manual, or other similar document regularly provided to faculty and students.
History.—s. 323, ch. 2002-387; s. 105, ch. 2007-217.
1006.54 Universities; public documents distributed to libraries.—The general library of each state university may receive copies of reports of state officials, departments, and institutions and all other state documents published by the state. Each officer of the state empowered by law to distribute such public documents may transmit without charge, except for payment of shipping costs, the number of copies of each public document desired upon requisition from the librarian. It is the duty of the library to keep public documents in a convenient form accessible to the public. The library, under regulations formulated by the university board of trustees, is authorized to exchange documents for those of other states, territories, and countries.
History.—s. 324, ch. 2002-387; s. 16, ch. 2010-78.
1006.55 Law libraries of certain institutions of higher learning designated as state legal depositories.—
(1) The law libraries of the University of Florida, Florida State University, Florida International University, Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University, Stetson University, Nova University, and the University of Miami are designated as state legal depositories.
(2) Each officer of the state empowered by law to distribute legal publications may transmit, upon payment of shipping costs or cash on delivery, to the state legal depositories copies of such publications as requested. However, the number of copies transmitted shall be limited to:
(a) Eight copies of each volume of General Acts and each volume of Special Acts to each of the state legal depositories;
(b) Up to a maximum number of each volume of the Florida Statutes and each supplement volume, computed on the basis of one set for every 10 students enrolled during the school year, based upon the average enrollment as certified by the registrar; and
(c) One copy of each journal of the House of Representatives and each journal of the Senate to each state legal depository.
(3) It is the duty of the librarian of any depository to keep all public documents in a convenient form accessible to the public.
(4) The libraries of all Florida College System institutions are designated as state depositories for the Florida Statutes and supplements published by or under the authority of the state; these depositories each may receive upon request one copy of each volume without charge, except for payment of shipping costs.
History.—s. 325, ch. 2002-387; s. 79, ch. 2011-5.
1006.56 Specified university publications; activities; trust funds.—
(1) Subject to the approval of the appropriate university, the Florida Law Review, the Florida State University Law Review, the Florida State University Journal of Land Use and Environmental Law, the University of Florida Journal of Law and Public Policy, and the Florida International Law Journal of the University of Florida are authorized to engage in the following activities relating to their respective publications, notwithstanding the contrary provision of any statute, rule, or regulation of the state or its subdivisions or agencies:
(a) The grant of reprint rights relating to any or all issues of the Florida Law Review, the Florida State University Law Review, the Florida State University Journal of Land Use and Environmental Law, the University of Florida Journal of Law and Public Policy, or the Florida International Law Journal of the University of Florida, or any of the materials, articles, or ideas contained therein;
(b) The sale for adequate consideration of any or all past or future stock and inventory of published issues of the Florida Law Review, the Florida State University Law Review, the Florida State University Journal of Land Use and Environmental Law, the University of Florida Journal of Law and Public Policy, or the Florida International Law Journal of the University of Florida, or portions thereof; and
(c) The retention of the proceeds obtained under paragraph (a) or paragraph (b) together with all moneys received by the Florida Law Review or the Florida State University Law Review from current or future subscriptions, sale of individual issues, sale of advertising, binding service, royalties, donations, and all other sources except direct or indirect appropriations from the state, its subdivisions, or agencies.
(2) Moneys retained by the Florida Law Review pursuant to this section shall be placed in a trust fund to be known as the Florida Law Review Trust Fund. Moneys retained by the Florida State University Law Review pursuant to this section shall be placed in a trust fund to be known as the Florida State University Law Review Trust Fund. Moneys retained by the Florida State University Journal of Land Use and Environmental Law pursuant to this section shall be placed in a trust fund to be known as the Florida State University Journal of Land Use and Environmental Law Trust Fund. Moneys retained by the University of Florida Journal of Law and Public Policy pursuant to this section shall be placed in a trust fund to be known as the University of Florida Journal of Law and Public Policy Trust Fund. Moneys retained by the Florida International Law Journal of the University of Florida pursuant to this section shall be placed in a trust fund to be known as the Florida International Law Journal of the University of Florida Trust Fund. Such trust funds shall be used to pay or supplement the payment of printing costs or other costs incident to the publication of the respective law reviews and law journals and shall be administered by the dean of each college of law or his or her faculty designee.
(3) Printing of such publications shall be let upon contract to the lowest responsive bidder, in accordance with s. 283.33, except when the additional costs incurred in changing from the current printer to the new low bidder exceed the savings reflected in the bid prices. Such additional costs shall not exceed 10 percent of the lowest bid price.
History.—s. 326, ch. 2002-387.
1006.58 Collections management for museums and galleries of state universities.—
(1) State universities may enter into contracts or agreements with or without competitive bidding, as appropriate, for the restoration of objects of art, art history, or natural history in their collections or for the purchase of objects of art, art history, or natural history which are to be added to their collections.
(2) State universities may sell any art, art history, or natural history object in their museum or gallery collections if the university determines that it is no longer appropriate for the collection. The proceeds of the sale shall be deposited in the Acquisition, Restoration, and Conservation Trust Fund or other appropriate trust fund of the university. Each state university museum or gallery shall function entirely separate from every state university museum or gallery. State universities also may exchange any art, art history, or natural history object which the university museums or galleries judge is of equivalent or greater value to their museums or galleries.
(3) No employee, representative, or agent of a university shall receive a commission, fee, or financial benefit in connection with the sale or exchange of a work of art, art history, or natural history, nor may he or she be a business associate of any individual, firm, or organization involved in the sale or exchange.
