Florida Senate - 2024 CS for SB 1356
By the Committee on Criminal Justice; and Senator Calatayud
591-02975-24 20241356c1
1 A bill to be entitled
2 An act relating to school safety; amending s. 30.15,
3 F.S.; providing that sheriffs are responsible for
4 screening-related costs for school guardian programs;
5 authorizing sheriffs to waive training and screening
6 related costs for a private school for a school
7 guardian program; providing conditions for an
8 individual to be certified as a school guardian;
9 revising specified training requirements for school
10 guardians; defining the term “employer”; requiring
11 sheriffs and employers of school guardians to report
12 certain information to the Department of Law
13 Enforcement by specified dates; requiring the
14 Department of Law Enforcement to maintain a list of
15 school guardians and provide the list to any School
16 Safety Specialist upon request; providing requirements
17 for the list; requiring each sheriff to report on a
18 quarterly basis to the Department of Law Enforcement
19 the schedule for school guardian trainings; requiring
20 the Department of Law Enforcement to publish a list of
21 the upcoming trainings on its website; requiring the
22 Department of Law Enforcement to notify the Department
23 of Education by specified dates of any employer of a
24 school guardian who has not complied with certain
25 requirements; prohibiting an employer who is not in
26 compliance from operating a school guardian program;
27 prohibiting a sheriff who is not in compliance with
28 certain reporting requirements from receiving certain
29 reimbursements; making technical changes; authorizing
30 the Department of Law Enforcement to adopt rules;
31 amending s. 330.41, F.S.; prohibiting the operation of
32 a drone over public and private schools and recording
33 video of such schools; providing criminal penalties;
34 providing exemptions; amending s. 943.082, F.S.;
35 requiring each district school board and charter
36 school governing board to ensure that instruction on
37 the mobile suspicious activity reporting tool is
38 provided to students; providing requirements for the
39 instruction; amending s. 943.687, F.S.; requiring the
40 Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School Public Safety
41 Commission to research best practices in school safety
42 and make additional legislative recommendations if
43 necessary; amending s. 985.04, F.S.; requiring
44 superintendents or their designees to notify, within a
45 specified timeframe, the chief of police or the public
46 safety director of a postsecondary institution in
47 which a student is dual enrolled if such student
48 commits certain offenses; amending s. 1001.212, F.S.;
49 requiring the Office of Safe Schools by a specified
50 date to develop and adopt a Florida school safety
51 compliance inspection report to document compliance or
52 noncompliance with school safety requirements;
53 requiring the office to provide a blank copy of the
54 report to each district school superintendent and
55 charter school administrator; requiring the office to
56 provide school safety specialists with trainings on
57 the report; authorizing the office to conduct
58 inspections of public schools and charter schools;
59 requiring the office to conduct inspections of every
60 public school within a specified timeframe; requiring
61 the office to provide a copy of the inspection report
62 to specified entities within a specified timeframe
63 after an inspection; requiring a school safety
64 specialist to provide the office with written notice
65 of the manner in which noncompliance has been
66 remediated within a specified timeframe; requiring the
67 office to reinspect schools with documented
68 deficiencies within a specified timeframe; requiring
69 the office to provide a bonus to a school principal or
70 charter school administrator of a school that complies
71 with all school safety requirements; requiring the
72 office to identify any instructional personnel and
73 administrative personnel who knowingly violate school
74 safety requirements for disciplinary action; requiring
75 a district school superintendent or charter school
76 administrator to notify the office of the outcome of
77 the disciplinary proceedings within a specified
78 timeframe; requiring the office to maintain a record
79 of any administrative personnel or instructional
80 personnel who violate school safety requirements;
81 requiring the office to evaluate the methodology for
82 the Safe Schools Allocation by a specified date;
83 amending s. 1006.07, F.S.; requiring public schools,
84 including charter schools, to maintain a record that
85 is accessible to the Office of Safe Schools of
86 specified drills conducted; requiring the school
87 safety specialist to report to the district school
88 board in a public meeting the number of schools
89 inspected during the preceding calendar year;
90 requiring each district school board and charter
91 school governing board to adopt a progressive
92 discipline policy for addressing any instructional
93 personnel or administrative personnel who knowingly
94 violate school safety requirements; amending s.
