Florida Senate - 2024                                    SB 1044
       
       
        
       By Senator Grall
       
       
       
       
       
       29-00919A-24                                          20241044__
    1                        A bill to be entitled                      
    2         An act relating to school chaplains; creating s.
    3         1012.461, F.S.; authorizing school districts and
    4         charter schools to adopt a policy to allow volunteer
    5         school chaplains; establishing the requirements for
    6         such policy; requiring district school boards and
    7         charter school governing boards to assign specified
    8         duties to such volunteer school chaplains; requiring
    9         volunteer school chaplains to meet certain background
   10         screening requirements; requiring each district school
   11         board and charter school governing board to vote by a
   12         specified date on the adoption of a volunteer school
   13         chaplain policy; requiring school districts that adopt
   14         volunteer school chaplain policies to publish certain
   15         information on their websites; amending s. 1012.465,
   16         F.S.; providing background screening requirements for
   17         volunteer school chaplains; providing an effective
   18         date.
   19          
   20  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
   21  
   22         Section 1. Section 1012.461, Florida Statutes, is created
   23  to read:
   24         1012.461 School chaplains.—
   25         (1) Each school district or charter school may adopt a
   26  policy to authorize volunteer school chaplains to provide
   27  supports, services, and programs to students as assigned by the
   28  district school board or charter school governing board. The
   29  school district or charter school policy must, at a minimum:
   30         (a) Describe the supports, services, or programs that
   31  volunteer school chaplains may be assigned;
   32         (b) Require that principals of schools with a volunteer
   33  school chaplain inform all parents of the availability of such
   34  supports, services, and programs; and
   35         (c) Require written parental consent before a student
   36  participates in or receives supports, services, and programs
   37  provided by a volunteer school chaplain. Parents must be
   38  permitted to select a volunteer school chaplain from the list
   39  provided by the school district, which must include the
   40  chaplain’s religious affiliation, if any.
   41         (2) Each volunteer school chaplain must meet the
   42  requirements of s. 1012.465.
   43         (3) No later than January 1, 2025, each district school
   44  board and charter school governing board shall vote on whether
   45  to adopt a policy authorizing the school district or charter
   46  school to allow volunteer school chaplains.
   47         (4) Any school district that adopts a volunteer school
   48  chaplain policy shall publish the list of volunteer school
   49  chaplains, including any religious affiliation, on the school
   50  district’s website.
   51         Section 2. Subsection (1) of section 1012.465, Florida
   52  Statutes, is amended to read:
   53         1012.465 Background screening requirements for certain
   54  noninstructional school district employees, and contractors, and
   55  volunteer school chaplains.—
   56         (1) Except as provided in s. 1012.467 or s. 1012.468,
   57  noninstructional school district employees, or contractual
   58  personnel, or volunteer school chaplains who are permitted
   59  access on school grounds when students are present, who have
   60  direct contact with students or who have access to or control of
   61  school funds must meet the screening requirements of s. 1012.32.
   62  Contractual personnel shall include any vendor, individual, or
   63  entity under contract with a school or the school board.
   64         Section 3. This act shall take effect July 1, 2024.