(4)(a) Each university may establish an Acquisition, Restoration, and Conservation Trust Fund or utilize an appropriate existing trust fund.
(b) The president of each university may delegate the following authority to the museum or gallery directors and governing bodies of the museums or galleries:
1. To enter into contracts for the restoration or purchase of art, art history, or natural history objects, with or without competitive bidding, as appropriate.
2. To sell art, art history, or natural history objects in museum or gallery collections, the proceeds of which shall be deposited in the Acquisition, Restoration, and Conservation Trust Fund or other appropriate existing trust fund.
3. To exchange art, art history, or natural history objects of equal or greater value with any other state university.
History.—s. 328, ch. 2002-387.
1006.59 The Historically Black College and University Library Improvement Program.—
(1) It is the intent of the Legislature to enhance the quality of the libraries at Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University, Bethune-Cookman University, Edward Waters College, and Florida Memorial University.
(2) There is created the Historically Black College and University Library Improvement Program to be administered by the Department of Education. The primary objectives of the program shall be to increase each library’s holdings by 500 to 1,000 books per year, to increase library use by students and faculty, and to enhance the professional growth of librarians by providing inservice training. At least 50 percent of library acquisitions shall be in the humanities, with the balance to be in all other disciplines. It is the intent of the Legislature to provide general revenue funds each year to support this program.
(3) Each institution shall submit to the State Board of Education a plan for enhancing its library through the following activities:
(a) Each institution shall increase the number of volumes by purchasing replacement books and new titles. Funds shall not be used to purchase periodicals. The goal of these purchases is to meet the needs of students and faculty in disciplines that have recently been added to the curriculum, in traditional academic fields that have been expanded, or in academic fields in which rapid changes in technology result in accelerated obsolescence of related library holdings.
(b) A committee composed of librarians and faculty at each institution shall assess the adequacy of library holdings in all academic areas. The committee shall develop a list of resources that need to be replaced. Based on its assessment of the current collection, the committee shall develop a prioritized list of recommended acquisitions and shall submit such list to the college or university president.
History.—s. 329, ch. 2002-387; s. 98, ch. 2009-21; s. 8, ch. 2010-155.
1006.60 Codes of conduct; disciplinary measures; rules or regulations.—
(1) The State Board of Education and the Board of Governors, respectively, shall require each Florida College System institution to adopt, by rule, and each state university to adopt, by regulation, codes of conduct and appropriate penalties for violations of rules or regulations by students, to be administered by the institution. Such penalties, unless otherwise provided by law, may include: reprimand; restitution; fines; withholding of diplomas or transcripts pending compliance with rules or regulations, completion of any student judicial process or sanction, or payment of fines; restrictions on the use of or removal from campus facilities; community service; educational requirements; and the imposition of probation, suspension, dismissal, or expulsion.
(2) The State Board of Education and the Board of Governors, respectively, shall require each Florida College System institution to adopt, by rule, and each state university to adopt, by regulation, a code of conduct and appropriate penalties for violations of rules or regulations by student organizations, to be administered by the institution. Such penalties, unless otherwise provided by law, may include: reprimand; restitution; suspension, cancellation, or revocation of the registration or official recognition of a student organization; and restrictions on the use of, or removal from, campus facilities.
(3) The codes of conduct shall be published on the Florida College System institution’s or state university’s website, protect the rights of all students, and, at minimum, provide the following due process protections to students and student organizations:
(a) The right to timely written notice. The code must require that the institution or university provide a student or student organization with timely written notice of the student’s or student organization’s alleged violation of the code of conduct. The notice must include sufficient detail and be provided with sufficient time to prepare for any disciplinary proceeding.
1. The written notice must include the allegations to be investigated; the citation to the specific provision of the code of conduct at issue; the process to be used in determining whether a violation has occurred and associated rights; and the date, time, and location of the disciplinary proceeding.
2. The written notice is considered timely if it is provided at least 7 business days before the disciplinary proceeding and may be provided by delivery to the student’s institutional e-mail address and, if the student is under 18 years of age, to the student’s parent or to the student organization’s e-mail address.
3. At least 5 business days before the disciplinary proceeding, the institution or university must provide the student or student organization with:
a. A listing of all known witnesses 1who have provided, or will provide, information against the student or student organization.
b. All known information relating to the allegation, including inculpatory and exculpatory information.
(b) The right to a presumption that no violation occurred. The institution has the burden to prove, by a preponderance of the evidence, that a violation has taken place. Preponderance of the evidence means that the information presented supports the finding that it is more likely than not that the violation of the code of conduct was committed by the student or student organization.
(c) The right to an impartial hearing officer.
(d) The right against self-incrimination and the right to remain silent. Such silence may not be used against the student or student organization.
(e) The right to present relevant information and question witnesses.
(f) The right to an advisor or advocate who may not serve in any other role, including as an investigator, decider of fact, hearing officer, member of a committee or panel convened to hear or decide the charge, or any appeal.
(g) The right to have an advisor, advocate, or legal representative, at the student’s or student organization’s own expense, present at any proceeding, whether formal or informal. Such person may directly participate in all aspects of the proceeding, including the presentation of relevant information and questioning of witnesses.
(h) The right to appeal the final decision of the hearing officer, or any committee or panel, directly to the vice president of student affairs, or any other senior administrator designated by the code of conduct, who must hear the appeal and render a final decision. The vice president of student affairs or person designated by the code of conduct to hear the appeal may not have directly participated in any other proceeding related to the charged violation.
