Florida Senate - 2024 SB 1356
By Senator Calatayud
38-01126-24 20241356__
1 A bill to be entitled
2 An act relating to school safety; amending s. 30.15,
3 F.S.; authorizing sheriffs to waive certain
4 requirements for school guardian candidates under
5 certain conditions; making technical changes; amending
6 s. 943.082, F.S.; requiring school principals to
7 ensure that instruction is provided at least annually
8 to students on the use of the mobile suspicious
9 activity reporting tool; providing requirements for
10 such instruction; amending s. 985.04, F.S.; requiring
11 superintendents to notify, within a specified
12 timeframe, the chief of police or the public safety
13 director of a postsecondary institution in which a
14 student is dual enrolled if such student commits
15 certain offenses; providing an effective date.
16
17 WHEREAS, the Legislature recognizes that in order to
18 prevent potential acts of violence on the campuses of secondary
19 and postsecondary institutions, coordination between law
20 enforcement and the leadership of each respective institution is
21 critical, and
22 WHEREAS, the Legislature finds it necessary that in the
23 cases of dual enrolled students, notices of students who are
24 arrested for crimes of violence or students who have made
25 credible threats of violence be made to both institutions at
26 which the student is enrolled in order to prevent a violent act
27 from transpiring on the campus of either the secondary or
28 postsecondary institution, NOW, THEREFORE,
29
30 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
31
32 Section 1. Paragraph (k) of subsection (1) of section
33 30.15, Florida Statutes, is amended to read:
34 30.15 Powers, duties, and obligations.—
35 (1) Sheriffs, in their respective counties, in person or by
36 deputy, shall:
37 (k) Assist district school boards and charter school
38 governing boards in complying with, or private schools in
39 exercising options in, s. 1006.12. A sheriff must, at a minimum,
40 provide access to a Chris Hixon, Coach Aaron Feis, and Coach
41 Scott Beigel Guardian Program to aid in the prevention or
42 abatement of active assailant incidents on school premises, as
43 required under this paragraph. Persons certified as school
44 guardians pursuant to this paragraph have no authority to act in
45 any law enforcement capacity except to the extent necessary to
46 prevent or abate an active assailant incident.
47 1.a. If a local school board has voted by a majority to
48 implement a guardian program, the sheriff in that county must
49 shall establish a guardian program to provide training, pursuant
50 to subparagraph 2., to school district, charter school, or
51 private school employees, either directly or through a contract
52 with another sheriff’s office that has established a guardian
53 program.
54 b. A charter school governing board in a school district
55 that has not voted, or has declined, to implement a guardian
56 program may request the sheriff in the county to establish a
57 guardian program for the purpose of training the charter school
58 employees. If the county sheriff denies the request, the charter
59 school governing board may contract with a sheriff that has
60 established a guardian program to provide such training. The
61 charter school governing board shall must notify the
62 superintendent and the sheriff in the charter school’s county of
63 the contract before prior to its execution.
64 c. A private school in a school district that has not
65 voted, or has declined, to implement a guardian program may
66 request that the sheriff in the county of the private school
67 establish a guardian program for the purpose of training private
68 school employees. If the county sheriff denies the request, the
69 private school may contract with a sheriff from another county
70 who has established a guardian program to provide such training.
71 The private school shall must notify the sheriff in the private
72 school’s county of the contract with a sheriff from another
73 county before its execution. The private school is responsible
74 for all training costs for a school guardian program. The
75 sheriff providing such training shall must ensure that any
76 moneys paid by a private school are not commingled with any
77 funds provided by the state to the sheriff as reimbursement for
78 screening-related and training-related costs of any school
79 district or charter school employee.
80 d. The training program required in sub-subparagraph 2.b.
81 is a standardized statewide curriculum, and each sheriff
82 providing such training shall adhere to the course of
83 instruction specified in that sub-subparagraph. This
84 subparagraph does not prohibit a sheriff from providing
85 additional training. A school guardian who has completed the
86 training program required in sub-subparagraph 2.b. is may not be
87 required to attend another sheriff’s training program pursuant
88 to that sub-subparagraph unless there has been at least a 1-year
89 break in his or her employment as a guardian.
90 e. The sheriff conducting the training pursuant to
91 subparagraph 2. must will be reimbursed for screening-related
92 and training-related costs and for providing a one-time stipend
93 of $500 to each school guardian who participates in the school
94 guardian program.