95 1006.12, F.S.; requiring that agreements between a
96 district school board and a law enforcement agency
97 include a certain provision; deleting a requirement
98 for certain safe-school officers to receive specified
99 training; amending s. 1006.1493, F.S.; specifying
100 physical security measures that must be addressed by
101 the Florida Safe Schools Assessment Tool; subject to
102 legislative appropriation, requiring the Department of
103 Law Enforcement to provide grants to sheriffs’ offices
104 and law enforcement agencies to conduct physical site
105 security assessments for and provide reports to
106 private schools; requiring sheriffs’ offices and law
107 enforcement agencies to provide private schools with
108 recommendations on improving infrastructure safety and
109 security; requiring sheriffs’ offices and law
110 enforcement agencies to assist private schools in
111 developing active assailant responses; requiring the
112 Department of Law Enforcement to develop a site
113 security assessment form for use by sheriffs’ offices
114 and law enforcement agencies; requiring the Department
115 of Law Enforcement to provide such form to private
116 schools; authorizing the use of grants for specified
117 purposes; requiring the Department of Law Enforcement
118 to establish requirements for awarding such grants;
119 requiring that grants be awarded by a specified date;
120 providing an effective date.
121
122 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
123
124 Section 1. Paragraph (k) of subsection (1) of section
125 30.15, Florida Statutes, is amended to read:
126 30.15 Powers, duties, and obligations.—
127 (1) Sheriffs, in their respective counties, in person or by
128 deputy, shall:
129 (k) Assist district school boards and charter school
130 governing boards in complying with, or private schools in
131 exercising options in, s. 1006.12. A sheriff must, at a minimum,
132 provide access to a Chris Hixon, Coach Aaron Feis, and Coach
133 Scott Beigel Guardian Program to aid in the prevention or
134 abatement of active assailant incidents on school premises, as
135 required under this paragraph. Persons certified as school
136 guardians pursuant to this paragraph have no authority to act in
137 any law enforcement capacity except to the extent necessary to
138 prevent or abate an active assailant incident.
139 1.a. If a local school board has voted by a majority to
140 implement a guardian program, the sheriff in that county must
141 shall establish a guardian program to provide training, pursuant
142 to subparagraph 2., to school district, charter school, or
143 private school employees, either directly or through a contract
144 with another sheriff’s office that has established a guardian
145 program.
146 b. A charter school governing board in a school district
147 that has not voted, or has declined, to implement a guardian
148 program may request the sheriff in the county to establish a
149 guardian program for the purpose of training the charter school
150 employees. If the county sheriff denies the request, the charter
151 school governing board may contract with a sheriff that has
152 established a guardian program to provide such training. The
153 charter school governing board shall must notify the
154 superintendent and the sheriff in the charter school’s county of
155 the contract before prior to its execution.
156 c. A private school in a school district that has not
157 voted, or has declined, to implement a guardian program may
158 request that the sheriff in the county of the private school
159 establish a guardian program for the purpose of training private
160 school employees. If the county sheriff denies the request, the
161 private school may contract with a sheriff from another county
162 who has established a guardian program to provide such training.
163 The private school shall must notify the sheriff in the private
164 school’s county of the contract with a sheriff from another
165 county before its execution. The private school is responsible
166 for all training and screening-related costs for a school
167 guardian program. The sheriff providing such training shall must
168 ensure that any moneys paid by a private school are not
169 commingled with any funds provided by the state to the sheriff
170 as reimbursement for screening-related and training-related
171 costs of any school district or charter school employee.
172 d. The training program required in sub-subparagraph 2.b.
173 is a standardized statewide curriculum, and each sheriff
174 providing such training shall adhere to the course of
175 instruction specified in that sub-subparagraph. This
176 subparagraph does not prohibit a sheriff from providing
177 additional training. A school guardian who has completed the
178 training program required in sub-subparagraph 2.b. is may not be
179 required to attend another sheriff’s training program pursuant
180 to that sub-subparagraph unless there has been at least a 1-year
181 break in his or her appointment employment as a guardian.
