Senate Bill sb0028c1
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Florida Senate - 2006 CS for SB 28
By the Committee on Education; and Senator Fasano
581-2401-06
1 A bill to be entitled
2 An act relating to public K-12 educational
3 instruction; amending s. 1003.42, F.S.;
4 revising provisions relating to required
5 instruction and courses of study in the public
6 schools; including study of the history of the
7 United States and free enterprise; requiring
8 standards adopted by the State Board of
9 Education to conform to requirements for
10 instruction; providing requirements for
11 teaching the history of the United States at
12 certain grade levels; amending s. 1003.43,
13 F.S., relating to general requirements for high
14 school graduation; including study of the
15 Declaration of Independence in the credit
16 requirement for American government; amending
17 s. 1002.20, F.S.; correcting a cross-reference;
18 providing an effective date.
19
20 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
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22 Section 1. Section 1003.42, Florida Statutes, is
23 amended to read:
24 1003.42 Required instruction.--
25 (1) Each district school board shall provide all
26 courses required for high school graduation and appropriate
27 instruction designed to ensure that students meet State Board
28 of Education adopted standards in the following subject areas:
29 reading and other language arts, mathematics, science, social
30 studies, foreign languages, health and physical education, and
31 the arts.
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Florida Senate - 2006 CS for SB 28
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1 (2) All members of the instructional staff of the
2 public schools, subject to the rules of the State Board of
3 Education and the district school board, shall teach
4 efficiently and faithfully, using the books and materials
5 required that meet the highest standards for professionalism
6 and historic accuracy, following the prescribed courses of
7 study, and employing approved methods of instruction., The
8 following provisions shall be included to align with the
9 schedule adopted by the State Board of Education for revision
10 of the Sunshine State Standards and the instructional
11 materials adoption cycle:
12 (a) The history and content of the Declaration of
13 Independence as written, including national sovereignty,
14 natural law, self-evident truth, equality of all persons,
15 limited government, popular sovereignty, and God-given,
16 inalienable rights of life, liberty, and property, and how it
17 forms the philosophical foundation of our government.
18 (b) The history, meaning, significance, and effect of
19 the provisions of the Constitution of the United States and
20 amendments thereto with emphasis on each of the 10 amendments
21 that make up the Bill of Rights and how the constitution
22 provides the structure of our government.
23 (c) The history of the state and the State
24 Constitution.
25 (d)(b) The most important arguments in support of
26 adopting our republican form of government, as they are
27 embodied in the most important of the Federalist Papers.
28 (c) The essentials of the United States Constitution
29 and how it provides the structure of our government.
30 (e)(d) Flag education, including proper flag display
31 and flag salute.
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Florida Senate - 2006 CS for SB 28
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1 (f)(e) The elements of United States civil government,
2 including the primary functions of and interrelationships
3 between the Federal Government, the state, and its counties,
4 municipalities, school districts, and special districts.
5 (g) The history of the United States, including the
6 period of discovery, the early colonies, the War for
7 Independence, the Civil War, the expansion of the United
8 States to its present boundaries, the world wars, and the
9 civil rights movement to the present. The history of the
10 United States shall be taught in a factual manner based on
11 genuine history.
12 (h)(f) The history of the Holocaust (1933-1945), the
13 systematic, planned annihilation of European Jews and other
14 groups by Nazi Germany, a watershed event in the history of
15 humanity, to be taught in a manner that leads to an
16 investigation of human behavior, an understanding of the
17 ramifications of prejudice, racism, and stereotyping, and an
18 examination of what it means to be a responsible and
19 respectful person, for the purposes of encouraging tolerance
20 of diversity in a pluralistic society and for nurturing and
21 protecting democratic values and institutions.
22 (i)(g) The history of African Americans, including the
23 history of African peoples before the political conflicts that
24 led to the development of slavery, the passage to America, the
25 enslavement experience, abolition, and the contributions of
26 African Americans to society.
27 (j)(h) The elementary principles of agriculture.
28 (k)(i) The true effects of all alcoholic and
29 intoxicating liquors and beverages and narcotics upon the
30 human body and mind.
31 (l)(j) Kindness to animals.
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Florida Senate - 2006 CS for SB 28
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1 (k) The history of the state.
2 (m)(l) The conservation of natural resources.
3 (n)(m) Comprehensive health education that addresses
4 concepts of community health; consumer health; environmental
5 health; family life, including an awareness of the benefits of
6 sexual abstinence as the expected standard and the
7 consequences of teenage pregnancy; mental and emotional
8 health; injury prevention and safety; nutrition; personal
9 health; prevention and control of disease; and substance use
10 and abuse.
11 (o)(n) Such additional materials, subjects, courses,
12 or fields in such grades as are prescribed by law or by rules
13 of the State Board of Education and the district school board
14 in fulfilling the requirements of law.
