Florida Senate - 2017 SENATOR AMENDMENT
Bill No. SB 436
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LEGISLATIVE ACTION
Senate . House
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Floor: WD/2R .
03/21/2017 12:20 PM .
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Senator Rader moved the following:
1 Senate Amendment (with title amendment)
2
3 Delete everything after the enacting clause
4 and insert:
5 Section 1. Subsection (25) is added to section 1002.20,
6 Florida Statutes, to read:
7 1002.20 K-12 student and parent rights.—Parents of public
8 school students must receive accurate and timely information
9 regarding their child’s academic progress and must be informed
10 of ways they can help their child to succeed in school. K-12
11 students and their parents are afforded numerous statutory
12 rights including, but not limited to, the following:
13 (25) RELIGIOUS LIBERTIES.—
14 (a) Religious expression.—A student may express his or her
15 religious beliefs in coursework, artwork, and other written and
16 oral assignments free from discrimination. A student’s homework
17 and classroom assignments shall be evaluated, regardless of
18 their religious content, based on expected academic standards
19 relating to the course curriculum and requirements. A student
20 may not be penalized or rewarded based on the religious content
21 of his or her work if the coursework, artwork, or other written
22 or oral assignments require a student’s viewpoint to be
23 expressed.
24 (b) Religious jewelry.—A student may wear jewelry that
25 displays a religious message or symbol in the same manner and to
26 the same extent that secular types of jewelry that display
27 messages or symbols are permitted to be worn.
28 (c) Religious organization.—A student may organize prayer
29 groups, religious clubs, and other religious gatherings before,
30 during, and after the school day in the same manner and to the
31 same extent that a student is permitted to organize secular
32 activities and groups. A religious group may be given access to
33 the same school facilities for assembling as given to secular
34 groups without discrimination based on the religious content of
35 the group’s expression. A group that meets for prayer or other
36 religious speech may advertise or announce its meetings in the
37 same manner and to the same extent that a secular group may
38 advertise or announce its meetings.
39
40 The rights as provided in this subsection may be enforced under
41 chapter 761.
42 Section 2. Section 1002.205, Florida Statutes, is amended
43 to read:
44 1002.205 Guidelines on religious expression; distribution.
45 The Department of Education shall each year distribute for
46 informational purposes to all district school board members,
47 district school superintendents, school principals, and teachers
48 the entire guidelines on “Religious Expression in Public
49 Schools” published by the United States Department of Education,
50 as updated from time to time. In addition, a school district may
51 not prevent school personnel from participating in religious
52 activities on school grounds which are initiated by students at
53 reasonable times before or after the school day if such
54 activities are voluntary and do not conflict with the
55 responsibilities or assignments of such personnel. The rights as
56 provided in this section may be enforced under chapter 761.
57 Section 3. This act shall take effect July 1, 2017.
58
59 ================= T I T L E A M E N D M E N T ================
60 And the title is amended as follows:
61 Delete everything before the enacting clause
62 and insert:
63 A bill to be entitled
64 An act relating to religious expression in public
65 schools; amending s. 1002.20, F.S.; prohibiting
66 penalty or reward for a student’s religious expression
67 in coursework, artwork, or other specified
68 assignments; authorizing a student to wear jewelry
69 displaying religious messages or symbols; authorizing
70 a student to organize prayer groups, religious clubs,
71 and other religious gatherings; authorizing religious
72 groups to have equal access to school facilities;
73 authorizing religious groups to advertise or announce
74 meetings in the same manner and to the same extent as
75 secular groups; authorizing the enforcement of such
76 student rights under the Religious Freedom Restoration
77 Act of 1998; amending s. 1002.205, F.S.; prohibiting a
78 school district from preventing school personnel from
79 participating in voluntary, student-initiated
80 religious activities on school grounds under specified
81 circumstances; authorizing the enforcement of the
82 right to such participation under the Religious
83 Freedom Restoration Act of 1998; providing an
84 effective date.