Florida Senate - 2023 CS for CS for SB 52
By the Appropriations Committee on Education; the Committee on
Education Pre-K -12; and Senators Burgess, Osgood, Avila,
Calatayud, and Garcia
602-02563-23 202352c2
1 A bill to be entitled
2 An act relating to student use of social media
3 platforms; amending s. 1003.42, F.S.; requiring
4 members of the instructional staff of public schools
5 to provide instruction on the social, emotional, and
6 physical effects of social media to students in
7 specified grades; specifying requirements for the
8 instruction; requiring the Department of Education to
9 make social media safety instructional material
10 available online; requiring each district school board
11 to notify parents of the availability of such
12 material; authorizing the department to procure the
13 instructional materials from a vendor or provider;
14 amending s. 1006.07, F.S.; requiring that district
15 school board codes of student conduct include a
16 prohibition against students using wireless
17 communications devices during instructional time and
18 authorization for teachers to withhold a student’s
19 device; creating s. 1006.1494, F.S.; requiring each
20 school district to prohibit and prevent students from
21 accessing social media platforms through the use of
22 Internet access provided by the school district;
23 providing an exception; authorizing the State Board of
24 Education to adopt rules; providing an effective date.
25
26 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
27
28 Section 1. Paragraph (n) of subsection (2) of section
29 1003.42, Florida Statutes, is amended to read:
30 1003.42 Required instruction.—
31 (2) Members of the instructional staff of the public
32 schools, subject to the rules of the State Board of Education
33 and the district school board, shall teach efficiently and
34 faithfully, using the books and materials required that meet the
35 highest standards for professionalism and historical accuracy,
36 following the prescribed courses of study, and employing
37 approved methods of instruction, the following:
38 (n) Comprehensive age-appropriate and developmentally
39 appropriate K-12 instruction on:
40 1. Health education that addresses concepts of community
41 health, consumer health, environmental health, and family life,
42 including:
43 a. Injury prevention and safety.
44 b. Internet safety.
45 c. Nutrition.
46 d. Personal health.
47 e. Prevention and control of disease.
48 f. Substance use and abuse.
49 g. Prevention of child sexual abuse, exploitation, and
50 human trafficking.
51 2. For students in grades 7 through 12, teen dating
52 violence and abuse. This component must include, but not be
53 limited to, the definition of dating violence and abuse, the
54 warning signs of dating violence and abusive behavior, the
55 characteristics of healthy relationships, measures to prevent
56 and stop dating violence and abuse, and community resources
57 available to victims of dating violence and abuse.
58 3. For students in grades 6 through 12, awareness of the
59 benefits of sexual abstinence as the expected standard and the
60 consequences of teenage pregnancy.
61 4. Life skills that build confidence, support mental and
62 emotional health, and enable students to overcome challenges,
63 including:
64 a. Self-awareness and self-management.
65 b. Responsible decisionmaking.
66 c. Resiliency.
67 d. Relationship skills and conflict resolution.
68 e. Understanding and respecting other viewpoints and
69 backgrounds.
70 f. For grades 9 through 12, developing leadership skills,
71 interpersonal skills, organization skills, and research skills;
72 creating a resume, including a digital resume; exploring career
73 pathways; using state career planning resources; developing and
74 practicing the skills necessary for employment interviews;
75 workplace ethics and workplace law; managing stress and
76 expectations; and self-motivation.
77 5.a. For students in grades 6 through 12, the social,
78 emotional, and physical effects of social media. This component
79 must include, but need not be limited to, the negative effects
80 of social media on mental health, including addiction; the
81 distribution of misinformation on social media; how social media
82 manipulates behavior; the permanency of sharing materials
83 online; how to maintain personal security and identify
84 cyberbullying, predatory behavior, and human trafficking on the
85 Internet; and how to report suspicious behavior encountered on
86 the Internet.
87 b. The Department of Education shall make available online
88 the instructional material being used pursuant to this
89 subparagraph, and each district school board shall notify
90 parents of its availability. The department may procure the
91 instructional material from a vendor or provider.
92
93 Health education and life skills instruction and materials may
94 not contradict the principles enumerated in subsection (3).
95
96 The State Board of Education is encouraged to adopt standards
97 and pursue assessment of the requirements of this subsection.
98 Instructional programming that incorporates the values of the
99 recipients of the Congressional Medal of Honor and that is
100 offered as part of a social studies, English Language Arts, or
101 other schoolwide character building and veteran awareness
102 initiative meets the requirements of paragraph (t).
103 Section 2. Paragraph (f) of subsection (2) of section
104 1006.07, Florida Statutes, is amended to read:
105 1006.07 District school board duties relating to student
106 discipline and school safety.—The district school board shall
107 provide for the proper accounting for all students, for the
108 attendance and control of students at school, and for proper
109 attention to health, safety, and other matters relating to the
110 welfare of students, including:
111 (2) CODE OF STUDENT CONDUCT.—Adopt a code of student
112 conduct for elementary schools and a code of student conduct for
113 middle and high schools and distribute the appropriate code to
114 all teachers, school personnel, students, and parents, at the
115 beginning of every school year. Each code shall be organized and
116 written in language that is understandable to students and
117 parents and shall be discussed at the beginning of every school
118 year in student classes, school advisory council meetings, and
119 parent and teacher association or organization meetings. Each
120 code shall be based on the rules governing student conduct and
121 discipline adopted by the district school board and shall be
122 made available in the student handbook or similar publication.
123 Each code shall include, but is not limited to:
124 (f) Notice that use of a wireless communications device
125 includes the possibility of the imposition of disciplinary
126 action by the school or criminal penalties if the device is used
127 in a criminal act. A student may possess a wireless
128 communications device while the student is on school property or
129 in attendance at a school function. Each district school board
130 shall adopt rules governing the use of a wireless communications
131 device by a student while the student is on school property or
132 in attendance at a school function. A student may not use a
133 wireless communications device during instructional time. A
134 teacher may withhold a student’s wireless communications device
135 during instructional time.
136 Section 3. Section 1006.1494, Florida Statutes, is created
137 to read:
138 1006.1494 Prohibiting student access to social media
139 platforms.—
140 (1)(a) Each school district shall prohibit and prevent
141 students from accessing social media platforms through the use
142 of Internet access provided by the school district.
143 (b) This subsection does not apply to career and technical
144 education course instruction.
145 (2) The State Board of Education may adopt rules to
146 administer this section.
147 Section 4. This act shall take effect July 1, 2023.