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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
A reviser's bill to be entitled 1
An act relating to the Florida Statutes; amending ss. 2
39.0016, 1001.03, 1001.215, 1001.41, 1002.33, 1002.45, 3
1003.4282, 1003.499, 1003.4995, 1006.28, 1006.29, 4
1006.31, 1006.33, 1006.34, 1007.35, 1008.385, 1012.05, 5
1012.28, 1012.56, and 1012.72, F.S., to conform to 6
section 10 of chapter 2022 -16, Laws of Florida, which 7
directs the Division of Law Revision to prepare a 8
reviser's bill to replace references to the term "Next 9
Generation Sunshine State Standards" with the term 10
"state academic standards" wherever the term appears 11
in the Florida Statutes; providing effective dates. 12
13
Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: 14
15
Section 1. Paragraph (d) of subsection (4) of section 16
39.0016, Florida Statutes, is amended to read: 17
39.0016 Education of abused, neglected, and abandoned 18
children; agency agreements; children having or suspected of 19
having a disability. — 20
(4) TRAINING.—The department shall incorporate an 21
education component into all training programs of the department 22
regarding children known to the department. Such training shall 23
be coordinated with the Department of Education and the local 24
school districts. The department shall offe r opportunities for 25
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education personnel to participate in such training. Such 26
coordination shall include, but not be limited to, notice of 27
training sessions, opportunities to purchase training materials, 28
proposals to avoid duplication of services by offeri ng joint 29
training, and incorporation of materials available from the 30
Department of Education and local school districts into the 31
department training when appropriate. The department training 32
components shall include: 33
(d) Training of caseworkers regarding the services and 34
information available through the Department of Education and 35
local school districts, including, but not limited to, the 36
current state academic standards Sunshine State Standards , the 37
Surrogate Parent Training Manual, and other resources accessible 38
through the Department of Education or local school districts to 39
facilitate educational access for a child known to the 40
department. 41
Section 2. Subsection (1) of section 1001.03, Florida 42
Statutes, is amended to read: 43
1001.03 Specific powers of State Board of Education. — 44
(1) PUBLIC K-12 CURRICULAR STANDARDS. —The State Board of 45
Education shall adopt and periodically review and revise the 46
state academic standards Sunshine State Standards in accordance 47
with s. 1003.41. 48
Section 3. Subsectio ns (4) and (9) of section 1001.215, 49
Florida Statutes, are amended to read: 50
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1001.215 Just Read, Florida! Office. —There is created in 51
the Department of Education the Just Read, Florida! Office. The 52
office is fully accountable to the Commissioner of Educati on and 53
shall: 54
(4) Develop and provide access to sequenced, content -rich 55
curriculum programming, instructional practices, and resources 56
that help elementary schools use state -adopted instructional 57
materials to increase students' background knowledge and 58
literacy skills, including student attainment of the state 59
academic standards Next Generation Sunshine State Standards for 60
social studies, science, and the arts. The office shall, as part 61
of the adoption cycle for English Language Arts instructional 62
materials, assist in evaluating elementary grades instructional 63
materials submitted for adoption consideration in order to 64
identify those materials that are closely aligned to the content 65
and evidence-based strategies identified pursuant to subsection 66
(8) and incorporate professional development to implement such 67
strategies. 68
(9) Periodically review the state academic standards Next 69
Generation Sunshine State Standards for English Language Arts to 70
determine their appropriateness at each grade level. 71
Section 4. Subsection (3) of section 1001.41, Florida 72
Statutes, is amended to read: 73
1001.41 General powers of district school board. —The 74
district school board, after considering recommendations 75
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submitted by the district school superintendent, shall exercise 76
the following general powers: 77
(3) Prescribe and adopt standards and policies to provide 78
each student the opportunity to receive a complete education 79
program, including language arts, mathematics, science, social 80
studies, health, physical education, foreign l anguages, and the 81
arts, as defined by the state academic standards Sunshine State 82
Standards. The standards and policies must emphasize integration 83
and reinforcement of reading, writing, and mathematics skills 84
across all subjects, including career awareness , career 85
exploration, and career and technical education. 86
Section 5. Paragraph (a) of subsection (6) and paragraph 87
(a) of subsection (7) of section 1002.33, Florida Statutes, are 88
amended to read: 89
1002.33 Charter schools. — 90
(6) APPLICATION PROCESS AN D REVIEW.—Charter school 91
applications are subject to the following requirements: 92
(a) A person or entity seeking to open a charter school 93
shall prepare and submit an application on the standard 94
application form prepared by the Department of Education whic h: 95
1. Demonstrates how the school will use the guiding 96
principles and meet the statutorily defined purpose of a charter 97
school. 98
2. Provides a detailed curriculum plan that illustrates 99
