Florida Senate - 2020                                     SB 526
       
       
        
       By Senator Diaz
       
       
       
       
       
       36-00681-20                                            2020526__
    1                        A bill to be entitled                      
    2         An act relating to charter schools; amending s.
    3         1002.33, F.S.; prohibiting specified individuals and
    4         entities from submitting an application to open a
    5         charter school for specified periods of time;
    6         providing an exception; defining the term “relative”
    7         for the purpose of applying the prohibition; providing
    8         an effective date.
    9          
   10  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
   11  
   12         Section 1. Paragraph (r) is added to subsection (9) of
   13  section 1002.33, Florida Statutes, to read:
   14         1002.33 Charter schools.—
   15         (9) CHARTER SCHOOL REQUIREMENTS.—
   16         (r) If a sponsor chooses not to renew or chooses to
   17  terminate a charter pursuant to paragraph (8)(a) or paragraph
   18  (8)(c), or if a charter school voluntarily closes before the end
   19  of a school year or within 1 year after beginning operations,
   20  excluding a charter school that closes due to consolidation with
   21  another charter school, the charter school applicant, owner,
   22  president, superintendent, principal, governing board members,
   23  and the relatives of the applicant, owner, president,
   24  superintendent, principal, or governing board member may not
   25  submit an application to open a charter school in this state
   26  pursuant to subsection (6) for a period of 5 years after the
   27  charter is not renewed or is terminated, or the charter school
   28  closes pursuant to this paragraph. If a charter school
   29  applicant, owner, president, superintendent, principal, or a
   30  member of a charter school governing board, a charter management
   31  organization, or an education management organization is
   32  convicted of a crime, including, but not limited to, fraud or
   33  financial offenses related to the operation of a charter school,
   34  such applicant, owner, president, superintendent, principal, or
   35  governing board member, including any relatives of such
   36  individuals, or the charter management organization or the
   37  education management organization may not apply for a charter
   38  pursuant to subsection (6) or operate or manage a charter school
   39  in this state for a period of 10 years after such conviction.
   40  For the purpose of this paragraph, the term “relative” has the
   41  same meaning as specified under subparagraph (24)(a)2.
   42         Section 2. This act shall take effect July 1, 2020.