182 e. The sheriff conducting the training pursuant to
183 subparagraph 2. for school district and charter school employees
184 must will be reimbursed for screening-related and training
185 related costs and for providing a one-time stipend of $500 to
186 each school guardian who participates in the school guardian
187 program.
188 f. The sheriff may waive the training and screening-related
189 costs for a private school for a school guardian program. Funds
190 provided pursuant to sub-subparagraph e. may not be used to
191 subsidize any costs that have been waived by the sheriff.
192 g. A person who is certified by and in good standing under
193 the Florida Criminal Justice Standards and Training Commission,
194 who meets the qualifications established in s. 943.13, and who
195 is otherwise qualified for the position of a school guardian may
196 be certified as a school guardian by the sheriff without
197 completing the training requirements of sub-subparagraph 2.b.
198 However, a person certified as a school guardian under this sub
199 subparagraph must meet the requirements of sub-subparagraphs
200 2.c., d., and e.
201 2. A sheriff who establishes a program shall consult with
202 the Department of Law Enforcement on programmatic guiding
203 principles, practices, and resources, and shall certify as
204 school guardians, without the power of arrest, school employees,
205 as specified in s. 1006.12(3), who:
206 a. Hold a valid license issued under s. 790.06.
207 b. Complete a 144-hour training program, consisting of 12
208 hours of training to improve the school guardian’s knowledge and
209 skills necessary to respond to and de-escalate incidents on
210 school premises certified nationally recognized diversity
211 training and 132 total hours of comprehensive firearm safety and
212 proficiency training conducted by Criminal Justice Standards and
213 Training Commission-certified instructors, which must include:
214 (I) Eighty hours of firearms instruction based on the
215 Criminal Justice Standards and Training Commission’s Law
216 Enforcement Academy training model, which must include at least
217 10 percent but no more than 20 percent more rounds fired than
218 associated with academy training. Program participants must
219 achieve an 85 percent pass rate on the firearms training.
220 (II) Sixteen hours of instruction in precision pistol.
221 (III) Eight hours of discretionary shooting instruction
222 using state-of-the-art simulator exercises.
223 (IV) Sixteen hours of instruction in active shooter or
224 assailant scenarios.
225 (V) Eight hours of instruction in defensive tactics.
226 (VI) Four hours of instruction in legal issues.
227 c. Pass a psychological evaluation administered by a
228 psychologist licensed under chapter 490 and designated by the
229 Department of Law Enforcement and submit the results of the
230 evaluation to the sheriff’s office. The Department of Law
231 Enforcement is authorized to provide the sheriff’s office with
232 mental health and substance abuse data for compliance with this
233 paragraph.
234 d. Submit to and pass an initial drug test and subsequent
235 random drug tests in accordance with the requirements of s.
236 112.0455 and the sheriff’s office.
237 e. Successfully complete ongoing training, weapon
238 inspection, and firearm qualification on at least an annual
239 basis.
240 3.a. As used in this subparagraph, the term “employer”
241 means the person who employs a certified school guardian to
242 serve as a school guardian and may refer to a district school
243 board, a charter school governing board, a security agency as
244 defined in s. 493.6101(18) which provides school guardian
245 services, or a private school as defined in s. 1002.01(3).
246 b. By September 1, 2024, and thereafter within 30 days
247 after certification by the sheriff, each sheriff shall report to
248 the Department of Law Enforcement the name, date of birth, and
249 certification date of each school guardian certified by the
250 sheriff.
251 c. By February 1 and September 1 of each year, each
252 employer of an appointed school guardian shall report to the
253 Department of Law Enforcement the name, date of birth, and
254 initial and end-of-appointment dates, as applicable, of each
255 appointed or separated school guardian which has not been
256 reported.
257 d. The Department of Law Enforcement shall maintain a list
258 of each person appointed as a school guardian in this state and
259 shall provide the list to any school safety specialist upon
260 request. The list must include the name, certification date, and
261 any appointment or end-of-appointment date of each school
262 guardian, including the name of the employer or last employer of
263 the school guardian. The Department of Law Enforcement shall
264 remove from the list any person whose training has expired
265 pursuant to sub-subparagraph 1.d.
