Florida – Updated July 1, 2020 – Below is a list of the K12 education-related bills that passed during the 2020 Florida legislative session. This recap was created with information from the Florida Department of Education in an effort to provide our member school leaders and their governing board members with details about new mandates and requirements. If approved by the Governor, the bills listed here will take effect July 1, 2020.
Prior to and during the 2020 Legislative Session, the FCSA advocacy team – led by Ralph Arza — met with key lawmakers to discuss the current state of the charter school movement in Florida, share great academic achievement news, and encouraged them to continue to support public charter school students and teachers. We also surveyed FCSA member school leaders and governing board members that include independent, municipal, and network schools in order to develop comprehensive legislative priorities.
Designation of School Grades
The bill (CS/SB 434) modifies the high school acceleration component of the school grading model to add to the calculation students who complete career certificate dual enrollment courses resulting in 300 or more clock hours that are approved by the State Board of Education. If signed by the Governor, the bill — sponsored by Sen. Bill Montford, D-Tallahassee, and Rep. Jason Shoaf, R-Port St. Joe. — would allow career-education course hours to count toward high school grades. This bill was signed by Governor DeSantis, 06/23/20.
Click here to view the full Bill Summary of Senate Bill 434
The FDOE Memo regarding the Designation of School Grades is available here.
Funds for the Operation of Schools / Teacher Salary Increase Allocation
House Bill 641/Funds for the Operation of Schools establishes the Teacher Salary Increase Allocation within the Florida Education Finance Program (FEFP). The legislation was signed by Governor DeSantis, 06/24/20.
The allocation:
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- Requires school districts and charter schools to use the allocation to increase the minimum base salary for full-time classroom teachers to at least $47,500,or to the maximum amount achievable and as specified in the General Appropriations Act (GAA).
- Provides for salary increases for full-time classroom teachers who did not receive a salary increase or who received an increase of less than two percent, or as specified in the GAA, and other full-time instructional personnel.
- Establishes reporting requirements for district school boards, charter school governing boards, and the Department of Education (DOE).
The bill also:
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- Repeals the Florida Best and Brightest Teacher Program, Florida Best and Brightest Principal Program, and the Florida Best and Brightest Teacher and Principal Allocation.
- Provides the DOE with the flexibility to establish timeframes for the advertisement and submission of bids for the 2020 instructional materials adoption cycle.
- Provides school district bonus funding through the FEFP for students who receive an Advanced Placement Capstone Diploma and meet the requirements for a standard high school diploma.
- Removes the limit of 30 postsecondary semester credit hours that a student may be awarded for successfully completing International Baccalaureate or Advanced International Certificate of Education course examinations.
These provisions take effect July 1, 2020, except for the provision related to the 2020 instructional materials adoption cycle, which takes effect upon becoming law.
When the Florida Charter School Alliance team learned that some districts were planning to withhold a percentage of the teacher salary allocation — as an administrative fee — from charter schools, we took immediate action. Click here for details.
View the Full Bill Summary of House Bill 641
FDOE Memo regarding Teacher Salary Increase Allocation
FDOE Memo: Repeal of The Florida Best and Brightest Teacher/Principal Program
Educational Instruction of Historical Events
The bill (CS/CS/HB 1213) adds the policy, definition, examples, and prevention of anti-Semitism to the required public school instruction regarding the history of the Holocaust. Each school district must annually certify and provide evidence to the Department of Education that instructional requirements concerning the history of the Holocaust are met. The bill also requires the FDOE to prepare and offer standards and curriculum for the required instruction with input from the Commissioner of Education’s Task Force on Holocaust Education or from recognized Holocaust educational organizations. The bill also designates the second week in November as “Holocaust Education Week” in recognition of the anniversary of Kristallnacht, a precipitating event that led to the Holocaust.
The legislation was signed by Governor DeSantis, 06/23/20.
Read more about the Holocaust Education mandate here.
Student Athletes / Zachary Martin Act
The bill (CS/HB 7011) requires each public school that is a member of the Florida High School Athletic Association (FHSAA) to make its automated external defibrillator (AED) available on school grounds in a clearly marked, publicized location for each athletic contest, practice, workout, or conditioning session, including those events taking place outside of the school year. The legislation was signed by Governor DeSantis, 06/23/20.
Training for School Employees or Volunteers:
The bill requires — beginning June 1, 2021 – that a school employee or volunteer with current training in cardiopulmonary resuscitation and AED use to be present at each athletic event during and outside of the school year. Each employee or volunteer expected to use an AED must complete this training and be annually notified in writing of each AED’s location.
Heat Stress Monitoring, Hydration, and Cooling Zones:
The bill specifies that the FHSAA must:
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- Make training and resources available to each member school for the effective monitoring of heat stress;
- Require member schools to monitor heat stress and modify athletic activities based on heat stress guidelines, including making cooling zones available;
- Establish hydration guidelines, including appropriate introduction of electrolytes; and
- Require each school’s emergency action plan to include a procedure for onsite cooling using cold-water immersion or equivalent means before transporting a student for exertion heat stroke.
Athletic Coach and Sponsor of Extracurricular Activities Training:
The bill specifies that each athletic coach and sponsor of extracurricular activities involving outdoor practices or events must annually complete training in exertional heat illness identification, prevention, and response, including effective administration of cooling zones.
Medical Evaluation:
The bill requires all students participating in conditioning and activities that occur outside of the school year to pass a medical evaluation prior to participation in such activities each year.
Alert Systems in Public Schools
The bill (SB 70) requires each public school in Florida to implement a mobile panic alert system capable of connecting diverse emergency services technologies to ensure real-time coordination between multiple first responders. The legislation was signed by Governor DeSantis, 06/30/20.
Read more about the panic alert system mandate here.
Compliance Assistance: For information about installing a cost-effective and proven panic alert system that connects directly to your local police department, contact FCSA Marketplace Partner, Dimitry Shaposhnikov at FrandMe, (305) 300-5224, Email: dimitry@frandme.com, www.frandme.com
Medicaid School-Based Services
HB 7097 by Representative Avila is this year’s tax package
The bill contains several provisions related to tax cuts, sales tax holidays, etc. The only provisions related to education are:
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- a 3-day sales tax holiday for school supplies,
- a requirement that school capital outlay discretionary surtaxes be shared with charter schools.
The bill was signed by Governor DeSantis. More details are available here.
Other School Choice Legislation
HB 7067, sponsored by Representative Jennifer Sullivan, expands the eligibility for the Gardiner Scholarship Program (GSP), the Family Empowerment Scholarship Program (FES), the Florida Tax Credit Program (FTC), and revises provisions related to Florida’s statewide, standardized assessments. Click here for additional information.
The Fiscal Analysis Report
The Fiscal Analysis, in brief, is an annual report prepared by the Florida Legislature to summarize fiscal and budgetary information affecting the 2020-21 fiscal year. The document — linked below — contains graphical depictions and detailed listings of appropriations, fund sources, nonrecurring issues, vetoed items, financial outlooks, and legislation affecting revenues.