Florida Senate - 2012 SB 1770
By Senator Flores
38-01070-12 20121770__
1 A bill to be entitled
2 An act relating to required instruction in the public
3 schools; providing a short title; amending s. 1003.42,
4 F.S.; revising the curriculum of the character
5 development program required in kindergarten through
6 grade 12; providing an effective date.
7
8 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
9
10 Section 1. This act may be cited as the “Character
11 Education Act.”
12 Section 2. Paragraph (s) of subsection (2) of section
13 1003.42, Florida Statutes, is amended to read:
14 1003.42 Required instruction.—
15 (2) Members of the instructional staff of the public
16 schools, subject to the rules of the State Board of Education
17 and the district school board, shall teach efficiently and
18 faithfully, using the books and materials required that meet the
19 highest standards for professionalism and historic accuracy,
20 following the prescribed courses of study, and employing
21 approved methods of instruction, the following:
22 (s) A character-development program in kindergarten through
23 grade 12 the elementary schools, similar to Character First, or
24 Character Counts, or The Leader in Me, which is secular in
25 nature. The character-development curriculum shall stress the
26 virtues of wisdom, pursuit of excellence, equality,
27 responsibility, honesty, courage, patriotism, self-discipline,
28 perseverance, duty, honor, charity, civility, tolerance, and
29 other qualities of character that better prepare students to
30 recognize and accept the responsibility for preserving the
31 blessings of liberty inherited from prior generations. Beginning
32 in school year 2004-2005, the character-development program
33 shall be required in kindergarten through grade 12. Each
34 district school board shall develop or adopt a curriculum for
35 the character-development program that shall be submitted to the
36 department for approval. Members of the administrative and
37 instructional staff must be informed of the requirements of this
38 paragraph at the beginning of each school year. The character
39 development curriculum shall stress the qualities of patriotism;
40 responsibility; citizenship; kindness; respect for authority,
41 life, liberty, and personal property; honesty; charity; self
42 control; racial, ethnic, and religious tolerance; and
43 cooperation.
44
45 The State Board of Education is encouraged to adopt standards
46 and pursue assessment of the requirements of this subsection.
47 Section 3. This act shall take effect July 1, 2012.