(i) The right to an accurate and complete record of every disciplinary proceeding relating to the charged violation of the code, including record of any appeal, to be made, preserved, and available for copying upon request by the charged student or student organization.
(j) A provision setting a time limit for charging a student or student organization with a violation of the code of conduct, and a description of those circumstances in which that time limit may be extended or waived.
(4) Sanctions authorized by such codes of conduct may be imposed only for acts or omissions in violation of rules or regulations adopted by the institution, including rules or regulations adopted under this section, rules of the State Board of Education, rules or regulations of the Board of Governors regarding the State University System, county and municipal ordinances, and the laws of this state, the United States, or any other state.
(5) Each Florida College System institution may establish and adopt, by rule, and each state university may establish and adopt, by regulation, codes of appropriate penalties for violations of rules or regulations governing student academic honesty. Such penalties, unless otherwise provided by law, may include: reprimand; reduction of grade; denial of academic credit; invalidation of university credit or of the degree based upon such credit; probation; suspension; dismissal; or expulsion. In addition to any other penalties that may be imposed, an individual may be denied admission or further registration, and the institution may invalidate academic credit for work done by a student and may invalidate or revoke the degree based upon such credit if it is determined that the student has made false, fraudulent, or incomplete statements in the application, residence affidavit, or accompanying documents or statements in connection with, or supplemental to, the application for admission to or graduation from the institution.
(6) Each Florida College System institution shall adopt rules and each state university shall adopt regulations for the lawful discipline of any student who intentionally acts to impair, interfere with, or obstruct the orderly conduct, processes, and functions of the institution. Said rules or regulations may apply to acts conducted on or off campus when relevant to such orderly conduct, processes, and functions.
History.—s. 330, ch. 2002-387; s. 106, ch. 2007-217; s. 17, ch. 2010-78; s. 80, ch. 2011-5; s. 5, ch. 2021-159.
1Note.—The word “who” was substituted by the editors for the word “that” to conform to context.
1006.61 Participation by students in disruptive activities at public postsecondary educational institution; penalties.—
(1) Any person who accepts the privilege extended by the laws of this state of attendance at any public postsecondary educational institution shall, by attending such institution, be deemed to have given his or her consent to the policies of that institution, the State Board of Education, and the Board of Governors regarding the State University System, and the laws of this state. Such policies shall include prohibition against disruptive activities at public postsecondary educational institutions.
(2) After it has been determined that a student of a state institution of higher learning has participated in disruptive activities, such student may be immediately expelled from the institution for a minimum of 2 years.
History.—s. 331, ch. 2002-387; s. 107, ch. 2007-217.
1006.62 Expulsion and discipline of students of Florida College System institutions and state universities.—
(1) Each student in a Florida College System institution or state university is subject to federal and state law, respective county and municipal ordinances, and all rules and regulations of the State Board of Education, the Board of Governors regarding the State University System, or the board of trustees of the institution.
(2) Violation of these published laws, ordinances, or rules and regulations may subject the violator to appropriate action by the institution’s authorities.
(3) Each president of a Florida College System institution or state university may, after notice to the student of the charges and after a hearing thereon, expel, suspend, or otherwise discipline any student who is found to have violated any law, ordinance, or rule or regulation of the State Board of Education, the Board of Governors regarding the State University System, or the board of trustees of the institution. A student may be entitled to waiver of expulsion:
(a) If the student provides substantial assistance in the identification, arrest, or conviction of any of his or her accomplices, accessories, coconspirators, or principals or of any other person engaged in violations of chapter 893 within a state university or Florida College System institution;
(b) If the student voluntarily discloses his or her violations of chapter 893 prior to his or her arrest; or
(c) If the student commits himself or herself, or is referred by the court in lieu of sentence, to a state-licensed drug abuse program and successfully completes the program.
History.—s. 332, ch. 2002-387; s. 108, ch. 2007-217; s. 81, ch. 2011-5.
1006.63 Hazing prohibited.—
(1) As used in this section, the term “hazing” means any action or situation that recklessly or intentionally endangers the mental or physical health or safety of a student for purposes including, but not limited to:
(a) Initiation into any organization operating under the sanction of a postsecondary institution;
(b) Admission into any organization operating under the sanction of a postsecondary institution;
(c) Affiliation with any organization operating under the sanction of a postsecondary institution; or
(d) The perpetuation or furtherance of a tradition or ritual of any organization operating under the sanction of a postsecondary institution.

The term includes, but is not limited to, pressuring or coercing the student into violating state or federal law; any brutality of a physical nature, such as whipping, beating, branding, exposure to the elements, forced consumption of any food, liquor, drug, or other substance, or other forced physical activity that could adversely affect the physical health or safety of the student; or any activity that would subject the student to extreme mental stress, such as sleep deprivation, forced exclusion from social contact, forced conduct that could result in extreme embarrassment, or other forced activity that could adversely affect the mental health or dignity of the student. The term does not include customary athletic events or other similar contests or competitions or any activity or conduct that furthers a legal and legitimate objective.

(2) A person commits hazing, a third degree felony, punishable as provided in s. 775.082 or s. 775.083, when he or she intentionally or recklessly commits, solicits a person to commit, or is actively involved in the planning of any act of hazing as defined in subsection (1) upon another person who is a member or former member of or an applicant to any type of student organization and the hazing results in a permanent injury, serious bodily injury, or death of such other person.
