Florida 2023 Regular Session

Florida House Bill H1429 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.

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10	10	F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S
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14	14	A bill to be entitled 1
15	15	An act relating to student elopement; creating s. 2
16	16	1003.211, F.S.; providing definitions; requiring 3
17	17	public schools to create a School Staff Assistance for 4
18	18	Emergencies (SAFE) Team and a school elopement plan; 5
19	19	providing for membership and responsibilities of the 6
20	20	team; providing requirements for the plan; requiring 7
21	21	the team to create student -specific elopement quick 8
22	22	reference guides for certain students; provid ing 9
23	23	requirements for such guides; requiring public schools 10
24	24	to annually submit their plans to the district school 11
25	25	board; authorizing the State Board of Education to 12
26	26	adopt rules; providing an effective date. 13
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28	28	Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the Sta te of Florida: 15
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30	30	Section 1. Section 1003.211, Florida Statutes, is created 17
31	31	to read: 18
32	32	1003.211 School elopement plans. — 19
33	33	(1) For purposes of this section, the term: 20
34	34	(a) "Disability" means, for a student in kindergarten 21
35	35	through grade 12, autism spectr um disorder, as defined in the 22
36	36	Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth 23
37	37	Edition, published by the American Psychiatric Association, or 24
38	38	an intellectual disability, as defined in s. 393.063. 25
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51	51	(b) "Elopement" means when a student with dis abilities 26
52	52	wanders away, walks away, runs away, escapes, or otherwise 27
53	53	leaves the supervision of school staff or leaves school grounds 28
54	54	unsupervised or unnoticed before the end of his or her scheduled 29
55	55	school day. 30
56	56	(2) To ensure the safety of students with di sabilities at 31
57	57	risk of elopement, each public school shall create a School 32
58	58	Staff Assistance for Emergencies (SAFE) Team and a school 33
59	59	elopement plan. 34
60	60	(3) The school principal and assistant principal shall 35
61	61	serve on the SAFE Team and the school principal sha ll appoint at 36
62	62	least five other members to serve on the team. The SAFE Team 37
63	63	shall: 38
64	64	(a) Create and annually update the school elopement plan 39
65	65	and respond to all elopements. 40
66	66	(b) Provide training to all school personnel to 41
67	67	familiarize such personnel with th e school elopement plan and 42
68	68	all necessary procedures, including, but not limited to, the 43
69	69	search grid established pursuant to paragraph (4)(a) and any 44
70	70	responsibilities of such personnel if an elopement occurs. 45
71	71	(4) In developing the school elopement plan, the SAFE Team 46
72	72	must include all of the following: 47
73	73	(a) A search grid of the school campus and surrounding 48
74	74	areas. The search grid must include all bodies of water, 49
75	75	intersections, train tracks and stations, parks, playgrounds, 50
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88	88	and other features that may pre sent a greater risk for students 51
89	89	with disabilities at risk of elopement. 52
90	90	(b) Procedures for school personnel to notify school 53
91	91	administrators if a student with disabilities elopes and 54
92	92	procedures for school personnel to immediately begin searching 55
93	93	for such student. Such procedures must specify that upon 56
94	94	notification of an elopement, the SAFE Team must notify the 57
95	95	school resource officer or school safety officer and local law 58
96	96	enforcement. 59
97	97	(c) Procedures for a coordinated response to an elopement, 60
98	98	including, but not limited to, announcing a Code Gray, which 61
99	99	will alert all school personnel to the elopement, and 62
100	100	immediately contacting the student's parent. 63
101	101	(d) The names, positions, and contact information for all 64
102	102	members of the SAFE Team. 65
103	103	(e) Other information or procedures that the SAFE Team, 66
104	104	district school board, or State Board of Education deems 67
105	105	necessary. 68
106	106	(5)(a) If a student with disabilities is prone to 69
107	107	elopement, the SAFE Team, in coordination with the student's 70
108	108	parent, must create a student -specific elopement quick reference 71
109	109	guide. Such elopement quick reference guide must include all of 72
110	110	the following: 73
111	111	1. The student's identifying information. 74
112	112	2. A current photograph of the student. 75
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125	125	3. The student's level of communication. 76
126	126	4. A list of the student's interests, behaviors, 77
127	127	preferences, and aversions. 78
128	128	5. Any health considerations for the student. 79
129	129	6. A list of any GPS technology that could be used to help 80
130	130	locate the student. 81
131	131	7. A list of possible locations where the student may go 82
132	132	within the search grid. 83
133	133	(b) The SAFE Team must distribute a student's elopement 84
134	134	quick reference guide to the student's parent and all relevant 85
135	135	school personnel. 86
136	136	(6) Each public school must annually provide its elopement 87
137	137	plan to the district school board. 88
138	138	(7) The state board may adopt rules to administer this 89
139	139	section. 90
140	140	Section 2. This act shall take effect July 1, 2023. 91