Florida Senate - 2014                              CS for SB 514
       
       
        
       By the Committee on Appropriations; and Senator Flores
       
       
       
       
       
       576-04210-14                                           2014514c1
    1                        A bill to be entitled                      
    2         An act relating to single-gender public school
    3         programs; amending s. 1002.311, F.S.; providing
    4         requirements for a district school board when
    5         establishing a gender-specific elementary, middle, or
    6         high school; requiring school administrative and
    7         instructional personnel to participate in professional
    8         development; providing accountability requirements;
    9         providing an effective date.
   10          
   11  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
   12  
   13         Section 1. Subsection (2) of section 1002.311, Florida
   14  Statutes, is amended to read:
   15         1002.311 Single-gender programs authorized.—
   16         (2) A district school board that establishes a single
   17  gender class, extracurricular activity, or school:
   18         (a) May not require participation by any student. The
   19  district school board must ensure that participation in the
   20  single-gender class, extracurricular activity, or school is
   21  voluntary.
   22         (b) Must evaluate each single-gender class, extracurricular
   23  activity, or school in the school district at least once every 2
   24  years in order to ensure that it is in compliance with this
   25  section and 34 C.F.R. s. 106.34.
   26         (c) Must comply with the following requirements when
   27  establishing a gender-specific elementary, middle, or high
   28  school:
   29         1. Separate into grade-level boys-only classes and girls
   30  only classes during instruction in core courses.
   31         2. Offer open enrollment to all students within the school
   32  district.
   33         3. Require the school’s administrative and instructional
   34  personnel to participate in professional development that
   35  includes scheduling and instructional strategies.
   36         4. Provide to the department a comparison of the academic
   37  performance of students in the gender-specific elementary,
   38  middle, or high school with the academic performance of students
   39  in other public elementary, middle, or high schools, as
   40  appropriate, in the school district.
   41         Section 2. This act shall take effect July 1, 2014.