266 e. Each sheriff shall report on a quarterly basis to the
267 Department of Law Enforcement the schedule for upcoming school
268 guardian trainings, including the dates of the training, the
269 training locations, a contact person to register for the
270 training, and the class capacity. The Department of Law
271 Enforcement shall publish on its website a list of the upcoming
272 school guardian trainings. The Department of Law Enforcement
273 shall update such list quarterly.
274 f. By March 1 and October 1 of each year, the Department of
275 Law Enforcement shall notify the Department of Education of any
276 employer of a school guardian which has not complied with the
277 reporting requirements of this subparagraph.
278 g. An employer that is out of compliance with the reporting
279 requirements of this subparagraph may not operate a school
280 guardian program until the employer comes into compliance by
281 reporting the information for all school guardians the employer
282 has appointed.
283 h. A sheriff who is out of compliance with the reporting
284 requirements of this subparagraph may not receive reimbursement
285 from the Department of Education for school guardian trainings
286 until the sheriff comes into compliance by reporting the
287 information for all school guardians whom the sheriff has
288 certified.
289 i. The Department of Law Enforcement may adopt rules to
290 implement the requirements of this subparagraph, including
291 additional required reporting information only as necessary to
292 uniquely identify each school guardian reported.
293
294 The sheriff who conducts the guardian training or waives the
295 training requirements for a person under sub-subparagraph 1.g.
296 shall issue a school guardian certificate to persons individuals
297 who meet the requirements of this section to the satisfaction of
298 the sheriff, and shall maintain documentation of weapon and
299 equipment inspections, as well as the training, certification,
300 inspection, and qualification records of each school guardian
301 certified by the sheriff. An individual who is certified under
302 this paragraph may serve as a school guardian under s.
303 1006.12(3) only if he or she is appointed by the applicable
304 school district superintendent, charter school principal, or
305 private school head of school.
306 Section 2. Present subsection (5) of section 330.41,
307 Florida Statutes, is redesignated as subsection (6), and a new
308 subsection (5) is added to that section, to read:
309 330.41 Unmanned Aircraft Systems Act.—
310 (5) PROTECTION OF SCHOOLS.—
311 (a) A person may not knowingly or willfully:
312 1. Operate a drone over a public or private school serving
313 students in any grade from voluntary prekindergarten through
314 grade 12; or
315 2. Allow a drone to make contact with a school, including
316 any person or object on the premises of or within the school
317 facility.
318 (b) A person who violates paragraph (a) commits a
319 misdemeanor of the second degree, punishable as provided in s.
320 775.082 or s. 775.083. A person who commits a second or
321 subsequent violation commits a misdemeanor of the first degree,
322 punishable as provided in s. 775.082 or s. 775.083.
323 (c) A person who violates paragraph (a) and records video
324 of the school, including any person or object on the premises of
325 or within the school facility, commits a misdemeanor of the
326 first degree, punishable as provided in s. 775.082 or s.
327 775.083. A person who commits a second or subsequent violation
328 commits a felony of the third degree, punishable as provided in
329 s. 775.082, s. 775.083, or s. 775.084.
330 (d) This subsection does not apply to actions identified in
331 paragraph (a) which are committed by:
332 1. A person acting under the prior written consent of the
333 school principal, district school board, superintendent, or
334 school governing board.
335 2. A law enforcement agency that is in compliance with s.
336 934.50, or a person under contract with or otherwise acting
337 under the direction of such law enforcement agency.
338 Section 3. Paragraph (b) of subsection (4) of section
339 943.082, Florida Statutes, is amended to read:
340 943.082 School Safety Awareness Program.—
341 (4)
342 (b) The district school board shall promote the use of the
343 mobile suspicious activity reporting tool by advertising it on
344 the school district website, in newsletters, on school campuses,
345 and in school publications, by installing it on all mobile
346 devices issued to students, and by bookmarking the website on
347 all computer devices issued to students. Within the first 5 days
348 of each school year, each district school board and charter
349 school governing board must ensure that instruction on the use
350 of the mobile suspicious activity reporting tool known as
351 FortifyFL is provided to students. The instruction must be age
352 and developmentally appropriate and include the consequences for
353 making a threat or false report as defined by ss. 790.162 and
354 790.163, respectively, involving school or school personnel’s
355 property, school transportation, or a school-sponsored activity.
