Florida Senate - 2026                                    SB 1738
       
       
        
       By Senator Yarborough
       
       
       
       
       
       4-01161A-26                                           20261738__
    1                        A bill to be entitled                      
    2         An act relating to educational facilities; requiring
    3         the Office of Educational Facilities and the Office of
    4         Safe Schools to collaborate with specified entities to
    5         review the State Requirements for Educational
    6         Facilities; providing requirements for the review;
    7         requiring that recommendations be provided to
    8         specified entities; providing an effective date.
    9          
   10  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
   11  
   12         Section 1. (1) The Office of Educational Facilities and
   13  the Office of Safe Schools within the Department of Education
   14  shall collaborate with at least one state university that has
   15  research experience in the design and construction of
   16  educational facilities; district facilities directors;
   17  representatives of the Florida Building Commission; and sheriffs
   18  or police chiefs to review the State Requirements for
   19  Educational Facilities required under s. 1013.37, Florida
   20  Statutes, and make recommendations, as appropriate, to improve
   21  teacher and student safety and accountability through a school’s
   22  physical plant. The review must include all of the following:
   23         (a) Recommended changes in new construction and renovations
   24  which may reduce the occurrence of misconduct between teachers
   25  and students and between students. Such misconduct may include,
   26  but is not limited to, physical and sexual abuse, inappropriate
   27  relationships with students, bullying, and harassment.
   28         (b) An examination of the principles of crime prevention
   29  through environmental design as defined in s. 163.503(6),
   30  Florida Statutes, and their application to recommendations under
   31  this section. The review team must include a representative who
   32  has achieved a Florida Crime Prevention Through Environmental
   33  Design Practitioner designation by the Office of the Attorney
   34  General.
   35         (c) Configurations of a physical plant, such as using
   36  lighting, windows, doors, mirrors, and cameras, to ensure that
   37  student interactions with adults are observable and that there
   38  are opportunities for the interactions to be interrupted, to
   39  reduce times that a student may be isolated, and to maintain
   40  access control over spaces.
   41         (2) Recommendations must be submitted to the department,
   42  which shall transmit the recommendations and any comments as a
   43  part of its next biennial review to the Florida Building
   44  Commission consistent with s. 1013.37(4), Florida Statutes, with
   45  copies to the Governor, the State Fire Marshal, the President of
   46  the Senate, and the Speaker of the House of Representatives.
   47         Section 2. This act shall take effect July 1, 2026.