Senate Bill 0698c1

    Florida Senate - 1999                            CS for SB 698

    By the Committee on Education and Senator Forman





    304-1690A-99

  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.; deleting a

  7         provision encouraging school boards to

  8         institute such programs; providing an effective

  9         date.

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

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

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

15         233.061  Required instruction.--

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

17  schools, subject to the rules and regulations of the

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

19  teach efficiently and faithfully, using the books and

20  materials required, following the prescribed courses of study,

21  and employing approved methods of instruction, the following:

22         (q)  A character-development program, such as Character

23  Counts or a like curriculum, in the elementary schools. Such a

24  program must be secular in nature and must stress such

25  character qualities as attentiveness, patience, and

26  initiative.

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

28  Statutes, 1998 Supplement, is amended to read:

29         233.0612  Authorized instruction.--Each school district

30  may provide students with programs and instruction at the

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






    Florida Senate - 1999                            CS for SB 698
    304-1690A-99




  1  appropriate grade levels in areas including, but not limited

  2  to, the following:

  3         (1)  Character development and Law education. Each

  4  school board shall be encouraged to install in the elementary

  5  schools of the district a program in character development

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

  7  Character First! Education Series. The programs must be

  8  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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12          STATEMENT OF SUBSTANTIAL CHANGES CONTAINED IN
                       COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE FOR
13                              SB 698

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15  The  committee substitute requires that instruction in the
    public elementary schools include a secular character
16  development programs such as Character Counts or a similar
    curriculum. The program must stress qualities such as
17  attentiveness, patience, and initiative. The bill eliminates
    the provision in s. 233.0612(1), F.S., that encourages school
18  districts to install character development programs in
    elementary schools.
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