356 Section 4. Paragraph (h) is added to subsection (3) of
357 section 943.687, Florida Statutes, to read:
358 943.687 Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School Public Safety
359 Commission.—
360 (3) The commission shall monitor implementation of school
361 safety legislation by:
362 (h) Researching best practices in school safety and making
363 additional legislative recommendations if necessary.
364 Section 5. Paragraph (a) of subsection (4) of section
365 985.04, Florida Statutes, is amended to read:
366 985.04 Oaths; records; confidential information.—
367 (4)(a) Notwithstanding any other provision of this section,
368 when a child of any age is taken into custody by a law
369 enforcement officer for an offense that would have been a felony
370 if committed by an adult, or a crime of violence, the law
371 enforcement agency must notify the superintendent of schools
372 that the child is alleged to have committed the delinquent act.
373 If the child is a dual enrolled student at a postsecondary
374 institution, the superintendent of schools, or his or her
375 designee, must notify the chief of police or the public safety
376 director of the postsecondary institution at which the student
377 is dual enrolled within 1 business day after receiving the
378 initial notification.
379 Section 6. Subsection (14) of section 1001.212, Florida
380 Statutes, is amended, and subsection (17) is added to that
381 section, to read:
382 1001.212 Office of Safe Schools.—There is created in the
383 Department of Education the Office of Safe Schools. The office
384 is fully accountable to the Commissioner of Education. The
385 office shall serve as a central repository for best practices,
386 training standards, and compliance oversight in all matters
387 regarding school safety and security, including prevention
388 efforts, intervention efforts, and emergency preparedness
389 planning. The office shall:
390 (14)(a) By August 1, 2024, develop and adopt a Florida
391 school safety compliance inspection report to document
392 compliance or noncompliance with school safety requirements
393 mandated by law or rule and adherence to established school
394 safety best practices to evaluate the safety, security, and
395 emergency response of the school. Upon the adoption of the
396 report and upon any revisions to the report, the office shall
397 provide a blank copy of the report to each district school
398 superintendent and charter school administrator. The office
399 shall annually provide school safety specialists with training
400 on the report, and any revisions thereof, and the expectations
401 associated with the inspections required under this paragraph.
402 (b) Monitor compliance with requirements relating to school
403 safety by school districts and public schools, including charter
404 schools. The office shall report incidents of noncompliance to
405 the commissioner pursuant to s. 1001.11(9) and the state board
406 pursuant to s. 1008.32 and other requirements of law, as
407 appropriate. The office may conduct inspections, which may
408 include unannounced inspections, of all public schools,
409 including charter schools. The office shall inspect every public
410 school in this state during 3-year inspection cycles. Within 3
411 school days after the inspection, the office shall provide a
412 copy of the completed Florida school safety compliance
413 inspection report, including any photographs or other evidence
414 of noncompliance, to the superintendent, the school safety
415 specialist, and the school principal or charter school
416 administrator. The school safety specialist shall provide the
417 office with written notice of the manner in which any
418 noncompliance has been remediated within 5 school days after
419 receipt of the report. The office shall reinspect any school
420 with documented deficiencies within 6 months.
421 (c) Provide a bonus in an amount determined in the General
422 Appropriations Act, at the conclusion of the initial inspection
423 conducted during the school year, to the school principal or
424 charter school administrator of each school that complies with
425 all school safety requirements.
426 (d)1. Identify any instructional personnel as defined in s.
427 1012.01(2) and any administrative personnel as defined in s.
428 1012.01(3) who knowingly violate school safety requirements of
429 law or rule adopted by the State Board of Education to the
430 district school superintendent or charter school administrator,
431 as applicable, for disciplinary action if such action has not
432 already been commenced by the district school superintendent or
433 charter school administrator upon receipt of the Florida school
434 safety compliance inspection report. The district school
435 superintendent or charter school administrator shall notify the
436 office of the outcome of the disciplinary proceedings within 3
437 school days after the conclusion of the proceedings.
438 2. Maintain a record of any administrative personnel or
439 instructional personnel who violated school safety requirements,
440 and may use such information when making any subsequent
441 determinations of an alleged violation by the same person.
