| 1 | A bill to be entitled |
| 2 | An act relating to service learning in the public school |
| 3 | system; creating s. 1003.497, F.S.; requiring the |
| 4 | Department of Education to encourage school districts to |
| 5 | initiate, adopt, expand, and institutionalize service- |
| 6 | learning programs, activities, and policies in |
| 7 | kindergarten through grade 12; defining service learning; |
| 8 | providing for department assistance to a school district |
| 9 | that elects to implement service-learning activities; |
| 10 | requiring development and adoption of service-learning |
| 11 | courses; authorizing service-learning activities to count |
| 12 | toward high school graduation or academic award |
| 13 | requirements; encouraging school districts to include |
| 14 | service learning as part of courses or activities required |
| 15 | for high school graduation or receipt of academic awards; |
| 16 | providing an effective date. |
| 17 |
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| 18 | Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: |
| 19 |
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| 20 | Section 1. Section 1003.497, Florida Statutes, is created |
| 21 | to read: |
| 22 | 1003.497 Service learning.-- |
| 23 | (1) The Department of Education shall encourage school |
| 24 | districts to initiate, adopt, expand, and institutionalize |
| 25 | service-learning programs, activities, and policies in |
| 26 | kindergarten through grade 12. Service learning refers to a |
| 27 | student-centered, research-based teaching and learning strategy |
| 28 | that engages students in meaningful service activities in their |
| 29 | schools or communities. Service-learning activities are directly |
| 30 | tied to academic curricula, standards, and course, district, or |
| 31 | state assessments. Service-learning activities foster academic |
| 32 | achievement, character development, civic engagement, and career |
| 33 | exploration and enable students to apply curriculum content, |
| 34 | skills, and behaviors taught in the classroom. |
| 35 | (2) Upon request of any school district that elects to |
| 36 | implement service-learning programs, activities, or policies, |
| 37 | the department shall provide assistance in locating, leveraging, |
| 38 | and utilizing available or alternative financial resources that |
| 39 | will assist school districts or teachers desiring to receive |
| 40 | training and other resources to develop and administer service- |
| 41 | learning programs or activities. School districts are encouraged |
| 42 | to include kindergarten through grade 12 service-learning |
| 43 | programs and activities in proposals they submit to the |
| 44 | department under federal entitlement grants and competitive |
| 45 | state and federal grants administered through the department. |
| 46 | (3)(a) The department shall develop and adopt elective |
| 47 | service-learning courses for inclusion in middle and high school |
| 48 | course code directories, which will allow additional |
| 49 | opportunities for students to engage in service learning. School |
| 50 | districts are encouraged to provide support for the use of |
| 51 | service learning at any grade level as an instructional strategy |
| 52 | to address appropriate areas of state education standards for |
| 53 | student knowledge and performance. |
| 54 | (b) The hours that high school students devote to course- |
| 55 | based service-learning activities may be counted toward meeting |
| 56 | community service requirements for high school graduation and |
| 57 | community service requirements for participation in the Florida |
| 58 | Bright Futures Scholarship Program. School districts are |
| 59 | encouraged to include service learning as part of any course or |
| 60 | activity required for high school graduation and to include and |
| 61 | accept service-learning activities and hours in requirements for |
| 62 | academic awards, especially those awards that currently include |
| 63 | community service as a criterion or selection factor. |
| 64 | Section 2. This act shall take effect July 1, 2009. |