Florida Senate - 2024                                     SB 694
       
       
        
       By Senator Perry
       
       
       
       
       
       9-00720-24                                             2024694__
    1                        A bill to be entitled                      
    2         An act relating to the Florida Seal of Fine Arts
    3         Program; creating s. 1003.4321, F.S.; establishing the
    4         program within the Department of Education; providing
    5         the purpose of the program; specifying eligibility
    6         requirements for the awarding of the Seal of Fine
    7         Arts; defining the term “work of art”; authorizing the
    8         State Board of Education to adopt additional criteria
    9         for the award of the seal; requiring the Commissioner
   10         of Education and school districts to perform specified
   11         duties to administer the program; prohibiting a school
   12         district or the department from charging a fee for the
   13         seal; requiring the state board to adopt rules;
   14         providing an effective date.
   15          
   16  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
   17  
   18         Section 1. Section 1003.4321, Florida Statutes, is created
   19  to read:
   20         1003.4321 Florida Seal of Fine Arts Program for high school
   21  graduates.—
   22         (1) The Florida Seal of Fine Arts Program is established
   23  within the Department of Education to recognize high school
   24  graduates who have met exemplary benchmarks in fine arts
   25  coursework.
   26         (2) The purpose of the program is to encourage students to
   27  develop an exemplary level of proficiency in the performing or
   28  visual arts.
   29         (3)(a) Beginning with the 2024-2025 school year, the Seal
   30  of Fine Arts shall be awarded to a high school student who has
   31  earned a standard high school diploma; successfully completed at
   32  least three year-long courses in dance, music, theatre, or the
   33  visual arts with a grade of “A” or higher in each course or
   34  earned three sequential course credits in such courses with a
   35  grade of “A” or higher in each course; and meets a minimum of
   36  two of the following requirements:
   37         1. Successfully completes a fine arts International
   38  Baccalaureate, Advanced Placement, dual enrollment, or honors
   39  course in the subjects listed in this paragraph with a grade of
   40  “B” or higher.
   41         2. Participates in a district or statewide organization’s
   42  juried event as a selected student participant for 2 or more
   43  years.
   44         3. Records at least 25 volunteer hours of arts-related
   45  community service in his or her community and presents a
   46  comprehensive presentation on his or her experiences.
   47         4. Meets the requirements of a portfolio-based program
   48  identifying the student as an exemplary practitioner of the fine
   49  arts.
   50         5. Receives district, state, or national recognition for
   51  the creation and submission of an original work of art. For
   52  purposes of this subparagraph, the term “work of art” means a
   53  musical or theatrical composition, visual artwork, or
   54  choreographed routine or performance.
   55         (b) The State Board of Education may establish additional
   56  criteria for the award of the Seal of Fine Arts.
   57         (4) The Commissioner of Education shall do all of the
   58  following:
   59         (a) Prepare for and provide to each school district an
   60  appropriate seal to be affixed to a student’s diploma indicating
   61  that the student has been awarded the Seal of Fine Arts.
   62         (b) Provide appropriate benchmarks in rubric form which are
   63  necessary for a school district to successfully implement the
   64  program.
   65         (5) Each school district shall do all of the following:
   66         (a) Maintain appropriate records to identify a student who
   67  has met the requirements to receive the Seal of Fine Arts.
   68         (b) Provide the Commissioner of Education with the number
   69  of students who have met the requirements to receive the Seal of
   70  Fine Arts.
   71         (c) Affix the appropriate insignia to the student’s diploma
   72  and indicate on the student’s transcript that he or she has
   73  earned the Seal of Fine Arts.
   74         (6) A school district or the department may not charge a
   75  fee for the Seal of Fine Arts.
   76         (7) The State Board of Education shall adopt rules to
   77  administer this section, including, but not limited to, all of
   78  the following:
   79         (a) A process created in rubric form to confirm a student’s
   80  successful completion of the requirements in subsection (3).
   81         (b) Any additional requirements a student must meet to be
   82  awarded the Seal of Fine Arts.
   83         Section 2. This act shall take effect July 1, 2024.