how students will be provided services to attain the state 100
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academic standards Sunshine State Standards . 101
3. Contains goals and objectives for improving student 102
learning and measuring that improvement. These goals and 103
objectives must indicate how much academic improvement students 104
are expected to show each year, how succes s will be evaluated, 105
and the specific results to be attained through instruction. 106
4. Describes the reading curriculum and differentiated 107
strategies that will be used for students reading at grade level 108
or higher and a separate curriculum and strategies f or students 109
who are reading below grade level. A sponsor shall deny an 110
application if the school does not propose a reading curriculum 111
that is consistent with effective teaching strategies that are 112
grounded in scientifically based reading research. 113
5. Contains an annual financial plan for each year 114
requested by the charter for operation of the school for up to 5 115
years. This plan must contain anticipated fund balances based on 116
revenue projections, a spending plan based on projected revenues 117
and expenses, and a description of controls that will safeguard 118
finances and projected enrollment trends. 119
6. Discloses the name of each applicant, governing board 120
member, and all proposed education services providers; the name 121
and sponsor of any charter school operated by each applicant, 122
each governing board member, and each proposed education 123
services provider that has closed and the reasons for the 124
closure; and the academic and financial history of such charter 125
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schools, which the sponsor shall consider in deciding whe ther to 126
approve or deny the application. 127
7. Contains additional information a sponsor may require, 128
which shall be attached as an addendum to the charter school 129
application described in this paragraph. 130
8. For the establishment of a virtual charter schoo l, 131
documents that the applicant has contracted with a provider of 132
virtual instruction services pursuant to s. 1002.45(1)(d). 133
(7) CHARTER.—The terms and conditions for the operation of 134
a charter school, including a virtual charter school, shall be 135
set forth by the sponsor and the applicant in a written 136
contractual agreement, called a charter. The sponsor and the 137
governing board of the charter school or virtual charter school 138
shall use the standard charter contract or standard virtual 139
charter contract, resp ectively, pursuant to subsection (21), 140
which shall incorporate the approved application and any addenda 141
approved with the application. Any term or condition of a 142
proposed charter contract or proposed virtual charter contract 143
that differs from the standard charter or virtual charter 144
contract adopted by rule of the State Board of Education shall 145
be presumed a limitation on charter school flexibility. The 146
sponsor may not impose unreasonable rules or regulations that 147
violate the intent of giving charter schools greater flexibility 148
to meet educational goals. The charter shall be signed by the 149
governing board of the charter school and the sponsor, following 150
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a public hearing to ensure community input. 151
(a) The charter shall address and criteria for approval of 152
the charter shall be based on: 153
1. The school's mission, the types of students to be 154
served, and, for a virtual charter school, the types of students 155
the school intends to serve who reside outside of the sponsoring 156
school district, and the ages and grades to be included. 157
2. The focus of the curriculum, the instructional methods 158
to be used, any distinctive instructional techniques to be 159
employed, and identification and acquisition of appropriate 160
technologies needed to improve educational and administrative 161
performance which include a means for promoting safe, ethical, 162
and appropriate uses of technology which comply with legal and 163
professional standards. 164
a. The charter shall ensure that reading is a primary 165
focus of the curriculum and that resources are prov ided to 166
identify and provide specialized instruction for students who 167
are reading below grade level. The curriculum and instructional 168
strategies for reading must be consistent with the state 169
academic standards Next Generation Sunshine State Standards and 170
grounded in scientifically based reading research. 171
b. In order to provide students with access to diverse 172
instructional delivery models, to facilitate the integration of 173
technology within traditional classroom instruction, and to 174
provide students with the skills they need to compete in the 175
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21st century economy, the Legislature encourages instructional 176
methods for blended learning courses consisting of both 177
traditional classroom and online instructional techniques. 178
Charter schools may implement blended lear ning courses which 179
combine traditional classroom instruction and virtual 180
instruction. Students in a blended learning course must be full -181
time students of the charter school pursuant to s. 182
1011.61(1)(a)1. Instructional personnel certified pursuant to s. 183
1012.55 who provide virtual instruction for blended learning 184
courses may be employees of the charter school or may be under 185
contract to provide instructional services to charter school 186
students. At a minimum, such instructional personnel must hold 187
an active state or school district adjunct certification under 188
