Florida Senate - 2022 SB 490 By Senator Stewart 13-00488A-22 2022490__ 1 A bill to be entitled 2 An act relating to required instruction in the history 3 of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders; amending s. 4 1003.42, F.S.; requiring the history of Asian 5 Americans and Pacific Islanders to be included in 6 specified instruction; amending ss. 1006.148 and 7 1014.05, F.S.; conforming cross-references; providing 8 an effective date. 9 10 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: 11 12 Section 1.Subsection (2) of section 1003.42, Florida 13 Statutes, is amended to read: 14 1003.42Required instruction. 15 (2)Members of the instructional staff of the public 16 schools, subject to the rules of the State Board of Education 17 and the district school board, shall teach efficiently and 18 faithfully, using the books and materials required that meet the 19 highest standards for professionalism and historical accuracy, 20 following the prescribed courses of study, and employing 21 approved methods of instruction, the following: 22 (a)The history and content of the Declaration of 23 Independence, including national sovereignty, natural law, self 24 evident truth, equality of all persons, limited government, 25 popular sovereignty, and inalienable rights of life, liberty, 26 and property, and how they form the philosophical foundation of 27 our government. 28 (b)The history, meaning, significance, and effect of the 29 provisions of the Constitution of the United States and 30 amendments thereto, with emphasis on each of the 10 amendments 31 that make up the Bill of Rights and how the constitution 32 provides the structure of our government. 33 (c)The arguments in support of adopting our republican 34 form of government, as they are embodied in the most important 35 of the Federalist Papers. 36 (d)Flag education, including proper flag display and flag 37 salute. 38 (e)The elements of civil government, including the primary 39 functions of and interrelationships between the Federal 40 Government, the state, and its counties, municipalities, school 41 districts, and special districts. 42 (f)The history of the United States, including the period 43 of discovery, early colonies, the War for Independence, the 44 Civil War, the expansion of the United States to its present 45 boundaries, the world wars, and the civil rights movement to the 46 present. American history shall be viewed as factual, not as 47 constructed, shall be viewed as knowable, teachable, and 48 testable, and shall be defined as the creation of a new nation 49 based largely on the universal principles stated in the 50 Declaration of Independence. 51 (g)1.The history of the Holocaust (1933-1945), the 52 systematic, planned annihilation of European Jews and other 53 groups by Nazi Germany, a watershed event in the history of 54 humanity, to be taught in a manner that leads to an 55 investigation of human behavior, an understanding of the 56 ramifications of prejudice, racism, and stereotyping, and an 57 examination of what it means to be a responsible and respectful 58 person, for the purposes of encouraging tolerance of diversity 59 in a pluralistic society and for nurturing and protecting 60 democratic values and institutions, including the policy, 61 definition, and historical and current examples of anti 62 Semitism, as described in s. 1000.05(7), and the prevention of 63 anti-Semitism. Each school district must annually certify and 64 provide evidence to the department, in a manner prescribed by 65 the department, that the requirements of this paragraph are met. 66 The department shall prepare and offer standards and curriculum 67 for the instruction required by this paragraph and may seek 68 input from the Commissioner of Educations Task Force on 69 Holocaust Education or from any state or nationally recognized 70 Holocaust educational organizations. The department may contract 71 with any state or nationally recognized Holocaust educational 72 organizations to develop training for instructional personnel 73 and grade-appropriate classroom resources to support the 74 developed curriculum. 75 2.The second week in November shall be designated as 76 Holocaust Education Week in this state in recognition that 77 November is the anniversary of Kristallnacht, widely recognized 78 as a precipitating event that led to the Holocaust. 79 (h)The history of African Americans, including the history 80 of African peoples before the political conflicts that led to 81 the development of slavery, the passage to America, the 82 enslavement experience, abolition, and the contributions of 83 African Americans to society. Instructional materials shall 84 include the contributions of African Americans to American 85 society. 86 (i)The history of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders, 87 including the immigration, citizenship, civil rights, identity, 88 and culture of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders and the 89 contributions of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders to 90 American society. Instructional materials shall include the 91 contributions of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders to 92 American society. 93 (j)The elementary principles of agriculture. 94 (k)(j)The true effects of all alcoholic and intoxicating 95 liquors and beverages and narcotics upon the human body and 96 mind. 97 (l)(k)Kindness to animals. 98 (m)(l)The history of this the state. 99 (n)(m)The conservation of natural resources. 100 (o)1.(n)1.Comprehensive age-appropriate and 101 developmentally appropriate K-12 health education that addresses 102 concepts of community health, consumer health, environmental 103 health, and family life, including: 104 a.Mental and emotional health. 105 b.Injury prevention and safety. 106 c.Internet safety. 107 d.Nutrition. 108 e.Personal health. 109 f.Prevention and control of disease. 110 g.Substance use and abuse. 111 h.Prevention of child sexual abuse, exploitation, and 112 human trafficking. 113 2.The health education curriculum for students in grades 7 114 through 12 shall include a teen dating violence and abuse 115 component that includes, but is not limited to, the definition 116 of dating violence and abuse, the warning signs of dating 117 violence and abusive behavior, the characteristics of healthy 118 relationships, measures to prevent and stop dating violence and 119 abuse, and community resources available to victims of dating 120 violence and abuse. 121 3.The health education curriculum for students in grades 6 122 through 12 shall include an awareness of the benefits of sexual 123 abstinence as the expected standard and the consequences of 124 teenage pregnancy. 