15 (p)(o) The study of Hispanic contributions to the
16 United States.
17 (q)(p) The study of women's contributions to the
18 United States.
19 (r) The nature and importance of free enterprise to
20 the United States economy.
21 (s)(q) A character-development program in the
22 elementary schools, similar to Character First or Character
23 Counts, which is secular in nature and stresses such character
24 qualities as attentiveness, patience, and initiative.
25 Beginning in school year 2004-2005, the character-development
26 program shall be required in kindergarten through grade 12.
27 Each district school board shall develop or adopt a curriculum
28 for the character-development program that shall be submitted
29 to the department for approval. The character-development
30 curriculum shall stress the qualities of patriotism;,
31 responsibility;, citizenship; the Golden Rule;, kindness;,
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Florida Senate - 2006 CS for SB 28
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1 respect for authority, human life, liberty, and personal
2 property;, honesty; charity;, self-control;, racial, ethnic,
3 and religious tolerance;, and cooperation.
4 (t)(r) In order to encourage patriotism, the
5 sacrifices that veterans have made in serving our country and
6 protecting democratic values worldwide. Such instruction must
7 occur on or before Veterans' Day and Memorial Day. Members of
8 the instructional staff are encouraged to use the assistance
9 of local veterans when practicable.
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11 Standards adopted by the State Board of Education shall be
12 based on, and conform to, the requirements of this subsection.
13 (3) Each district school board shall require that
14 United States history, including the provisions of paragraphs
15 (2)(a)-(g), be taught in at least two grade levels in
16 elementary school, one grade level in middle school, and one
17 grade level in high school.
18 (4)(3) Any student whose parent makes written request
19 to the school principal shall be exempted from the teaching of
20 reproductive health or any disease, including HIV/AIDS, its
21 symptoms, development, and treatment. A student so exempted
22 may not be penalized by reason of that exemption. Course
23 descriptions for comprehensive health education shall not
24 interfere with the local determination of appropriate
25 curriculum which reflects local values and concerns.
26 Section 2. Paragraph (g) of subsection (1) of section
27 1003.43, Florida Statutes, is amended to read:
28 1003.43 General requirements for high school
29 graduation.--
30 (1) Graduation requires successful completion of
31 either a minimum of 24 academic credits in grades 9 through 12
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Florida Senate - 2006 CS for SB 28
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1 or an International Baccalaureate curriculum. The 24 credits
2 shall be distributed as follows:
3 (g) One-half credit in American government, including
4 study of the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution
5 of the United States. For students entering the 9th grade in
6 the 1997-1998 school year and thereafter, the study of Florida
7 government, including study of the State Constitution, the
8 three branches of state government, and municipal and county
9 government, shall be included as part of the required study of
10 American government.
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12 District school boards may award a maximum of one-half credit
13 in social studies and one-half elective credit for student
14 completion of nonpaid voluntary community or school service
15 work. Students choosing this option must complete a minimum of
16 75 hours of service in order to earn the one-half credit in
17 either category of instruction. Credit may not be earned for
18 service provided as a result of court action. District school
19 boards that approve the award of credit for student volunteer
20 service shall develop guidelines regarding the award of the
21 credit, and school principals are responsible for approving
22 specific volunteer activities. A course designated in the
23 Course Code Directory as grade 9 through grade 12 that is
24 taken below the 9th grade may be used to satisfy high school
25 graduation requirements or Florida Academic Scholars award
26 requirements as specified in a district school board's student
27 progression plan. A student shall be granted credit toward
28 meeting the requirements of this subsection for equivalent
29 courses, as identified pursuant to s. 1007.271(6), taken
30 through dual enrollment.
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Florida Senate - 2006 CS for SB 28
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1 Section 3. Paragraph (d) of subsection (3) of section
2 1002.20, Florida Statutes, is amended to read:
3 1002.20 K-12 student and parent rights.--Parents of
4 public school students must receive accurate and timely
5 information regarding their child's academic progress and must
6 be informed of ways they can help their child to succeed in
7 school. K-12 students and their parents are afforded numerous
8 statutory rights including, but not limited to, the following:
9 (3) HEALTH ISSUES.--
10 (d) Reproductive health and disease education.--A
11 public school student whose parent makes written request to
12 the school principal shall be exempted from the teaching of
13 reproductive health or any disease, including HIV/AIDS, in
14 accordance with the provisions of s. 1003.42(4)(3).
15 Section 4. This act shall take effect July 1, 2006.
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17 STATEMENT OF SUBSTANTIAL CHANGES CONTAINED IN
COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE FOR
18 Senate Bill 28
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20 The committee substitute:
21 Provides for the additional social studies content
requirements to be aligned to and effective concurrent with
22 the scheduled revision of the Sunshine State Standards and
subsequent instructional materials adoption cycle; and
23
Reduces the instruction of the additional content requirements
24 from two grade levels to one at the middle and high school
levels.
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