s. 1012.57 for the subject area of the blended learning course. 189
The funding and performance accountability requirements for 190
blended learning courses are the same as those for traditional 191
courses. 192
3. The current incoming baseline standard of student 193
academic achievement, the outcomes to be achieved, and the 194
method of measurement that will be used. The criteria listed in 195
this subparagraph shall include a detailed description of: 196
a. How the baseline stude nt academic achievement levels 197
and prior rates of academic progress will be established. 198
b. How these baseline rates will be compared to rates of 199
academic progress achieved by these same students while 200
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attending the charter school. 201
c. To the extent pos sible, how these rates of progress 202
will be evaluated and compared with rates of progress of other 203
closely comparable student populations. 204
205
A district school board is required to provide academic student 206
performance data to charter schools for each of their students 207
coming from the district school system, as well as rates of 208
academic progress of comparable student populations in the 209
district school system. 210
4. The methods used to identify the educational strengths 211
and needs of students and how well educatio nal goals and 212
performance standards are met by students attending the charter 213
school. The methods shall provide a means for the charter school 214
to ensure accountability to its constituents by analyzing 215
student performance data and by evaluating the effectiv eness and 216
efficiency of its major educational programs. Students in 217
charter schools shall, at a minimum, participate in the 218
statewide assessment program created under s. 1008.22. 219
5. In secondary charter schools, a method for determining 220
that a student has satisfied the requirements for graduation in 221
s. 1002.3105(5), s. 1003.4281, or s. 1003.4282. 222
6. A method for resolving conflicts between the governing 223
board of the charter school and the sponsor. 224
7. The admissions procedures and dismissal procedures, 225
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including the school's code of student conduct. Admission or 226
dismissal must not be based on a student's academic performance. 227
8. The ways by which the school will achieve a 228
racial/ethnic balance ref lective of the community it serves or 229
within the racial/ethnic range of other nearby public schools or 230
school districts. 231
9. The financial and administrative management of the 232
school, including a reasonable demonstration of the professional 233
experience or competence of those individuals or organizations 234
applying to operate the charter school or those hired or 235
retained to perform such professional services and the 236
description of clearly delineated responsibilities and the 237
policies and practices needed to eff ectively manage the charter 238
school. A description of internal audit procedures and 239
establishment of controls to ensure that financial resources are 240
properly managed must be included. Both public sector and 241
private sector professional experience shall be eq ually valid in 242
such a consideration. 243
10. The asset and liability projections required in the 244
application which are incorporated into the charter and shall be 245
compared with information provided in the annual report of the 246
charter school. 247
11. A description of procedures that identify various 248
risks and provide for a comprehensive approach to reduce the 249
impact of losses; plans to ensure the safety and security of 250
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students and staff; plans to identify, minimize, and protect 251
others from violent or disruptive student behavior; and the 252
manner in which the school will be insured, including whether or 253
not the school will be required to have liability insurance, 254
and, if so, the terms and conditions thereof and the amounts of 255
coverage. 256
12. The term of the charter which shall provide for 257
cancellation of the charter if insufficient progress has been 258
made in attaining the student achievement objectives of the 259
charter and if it is not likely that such objectives can be 260
achieved before expiration of the charter. The ini tial term of a 261
charter shall be for 5 years, excluding 2 planning years. In 262
order to facilitate access to long -term financial resources for 263
charter school construction, charter schools that are operated 264
by a municipality or other public entity as provided by law are 265
eligible for up to a 15 -year charter, subject to approval by the 266
sponsor. A charter lab school is eligible for a charter for a 267
term of up to 15 years. In addition, to facilitate access to 268
long-term financial resources for charter school construc tion, 269
charter schools that are operated by a private, not -for-profit, 270
s. 501(c)(3) status corporation are eligible for up to a 15 -year 271
charter, subject to approval by the sponsor. Such long -term 272
charters remain subject to annual review and may be terminate d 273
during the term of the charter, but only according to the 274
provisions set forth in subsection (8). 275
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13. The facilities to be used and their location. The 276
sponsor may not require a charter school to have a certificate 277
of occupancy or a temporary certifica te of occupancy for such a 278
facility earlier than 15 calendar days before the first day of 279
school. 280
14. The qualifications to be required of the teachers and 281
the potential strategies used to recruit, hire, train, and 282
