Senate Bill sb1420c1

    Florida Senate - 2005                           CS for SB 1420

    By the Committee on Education; and Senator Wise





    581-1918-05

  1                      A bill to be entitled

  2         An act relating to education; authorizing

  3         individual district school boards by resolution

  4         to allow an inspirational message 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 inspirational

13  message 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 inspirational message shall be

17  at the discretion of the students.

18         (2)  That an inspirational message, if used, shall be

19  given by a student volunteer.

20         (3)  That an inspirational message 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

25  inspirational message.

26         Section 2.  The purpose of this act is to provide for

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






    Florida Senate - 2005                           CS for SB 1420
    581-1918-05




 1  invalid, the invalidity shall not affect other provisions or

 2  applications of the act that 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, 2005.

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 7          STATEMENT OF SUBSTANTIAL CHANGES CONTAINED IN
                       COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE FOR
 8                         Senate Bill 1420

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10  The committee substitute deletes references to an invocation
    or benediction.
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CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.