Florida Senate - 2026 SB 1008
By Senator Truenow
13-01030B-26 20261008__
1 A bill to be entitled
2 An act relating to student support services for K-12
3 schools; amending s. 1001.42, F.S.; authorizing
4 district school boards to refer students to
5 organizations that provide specified student support
6 services; providing requirements for such
7 organizations; providing requirements relating to
8 level 2 background screenings for specified persons;
9 requiring certain public schools to post and maintain
10 specified information on their websites; requiring
11 district school boards to ensure compliance with
12 specified provisions and maintain specified
13 documentation; requiring district school
14 superintendents to provide a report to the Department
15 of Education upon the request of the department;
16 requiring that specified information be included in
17 the report; providing an effective date.
18
19 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
20
21 Section 1. Present subsection (29) of section 1001.42,
22 Florida Statutes, is redesignated as subsection (30), and a new
23 subsection (29) is added to that section, to read:
24 1001.42 Powers and duties of district school board.—The
25 district school board, acting as a board, shall exercise all
26 powers and perform all duties listed below:
27 (29) NONDISCRIMINATORY AND SAFE STUDENT PROGRAMS AND
28 SERVICES.—
29 (a) A district school board may refer students to
30 organizations that provide student support services, including
31 student support programs that incorporate mentoring, counseling,
32 tutoring, and extracurricular programs.
33 (b) To be eligible to be recommended, endorsed, referred,
34 or otherwise promoted by a school district:
35 1. An organization may not restrict participation on the
36 basis of race, color, or ethnicity.
37 2. A mentoring organization that represents through its
38 website, publications, or promotional materials that it serves
39 students of a single race or ethnic group must provide written
40 verification to the district school board demonstrating that the
41 organization employs or engages mentors, staff, or volunteers
42 from diverse racial and ethnic backgrounds sufficient to serve
43 the district’s student population before the district may
44 recommend or refer students to the organization.
45 3.a. An organization must ensure that each person who comes
46 into contact with students, or is present in the same building
47 while services are being provided to students, has successfully
48 completed a level 2 background screening pursuant to s. 435.04.
49 Each organization is responsible for initiating and maintaining
50 its own level 2 background screenings and providing such
51 documentation to the district school board. The district school
52 board may impose a fee to review the documentation and comply
53 with the requirements of this subsection. A person may not
54 provide or assist in providing student support services on
55 behalf of such organization without the level 2 background
56 screening.
57 b. This subparagraph applies to services provided on campus
58 or off campus.
59 c. This subparagraph does not apply to off-campus, school
60 sponsored activities where students are under the direct
61 supervision of school personnel, school volunteers, or athletic
62 coaches employed or contracted by the school district if such
63 personnel, volunteers, or coaches remain present for the
64 duration of the activity and maintain responsibility for student
65 safety and supervision.
66 (c) Each public school that provides or hosts mentoring or
67 student support services shall post and maintain information
68 regarding the available programs on the school website. The
69 information must include all of the following:
70 1. The name and description of each program available to
71 students.
72 2. The eligibility requirements for participation in each
73 program.
74 3. The contact information for the program coordinator or
75 designated school personnel for the program.
76 4. The application process or participation requirements
77 for each program.
78 (d) The district school board shall ensure compliance with
79 this subsection and maintain documentation demonstrating that an
80 organization meets the requirements of paragraph (b).
81 (e) Each district school superintendent shall, upon the
82 request of the Department of Education, submit a report
83 demonstrating compliance with this subsection within 30 days
84 after such request. The report must include all of the following
85 information:
86 1. The total number of public schools within the district
87 that participated in mentoring or student support programs
88 during the previous school year, including the names and
89 addresses of the schools.
90 2. The name of each organization providing such mentoring
91 or student support programs within the district and the type of
92 services the organization provided.
93 3. Evidence that each participating organization meets the
94 requirements of paragraph (b).
95 4. The percentage of schools served by mentoring or
96 student-support programs.
97 5. The total number of students served by mentoring or
98 student support programs during the previous school year.
99 6. Disaggregated demographic information of the students
100 served by each mentoring or student-support program, including
101 race, ethnicity, and grade level.
102 7. Any additional information requested by the department.
103 Section 2. This act shall take effect July 1, 2026.