HB 1077

1
A bill to be entitled
2An act relating to public school instruction; amending s.
31002.23, F.S.; requiring Department of Education
4guidelines for the school district parent guide to include
5information regarding required parental permission for
6certain instruction; authorizing a school district to
7include a parental consent form in the parent guide;
8amending s. 1003.42, F.S.; revising required instruction
9relating to comprehensive health education; specifying
10that a student needs parental permission to be taught
11reproductive health or sexually transmitted disease
12education; amending ss. 1002.20 and 1006.148, F.S.;
13conforming provisions and a cross-reference to changes
14made by the act; providing an effective date.
15
16Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
17
18     Section 1.  Subsections (2) and (7) of section 1002.23,
19Florida Statutes, are amended to read:
20     1002.23  Family and School Partnership for Student
21Achievement Act.-
22     (2)  To facilitate meaningful parent and family
23involvement, the Department of Education shall develop
24guidelines for a parent guide to successful student achievement
25which describes what parents need to know about their child's
26educational progress and how they can help their child to
27succeed in school. The guidelines shall include, but need not be
28limited to:
29     (a)  Parental information regarding:
30     1.  Requirements for their child to be promoted to the next
31grade, as provided for in s. 1008.25;
32     2.  Progress of their child toward achieving state and
33district expectations for academic proficiency;
34     3.  Assessment results, including report cards and progress
35reports;
36     4.  Qualifications of their child's teachers; and
37     5.  School entry requirements, including required
38immunizations and the recommended immunization schedule;
39     (b)  Services available for parents and their children,
40such as family literacy services; mentoring, tutorial, and other
41academic reinforcement programs; college planning, academic
42advisement, and student counseling services; and after-school
43programs;
44     (c)  Opportunities for parental participation, such as
45parenting classes, adult education, school advisory councils,
46and school volunteer programs;
47     (d)  Opportunities for parents to learn about rigorous
48academic programs that may be available for their child, such as
49honors programs, dual enrollment, advanced placement,
50International Baccalaureate, International General Certificate
51of Secondary Education (pre-AICE), Advanced International
52Certificate of Education, Florida Virtual High School courses,
53and accelerated access to postsecondary education;
54     (e)  Educational choices, as provided for in s. 1002.20(6),
55and Florida tax credit scholarships, as provided for in s.
561002.395;
57     (f)  Classroom and test accommodations available for
58students with disabilities;
59     (g)  School board rules, policies, and procedures for
60student promotion and retention, academic standards, student
61assessment, courses of study, instructional materials, and
62contact information for school and district offices; and
63     (h)  Resources for information on student health and other
64available resources for parents; and
65     (i)  Notification that parental permission is required for
66student participation in reproductive health or sexually
67transmitted disease education, including HIV/AIDS instruction.
68     (7)  Each school district shall develop and disseminate a
69parent guide to successful student achievement, consistent with
70the guidelines of the Department of Education, which addresses
71what parents need to know about their child's educational
72progress and how parents can help their child to succeed in
73school. The guide may include a consent form by which a parent
74gives permission for his or her child to participate in
75reproductive health or sexually transmitted disease education,
76including HIV/AIDS instruction, as required in s. 1003.42(3).
77The guide must:
78     (a)  Be understandable to students and parents;
79     (b)  Be distributed to all parents, students, and school
80personnel at the beginning of each school year;
81     (c)  Be discussed at the beginning of each school year in
82meetings of students, parents, and teachers;
83     (d)  Include information concerning services,
84opportunities, choices, academic standards, and student
85assessment; and
86     (e)  Provide information on the importance of student
87health and available immunizations and vaccinations, including,
88but not limited to:
89     1.  A recommended immunization schedule in accordance with
90United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
91recommendations.
92     2.  Detailed information regarding the causes, symptoms,
93and transmission of meningococcal disease and the availability,
94effectiveness, known contraindications, and appropriate age for
95the administration of any required or recommended vaccine
96against meningococcal disease, in accordance with the
97recommendations of the Advisory Committee on Immunization
98Practices of the United States Centers for Disease Control and
99Prevention.
100
101The parent guide may be included as a part of the code of
102student conduct that is required in s. 1006.07(2).
103     Section 2.  Paragraphs (j) through (t) of subsection (2)
104and subsection (3) of section 1003.42, Florida Statutes, are
105amended to read:
106     1003.42  Required instruction.-
107     (2)  Members of the instructional staff of the public
108schools, subject to the rules of the State Board of Education
109and the district school board, shall teach efficiently and
110faithfully, using the books and materials required that meet the
111highest standards for professionalism and historic accuracy,
112following the prescribed courses of study, and employing
113approved methods of instruction, the following:
114     (j)  The true effects of all alcoholic and intoxicating
115liquors and beverages and narcotics upon the human body and
116mind.
