Florida Senate - 2025                                     SB 444
       
       
        
       By Senator Avila
       
       
       
       
       
       39-01350B-25                                           2025444__
    1                        A bill to be entitled                      
    2         An act relating to human trafficking awareness;
    3         creating s. 1006.481, F.S.; requiring public schools
    4         to designate a member of the administrative personnel
    5         to provide annual training regarding human trafficking
    6         awareness to specified employees; requiring employees
    7         who receive such training to submit an acknowledgment
    8         to the school; requiring schools to keep the
    9         acknowledgments filed electronically; requiring each
   10         school district to provide the curriculum for such
   11         training and to submit such curriculum to the
   12         Department of Education for approval; providing
   13         requirements for the training; providing an effective
   14         date.
   15          
   16  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
   17  
   18         Section 1. Section 1006.481, Florida Statutes, is created
   19  to read:
   20         1006.481 Human trafficking awareness training.—
   21         (1) Each public school shall designate a member of the
   22  administrative personnel as defined in s. 1012.01(3) to provide
   23  annual training regarding human trafficking awareness to
   24  instructional personnel as defined in s. 1012.01(2), other
   25  administrative personnel, school nurses and school doctors as
   26  identified in s. 1012.01(6), and any other personnel deemed by
   27  the designated administrative personnel member to have regular
   28  contact with students. Such training must also be provided for
   29  new employees in such positions within 90 days after they begin
   30  their employment. Each employee must submit to the school
   31  designated member of the administrative personnel a signed and
   32  dated acknowledgment of having received the training. The school
   33  shall keep such acknowledgment filed electronically.
   34         (2) Each school district shall provide to the designated
   35  administrative personnel a comprehensive training curriculum for
   36  the annual training described in subsection (1). Such curriculum
   37  must be submitted to the Department of Education for approval
   38  and must include all of the following:
   39         (a) The definition of human trafficking and the difference
   40  between sex trafficking and labor trafficking.
   41         (b) Guidance specific to the public education sector
   42  concerning how to identify students who may be victims of human
   43  trafficking.
   44         (c) Guidance concerning the role of employees of the public
   45  school system in reporting and responding to suspected human
   46  trafficking.
   47         (d) A protocol for reporting suspected human trafficking
   48  which must require that suspicion of human trafficking of a
   49  child be reported to the Department of Children and Families or
   50  the Florida Human Trafficking Hotline at either entity’s
   51  designated telephone number.
   52         Section 2. This act shall take effect July 1, 2025.