442 (17) By December 1, 2024, evaluate the methodology for the
443 Safe Schools Allocation in s. 1011.62(12) and, if necessary,
444 make recommendations for an alternate methodology to distribute
445 the remaining balance of the Safe Schools Allocation as
446 indicated in s. 1011.62(12) to address school safety personnel,
447 technology, and facility cost needs and each school district’s
448 proportionate share of the state’s total unweighted full-time
449 equivalent student enrollment.
450 Section 7. Paragraph (a) of subsection (4) and paragraph
451 (a) of subsection (6) of section 1006.07, Florida Statutes, are
452 amended, and paragraph (f) is added to subsection (6) of that
453 section, to read:
454 1006.07 District school board duties relating to student
455 discipline and school safety.—The district school board shall
456 provide for the proper accounting for all students, for the
457 attendance and control of students at school, and for proper
458 attention to health, safety, and other matters relating to the
459 welfare of students, including:
460 (4) EMERGENCY DRILLS; EMERGENCY PROCEDURES.—
461 (a) Formulate and prescribe policies and procedures, in
462 consultation with the appropriate public safety agencies, for
463 emergency drills and for actual emergencies, including, but not
464 limited to, fires, natural disasters, active assailant and
465 hostage situations, and bomb threats, for all students and
466 faculty at all public schools of the district composed of grades
467 K-12, pursuant to State Board of Education rules. Drills for
468 active assailant and hostage situations must be conducted in
469 accordance with developmentally appropriate and age-appropriate
470 procedures, as specified in State Board of Education rules. Law
471 enforcement officers responsible for responding to the school in
472 the event of an active assailant emergency, as determined
473 necessary by the sheriff in coordination with the district’s
474 school safety specialist, must be physically present on campus
475 and directly involved in the execution of active assailant
476 emergency drills. School districts must notify law enforcement
477 officers at least 24 hours before conducting an active assailant
478 emergency drill at which such law enforcement officers are
479 expected to attend. Each public school, including charter
480 schools, shall maintain a record that is accessible on each
481 campus or by request of the Office of Safe Schools of all
482 current and prior school year drills conducted pursuant to this
483 subsection, including the names of law enforcement personnel
484 present on campus for each active assailant emergency drill.
485 District school board policies must include commonly used alarm
486 system responses for specific types of emergencies and
487 verification by each school that drills have been provided as
488 required by law, State Board of Education rules, and fire
489 protection codes and may provide accommodations for drills
490 conducted by exceptional student education centers. District
491 school boards shall establish emergency response and emergency
492 preparedness policies and procedures that include, but are not
493 limited to, identifying the individuals responsible for
494 contacting the primary emergency response agency and the
495 emergency response agency responsible for notifying the school
496 district for each type of emergency. The State Board of
497 Education shall refer to recommendations provided in reports
498 published pursuant to s. 943.687 for guidance and, by August 1,
499 2023, consult with state and local constituencies to adopt rules
500 applicable to the requirements of this subsection which, at a
501 minimum, define the terms “emergency drill,” “active threat,”
502 and “after-action report” and establish minimum emergency drill
503 policies and procedures related to the timing, frequency,
504 participation, training, notification, accommodations, and
505 responses to threat situations by incident type, school level,
506 school type, and student and school characteristics. The rules
507 must require all types of emergency drills to be conducted no
508 less frequently than on an annual school year basis.
509 (6) SAFETY AND SECURITY BEST PRACTICES.—Each district
510 school superintendent shall establish policies and procedures
511 for the prevention of violence on school grounds, including the
512 assessment of and intervention with individuals whose behavior
513 poses a threat to the safety of the school community.
