House Bill 0365e1

                                    CS/HB 365, First Engrossed/ntc



  1                      A bill to be entitled

  2         An act relating to public school curricula;

  3         amending s. 233.061, F.S.; including a secular

  4         character-development program in required

  5         public school instruction in the elementary

  6         schools; amending s. 233.0612, F.S.; including

  7         ethics in authorized public school instruction;

  8         deleting a provision encouraging school boards

  9         to institute such programs; providing an

10         effective date.

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12  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:

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14         Section 1.  Paragraph (q) is added to subsection (2) of

15  section 233.061, Florida Statutes, 1998 Supplement, to read:

16         233.061  Required instruction.--

17         (2)  Members of the instructional staff of the public

18  schools, subject to the rules and regulations of the

19  commissioner, the state board, and the school board, shall

20  teach efficiently and faithfully, using the books and

21  materials required, following the prescribed courses of study,

22  and employing approved methods of instruction, the following:

23         (q)  A character-development program in the elementary

24  schools, similar to Character First or Character Counts. Such

25  a program must be secular in nature and must stress such

26  character qualities as attentiveness, patience, and

27  initiative.

28         Section 2.  Subsection (1) of section 233.0612, Florida

29  Statutes, 1998 Supplement, is amended to read:

30         233.0612  Authorized instruction.--Each school district

31  may provide students with programs and instruction at the


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CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.






                                    CS/HB 365, First Engrossed/ntc



  1  appropriate grade levels in areas including, but not limited

  2  to, the following:

  3         (1)  Character development, ethics, and law education.

  4  Each school board shall be encouraged to install in the

  5  elementary schools of the district a program in character

  6  development which is the same as or similar to the Character

  7  Counts or Character First! Education Series. The programs must

  8  be secular in nature and stress such character qualities as

  9  attentiveness, patience, and initiative.

10         Section 3.  This act shall take effect July 1, 1999.

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