Florida Senate - 2024 SB 1444



By Senator Calatayud





38-01559A-24 20241444__
1 A bill to be entitled
2 An act relating to education; amending s. 1001.02,
3 F.S.; deleting a requirement that the State Board of
4 Education establish the cost of certain tuition and
5 fees; amending s. 1001.03, F.S.; deleting a
6 requirement that the state board identify certain
7 metrics and develop a specified plan relating to the
8 Florida College System; amending s. 1002.3105, F.S.;
9 deleting a requirement that a performance contract be
10 completed if a student participates in an Academically
11 Challenging Curriculum to Enhance Learning option;
12 providing that a performance contract may be used at
13 the discretion of the principal; repealing s.
14 1002.311, F.S., relating to single-gender programs;
15 amending s. 1002.34, F.S.; deleting a requirement for
16 the Commissioner of Education to provide for an annual
17 comparative evaluation of charter technical career
18 centers and public technical centers; amending s.
19 1002.45, F.S.; deleting a requirement that school
20 districts provide certain virtual instruction options
21 to students; deleting a requirement that virtual
22 instruction program providers be nonsectarian;
23 authorizing school districts to provide certain
24 students with the equipment and access necessary for
25 participation in virtual instruction programs;
26 amending s. 1002.82, F.S.; requiring the Department of
27 Education to review school readiness program plans
28 every 3 years, rather than every 2 years; amending s.
29 1002.85, F.S.; requiring early learning coalitions to
30 submit school readiness program plans to the
31 department every 3 years, rather than every 2 years;
32 amending s. 1003.4935, F.S.; deleting a requirement
33 that the department collect and report certain data
34 relating to a middle school career and professional
35 academy or a career-themed course; repealing s.
36 1003.4995, F.S., relating to the fine arts report
37 prepared by the Commissioner of Education; repealing
38 s. 1003.4996, F.S., relating to the Competency-Based
39 Education Pilot Program; amending s. 1003.49965, F.S.;
40 authorizing, rather than requiring, a school district
41 to hold an Art in the Capitol Competition; amending s.
42 1003.51, F.S.; deleting a requirement regarding
43 assessment procedures for Department of Juvenile
44 Justice education programs; revising requirements for
45 which assessment results must be included in a
46 student’s discharge packet; revising requirements for
47 when a district school board must face sanctions for
48 unsatisfactory performance in its Department of
49 Juvenile Justice programs; amending s. 1003.621, F.S.;
50 deleting a requirement for academically high
51 performing school districts to submit an annual report
52 to the state board; repealing s. 1004.925, F.S.,
53 relating to automotive service technology education
54 programs and certification; amending s. 1006.28, F.S.;
55 revising the definition of the term “adequate
56 instructional materials”; authorizing school districts
57 to assess a processing fee for certain objections to
58 materials; providing requirements for the assessment
59 of such fee; providing for the return of such fee
60 under certain circumstances; requiring certain
61 information published and regularly updated by the
62 Department of Education to be sorted by grade level;
63 deleting a timeframe requirement for each district
64 school superintendent to notify the department about
65 instructional materials; deleting a requirement for
66 such notification; authorizing, rather than requiring,
67 a school principal to collect the purchase price of
68 instructional materials lost, destroyed, or
69 unnecessarily damaged by a student; amending s.
70 1006.283, F.S.; deleting a timeframe requirement for a
71 district school superintendent to certify to the
72 department that certain instructional materials meet
73 applicable state standards; amending s. 1007.33, F.S.;
74 deleting a provision authorizing the Board of Trustees
75 of St. Petersburg College to establish certain degree
76 programs; amending s. 1008.25, F.S.; revising
77 requirements for the administration of the coordinated
78 screening and progress monitoring system; providing
79 requirements for the administration of such system for
80 students in the summer prekindergarten program;
81 amending s. 1008.31, F.S.; revising a provision
82 relating to the “No Child Left Behind Act of 2001”;
83 amending s. 1008.332, F.S.; revising a provision
84 relating to the No Child Left Behind Act to relate to
85 the Every Student Succeeds Act; deleting a requirement
86 for certain committee members to annually report to
87 specified entities; amending s. 1008.34, F.S.;
88 requiring that certain changes made by the state board
89 to components in the school grades model or to the
90 school grading scale go into effect in the following
91 school year or later; conforming cross-references;
92 amending s. 1008.345, F.S.; deleting a requirement for
93 the department to develop an annual feedback report;
94 deleting a requirement for the Commissioner of
95 Education to review specified feedback reports and
96 submit findings to the state board; deleting certain
97 requirements for a report the commissioner produces
98 annually for the state board and Legislature; revising
99 what information certain community assessment team
100 recommendations are based on; amending s. 1008.45,
101 F.S.; deleting a requirement that the state board
102 provide a specified annual evaluation; amending ss.
