Florida – Updated June 25, 2021 – Below is a list of the K12 education-related bills that passed during the 2021 Florida legislative session and have been signed by Governor DeSantis.
Prior to and throughout the 2021 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 positive academic achievement data, and ask that they continue to support the students, teachers and families that rely on quality public charter schools. The legislative agenda was developed with input from member school leaders and governing board members that include independent, municipal, and network schools.
This recap was created by the FCSA team — with information from the Florida Department of Education, Florida House of Representatives and Florida Senate — to provide our member school leaders and their governing board members with details about new laws, mandates, and requirements that impact public K-12 education and/or public charter schools.
Charter schools in Florida have been a vital component of the state’s K-12 public educaiton system for 25 years. There are currently more than 340,000 students attending a charter school.
Click here to see the Florida Department of Education Legislative Review 2021.
Moment of Silence HB
Under the law, all K12 public school principals — including charter school principals — will be required to allow one to two minutes for a moment of silence at the beginning of the school day. Click here to read the complete bill.
Purple Star Bill HB 429
The bill requires the Department of Education to establish a Purple Star Campus Program, which identifies schools that support children in military families, including public schools, charter schools, and schools participating in the Florida educational choice scholarship program. Schools will be recognized as Purple Star Campuses if they meet certain requirements, including having a designated staff member as a military liaison, a webpage on the school’s website that includes resources for military students and families, and a student-led transition program to assist military students. Click here to read the complete bill.
Alyssa’s Law – Mobile Panic Alert System
- All Florida public schools, including charters, must be outfitted with mobile panic alert systems by the start of the 2021-2022 school year.
- Schools must contract with a vendor that has an executed contract with FDOE. A list of vendors is available here: http://www.fldoe.org/safe-schools/alyssas-alert.stml
- School districts and charter schools may use different vendors. However, if a charter school selects a different vendor than their district, the charter school MUST NOTIFY the district.
- June 1, 2021 FDOE update/guidance
- Schools must continue to have a safe-school officer at each public school. More details available here.
Civics Education
HB 233 will prohibit the State Board of Education from shielding students, staff, and faculty from certain speech and requires the State Board of Education to conduct an annual assessment on intellectual freedom and viewpoint diversity.
HB 5: Civic Education Curriculum K-12 requires the Florida Department of Education to create an integrated K-12 civic education curriculum that includes an understanding of citizens’ shared rights and responsibilities under the Constitution and Bill of Rights. It further expands required instruction in high school to include a comparative discussion of political ideologies that conflict with the principles of freedom and democracy essential to the founding principles of the United States, such as communism and totalitarianism. This bill also provides a library of “Portraits in Patriotism” based on personal stories of diverse individuals who demonstrate civic-minded qualities, including those who have moved to this country after being persecuted in nations like Cuba and Venezuela.
SB 1108 requires high school students to take a civic literacy assessment that has no high stakes consequences. If a high school student passes the test, that student is exempted from the postsecondary test requirement. The bill also expands the character development curriculum for high school juniors and seniors to include instructions on how to register to vote.
First Aid Training in Public Schools
The law requires Florida school districts to give students training in CPR and also show them how to use an automated external defibrillator if the school district has the necessary equipment. More here.
State Disqualification List: database for teacher firings, resignations and personnel files
HB 131 requires the Florida Department of Education to create and maintain a list of people who are disqualified from teaching in the state. Included in the database would be reasons for termination as well as a list of teachers who resigned rather than be fired for sexual misconduct. The disqualification list will include records are stored have been placed on the list for the following reasons:
- On the list as directed by the Education Practices Commission
- Were terminated or resigned in lieu of termination from employment as a result of sexual misconduct with a student
- Have been disqualified from owning or operating a private scholarship school, if determined by the Commissioner of Education to have operated a school in a manner contrary or the health, safety, or welfare of the public
- Have committed a disqualifying felony offense as specified in law
If you have any questions about the 2021 legislative session or FCSA advocacy efforts, please contact Rarza@ralpharza.com or Lynn@flcharteralliance.org