Florida Senate - 2024                             CS for SB 1044
       
       
        
       By the Committee on Education Pre-K -12; and Senator Grall
       
       
       
       
       
       581-02960-24                                          20241044c1
    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 school districts
   11         that adopt volunteer school chaplain policies to
   12         publish certain information on their websites;
   13         amending s. 1012.465, F.S.; providing background
   14         screening requirements for volunteer school chaplains;
   15         providing an effective date.
   16          
   17  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
   18  
   19         Section 1. Section 1012.461, Florida Statutes, is created
   20  to read:
   21         1012.461 School chaplains.—
   22         (1) Each school district or charter school may adopt a
   23  policy to authorize volunteer school chaplains to provide
   24  supports, services, and programs to students as assigned by the
   25  district school board or charter school governing board. The
   26  school district or charter school policy must, at a minimum:
   27         (a) Describe the supports, services, or programs that
   28  volunteer school chaplains may be assigned;
   29         (b) Require that principals of schools with a volunteer
   30  school chaplain inform all parents of the availability of such
   31  supports, services, and programs; and
   32         (c) Require written parental consent before a student
   33  participates in or receives supports, services, and programs
   34  provided by a volunteer school chaplain. Parents must be
   35  permitted to select a volunteer school chaplain from the list
   36  provided by the school district, which must include the
   37  chaplain’s religious affiliation, if any.
   38         (2) Each volunteer school chaplain must meet the
   39  requirements of s. 1012.465.
   40         (3) Any school district that adopts a volunteer school
   41  chaplain policy shall publish the list of volunteer school
   42  chaplains, including any religious affiliation, on the school
   43  district’s website.
   44         Section 2. Subsection (1) of section 1012.465, Florida
   45  Statutes, is amended to read:
   46         1012.465 Background screening requirements for certain
   47  noninstructional school district employees, and contractors, and
   48  volunteer school chaplains.—
   49         (1) Except as provided in s. 1012.467 or s. 1012.468,
   50  noninstructional school district employees, or contractual
   51  personnel, or volunteer school chaplains who are permitted
   52  access on school grounds when students are present, who have
   53  direct contact with students or who have access to or control of
   54  school funds must meet the screening requirements of s. 1012.32.
   55  Contractual personnel shall include any vendor, individual, or
   56  entity under contract with a school or the school board.
   57         Section 3. This act shall take effect July 1, 2024.