103 1000.05, 1002.31, 1002.321, 1002.33, 1002.455,
104 1008.22, 1008.37, and 1013.841, F.S.; conforming
105 provisions and cross-references to changes made by the
106 act; providing an effective date.
107
108 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
109
110 Section 1. Subsection (5) of section 1001.02, Florida
111 Statutes, is amended to read:
112 1001.02 General powers of State Board of Education.—
113 (5) The State Board of Education is responsible for
114 reviewing and administering the state program of support for the
115 Florida College System institutions and, subject to existing
116 law, shall establish the tuition and out-of-state fees for
117 developmental education and for credit instruction that may be
118 counted toward an associate in arts degree, an associate in
119 applied science degree, or an associate in science degree.
120 Section 2. Subsection (17) of section 1001.03, Florida
121 Statutes, is amended to read:
122 1001.03 Specific powers of State Board of Education.—
123 (17) PLAN SPECIFYING GOALS AND OBJECTIVES.—By July 1, 2013,
124 the State Board of Education shall identify performance metrics
125 for the Florida College System and develop a plan that specifies
126 goals and objectives for each Florida College System
127 institution. The plan must include:
128 (a) Performance metrics and standards common for all
129 institutions and metrics and standards unique to institutions
130 depending on institutional core missions, including, but not
131 limited to, remediation success, retention, graduation,
132 employment, transfer rates, licensure passage, excess hours,
133 student loan burden and default rates, job placement, faculty
134 awards, and highly respected rankings for institution and
135 program achievements.
136 (b) Student enrollment and performance data delineated by
137 method of instruction, including, but not limited to,
138 traditional, online, and distance learning instruction.
139 Section 3. Paragraphs (c) and (d) of subsection (4) of
140 section 1002.3105, Florida Statutes, are amended to read:
141 1002.3105 Academically Challenging Curriculum to Enhance
142 Learning (ACCEL) options.—
143 (4) ACCEL REQUIREMENTS.—
144 (c) If a student participates in an ACCEL option pursuant
145 to the parental request under subparagraph (b)1., a performance
146 contract is not required but may be used at the discretion of
147 the principal must be executed by the student, the parent, and
148 the principal. At a minimum, the performance contract must
149 require compliance with:
150 1. Minimum student attendance requirements.
151 2. Minimum student conduct requirements.
152 3. ACCEL option requirements established by the principal,
153 which may include participation in extracurricular activities,
154 educational outings, field trips, interscholastic competitions,
155 and other activities related to the ACCEL option selected.
156 (d) If a principal initiates a student’s participation in
157 an ACCEL option, the student’s parent must be notified. A
158 performance contract, pursuant to paragraph (c), is not required
159 when a principal initiates participation but may be used at the
160 discretion of the principal.
161 Section 4. Section 1002.311, Florida Statutes, is repealed.
162 Section 5. Subsection (19) of section 1002.34, Florida
163 Statutes, is amended to read:
164 1002.34 Charter technical career centers.—
165 (19) EVALUATION; REPORT.—The Commissioner of Education
166 shall provide for an annual comparative evaluation of charter
167 technical career centers and public technical centers. The
168 evaluation may be conducted in cooperation with the sponsor,
169 through private contracts, or by department staff. At a minimum,
170 the comparative evaluation must address the demographic and
171 socioeconomic characteristics of the students served, the types
172 and costs of services provided, and the outcomes achieved. By
173 December 30 of each year, the Commissioner of Education shall
174 submit to the Governor, the President of the Senate, the Speaker
175 of the House of Representatives, and the Senate and House
176 committees that have responsibility for secondary and
177 postsecondary career and technical education a report of the
178 comparative evaluation completed for the previous school year.
179 Section 6. Paragraphs (c) through (e) of subsection (1) of
180 section 1002.45, Florida Statutes, are redesignated as
181 paragraphs (b) through (d), respectively, and present paragraphs
182 (b), (c), and (e) of that subsection, subsection (2), paragraph
183 (d) of subsection (3), subsection (5), and paragraph (a) of
184 subsection (6) are amended, to read:
185 1002.45 Virtual instruction programs.—
186 (1) PROGRAM.—
187 (b)1. Each school district shall provide at least one
188 option for part-time and full-time virtual instruction for
189 students residing within the school district. All school
190 districts must provide parents with timely written notification
191 of at least one open enrollment period for full-time students of
192 90 days or more which ends 30 days before the first day of the
193 school year. A school district virtual instruction program shall
194 consist of the following:
195 a. Full-time and part-time virtual instruction for students
196 enrolled in kindergarten through grade 12.