retain qualified staff to achieve best value. 283
15. The governance structure of the school, including the 284
status of the charter school as a public or private employer as 285
required in paragraph (12)(i). 286
16. A timetable for implementing the charter which 287
addresses the implementation of each elem ent thereof and the 288
date by which the charter shall be awarded in order to meet this 289
timetable. 290
17. In the case of an existing public school that is being 291
converted to charter status, alternative arrangements for 292
current students who choose not to attend the charter school and 293
for current teachers who choose not to teach in the charter 294
school after conversion in accordance with the existing 295
collective bargaining agreement or district school board rule in 296
the absence of a collective bargaining agreement. H owever, 297
alternative arrangements shall not be required for current 298
teachers who choose not to teach in a charter lab school, except 299
as authorized by the employment policies of the state university 300
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which grants the charter to the lab school. 301
18. Full disclosure of the identity of all relatives 302
employed by the charter school who are related to the charter 303
school owner, president, chairperson of the governing board of 304
directors, superintendent, governing board member, principal, 305
assistant principal, or any o ther person employed by the charter 306
school who has equivalent decisionmaking authority. For the 307
purpose of this subparagraph, the term "relative" means father, 308
mother, son, daughter, brother, sister, uncle, aunt, first 309
cousin, nephew, niece, husband, wife, father-in-law, mother-in-310
law, son-in-law, daughter-in-law, brother-in-law, sister-in-law, 311
stepfather, stepmother, stepson, stepdaughter, stepbrother, 312
stepsister, half brother, or half sister. 313
19. Implementation of the activities authorized under s. 314
1002.331 by the charter school when it satisfies the eligibility 315
requirements for a high -performing charter school. A high -316
performing charter school shall notify its sponsor in writing by 317
March 1 if it intends to increase enrollment or expand grade 318
levels the following school year. The written notice shall 319
specify the amount of the enrollment increase and the grade 320
levels that will be added, as applicable. 321
Section 6. Paragraph (a) of subsection (2), paragraph (a) 322
of subsection (3), and paragraph (a) of subs ection (4) of 323
section 1002.45, Florida Statutes, are amended to read: 324
1002.45 Virtual instruction programs. — 325
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(2) PROVIDER QUALIFICATIONS. — 326
(a) The department shall annually publish on its website a 327
list of providers approved by the State Board of Edu cation to 328
offer virtual instruction programs. To be approved, a virtual 329
instruction program provider must document that it: 330
1. Is nonsectarian in its programs, admission policies, 331
employment practices, and operations; 332
2. Complies with the antidiscrimin ation provisions of s. 333
1000.05; 334
3. Locates an administrative office or offices in this 335
state, requires its administrative staff to be state residents, 336
requires all instructional staff to be Florida -certified 337
teachers under chapter 1012 and conducts backg round screenings 338
for all employees or contracted personnel, as required by s. 339
1012.32, using state and national criminal history records; 340
4. Electronically provides to parents and students 341
specific information that includes, but is not limited to, the 342
following teacher-parent and teacher-student contact information 343
for each course: 344
a. How to contact the instructor via phone, e -mail, or 345
online messaging tools. 346
b. How to contact technical support via phone, e -mail, or 347
online messaging tools. 348
c. How to contact the administration office via phone, e -349
mail, or online messaging tools. 350
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d. Any requirement for regular contact with the instructor 351
for the course and clear expectations for meeting the 352
requirement. 353
e. The requirement that the instructor in eac h course 354
must, at a minimum, conduct one contact with the parent and the 355
student each month; 356
5. Possesses prior, successful experience offering virtual 357
instruction courses to elementary, middle, or high school 358
students as demonstrated by quantified stude nt learning gains in 359
each subject area and grade level provided for consideration as 360
an instructional program option. However, for a virtual 361
instruction program provider without sufficient prior, 362
successful experience offering online courses, the State Boa rd 363
of Education may conditionally approve the virtual instruction 364
program provider to offer courses measured pursuant to 365
subparagraph (7)(a)2. Conditional approval shall be valid for 2 366
school years only and, based on the virtual instruction program 367
provider's experience in offering the courses, the State Board 368
of Education may grant approval to offer a virtual instruction 369
program; 370
6. Is accredited by a regional accrediting association as 371
defined by State Board of Education rule; 372
7. Ensures instructional and curricular quality through a 373
detailed curriculum and student performance accountability plan 374
that addresses every subject and grade level it intends to 375
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provide through contract with the school district, including: 376
a. Courses and programs that meet the standards of the 377
