House Bill hb0885er

    ENROLLED

    2002 Legislature                                     CS/HB 885



  1

  2         An act relating to recitation of the

  3         Declaration of Independence; creating s.

  4         233.0659, F.S.; requiring Celebrate Freedom

  5         Week to be recognized in the public schools

  6         each September; requiring a portion of the

  7         Declaration of Independence to be recited daily

  8         by students during that week; providing for

  9         excusal of a student from performing the

10         required recitation; providing an effective

11         date.

12

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

14

15         Section 1.  Section 233.0659, Florida Statutes, is

16  created to read:

17         233.0659  Recitation of the Declaration of

18  Independence.--

19         (1)  To educate students about the sacrifices made for

20  freedom in the founding of this country and the values on

21  which this country was founded, the last full week of classes

22  in September shall be recognized in public schools as

23  Celebrate Freedom Week.  Celebrate Freedom Week must include

24  at least 3 hours of appropriate instruction in each social

25  studies class, as determined by each school district, which

26  instruction shall include an in-depth study of the intent,

27  meaning, and importance of the Declaration of Independence.

28         (2)  To emphasize the importance of this week, at the

29  beginning of each school day or in homeroom, during the last

30  full week of September, public school principals and teachers

31  shall conduct an oral recitation by students of the following


                                  1

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




    ENROLLED

    2002 Legislature                                     CS/HB 885



  1  words of the Declaration of Independence:  "We hold these

  2  truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal,

  3  that they are endowed by their Creator with certain

  4  unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the

  5  pursuit of happiness.  That to secure these rights,

  6  governments are instituted among men, deriving their just

  7  powers from the consent of the governed."

  8         (3)  Student recitation of this statement shall serve

  9  to reaffirm the American ideals of individual liberty.

10         (4)  Upon written request by a student's parent, the

11  student must be excused from the recitation of the Declaration

12  of Independence.

13         Section 2.  This act shall take effect July 1, 2002.

14

15

16

17

18

19

20

21

22

23

24

25

26

27

28

29

30

31


                                  2

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