197 b. Full-time or part-time virtual instruction for students
198 enrolled in dropout prevention and academic intervention
199 programs under s. 1003.53, Department of Juvenile Justice
200 education programs under s. 1003.52, core-curricula courses to
201 meet class size requirements under s. 1003.03, or Florida
202 College System institutions under this section.
203 2. Each virtual instruction program established under
204 paragraph (c) by a school district either directly or through a
205 contract with an approved virtual instruction program provider
206 shall operate under its own Master School Identification Number
207 as prescribed by the department.
208 (b)(c) To provide students residing within the school
209 district the option of participating in virtual instruction
210 programs as required by paragraph (b), a school district may:
211 1. Contract with the Florida Virtual School or establish a
212 franchise of the Florida Virtual School pursuant to s.
213 1002.37(2) for the provision of a program under paragraph (b).
214 2. Contract with an approved virtual instruction program
215 provider under subsection (2) for the provision of a full-time
216 or part-time program under paragraph (b).
217 3. Enter into an agreement with other school districts to
218 allow the participation of its students in an approved virtual
219 instruction program provided by the other school district. The
220 agreement must indicate a process for the transfer of funds
221 required by paragraph (6)(b).
222 4. Establish school district operated part-time or full
223 time kindergarten through grade 12 virtual instruction programs.
224 5. Enter into an agreement with a virtual charter school
225 authorized by the school district under s. 1002.33.
226
227 Contracts under subparagraph 1. or subparagraph 2. may include
228 multidistrict contractual arrangements executed by a regional
229 consortium service organization established pursuant to s.
230 1001.451 for its member districts. A multidistrict contractual
231 arrangement or an agreement under subparagraph 3. is not subject
232 to s. 1001.42(4)(d) and does not require the participating
233 school districts to be contiguous. These arrangements may be
234 used to fulfill the requirements of paragraph (b).
235 (d)(e) Each school district shall:
236 1. Provide to the department by each October 1, a copy of
237 each contract and the amount paid per unweighted full-time
238 equivalent virtual student for services procured pursuant to
239 subparagraphs (b)1. and 2. (c)1. and 2.
240 2. Expend any difference in the amount of funds per
241 unweighted full-time equivalent virtual student allocated to the
242 school district pursuant to subsection (6) and the amount paid
243 per unweighted full-time equivalent virtual student by the
244 school district for a contract executed pursuant to subparagraph
245 (b)1. (c)1. or subparagraph (b)2. (c)2. on acquiring computer
246 and device hardware and associated operating system software
247 that comply with the requirements of s. 1001.20(4)(a)1.b.
248 3. Provide to the department by September 1 of each year an
249 itemized list of items acquired in subparagraph 2.
250 4. Limit the enrollment of full-time equivalent virtual
251 students residing outside of the school district providing the
252 virtual instruction pursuant to paragraph (b) (c) to no more
253 than those that can be funded from state Florida Education
254 Finance Program funds.
255 (2) PROVIDER QUALIFICATIONS.—
256 (a) The department shall annually publish on its website a
257 list of providers approved by the State Board of Education to
258 offer virtual instruction programs. To be approved, a virtual
259 instruction program provider must document that it:
260 1. Is nonsectarian in its programs, admission policies,
261 employment practices, and operations;
262 2. Complies with the antidiscrimination provisions of s.
263 1000.05;
264 2.3. Locates an administrative office or offices in this
265 state, requires its administrative staff to be state residents,
266 requires all instructional staff to be Florida-certified
267 teachers under chapter 1012 and conducts background screenings
268 for all employees or contracted personnel, as required by s.
269 1012.32, using state and national criminal history records;
270 3.4. Electronically provides to parents and students
271 specific information that includes, but is not limited to, the
272 following teacher-parent and teacher-student contact information
273 for each course:
274 a. How to contact the instructor via phone, e-mail, or
275 online messaging tools.
276 b. How to contact technical support via phone, e-mail, or
277 online messaging tools.
278 c. How to contact the administration office via phone, e
279 mail, or online messaging tools.
280 d. Any requirement for regular contact with the instructor
281 for the course and clear expectations for meeting the
282 req