Florida Senate - 2024                              CS for SB 786
       
       
        
       By the Committee on Education Pre-K -12; and Senator Powell
       
       
       
       
       
       581-02967-24                                           2024786c1
    1                        A bill to be entitled                      
    2         An act relating to the Youth Conflict Resolution and
    3         Peer Mediation Pilot Program; creating the Youth
    4         Conflict Resolution and Peer Mediation Pilot Program,
    5         subject to legislative appropriation; providing the
    6         purpose of the pilot program; providing for an
    7         application process for participation in the pilot
    8         program; requiring the Commissioner of Education to
    9         select a certain number of middle or high schools to
   10         participate in the pilot program; requiring the
   11         commissioner to select a conflict resolution
   12         curriculum for use in the program; requiring the
   13         commissioner to select a nonprofit organization to
   14         implement the pilot program; providing participating
   15         middle or high schools and the nonprofit organization
   16         responsibilities; requiring the nonprofit organization
   17         to provide a report to the Governor, the Legislature,
   18         and the Department of Education; providing
   19         requirements for the report; authorizing the State
   20         Board of Education to adopt rules to administer the
   21         pilot program; providing an effective date.
   22          
   23  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
   24  
   25  Section 1. Youth Conflict Resolution and Peer Mediation Pilot
   26  Program.—Beginning with the 2025-2026 school year and subject to
   27  legislative appropriation, the Youth Conflict Resolution and
   28  Peer Mediation Pilot Program is created for a period of 1 school
   29  year. The purpose of the program is to reduce juvenile violence
   30  by equipping students with essential skills for peaceful
   31  conflict resolution through the use of a conflict resolution
   32  curriculum selected by the Commissioner of Education.
   33         (1)(a) Middle and high schools within this state shall
   34  apply to the Department of Education, in a format and by a date
   35  prescribed by the department, to participate in the program.
   36         (b) The commissioner shall select five middle or high
   37  schools to participate in the program. To the extent possible,
   38  the commissioner shall select schools with a high rate of
   39  juvenile violence.
   40         (c) The commissioner shall select a conflict resolution
   41  curriculum for use in the pilot program.
   42         (d) The commissioner shall select a nonprofit organization
   43  capable of working with the department and participating schools
   44  to oversee the pilot program’s implementation and to analyze the
   45  data resulting from the pilot program.
   46         (2) A participating middle or high school shall:
   47         (a) Implement the curriculum selected by the commissioner,
   48  focusing on skill-building without undermining the school’s
   49  existing disciplinary framework to provide students with
   50  conflict resolution skills pertinent to their daily interactions
   51  and overall community health.
   52         (b) Provide data and information requested by the selected
   53  nonprofit organization.
   54         (c) Complete the pre-program and post-program survey
   55  created by the selected nonprofit organization.
   56         (3) The selected nonprofit organization shall:
   57         (a) Oversee implementation of the pilot program.
   58         (b) Provide guidance to participating middle or high
   59  schools on implementing the conflict resolution curriculum into
   60  each such school’s existing curriculum.
   61         (c) Collect relevant data and information relating to the
   62  rates of juvenile violence in selected schools before the pilot
   63  program and the rates of such violence after implementation of
   64  the pilot program.
   65         (d) Provide periodic updates to the department on the
   66  implementation of the pilot program.
   67         (e) Create a pre-program and post-program survey that must
   68  be completed by school administrators and teachers at
   69  participating schools.
   70         (4) Upon completion of the pilot program, the selected
   71  nonprofit organization shall provide a report to the Governor,
   72  the President of the Senate, the Speaker of the House of
   73  Representatives, and the department, which must include:
   74         (a) The number of students enrolled at participating
   75  schools.
   76         (b) The rates of juvenile violence in participating schools
   77  before the pilot program.
   78         (c) The rates of juvenile violence in participating schools
   79  after implementation of the pilot program.
   80         (d) The findings of the pre-program and post-program
   81  survey.
   82         (e) Recommendations for the inclusion of the curriculum of
   83  middle schools across the state.
   84         (5) The State Board of Education may adopt rules to
   85  administer the pilot program.
   86         Section 2. This act shall take effect July 1, 2024.