(3) A person commits hazing, a first degree misdemeanor, punishable as provided in s. 775.082 or s. 775.083, when he or she intentionally or recklessly commits, solicits a person to commit, or is actively involved in the planning of any act of hazing as defined in subsection (1) upon another person who is a member or former member of or an applicant to any type of student organization and the hazing creates a substantial risk of physical injury or death to such other person.
(4) As a condition of any sentence imposed pursuant to subsection (2) or subsection (3), the court shall order the defendant to attend and complete a 4-hour hazing education course and may also impose a condition of drug or alcohol probation.
(5) It is not a defense to a charge of hazing that:
(a) The consent of the victim had been obtained;
(b) The conduct or activity that resulted in the death or injury of a person was not part of an official organizational event or was not otherwise sanctioned or approved by the organization; or
(c) The conduct or activity that resulted in death or injury of the person was not done as a condition of membership to an organization.
(6) This section shall not be construed to preclude prosecution for a more general offense resulting from the same criminal transaction or episode.
(7) Public and nonpublic postsecondary educational institutions whose students receive state student financial assistance must adopt a written antihazing policy and under such policy must adopt rules prohibiting students or other persons associated with any student organization from engaging in hazing.
(8) Public and nonpublic postsecondary educational institutions must provide a program for the enforcement of such rules and must adopt appropriate penalties for violations of such rules, to be administered by the person at the institution responsible for the sanctioning of such organizations.
(a) Such penalties at Florida College System institutions and state universities may include the imposition of fines; the withholding of diplomas or transcripts pending compliance with the rules or pending payment of fines; and the imposition of probation, suspension, or dismissal.
(b) In the case of an organization at a Florida College System institution or state university that authorizes hazing in blatant disregard of such rules, penalties may also include rescission of permission for that organization to operate on campus property or to otherwise operate under the sanction of the institution.
(c) All penalties imposed under the authority of this subsection shall be in addition to any penalty imposed for violation of any of the criminal laws of this state or for violation of any other rule of the institution to which the violator may be subject.
(9) Rules adopted pursuant hereto shall apply to acts conducted on or off campus whenever such acts are deemed to constitute hazing.
(10) Upon approval of the antihazing policy of a Florida College System institution or state university and of the rules and penalties adopted pursuant thereto, the institution shall provide a copy of such policy, rules, and penalties to each student enrolled in that institution and shall require the inclusion of such policy, rules, and penalties in the bylaws of every organization operating under the sanction of the institution.
(11)(a) This subsection and subsection (12) may be cited as “Andrew’s Law.”
(b) A person may not be prosecuted under this section if he or she establishes all of the following:
1. That he or she was present at an event where, as a result of hazing, a person appeared to be in need of immediate medical assistance.
2. That he or she was the first person to call 911 or campus security to report the need for immediate medical assistance.
3. That he or she provided his or her own name, the address where immediate medical assistance was needed, and a description of the medical issue to the 911 operator or campus security at the time of the call.
4. That he or she remained at the scene with the person in need of immediate medical assistance until such medical assistance, law enforcement, or campus security arrived and that he or she cooperated with such personnel on the scene.
(12) Notwithstanding subsection (11), a person is immune from prosecution under this section if the person establishes that, before medical assistance, law enforcement, or campus security arrived on the scene of a hazing event, the person rendered aid to the hazing victim. For purposes of this subsection, “aid” includes, but is not limited to, rendering cardiopulmonary resuscitation to the victim, clearing an airway for the victim to breathe, using a defibrillator to assist the victim, or rendering any other assistance to the victim which the person intended in good faith to stabilize or improve the victim’s condition while waiting for medical assistance, law enforcement, or campus security to arrive.
History.—s. 333, ch. 2002-387; s. 3, ch. 2005-146; s. 82, ch. 2011-5; s. 1, ch. 2019-133; s. 179, ch. 2020-2.
1006.66 Regulation of traffic at universities.—
(1) As defined under this section:
(a) “Traffic,” when used as a noun, means the use or occupancy of, and the movement in, on, or over, streets, ways, walks, roads, alleys, and parking areas by vehicles, pedestrians, or ridden or herded animals.
(b) “Adjacent municipality” means a municipality which is contiguous or adjacent to, or which contains within its boundaries all or part of the grounds of, a university; except that, if the grounds of a university are not within or contiguous to a municipality, “adjacent municipality” means the county seat of the county which contains within its boundaries all or part of the grounds of the university.
(c) “Grounds” includes all of the campus and grounds of the university, whether it be the campus proper or outlying or noncontiguous land of the university within the county.
(d) “Law enforcement officers” include municipal police, patrol officers, traffic officers, sheriffs, deputies, highway patrol officers, and county traffic officers assigned to duty on the grounds of the university; campus police, traffic officers, guards, parking patrollers, and other noncommissioned personnel designated for traffic purposes by the university; and other law enforcement officers as defined in s. 943.10(1).
(e) “University traffic infraction” means a noncriminal violation of university parking and traffic rules which is not included under s. 318.14 or s. 318.17 or any municipal ordinance, which is not punishable by incarceration, and for which there is no right to trial by jury or to court-appointed counsel.
(f) “Traffic authority” means an individual or a group of individuals at each university, authorized and appointed by the president of the university to adjudicate university traffic infractions.
