Florida Senate - 2014 SB 902 By Senator Detert 28-00705B-14 2014902__ 1 A bill to be entitled 2 An act relating to the expansion of school counseling 3 resources; establishing the Blue Ribbon Panel Task 4 Force within the Department of Education; providing 5 the purpose, membership, and initial meeting time of 6 the task force; providing for the election of a chair 7 and vice chair of the task force; providing the method 8 for filling a vacancy in the position of chair or vice 9 chair; providing specified duties of the task force; 10 requiring the department to provide staff and 11 administrative support to the task force; providing 12 meeting times for the task force; providing a quorum; 13 providing that members of the task force serve without 14 compensation; providing that members are entitled to 15 per diem and travel expenses; requiring the task force 16 to submit a report to the Governor and the Legislature 17 by a specified date; providing for termination of the 18 task force; providing an effective date. 19 20 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: 21 22 Section 1. The Blue Ribbon Panel Task Force.— 23 (1) To ensure that public school students in this state 24 have access to high-quality, evidence-based school counseling 25 programs and to support the funding of additional school 26 counselor positions in the public schools where the positions 27 are needed, the Blue Ribbon Panel Task Force is established 28 within the Department of Education. The purpose of the task 29 force is to study whether there is a demonstrable relationship 30 between expanding counseling resources in public schools and 31 early detection of mental health issues in students, improved 32 academic performance and student attendance, higher graduation 33 rates, and decreased behavioral disruptions on the part of 34 students. The task force shall comply with the requirements of 35 s. 20.052, Florida Statutes, except as otherwise provided in 36 this section. 37 (2) The task force is comprised of the following eight 38 members: 39 (a) A member from one of the regional workforce boards from 40 Workforce Florida, Inc., appointed by the Governor. 41 (b) A principal, or the principal’s designee, of a public 42 school that received the Recognized-ASCA-Model-Program (RAMP) 43 designation from the American School Counselor Association 44 (ASCA), appointed by the Commissioner of Education. 45 (c) A member of a parent-teacher organization or parent 46 teacher association in this state, appointed by the Commissioner 47 of Education. 48 (d) The chair of the board of directors of the Florida 49 School Counselor Association, or his or her designee. 50 (e) The chair of the board of directors of the American 51 School Counselor Association, or his or her designee. 52 (f) A school administrator in this state, appointed by the 53 Commissioner of Education. 54 (g) A member of the Senate, appointed by the President of 55 the Senate. 56 (h) A member of the House of Representatives, appointed by 57 the Speaker of the House of Representatives. 58 (3) The appointments to the task force must be completed by 59 August 1, 2014. The task force shall hold its initial meeting by 60 October 1, 2014, and elect a chair and a vice chair. A vacancy 61 in the office of chair or vice chair shall be filled by a vote 62 of the remaining members. 63 (4) The task force shall: 64 (a) Study whether increasing the number of certified school 65 counselors in the public schools is demonstrably beneficial to 66 students and recommend a methodology for assessing the impact of 67 such increased staffing. 68 (b) Review and recommend updates to the Florida’s School 69 Counseling and Guidance Framework for the enhancement of 70 district-level leadership and support. 71 (c) Recommend a grant process to assist in the funding of 72 additional school counselor positions where the positions are 73 needed. 74 (5) The Department of Education shall provide staff and 75 administrative support to the task force. 76 (6) The task force shall meet quarterly and at other times 77 at the call of the chair or as determined by a majority of task 78 force members. 79 (7) Five members of the task force constitute a quorum, and 80 an affirmative vote of a majority of the members present is 81 required for final action. 82 (8) Members of the task force shall serve without 83 compensation. Members are entitled to reimbursement for per diem 84 and travel expenses as provided in s. 112.061, Florida Statutes. 85 (9)(a) By December 15, 2016, the task force shall submit a 86 report to the Governor, the President of the Senate, and the 87 Speaker of the House of Representatives which states the task 88 force’s: 89 1. Findings, conclusions, and recommendations regarding the 90 study described in paragraph (4)(a); 91 2. Recommended updates for the Florida’s School Counseling 92 and Guidance Framework as provided in paragraph (4)(b); and 93 3. Recommendations for implementation of the grant process 94 specified in paragraph (4)(c). 95 (b) The task force terminates upon submission of the 96 report. 97 Section 2. This act shall take effect July 1, 2014.