International Association for K -12 Online Learning and the 378
Southern Regional Education Board. 379
b. Instructional content and services that align with, and 380
measure student attainment of, student proficiency in the state 381
academic standards Next Generation Sunshine State Standards . 382
c. Mechanisms that determine and ensure that a student has 383
satisfied requirements for grade level promotion and high school 384
graduation with a standard diploma, as appropriate; 385
8. Publishes, in accordance wit h disclosure requirements 386
adopted in rule by the State Board of Education, as part of its 387
application as an approved virtual instruction program provider 388
and in all contracts negotiated pursuant to this section: 389
a. Information and data about the curricul um of each full-390
time and part-time virtual instruction program. 391
b. School policies and procedures. 392
c. Certification status and physical location of all 393
administrative and instructional personnel. 394
d. Hours and times of availability of instructional 395
personnel. 396
e. Student-teacher ratios. 397
f. Student completion and promotion rates. 398
g. Student, educator, and school performance 399
accountability outcomes; 400
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9. If the approved virtual instruction program provider is 401
a Florida College System institution, em ploys instructors who 402
meet the certification requirements for instructional staff 403
under chapter 1012; and 404
10. Performs an annual financial audit of its accounts and 405
records conducted by an independent auditor who is a certified 406
public accountant licensed under chapter 473. The independent 407
auditor shall conduct the audit in accordance with rules adopted 408
by the Auditor General and in compliance with generally accepted 409
auditing standards, and include a report on financial statements 410
presented in accordance w ith generally accepted accounting 411
principles. The audit report shall be accompanied by a written 412
statement from the approved virtual instruction program provider 413
in response to any deficiencies identified within the audit 414
report and shall be submitted by t he approved virtual 415
instruction program provider to the State Board of Education and 416
the Auditor General no later than 9 months after the end of the 417
preceding fiscal year. 418
(3) VIRTUAL INSTRUCTION PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS. —Each virtual 419
instruction program und er this section must: 420
(a) Align virtual course curriculum and course content to 421
the state academic standards Sunshine State Standards under s. 422
1003.41. 423
(4) CONTRACT REQUIREMENTS. —Each contract with an approved 424
virtual instruction program provider must, at minimum: 425
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(a) Set forth a detailed curriculum plan that illustrates 426
how students will be provided services and be measured for 427
attainment of proficiency in the state academic standards Next 428
Generation Sunshine State Standards for each grade level and 429
subject. 430
431
A contracting school district shall facilitate compliance with 432
the requirements of paragraphs (h) and (i). 433
Section 7. Effective July 1, 2023, paragraph (a) of 434
subsection (2) of section 1002.45, Florida Statutes, as amended 435
by section 17 of chapter 2022-154, and section 10 of chapter 436
2022-157, Laws of Florida, is amended to read: 437
1002.45 Virtual instruction programs. — 438
(2) PROVIDER QUALIFICATIONS. — 439
(a) The department shall annually publish on its website a 440
list of providers approved by the State Board of Education to 441
offer virtual instruction programs. To be approved, a virtual 442
instruction program provider must document that it: 443
1. Is nonsectarian in its programs, admission policies, 444
employment practices, and operations; 445
2. Complies with the antidiscrimination provisions of s. 446
1000.05; 447
3. Locates an administrative office or offices in this 448
state, requires its administrative staff to be state residents, 449
requires all instructional staff to be Florida -certified 450
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teachers under chapter 1012 and conducts background screenings 451
for all employees or contracted personnel, as required by s. 452
1012.32, using state and national criminal history records; 453
4. Electronically provides to parents and students 454
specific information that includes, but is not limited to, the 455
following teacher-parent and teacher-student contact information 456
for each course: 457
a. How to contact the instructor via phone, e -mail, or 458
online messaging tools. 459
b. How to contact technical support via phone, e -mail, or 460
online messaging tools. 461
c. How to contact the administration office via phone, e -462
mail, or online messaging tools. 463
d. Any requirement for regular contact with the instructor 464
for the course and clear expectations for meeting the 465
requirement. 466
e. The requirement that the instructor in each course 467
must, at a minimum, conduct one contact with the parent and the 468
student each month; 469
5. Possesses prior, successful experience offering virtual 470
instruction courses to elementary, middle, or high school 471
students as demonstrate d by quantified student learning gains in 472
each subject area and grade level provided for consideration as 473
an instructional program option. However, for a virtual 474
instruction program provider without sufficient prior, 475
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successful experience offering online c ourses, the State Board 476
of Education may conditionally approve the virtual instruction 477