95 2. A sheriff who establishes a program shall consult with
96 the Department of Law Enforcement on programmatic guiding
97 principles, practices, and resources, and shall certify as
98 school guardians, without the power of arrest, school employees,
99 as specified in s. 1006.12(3), who:
100 a. Hold a valid license issued under s. 790.06.
101 b. Complete a 144-hour training program, consisting of 12
102 hours of certified nationally recognized diversity training and
103 132 total hours of comprehensive firearm safety and proficiency
104 training conducted by Criminal Justice Standards and Training
105 Commission-certified instructors, which must include:
106 (I) Eighty hours of firearms instruction based on the
107 Criminal Justice Standards and Training Commission’s Law
108 Enforcement Academy training model, which must include at least
109 10 percent but no more than 20 percent more rounds fired than
110 associated with academy training. Program participants must
111 achieve an 85 percent pass rate on the firearms training.
112 (II) Sixteen hours of instruction in precision pistol.
113 (III) Eight hours of discretionary shooting instruction
114 using state-of-the-art simulator exercises.
115 (IV) Sixteen hours of instruction in active shooter or
116 assailant scenarios.
117 (V) Eight hours of instruction in defensive tactics.
118 (VI) Four hours of instruction in legal issues.
119 c. Pass a psychological evaluation administered by a
120 psychologist licensed under chapter 490 and designated by the
121 Department of Law Enforcement and submit the results of the
122 evaluation to the sheriff’s office. The Department of Law
123 Enforcement is authorized to provide the sheriff’s office with
124 mental health and substance abuse data for compliance with this
125 paragraph.
126 d. Submit to and pass an initial drug test and subsequent
127 random drug tests in accordance with the requirements of s.
128 112.0455 and the sheriff’s office.
129 e. Successfully complete ongoing training, weapon
130 inspection, and firearm qualification on at least an annual
131 basis.
132
133 A sheriff has the discretion to waive the requirements of sub
134 sub-subparagraphs 2.b.(I)-(V) if a guardian candidate has at
135 least 2 years of law enforcement experience and held an active
136 law enforcement certificate within the past 5 years. The sheriff
137 who conducts the guardian training shall issue a school guardian
138 certificate to individuals who meet the requirements of this
139 section to the satisfaction of the sheriff, and shall maintain
140 documentation of weapon and equipment inspections, as well as
141 the training, certification, inspection, and qualification
142 records of each school guardian certified by the sheriff. An
143 individual who is certified under this paragraph may serve as a
144 school guardian under s. 1006.12(3) only if he or she is
145 appointed by the applicable school district superintendent,
146 charter school principal, or private school head of school.
147 Section 2. Paragraph (b) of subsection (4) of section
148 943.082, Florida Statutes, is amended to read:
149 943.082 School Safety Awareness Program.—
150 (4)
151 (b) The district school board shall promote the use of the
152 mobile suspicious activity reporting tool by advertising it on
153 the school district website, in newsletters, on school campuses,
154 and in school publications, by installing it on all mobile
155 devices issued to students, and by bookmarking the website on
156 all computer devices issued to students. Each school principal
157 shall ensure that instruction on the use of the mobile
158 suspicious activity reporting tool includes FortifyFL, and is
159 provided to students at least once per school year. The
160 instruction must be age and developmentally appropriate and
161 include the consequences for making a threat or false report as
162 defined by ss. 790.162 and 790.163, respectively, involving
163 school or school personnel’s property, school transportation, or
164 a school-sponsored activity.
165 Section 3. Paragraph (a) of subsection (4) of section
166 985.04, Florida Statutes, is amended to read:
167 985.04 Oaths; records; confidential information.—
168 (4)(a) Notwithstanding any other provision of this section,
169 when a child of any age is taken into custody by a law
170 enforcement officer for an offense that would have been a felony
171 if committed by an adult, or a crime of violence, the law
172 enforcement agency must notify the superintendent of schools
173 that the child is alleged to have committed the delinquent act.
174 If the child is a dual enrolled student at a postsecondary
175 institution, the superintendent of schools must notify the chief
176 of police or the public safety director of the postsecondary
177 institution at which the student is dual enrolled within 24
178 hours of the initial notification.
179 Section 4. This act shall take effect July 1, 2024.