This bill amends several sections of Florida Statutes to enhance educator training and certification requirements by incorporating training related to mass casualty incidents. Specifically, it revises the core curricula for teacher preparation programs to include strategies for identifying, preventing, preparing for, addressing, and responding to such incidents. Additionally, it mandates that postsecondary educator preparation institutes include this training in their programs and updates the eligibility criteria for certified educators to require completion of this training. The Department of Education is tasked with developing a list of approved trainings and integrating them into existing continuing education and inservice training requirements for instructional personnel starting in the 2025-2026 school year.

The bill also makes conforming changes to cross-references in various sections, ensuring that the new training requirements are reflected throughout the relevant statutes. Notably, it updates the certification requirements to include the new training criteria, which will apply to both professional and temporary certificates. The State Board of Education is authorized to adopt rules to implement these changes, and the bill is set to take effect on July 1, 2025.

Statutes affected:
S 204 Filed: 1004.04, 1012.55, 1012.57