program provider to offer courses measured pursuant to 478
subparagraph (7)(a)2. Conditional approval shall be valid for 1 479
school year only and, based on the virtual instruc tion program 480
provider's experience in offering the courses, the State Board 481
of Education may grant approval to offer a virtual instruction 482
program; 483
6. Is accredited by a regional accrediting association as 484
defined by State Board of Education rule; 485
7. Ensures instructional and curricular quality through a 486
detailed curriculum and student performance accountability plan 487
that addresses every subject and grade level it intends to 488
provide through contract with the school district, including: 489
a. Courses and programs that meet the standards of the 490
International Association for K -12 Online Learning and the 491
Southern Regional Education Board. 492
b. Instructional content and services that align with, and 493
measure student attainment of, student proficiency in the state 494
academic standards Next Generation Sunshine State Standards . 495
c. Mechanisms that determine and ensure that a student has 496
satisfied requirements for grade level promotion and high school 497
graduation with a standard diploma, as appropriate; 498
8. Publishes, in accordance with disclosure requirements 499
adopted in rule by the State Board of Education, as part of its 500
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application as an approved virtual instruction program provider 501
and in all contracts negotiated pursuant to this section: 502
a. Information and data about the curriculum of each full -503
time and part-time virtual instruction program. 504
b. School policies and procedures. 505
c. Certification status and physical location of all 506
administrative and instructional personnel. 507
d. Hours and times of availability of instructional 508
personnel. 509
e. Student-teacher ratios. 510
f. Student completion and promotion rates. 511
g. Student, educator, and school performance 512
accountability outcomes; 513
9. If the approved virtual instruction program provider is 514
a Florida College Sys tem institution, employs instructors who 515
meet the certification requirements for instructional staff 516
under chapter 1012; and 517
10. Performs an annual financial audit of its accounts and 518
records conducted by an independent auditor who is a certified 519
public accountant licensed under chapter 473. The independent 520
auditor shall conduct the audit in accordance with rules adopted 521
by the Auditor General and in compliance with generally accepted 522
auditing standards, and include a report on financial statements 523
presented in accordance with generally accepted accounting 524
principles. The audit report shall be accompanied by a written 525
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statement from the approved virtual instruction program provider 526
in response to any deficiencies identified within the audit 527
report and shall be submitted by the approved virtual 528
instruction program provider to the State Board of Education and 529
the Auditor General no later than 9 months after the end of the 530
preceding fiscal year. 531
Section 8. Paragraph (b) of subsection (1) of section 532
1003.4282, Florida Statutes, is amended to read: 533
1003.4282 Requirements for a standard high school 534
diploma.— 535
(1) TWENTY-FOUR CREDITS REQUIRED. — 536
(b) The required credits may be earned through equivalent, 537
applied, or integrated courses or career education cou rses as 538
defined in s. 1003.01(4), including work -related internships 539
approved by the State Board of Education and identified in the 540
course code directory. However, any must -pass assessment 541
requirements must be met. An equivalent course is one or more 542
courses identified by content -area experts as being a match to 543
the core curricular content of another course, based upon review 544
of the state academic standards Next Generation Sunshine State 545
Standards for that subject. An applied course aligns with state 546
academic standards Next Generation Sunshine State Standards and 547
includes real-world applications of a career and technical 548
education standard used in business or industry. An integrated 549
course includes content from several courses within a content 550
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area or across content areas. 551
Section 9. Paragraph (a) of subsection (3) of section 552
1003.499, Florida Statutes, is amended to read: 553
1003.499 Florida Approved Courses and Tests (FACT) 554
Initiative.— 555
(3) PROVIDER REQUIREMENTS. — 556
(a) To be approved by the Department of Education, an 557
individual provider must provide all the following documentation 558
that demonstrates that he or she: 559
1. Is nonsectarian regarding courses, enrollment policies, 560
employment practices, and operations. 561
2. Complies with the antidiscriminatio n provisions of s. 562
1000.05. 563
3. Requires all instructional staff to be Florida -564
certified teachers under chapter 1012 or certified as adjunct 565
educators under s. 1012.57 and conducts background screenings 566
for all employees or contracted personnel, as required by s. 567
1012.32, using state and national criminal history records. 568
4. Provides to parents and students specific information 569
posted and accessible online which includes, but is not limited 570
to, the following teacher -parent and teacher-student contact 571
information for each course: 572
a. How to contact the instructor via telephone, e -mail, or 573
online messaging tools. 574
b. How to contact technical support via telephone, e -mail, 575
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or online messaging tools. 576