514 (a) School safety specialist.—Each district school
515 superintendent shall designate a school safety specialist for
516 the district. The school safety specialist must be a school
517 administrator employed by the school district or a law
518 enforcement officer employed by the sheriff’s office located in
519 the school district. Any school safety specialist designated
520 from the sheriff’s office must first be authorized and approved
521 by the sheriff employing the law enforcement officer. Any school
522 safety specialist designated from the sheriff’s office remains
523 the employee of the office for purposes of compensation,
524 insurance, workers’ compensation, and other benefits authorized
525 by law for a law enforcement officer employed by the sheriff’s
526 office. The sheriff and the school superintendent may determine
527 by agreement the reimbursement for such costs, or may share the
528 costs, associated with employment of the law enforcement officer
529 as a school safety specialist. The school safety specialist must
530 earn a certificate of completion of the school safety specialist
531 training provided by the Office of Safe Schools within 1 year
532 after appointment and is responsible for the supervision and
533 oversight for all school safety and security personnel,
534 policies, and procedures in the school district. The school
535 safety specialist shall:
536 1. In conjunction with the district school superintendent,
537 annually review school district policies and procedures for
538 compliance with state law and rules, including the district’s
539 timely and accurate submission of school environmental safety
540 incident reports to the department pursuant to s. 1001.212(8).
541 Annually, during the first quarter of every school year, the
542 school safety specialist shall report to the district school
543 board in a public meeting the number of schools inspected during
544 the preceding calendar year and the number and percentage of
545 schools in compliance during the initial inspection and
546 reinspection.
547 2. Provide the necessary training and resources to students
548 and school district staff in matters relating to youth mental
549 health awareness and assistance; emergency procedures, including
550 active shooter training; and school safety and security.
551 3. Serve as the school district liaison with local public
552 safety agencies and national, state, and community agencies and
553 organizations in matters of school safety and security.
554 4. In collaboration with the appropriate public safety
555 agencies, as that term is defined in s. 365.171, by October 1 of
556 each year, conduct a school security risk assessment at each
557 public school using the Florida Safe Schools Assessment Tool
558 developed by the Office of Safe Schools pursuant to s.
559 1006.1493. Based on the assessment findings, the district’s
560 school safety specialist shall provide recommendations to the
561 district school superintendent and the district school board
562 which identify strategies and activities that the district
563 school board should implement in order to address the findings
564 and improve school safety and security. Each district school
565 board must receive such findings and the school safety
566 specialist’s recommendations at a publicly noticed district
567 school board meeting to provide the public an opportunity to
568 hear the district school board members discuss and take action
569 on the findings and recommendations. Each school safety
570 specialist, through the district school superintendent, shall
571 report such findings and school board action to the Office of
572 Safe Schools within 30 days after the district school board
573 meeting.
574 (f) Progressive discipline policy.—Each district school
575 board and charter school governing board shall adopt a
576 progressive discipline policy for addressing any instructional
577 personnel as defined in s. 1012.01(2) and any administrative
578 personnel as defined in s. 1012.01(3) who knowingly violate
579 school safety requirements.
580 Section 8. Paragraph (b) of subsection (1) and subsections
581 (3) and (6) of section 1006.12, Florida Statutes, are amended to
582 read:
583 1006.12 Safe-school officers at each public school.—For the
584 protection and safety of school personnel, property, students,
585 and visitors, each district school board and school district
586 superintendent shall partner with law enforcement agencies or
587 security agencies to establish or assign one or more safe-school
588 officers at each school facility within the district, including
589 charter schools. A district school board must collaborate with
590 charter school governing boards to facilitate charter school
591 access to all safe-school officer options available under this
592 section. The school district may implement any combination of
593 the options in subsections (1)-(4) to best meet the needs of the
594 school district and charter schools.
595 (1) SCHOOL RESOURCE OFFICER.—A school district may
596 establish school resource officer programs through a cooperative
597 agreement with law enforcement agencies.
598 (b) School resource officers shall abide by district school
599 board policies and shall consult with and coordinate activities
600 through the school principal, but shall be responsible to the
601 law enforcement agency in all matters relating to employment,
602 subject to agreements between a district school board and a law
603 enforcement agency. The agreements must identify the entity
604 responsible for maintaining records related to training.
605 Activities conducted by the school resource officer which are
606 part of the regular instructional program of the school shall be
607 under the direction of the school principal.
608 (3) SCHOOL GUARDIAN.—
609 (a) At the school district’s or the charter school
610 governing board’s discretion, as applicable, pursuant to s.