(2) Each university board of trustees shall adopt rules that govern traffic on the grounds of the university; that provide penalties for the infraction of such traffic rules; and that the university finds necessary, convenient, or advisable for the safety or welfare of the students, faculty members, or other persons. Copies of the rules shall be posted at the university on public bulletin boards where notices are customarily posted, filed with the city clerk or corresponding municipal or county officer, and made available to any person requesting same. When adopted, the rules shall be enforceable as herein provided. All ordinances of the adjacent municipality relating to traffic that are not in conflict or inconsistent with the traffic rules adopted by the individual university shall extend and be applicable to the grounds of the university. The provisions of chapter 316 shall extend and be applicable to the grounds of the university, and the rules adopted by the individual university shall not conflict with any section of that chapter.
(3) Any person who violates any of those rules adopted by the individual institution shall be deemed to have committed a university traffic infraction and shall be fined or penalized as provided by the rules adopted by the institution. Any person who violates any traffic regulation enumerated in chapter 316 shall be charged, and the cause shall proceed, in accordance with chapters 316 and 318.
(4) A person charged with a university traffic infraction shall elect the option prescribed in paragraph (a) or the option prescribed in paragraph (b). If neither option is exercised within the prescribed time by the person charged with a university traffic infraction, an additional fine or penalty may be assessed, and shall be payable, in accordance with the rules of the university.
(a) The person charged may pay the applicable infraction fine, either by mail or in person, within the time period specified in the rules of the individual university. A schedule of infraction fines applicable to each university shall be adopted by the university.
(b) The person charged may elect to appear before the university traffic authority for administrative determination pursuant to procedures enumerated in the rules of such university.
(5) Each university is authorized to approve the establishment of a university traffic authority to hear violations of traffic rules. In such cases as come before the authority, the university traffic authority shall determine whether the person is guilty or not guilty of the charge. In the case of a finding of guilt, the authority shall, in its discretion, impose an appropriate penalty pursuant to subsection (3).
(6) This section shall provide the exclusive procedures for the adjudication of university traffic infractions.
(7) Moneys collected from parking assessments and infraction fines shall be deposited in appropriate funds and shall be used to defray the administrative and operating costs of the traffic and parking program at the institution, to provide for additional parking facilities on campus, or for student loan purposes.
History.—s. 336, ch. 2002-387.
1006.68 HIV and AIDS policy.—Each Florida College System institution and state university shall develop a comprehensive policy that addresses the provision of instruction, information, and activities regarding human immunodeficiency virus infection and acquired immune deficiency syndrome. Such instruction, information, or activities shall emphasize the known modes of transmission of human immunodeficiency virus infection and acquired immune deficiency syndrome, signs and symptoms, associated risk factors, appropriate behavior and attitude change, and means used to control the spread of human immunodeficiency virus infection and acquired immune deficiency syndrome.
History.—s. 338, ch. 2002-387; s. 84, ch. 2011-5.
1006.69 Vaccination against meningococcal meningitis and hepatitis B.—
(1) A postsecondary educational institution shall provide detailed information concerning the risks associated with meningococcal meningitis and hepatitis B and the availability, effectiveness, and known contraindications of any required or recommended vaccine to every student, or to the student’s parent if the student is a minor, who has been accepted for admission.
(2) An individual enrolled in a postsecondary educational institution who will be residing in on-campus housing shall provide documentation of vaccinations against meningococcal meningitis and hepatitis B unless the individual, if the individual is 18 years of age or older, or the individual’s parent, if the individual is a minor, declines the vaccinations by signing a separate waiver for each of these vaccines, provided by the institution, acknowledging receipt and review of the information provided.
(3) This section does not require any postsecondary educational institution to provide or pay for vaccinations against meningococcal meningitis and hepatitis B.
History.—s. 339, ch. 2002-387.
1006.695 Sexual predator and sexual offender notification; Florida College System institutions, state universities, and career centers.—Each Florida College System institution as defined in s. 1000.21, state university as defined in s. 1000.21, and career center as provided in s. 1001.44 shall inform students and employees at orientation and on its website of the existence of the Department of Law Enforcement sexual predator and sexual offender registry website and the toll-free telephone number that gives access to sexual predator and sexual offender public information pursuant to s. 943.043.
History.—s. 4, ch. 2014-3.
1006.71 Gender equity in intercollegiate athletics.—
(1) GENDER EQUITY PLAN.—
(a) Each Florida College System institution and state university shall develop a gender equity plan pursuant to s. 1000.05.
(b) The plan shall include consideration of equity in sports offerings, participation, availability of facilities, scholarship offerings, and funds allocated for administration, recruitment, comparable coaching, publicity and promotion, and other support costs.
(c) The Commissioner of Education shall annually assess the progress of each Florida College System institution’s plan and advise the State Board of Education and the Legislature regarding compliance.
(d) The Chancellor of the State University System shall annually assess the progress of each state university’s plan and advise the Board of Governors and the Legislature regarding compliance.
(e) Each board of trustees of a Florida College System institution or state university shall annually evaluate the presidents on the extent to which the gender equity goals have been achieved.
(f) To determine the proper level of support for women’s athletic scholarships, an equity plan may determine, where appropriate, that support for women’s scholarships may be disproportionate to the support of scholarships for men.
(g)1. If a Florida College System institution is not in compliance with Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 and the Florida Educational Equity Act, the State Board of Education shall:
a. Declare the Florida College System institution ineligible for competitive state grants.
b. Withhold funds sufficient to obtain compliance.

The Florida College System institution shall remain ineligible and the funds shall not be paid until the Florida College System institution comes into compliance or the Commissioner of Education approves a plan for compliance.