125 (p)(o)Such additional materials, subjects, courses, or 126 fields in such grades as are prescribed by law or by rules of 127 the State Board of Education and the district school board in 128 fulfilling the requirements of law. 129 (q)(p)The study of Hispanic contributions to the United 130 States. 131 (r)(q)The study of womens contributions to the United 132 States. 133 (s)(r)The nature and importance of free enterprise to the 134 United States economy. 135 (t)(s)A character development program in the elementary 136 schools, similar to Character First or Character Counts, which 137 is secular in nature. Beginning in school year 2004-2005, the 138 character development program shall be required in kindergarten 139 through grade 12. Each district school board shall develop or 140 adopt a curriculum for the character development program that 141 shall be submitted to the department for approval. 142 1.The character development curriculum shall stress the 143 qualities of patriotism; responsibility; citizenship; kindness; 144 respect for authority, life, liberty, and personal property; 145 honesty; charity; self-control; racial, ethnic, and religious 146 tolerance; and cooperation. 147 2.The character development curriculum for grades 9 148 through 12 shall, at a minimum, include instruction on 149 developing leadership skills, interpersonal skills, organization 150 skills, and research skills; creating a resume, including a 151 digital resume; exploring career pathways; using state career 152 planning resources; developing and practicing the skills 153 necessary for employment interviews; conflict resolution, 154 workplace ethics, and workplace law; managing stress and 155 expectations; and developing skills that enable students to 156 become more resilient and self-motivated. 157 3.The character development curriculum for grades 11 and 158 12 shall include instruction on voting using the uniform primary 159 and general election ballot described in s. 101.151(9). 160 (u)(t)In order to encourage patriotism, the sacrifices 161 that veterans and Medal of Honor recipients have made in serving 162 our country and protecting democratic values worldwide. Such 163 instruction must occur on or before Medal of Honor Day, 164 Veterans Day, and Memorial Day. Members of the instructional 165 staff are encouraged to use the assistance of local veterans and 166 Medal of Honor recipients when practicable. 167 168 The State Board of Education is encouraged to adopt standards 169 and pursue assessment of the requirements of this subsection. A 170 character development program that incorporates the values of 171 the recipients of the Congressional Medal of Honor and that is 172 offered as part of a social studies, English Language Arts, or 173 other schoolwide character building and veteran awareness 174 initiative meets the requirements of paragraphs (t) (s) and (u) 175 (t). 176 Section 2.Paragraph (c) of subsection (1) of section 177 1006.148, Florida Statutes, is amended to read: 178 1006.148Dating violence and abuse prohibited. 179 (1)Each district school board shall adopt and implement a 180 dating violence and abuse policy. The policy shall: 181 (c)Define dating violence and abuse and provide for a teen 182 dating violence and abuse component in the health education 183 curriculum, according to s. 1003.42(2)(o)2. s. 1003.42(2)(n)2., 184 with emphasis on prevention education. 185 Section 3.Paragraphs (d) and (f) of subsection (1) of 186 section 1014.05, Florida Statutes, are amended to read: 187 1014.05School district notifications on parental rights. 188 (1)Each district school board shall, in consultation with 189 parents, teachers, and administrators, develop and adopt a 190 policy to promote parental involvement in the public school 191 system. Such policy must include: 192 (d)Procedures, pursuant to s. 1002.20(3)(d), for a parent 193 to withdraw his or her minor child from any portion of the 194 school districts comprehensive health education required under 195 s. 1003.42(2)(o) s. 1003.42(2)(n) that relates to sex education 196 or instruction in acquired immune deficiency syndrome education 197 or any instruction regarding sexuality if the parent provides a 198 written objection to his or her minor childs participation. 199 Such procedures must provide for a parent to be notified in 200 advance of such course content so that he or she may withdraw 201 his or her minor child from those portions of the course. 202 (f)Procedures for a parent to learn about parental rights 203 and responsibilities under general law, including all of the 204 following: 205 1.Pursuant to s. 1002.20(3)(d), the right to opt his or 206 her minor child out of any portion of the school districts 207 comprehensive health education required under s. 1003.42(2)(o) 208 s. 1003.42(2)(n) that relates to sex education instruction in 209 acquired immune deficiency syndrome education or any instruction 210 regarding sexuality. 211 2.A plan to disseminate information, pursuant to s. 212 1002.20(6), about school choice options, including open 213 enrollment. 214 3.In accordance with s. 1002.20(3)(b), the right of a 215 parent to exempt his or her minor child from immunizations. 216 4.In accordance with s. 1008.22, the right of a parent to 217 review statewide, standardized assessment results. 218 5.In accordance with s. 1003.57, the right of a parent to 219 enroll his or her minor child in gifted or special education 220 programs. 221 6.In accordance with s. 1006.28(2)(a)1., the right of a 222 parent to inspect school district instructional materials. 223 7.In accordance with s. 1008.25, the right of a parent to 224 access information relating to the school districts policies 225 for promotion or retention, including high school graduation 226 requirements. 227 8.In accordance with s. 1002.20(14), the right of a parent 228 to receive a school report card and be informed of his or her 229 minor childs attendance requirements. 230 9.In accordance with s. 1002.23, the right of a parent to 231 access information relating to the state public education 232 system, state standards, report card requirements, attendance 233 requirements, and instructional materials requirements. 234 10.In accordance with s. 1002.23(4), the right of a parent 235 to participate in parent-teacher associations and organizations 236 that are sanctioned by a district school board or the Department 237 of Education. 238 11.In accordance with s. 1002.222(1)(a), the right of a 239 parent to opt out of any district-level data collection relating 240 to his or her minor child not required by law. 241 Section 4.This act shall take effect July 1, 2022.