611 30.15, a school district or charter school governing board may
612 participate in the Chris Hixon, Coach Aaron Feis, and Coach
613 Scott Beigel Guardian Program to meet the requirement of
614 establishing a safe-school officer. The following individuals
615 may serve as a school guardian, in support of school-sanctioned
616 activities for purposes of s. 790.115, upon satisfactory
617 completion of the requirements under s. 30.15(1)(k) and
618 certification by a sheriff:
619 1.(a) A school district employee or personnel, as defined
620 under s. 1012.01, or a charter school employee, as provided
621 under s. 1002.33(12)(a), who volunteers to serve as a school
622 guardian in addition to his or her official job duties; or
623 2.(b) An employee of a school district or a charter school
624 who is hired for the specific purpose of serving as a school
625 guardian.
626 (6) CRISIS INTERVENTION TRAINING.—
627 (a) Each safe-school officer who is also a sworn law
628 enforcement officer shall complete mental health crisis
629 intervention training using a curriculum developed by a national
630 organization with expertise in mental health crisis
631 intervention. The training must improve the officer’s knowledge
632 and skills as a first responder to incidents involving students
633 with emotional disturbance or mental illness, including de
634 escalation skills to ensure student and officer safety.
635 (b) Each safe-school officer who is not a sworn law
636 enforcement officer shall receive training to improve the
637 officer’s knowledge and skills necessary to respond to and de
638 escalate incidents on school premises.
639
640 If a district school board, through its adopted policies,
641 procedures, or actions, denies a charter school access to any
642 safe-school officer options pursuant to this section, the school
643 district must assign a school resource officer or school safety
644 officer to the charter school. Under such circumstances, the
645 charter school’s share of the costs of the school resource
646 officer or school safety officer may not exceed the safe school
647 allocation funds provided to the charter school pursuant to s.
648 1011.62(12) and shall be retained by the school district.
649 Section 9. Paragraph (a) of subsection (2) of section
650 1006.1493, Florida Statutes, is amended to read:
651 1006.1493 Florida Safe Schools Assessment Tool.—
652 (2) The FSSAT must help school officials identify threats,
653 vulnerabilities, and appropriate safety controls for the schools
654 that they supervise, pursuant to the security risk assessment
655 requirements of s. 1006.07(6).
656 (a) At a minimum, the FSSAT must address all of the
657 following components:
658 1. School emergency and crisis preparedness planning;
659 2. Security, crime, and violence prevention policies and
660 procedures;
661 3. Physical security measures, which include, but are not
662 limited to, security for gates or other access points that
663 restrict ingress to or egress from a school campus, a school
664 facility, and rooms and areas within the facility, and the
665 identification and demarcation of safe spaces;
666 4. Professional development training needs;
667 5. An examination of support service roles in school
668 safety, security, and emergency planning;
669 6. School security and school police staffing, operational
670 practices, and related services;
671 7. School and community collaboration on school safety;
672 8. Policies and procedures for school officials to prepare
673 for and respond to natural and manmade disasters, including
674 family reunification plans to reunite students and employees
675 with their families after a school is closed or unexpectedly
676 evacuated due to such disasters; and
677 9. A return on investment analysis of the recommended
678 physical security controls.
679 Section 10. For the 2024-2025 fiscal year and subject to
680 legislative appropriation, the Department of Law Enforcement
681 shall provide grants to sheriffs’ offices and law enforcement
682 agencies to conduct physical site security assessments for and
683 provide reports to private schools with recommendations on
684 improving such schools’ infrastructure safety and security; to
685 assist private schools in developing active assailant response
686 protocols and develop and implement training relating to active
687 assailant responses, including active assailant response drills
688 for students and school personnel; and to consult with or
689 provide guidance to private schools in implementing a threat
690 management program similar to the process required under s.
691 1001.212(12), Florida Statutes, for public schools. The
692 Department of Law Enforcement shall develop a site security
693 assessment form for use by sheriffs’ offices and law enforcement
694 agencies and make the form available, including any subsequent
695 revisions, to private schools. Grants awarded under this section
696 may be used for personnel costs and to purchase software and
697 other items necessary to assist private schools. The Department
698 of Law Enforcement may establish criteria and set specific time
699 periods for the acceptance of applications and for the selection
700 process for awarding grant funds under this section. Grants must
701 be awarded no later than October 1, 2024.
702 Section 11. This act shall take effect July 1, 2024.