2. If a state university is not in compliance with Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 and the Florida Educational Equity Act, the Board of Governors shall:
a. Declare the state university ineligible for competitive state grants.
b. Withhold funds sufficient to obtain compliance.

The state university shall remain ineligible and the funds shall not be paid until the state university comes into compliance or the Board of Governors approves a plan for compliance.

(2) FUNDING.—
(a) An equitable portion of all separate athletic fees shall be designated for women’s intercollegiate athletics.
(b) The level of funding and percentage share of support for women’s intercollegiate athletics for Florida College System institutions shall be determined by the State Board of Education. The level of funding and percentage share of support for women’s intercollegiate athletics for state universities shall be determined by the Board of Governors. The level of funding and percentage share attained in the 1980-1981 fiscal year shall be the minimum level and percentage maintained by each institution, except as the State Board of Education or the Board of Governors otherwise directs its respective institutions for the purpose of assuring equity. Consideration shall be given by the State Board of Education or the Board of Governors to emerging athletic programs at institutions which may not have the resources to secure external funds to provide athletic opportunities for women. It is the intent that the effect of any redistribution of funds among institutions shall not negate the requirements as set forth in this section.
(c) In addition to the above amount, an amount equal to the sales taxes collected from admission to athletic events sponsored by a state university shall be retained and utilized by each university to support women’s athletics.
(3) STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION.—The State Board of Education shall assure equal opportunity for female athletes at Florida College System institutions and establish:
(a) Guidelines for reporting of intercollegiate athletics data concerning financial, program, and facilities information for review by the State Board of Education annually.
(b) Systematic audits for the evaluation of such data.
(c) Criteria for determining and assuring equity.
(4) BOARD OF GOVERNORS.—The Board of Governors shall ensure equal opportunity for female athletes at state universities and establish:
(a) Guidelines for reporting of intercollegiate athletics data concerning financial, program, and facilities information for review by the Board of Governors annually.
(b) Systematic audits for the evaluation of such data.
(c) Criteria for determining and ensuring equity.
History.—s. 341, ch. 2002-387; s. 110, ch. 2007-217; s. 86, ch. 2011-5.
1006.73 Florida Postsecondary Academic Library Network.—
(1) PURPOSE.—The Board of Governors and the Department of Education will jointly oversee the host entity in accordance with subsection (5) that will deliver the following services to public postsecondary education institutions in this state, which, for the purposes of this section, means all Florida College System and State University System institutions:
(a) Provide information regarding and access to distance learning courses and degree programs offered by public postsecondary education institutions within the state.
(b) Coordinate with the Florida College System and the State University System to identify and provide online academic support services and resources when the multi-institutional provision of such services and resources is more cost-effective or operationally effective.
(c) Administer a single library automation system and associated resources and services that all public postsecondary institutions shall use to support learning, teaching, and research needs and develop automated library management tools that shall include, but are not limited to, the following services and functions:
1. A shared Internet-based catalog and discovery tool that allows a user to search and, if authorized, access the aggregate library holdings of the state’s public postsecondary education institutions. The catalog and discovery tool shall allow a user to search the library holdings of one institution, selected institutions, or all institutions and, to the extent feasible, shall include an interlibrary loan function that ensures an authorized user can access the required library holding.
2. An Internet-based searchable collection of electronic resources which shall include, but not be limited to, full-text journals, articles, databases, and electronic books licensed pursuant to paragraph (d).
3. An integrated library management system and its associated services that all public postsecondary education institution academic libraries shall use for purposes of acquiring, cataloging, circulating, and tracking library material.
4. A statewide searchable database that includes an inventory of digital archives and collections held by public postsecondary education institutions.
(d) In collaboration with library staff from Florida College System institutions and state universities, coordinate the negotiation of statewide licensing of electronic library resources and preferred pricing agreements, issue purchase orders, and enter into contracts for the acquisition of library support services, electronic resources, and other goods and services necessary to carry out its duties under this section.
(e) Promote and provide recommendations concerning the use and distribution of low-cost, no-cost, or open-access textbooks and education resources and innovative pricing techniques that comply with all applicable laws, in regards to copyrighted material and statewide accessibility measures, as a method for reducing costs.
(f) Provide appropriate help desk support, training, and consultation services to institutions and students.
(2) STATEWIDE INTERNET-BASED CATALOG OF DISTANCE LEARNING COURSES.—There is established a statewide Internet-based catalog of distance learning courses, degree programs, and resources offered by public postsecondary education institutions which is intended to assist in the coordination and collaboration of articulation and access pursuant to parts II and III of chapter 1007. The host entity is responsible for developing and disseminating operational procedures and technical guidelines for the catalog, to be followed by all participating institutions. Operating procedures and technical guidelines will address the following:
(a) Specific information concerning the distance learning course or degree program, including, but not limited to, course number, classification of instructional programs number, and information on the availability of the course or degree program; any prerequisite course or technology competency or skill; the availability of academic support services and financial aid resources; and course costs, fees, and payment policies.
(b) Define and describe the catalog’s search and retrieval options that, at a minimum, will allow users to search by academic term or course start date; institution, multiple institutions, or all institutions; and course or program delivery methods, course type, course availability, subject or discipline, and course number or classification of instructional programs number.
(c) An Internet-based analytic tool that allows for the collection and analysis of data as to usage of resources accessed or interaction with constituent institutions whose courses and programs are listed in the catalog.
(d) Frequent review and updates to institution catalogs to ensure that distance learning courses and degree programs comply with operational procedures.
