House Bill hb0667c1

    Florida House of Representatives - 2002              CS/HB 667

        By the Council for Lifelong Learning and Representative
    Holloway





  1                      A bill to be entitled

  2         An act relating to education; authorizing

  3         individual district school boards by resolution

  4         to allow invocation or benediction at specified

  5         secondary school-related events; providing

  6         legislative intent; providing severability;

  7         providing an effective date.

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

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11         Section 1.  Any district school board is authorized to

12  adopt a resolution allowing the use of an invocation or a

13  benediction at a secondary school commencement exercise or a

14  secondary school-related noncompulsory student assembly. The

15  resolution must provide:

16         (1)  That the use of an invocation or a benediction

17  shall be at the discretion of the students.

18         (2)  That an invocation or a benediction, if used,

19  shall be given by a student volunteer.

20         (3)  That an invocation or a benediction shall be

21  nonsectarian and nonproselytizing in nature.

22         (4)  That school personnel shall not participate in, or

23  otherwise influence the exercise of the discretion of the

24  students in, the determination of whether to use an invocation

25  or a benediction.

26         Section 2.  It is the purpose of this act to provide

27  for the solemnization and memorialization of secondary school

28  events and ceremonies, and this act is not intended to advance

29  or endorse any religion or religious belief.

30         Section 3.  If any provision of this act or the

31  application thereof to any person or circumstance is held

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    Florida House of Representatives - 2002              CS/HB 667

    400-116-02






  1  invalid, the invalidity shall not affect other provisions or

  2  applications of the act which can be given effect without the

  3  invalid provision or application, and to this end the

  4  provisions of this act are declared severable.

  5         Section 4.  This act shall take effect July 1, 2002.

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