117     (j)(k)  Kindness to animals.
118     (k)(l)  The history of the state.
119     (l)(m)  The conservation of natural resources.
120     (m)(n)  Comprehensive health education that addresses the
121importance of nutrition, physical fitness, and the destructive
122effects of substance abuse and alcohol; emphasizes the
123interconnection between physical well-being and mental and
124emotional health; and addresses concepts of community health;
125consumer health; environmental health; family life, including an
126awareness of the benefits of sexual abstinence as the expected
127standard and the consequences of teenage pregnancy; mental and
128emotional health; injury prevention and safety; nutrition;
129personal health; prevention and control of disease; and
130substance use and abuse. The health education curriculum for
131students in grades 7 through 12 shall include a teen dating
132violence and abuse component that includes, but is not limited
133to, the definition of dating violence and abuse, the warning
134signs of dating violence and abusive behavior, the
135characteristics of healthy relationships, measures to prevent
136and stop dating violence and abuse, and community resources
137available to victims of dating violence and abuse.
138     (n)(o)  Such additional materials, subjects, courses, or
139fields in such grades as are prescribed by law or by rules of
140the State Board of Education and the district school board in
141fulfilling the requirements of law.
142     (o)(p)  The study of Hispanic contributions to the United
143States.
144     (p)(q)  The study of women's contributions to the United
145States.
146     (q)(r)  The nature and importance of free enterprise to the
147United States economy.
148     (r)(s)  A character-development program in the elementary
149schools, similar to Character First or Character Counts, which
150is secular in nature. Beginning in school year 2004-2005, the
151character-development program shall be required in kindergarten
152through grade 12. Each district school board shall develop or
153adopt a curriculum for the character-development program that
154shall be submitted to the department for approval. The
155character-development curriculum shall stress the qualities of
156patriotism; responsibility; citizenship; kindness; respect for
157authority, life, liberty, and personal property; honesty;
158charity; self-control; racial, ethnic, and religious tolerance;
159and cooperation.
160     (s)(t)  In order to encourage patriotism, the sacrifices
161that veterans have made in serving our country and protecting
162democratic values worldwide. Such instruction must occur on or
163before Veterans' Day and Memorial Day. Members of the
164instructional staff are encouraged to use the assistance of
165local veterans when practicable.
166
167The State Board of Education is encouraged to adopt standards
168and pursue assessment of the requirements of this subsection.
169     (3)  Each Any student must be given parental permission to
170be taught whose parent makes written request to the school
171principal shall be exempted from the teaching of reproductive
172health or sexually transmitted any disease education, including
173HIV/AIDS instruction, its symptoms, development, and treatment.
174A student who does not receive parental permission so exempted
175may not be penalized by reason of lack of permission that
176exemption. In order to ensure adequate notification to a parent,
177a school district may include a parental consent form in the
178district parent guide required pursuant to s. 1002.23(7). Course
179descriptions for comprehensive health education shall not
180interfere with the local determination of appropriate curriculum
181which reflects local values and concerns.
182     Section 3.  Paragraph (d) of subsection (3) of section
1831002.20, Florida Statutes, is amended to read:
184     1002.20  K-12 student and parent rights.-Parents of public
185school students must receive accurate and timely information
186regarding their child's academic progress and must be informed
187of ways they can help their child to succeed in school. K-12
188students and their parents are afforded numerous statutory
189rights including, but not limited to, the following:
190     (3)  HEALTH ISSUES.-
191     (d)  Reproductive health and disease education.-A public
192school student must be given parental permission to be taught
193whose parent makes written request to the school principal shall
194be exempted from the teaching of reproductive health or sexually
195transmitted any disease education, including HIV/AIDS
196instruction, in accordance with the provisions of s. 1003.42(3).
197     Section 4.  Paragraph (c) of subsection (1) of section
1981006.148, Florida Statutes, is amended to read:
199     1006.148  Dating violence and abuse prohibited.-
200     (1)  Each district school board shall adopt and implement a
201dating violence and abuse policy. The policy shall:
202     (c)  Define dating violence and abuse and provide for a
203teen dating violence and abuse component in the health education
204curriculum, according to s. 1003.42(2)(m)(n), with emphasis on
205prevention education.
206     Section 5.  This act shall take effect July 1, 2011.


CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.