c. How to contact the administration office or an 577
individual offering online courses, including, but not limited 578
to, massive open online courses, via telephone, e -mail, or 579
online messaging tools. 580
d. Any requirement for regular contact with the instructor 581
for the course and clear expectations for meetin g the 582
requirement. 583
5. Possesses prior, successful experience offering online 584
courses to elementary, middle, or high school students as 585
demonstrated by quantified student learning gains or student 586
growth in each subject area and grade level provided for 587
consideration as an instructional program option. However, for a 588
provider without sufficient prior, successful experience 589
offering online courses, the department may conditionally 590
approve the provider to offer courses measured by the statewide 591
assessment program pursuant to s. 1008.22. Conditional approval 592
is valid for 1 year. Renewal of provider approval is contingent 593
on sufficient performance data available demonstrating success 594
in accordance with this section and State Board of Education 595
rule. 596
6. Ensures instructional and curricular quality through a 597
detailed curriculum and student performance accountability plan 598
that addresses every subject and grade level that the provider 599
intends to provide through contract with the school district, 600
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including all of the following: 601
a. Courses and programs that meet the standards of the 602
International Association for K -12 Online Learning and the 603
Southern Regional Education Board. 604
b. Instructional content and services that align with, and 605
measure student attainment of, student proficiency in the state 606
academic standards Next Generation Sunshine State Standards . 607
c. Mechanisms that determine and ensure that a student has 608
satisfied requirements for grade level promotion and high school 609
graduation with a standard diploma, as appropriate. 610
7. Publishes for the general public, in accordance with 611
disclosure requirements adopted in rule by the State Board of 612
Education, as part of the application as a provider and in all 613
contracts negotiated pursuant to this section all of the 614
following information: 615
a. Certification status and physical location of all 616
administrative and instructional personnel. 617
b. Hours and times of availability of instructional 618
personnel. 619
c. Student-teacher ratios. 620
d. Student completion and promotion r ates. 621
e. Student, educator, and school performance 622
accountability outcomes. 623
Section 10. Section 1003.4995, Florida Statutes, is 624
amended to read: 625
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1003.4995 Fine arts report. —The Commissioner of Education 626
shall prepare an annual report that includes a description, 627
based on annual reporting by schools, of student access to and 628
participation in fine arts courses, which are visual arts, 629
music, dance, and theatre courses; the number and certification 630
status of educators providing instruction in the course s; 631
educational facilities designed and classroom space equipped for 632
fine arts instruction; and the manner in which schools are 633
providing the core curricular content for fine arts established 634
in the state academic standards Next Generation Sunshine State 635
Standards. The report shall be posted on the Department of 636
Education's website and updated annually. 637
Section 11. Paragraph (b) of subsection (2) of section 638
1006.28, Florida Statutes, is amended to read: 639
1006.28 Duties of district school board, district school 640
superintendent; and school principal regarding K -12 641
instructional materials. — 642
(2) DISTRICT SCHOOL BOARD. —The district school board has 643
the constitutional duty and responsibility to select and provide 644
adequate instructional materials for all stude nts in accordance 645
with the requirements of this part. The district school board 646
also has the following specific duties and responsibilities: 647
(b) Instructional materials. —Provide for proper 648
requisitioning, distribution, accounting, storage, care, and use 649
of all instructional materials and furnish such other 650
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instructional materials as may be needed. Instructional 651
materials used must be consistent with the district goals and 652
objectives and the course descriptions established in rule of 653
the State Board of Edu cation, as well as with the applicable 654
state academic standards Next Generation Sunshine State 655
Standards provided for in s. 1003.41. 656
Section 12. Paragraph (b) of subsection (1) of section 657
1006.29, Florida Statutes, is amended to read: 658
1006.29 State instructional materials reviewers. — 659
(1) 660
(b) By April 15 of each school year, the commissioner 661
shall appoint three state or national experts in the content 662
areas submitted for adoption to review the instructional 663
materials and evaluate the content for ali gnment with the 664
applicable state academic standards Next Generation Sunshine 665
State Standards. These reviewers shall be designated as state 666
instructional materials reviewers and shall review the materials 667
for the level of instructional support and the accur acy and 668
appropriateness of progression of introduced content. 669
Instructional materials shall be made electronically available 670
to the reviewers. The initial review of the materials shall be 671
made by only two of the three reviewers. If the two reviewers 672
reach different results, the third reviewer shall break the tie. 673
