The bill amends section 1012.55 of the Florida Statutes to provide an exemption from certain educator certification requirements for individuals employed as school social workers. Specifically, it introduces a new subsection (5) that states that school social workers are not required to meet the certification criteria outlined in section 1012.56(2)(g) and (h), which pertain to the mastery of general and subject area knowledge. Additionally, the existing subsection (5) is renumbered to subsection (6) to accommodate this change.

The effective date for this legislation is set for July 1, 2025, allowing time for implementation of the new provisions regarding the certification exemption for school social workers. This change aims to streamline the hiring process for school social workers by reducing the certification barriers they face.