(3) STATEWIDE ONLINE STUDENT ADVISING SERVICES AND SUPPORT.—The following online services and support shall be made available on a statewide basis:
(a) A streamlined online admissions application process, which shall be used by all public postsecondary institutions, for undergraduate transient students currently enrolled and pursuing a degree at a public postsecondary education institution who enroll in a course offered by a public postsecondary education institution that is not the student’s degree-granting institution, which shall:
1. Use the transient student admissions application available through the statewide computer-assisted student advising system established pursuant to paragraph (b). This admissions application is the only application required for enrollment of a transient student as described in this paragraph.
2. Implement the financial aid procedures required by the transient student admissions application process.
3. Transfer credit awarded by the institution offering the course to the transient student’s degree-granting institution.
4. Provide an interface between the institutional advising system and the statewide computer-assisted student advising system established pursuant to paragraph (b) in order to electronically send, receive, and process the transient student admissions application.
(b) A statewide computer-assisted student advising system which shall support the process of advising, registering, and capturing student progression toward a degree and career and which shall include a degree audit and an articulation component. Florida College System institutions and state universities shall interface institutional advising systems with the statewide computer-assisted student advising system. At a minimum, the statewide computer-assisted student advising system shall:
1. Allow a student to access the system at any time.
2. Allow a student to search public postsecondary education institutions and identify course options that will meet the requirements of a selected path toward a degree.
3. Audit transcripts of students enrolled in a public postsecondary education institution to assess current academic standing, the requirements for a student to transfer to another institution, and all requirements necessary for graduation.
4. Serve as the official statewide repository for the common prerequisite manual, admissions information for transferring programs, foreign language requirements, residency requirements, and statewide articulation agreements.
5. Provide information relating to career descriptions and corresponding educational requirements, admissions requirements, and available sources of student financial assistance.
6. Provide the admissions application for transient students pursuant to paragraph (a) which must include the electronic transfer and receipt of information and records for:
a. Admissions and readmissions.
b. Financial aid.
c. Transfer of credit awarded by the institution offering the course to the transient student’s degree-granting institution using the Florida Automated System for Transferring Educational Records (the “FASTER System”).
(c) A method for identifying and evaluating new technologies and instructional methods for improving distance learning instruction and development for faculty, student learning outcomes, student access, the efficient delivery of student support services, and the overall quality of postsecondary distance learning courses and degree programs.
(d) Negotiation of statewide licensing resources and preferred pricing agreements, issuing purchase orders, and entering into contracts for the acquisition of distance learning resources, student and support services, electronic resources, and other goods and services necessary to carry out duties under this section.
(4) REPORTING.—Beginning December 31, 2021, and each year thereafter, the host entity shall submit a report to the Chancellors of the State University System and the Florida College System regarding the implementation and operation of all components described in this section, including, but not limited to, usage information collected under paragraph (2)(c), information and associated costs relating to the services and functions of the program, and the implementation and operation of the automated library services. The Chancellors will provide an annual report on the performance of the host entity in delivering the services and any recommendations for changes needed to this section to the Governor, the President of the Senate, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, the Board of Governors, and the State Board of Education.
(5) GOVERNANCE AND ADMINISTRATION.—The Office of the Board of Governors and the Department of Education shall have joint responsibility for determining the host entity for the services described in this section and shall share in the receipt and administration of an associated appropriation as described in the General Appropriations Act. The Chancellors of the Florida College System and the Board of Governors shall provide oversight for successful delivery by the host entity of the services described in this section.
(6) RECOMMENDATION ON OTHER EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS TO BE INCLUDED WITHIN THE FLORIDA POSTSECONDARY ACADEMIC LIBRARY NETWORK.—By June 1, 2022, the Commissioner of Education and the Chancellor of the Board of Governors shall provide a joint recommendation for a process by which school district career centers operated under s. 1001.44 and charter technical career centers under s. 1002.34 would access appropriate postsecondary distance learning, student support services and library assets described in this section. The recommendation must include an analysis of the resources necessary to expand access and assets to centers and their students.
History.—s. 14, ch. 2012-134; s. 12, ch. 2013-45; s. 184, ch. 2014-17; s. 15, ch. 2014-56; s. 4, ch. 2021-85.
1006.74 Intercollegiate athlete compensation and rights.—The Legislature finds that intercollegiate athletics provide intercollegiate athletes with significant educational opportunities. However, participation in intercollegiate athletics should not infringe upon an intercollegiate athlete’s ability to earn compensation for her or his name, image, or likeness. An intercollegiate athlete must have an equal opportunity to control and profit from the commercial use of her or his name, image, or likeness, and be protected from unauthorized appropriation and commercial exploitation of her or his right to publicity, including her or his name, image, or likeness.
(1) DEFINITIONS.—As used in this section, the term:
(a) “Athletic program” means an intercollegiate athletic program at a postsecondary educational institution.
(b) “Intercollegiate athlete” means a student who participates in an athletic program.
(c) “Postsecondary educational institution” means a state university, a Florida College System institution, or a private college or university receiving aid under chapter 1009.
(2) INTERCOLLEGIATE ATHLETE COMPENSATION AND RIGHTS AND POSTSECONDARY EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTION RESPONSIBILITIES.—
(a) An intercollegiate athlete at a postsecondary educational institution may earn compensation for the use of her or his name, image, or likeness. Such compensation must be commensurate with the market value of the authorized use of the athlete’s name, image, or likeness. To preserve the integrity, quality, character, and amateur nature of intercollegiate athletics and to maintain a clear separation between amateur intercollegiate athletics and professional sports, such compensation may not be provided in exchange for athletic performance or attendance at a particular institution and may only be provided by a third party unaffiliated with the intercollegiate athlete’s postsecondary educational institution.
