Florida Senate - 2024 CS for SB 1344
By the Committee on Education Pre-K -12; and Senator Calatayud
581-02413-24 20241344c1
1 A bill to be entitled
2 An act relating to computer science education;
3 creating s. 1003.4202, F.S.; creating the AI in
4 Education Task Force within the Department of
5 Education; providing the purpose of the task force;
6 defining terms; requiring the Commissioner of
7 Education to serve as the chair of the task force;
8 requiring the department to provide certain
9 administrative support to the task force; requiring
10 the Governor to appoint members to the task force by a
11 specified date; requiring the task force to meet a
12 certain number of times per year; providing the duties
13 of the task force; requiring the department to adopt
14 and publish by a specified date a strategic plan for
15 computer science education; providing requirements for
16 the strategic plan; requiring the State Board of
17 Education to adopt rules; providing an effective date.
18
19 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
20
21 Section 1. Section 1003.4202, Florida Statutes, is created
22 to read:
23 1003.4202 Computer science and technology instruction.—
24 (1)(a) The AI in Education Task Force is established within
25 the Department of Education. The purpose of the task force is to
26 evaluate the potential applications of artificial intelligence
27 in K-12 and higher education and to develop policy
28 recommendations for responsible and effective uses of artificial
29 intelligence by students and educators, including creating a
30 definition for the term “artificial intelligence.” The task
31 force shall also identify workforce needs related to artificial
32 intelligence, computational thinking, and computer science and
33 provide policy recommendations to ensure that the state develops
34 education and workforce training programs that align with
35 changing industry needs. As used in this section, the term
36 “computational thinking” means the thought process involved in
37 expressing solutions as computational steps or algorithms that
38 can be carried out by a computer, and the term “computer
39 science” means the study of computers and algorithmic processes,
40 including their principles, hardware and software designs,
41 applications, implementation, and impact on society, and
42 includes computer coding, computer programming, computational
43 thinking, robotics, cybersecurity, artificial intelligence,
44 machine learning, computer networking, and physical computing.
45 (b) The Commissioner of Education shall serve as the chair
46 of the task force.
47 (c) The department shall provide administrative support for
48 the task force, including, but not limited to, developing
49 agendas, coordinating meetings, and drafting reports for task
50 force feedback.
51 (d) The task force shall include members who possess
52 knowledge or expertise in the fields of education, technology,
53 artificial intelligence, ethics, data privacy, industry demands,
54 state and local policy, and state procurement.
55 (e) The Governor shall appoint members to the task force by
56 October 1, 2024. The members shall include, at a minimum:
57 1. A representative from the State Board of Education;
58 2. A representative from the Board of Governors of the
59 State University System;
60 3. A representative of the State Workforce Development
61 Board;
62 4. A representative from the Division of State Purchasing
63 within the Department of Management Services who has expertise
64 in technology procurement and data privacy standards;
65 5. A representative from the Office of the Attorney
66 General;
67 6. One local school board member and one local district
68 school superintendent, each representing a rural school
69 district, a suburban school district, and an urban school
70 district, respectively;
71 7. A school district educational technology director;
72 8. Faculty in this state with expertise on artificial
73 intelligence, educational technology, or ethics from a public
74 college, a private college, and a community or technical
75 college, respectively;
76 9. Educators from one public school, one public charter
77 school, and one private school in this state; and
78 10. Leaders from three industry sectors in this state which
79 are directly affected by developments in artificial
80 intelligence.
81 (f) The task force shall meet at least four times per year
82 beginning in January 2025 and shall complete its work within 1
83 year. Upon completion, the task force shall submit
84 recommendations to the Governor, the President of the Senate,
85 and the Speaker of the House of Representatives. All meetings
86 must be open to the public.
87 (g) The task force shall do all of the following:
88 1. Evaluate the current state of artificial intelligence
89 technology and its potential applications in K-12 and higher
90 education.
91 2. Assess the ethical, legal, and data privacy implications
92 of artificial intelligence usage in education.
93 (2) The department shall adopt a strategic plan for a
94 statewide computer science education program which must be
95 published by February 28, 2026, and must include, at a minimum,
96 all of the following:
97 (a) A statement of purpose that describes the objectives or
98 goals the department will accomplish by implementing a computer
99 science education program, the strategies by which those goals
100 will be achieved, and a timeline for achieving those goals.
101 (b) A summary of the current state landscape for K-12
102 computer science education, including diversity of students
103 taking these courses.
104 (c) A plan for expanding flexible options to license
105 computer science teachers, which may include approval codes,
106 technical permits, ancillary licenses, and standard licenses.
107 (d) A plan for expanding computer science education
108 opportunities to every school in this state by the timelines
109 established in subsection (1).
110 (e) A plan for defining high-quality professional learning
111 for teachers to begin teaching computer science.
112 (f) An ongoing evaluation process that is overseen by the
113 department.
114 (g) Proposed rules that incorporate the principles of the
115 strategic plan into the state’s public education system as a
116 whole.
117 (h) A recommended long-term plan for implementing a
118 requirement that every K-12 public school and public charter
119 school employ at least one certified or endorsed computer
120 science teacher or one career and technical education teacher
121 trained in computer science. The plan must allow for this
122 requirement to be satisfied through multiple department-approved
123 processes for certification and endorsement, including, but not
124 limited to, endorsing a certified teacher endorsed in another
125 subject area.
126 (i) A plan to ensure long-term sustainability.
127 (3) The State Board of Education shall adopt rules to
128 administer this section.
129 Section 2. This act shall take effect July 1, 2024.