(b) A postsecondary educational institution may not adopt or maintain a contract, rule, regulation, standard, or other requirement that prevents or unduly restricts an intercollegiate athlete from earning compensation for the use of her or his name, image, or likeness. Earning such compensation may not affect the intercollegiate athlete’s grant-in-aid or athletic eligibility.
(c) A postsecondary educational institution; an entity whose purpose includes supporting or benefiting the institution or its athletic programs; or an officer, director, or employee of such institution or entity may not compensate or cause compensation to be directed to a current or prospective intercollegiate athlete for her or his name, image, or likeness.
(d) A postsecondary educational institution may not prevent or unduly restrict an intercollegiate athlete from obtaining professional representation by an athlete agent or attorney engaged for the purpose of securing compensation for the use of her or his name, image, or likeness. Pursuant to s. 468.453(8), an athlete agent representing an intercollegiate athlete for purposes of securing compensation for the use of her or his name, image, or likeness must be licensed under part IX of chapter 468. An attorney representing an intercollegiate athlete for purposes of securing compensation for the use of her or his name, image, or likeness must be a member in good standing of The Florida Bar.
(e) A grant-in-aid, including cost of attendance, awarded to an intercollegiate athlete by a postsecondary educational institution is not compensation for the purposes of this subsection and may not be revoked or reduced as a result of an intercollegiate athlete earning compensation or obtaining professional representation under this subsection.
(f) An intercollegiate athlete under 18 years of age must have any contract for compensation for the use of her or his name, image, or likeness approved under ss. 743.08 and 743.09.
(g) An intercollegiate athlete’s contract for compensation for the use of her or his name, image, or likeness may not violate this subsection.
(h) An intercollegiate athlete may not enter into a contract for compensation for the use of her or his name, image, or likeness if a term of the contract conflicts with a term of the intercollegiate athlete’s team contract. A postsecondary educational institution asserting a conflict under this paragraph must disclose each relevant contract term that conflicts with the team contract to the intercollegiate athlete or her or his representative.
(i) An intercollegiate athlete who enters into a contract for compensation for the use of her or his name, image, or likeness shall disclose the contract to the postsecondary educational institution at which she or he is enrolled, in a manner designated by the institution.
(j) The duration of a contract for representation of an intercollegiate athlete or compensation for the use of an intercollegiate athlete’s name, image, or likeness may not extend beyond her or his participation in an athletic program at a postsecondary educational institution.
(k) A postsecondary institution shall conduct a financial literacy and life skills workshop for a minimum of 5 hours at the beginning of the intercollegiate athlete’s first and third academic years. The workshop shall, at a minimum, include information concerning financial aid, debt management, and a recommended budget for full and partial grant-in-aid intercollegiate athletes based on the current academic year’s cost of attendance. The workshop shall also include information on time management skills necessary for success as an intercollegiate athlete and available academic resources. The workshop may not include any marketing, advertising, referral, or solicitation by providers of financial products or services.
(3) REGULATIONS AND RULES.—The Board of Governors and the State Board of Education shall adopt regulations and rules, respectively, to implement this section.
History.—s. 1, ch. 2020-28; s. 20, ch. 2021-35; ss. 1, 2, ch. 2021-217.
1006.75 Student career services.—
(1) Each career center, charter technical center, Florida College System institution, and state university shall ensure that their student career service centers and job placement resources prepare students for employment upon completion of their academic work.
(2) Student career service centers shall, to the extent possible, use state career planning resources to assist students with all of the following:
(a) Exploring and identifying career opportunities.
(b) Identifying in-demand jobs and associated earning outcomes.
(c) Understanding the skills and credentials needed for specific jobs.
(d) Identifying opportunities to gain on-the-job experiences.
(e) Creating a digital resume.
History.—s. 28, ch. 2021-164.
1006.751 State university career planning and information; online dashboard.—
(1) To assist students and families in making better-informed decisions about educational options and future employment opportunities, the Board of Governors of the State University System shall publicly publish an online dashboard. The dashboard must present data, by academic discipline, of graduates of state universities, including at least the following information:
(a) Postgraduation median salary 1, 5, and 10 years after graduation.
(b) Median student loan debt.
(c) Debt-to-income ratio.
(d) Estimated monthly loan payment as a percentage of gross monthly income.
(e) The percentage of graduates who have continued their education beyond the baccalaureate level.
(2) The online dashboard must be available by January 1, 2022. A link to the dashboard shall be prominently displayed on each state university’s office of admissions website.
(3)(a) Each state university board of trustees shall adopt procedures to connect undergraduate students to career planning, coaching, and related programs during the first academic year of the student’s enrollment. Such procedures must be approved by the Board of Governors and include placing a hold on student registration before the end of the first year of each student’s enrollment. To lift the hold and register for classes, each student must:
1. Register with the university’s career center.
2. Complete a career readiness training module provided by the career center.
3. Be directed to the dashboard established in subsection (1).
4. Affirmatively indicate that he or she has been provided with the information required under this paragraph and is aware of the employment and wage prospects for his or her declared major.
(b) The Board of Governors of the State University System shall review and approve each university’s procedures by March 1, 2022.
History.—s. 2, ch. 2021-232.