The reviewers shall independently make recommendations to the 674
commissioner regarding materials that should be placed on the 675
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list of adopted materials through an electronic feedback review 676
system. 677
Section 13. Subsection (2) of section 1006.31, Florida 678
Statutes, is amended to read: 679
1006.31 Duties of the Department of Education and school 680
district instructional materials reviewer. —The duties of the 681
instructional materials reviewer are: 682
(2) EVALUATION OF INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIALS. —To use the 683
selection criteria listed in s. 1006.34(2)(b) and recommend for 684
adoption only those instructional materials aligned with the 685
state academic standards Next Generation Sunshine State 686
Standards provided for in s. 1003.41. Instructional materials 687
recommended by each reviewer shall be, to the satisfaction of 688
each reviewer, accurate, objective, balanced, noninflammatory, 689
current, free of pornography and material prohibited under s. 690
847.012, and suited to stud ent needs and their ability to 691
comprehend the material presented. Reviewers shall consider for 692
recommendation materials developed for academically talented 693
students, such as students enrolled in advanced placement 694
courses. When recommending instructional m aterials, each 695
reviewer shall: 696
(a) Include only instructional materials that accurately 697
portray the ethnic, socioeconomic, cultural, religious, 698
physical, and racial diversity of our society, including men and 699
women in professional, career, and executive roles, and the role 700
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and contributions of the entrepreneur and labor in the total 701
development of this state and the United States. 702
(b) Include only materials that accurately portray, 703
whenever appropriate, humankind's place in ecological systems, 704
including the necessity for the protection of our environment 705
and conservation of our natural resources and the effects on the 706
human system of the use of tobacco, alcohol, controlled 707
substances, and other dangerous substances. 708
(c) Include materials that encourage thrift, fire 709
prevention, and humane treatment of people and animals. 710
(d) Require, when appropriate to the comprehension of 711
students, that materials for social science, history, or civics 712
classes contain the Declaration of Independence and the 713
Constitution of the United States. A reviewer may not recommend 714
any instructional materials that contain any matter reflecting 715
unfairly upon persons because of their race, color, creed, 716
national origin, ancestry, gender, religion, disability, 717
socioeconomic status, o r occupation or otherwise contradict the 718
principles enumerated under s. 1003.42(3). 719
Section 14. Paragraph (e) of subsection (1) of section 720
1006.33, Florida Statutes, is amended to read: 721
1006.33 Bids or proposals; advertisement and its 722
contents.— 723
(1) 724
(e) The advertisement shall give information regarding 725
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digital specifications that have been adopted by the department, 726
including minimum format requirements that will enable 727
electronic and digital content to be accessed through the 728
district's local ins tructional improvement system and a variety 729
of mobile, electronic, and digital devices. Beginning with 730
specifications released in 2014, the digital specifications 731
shall include requiring the capability for searching by state 732
standards and site and student -level licensing. Such digital 733
format specifications shall be appropriate for the 734
interoperability of the content. The department may not adopt 735
specifications that require the instructional materials to 736
include specific references to FCAT and state academic standards 737
Next Generation Sunshine State Standards and benchmarks at the 738
point of student use. 739
Section 15. Paragraph (b) of subsection (2) of section 740
1006.34, Florida Statutes, is amended to read: 741
1006.34 Powers and duties of the commissioner and th e 742
department in selecting and adopting instructional materials. — 743
(2) SELECTION AND ADOPTION OF INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIALS. — 744
(b) In the selection of instructional materials, library 745
media, and other reading material used in the public school 746
system, the standards used to determine the propriety of the 747
material shall include: 748
1. The age of the students who normally could be expected 749
to have access to the material. 750
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2. The educational purpose to be served by the material. 751
Priority shall be given to the sel ection of materials that align 752
with the state academic standards Next Generation Sunshine State 753
Standards as provided for in s. 1003.41 and include the 754
instructional objectives contained within the curriculum 755
frameworks for career and technical education a nd adult and 756
adult general education adopted by rule of the State Board of 757
Education under s. 1004.92. 758
3. The degree to which the material would be supplemented 759
and explained by mature classroom instruction as part of a 760
normal classroom instructional pro gram. 761
4. The consideration of the broad racial, ethnic, 762
socioeconomic, and cultural diversity of the students of this 763
state. 764
765
Any instructional material containing pornography or otherwise 766
prohibited by s. 847.012 may not be used or made available 767
within any public school. 768
Section 16. Paragraph (c) of subsection (6) of section 769
1007.35, Florida Statutes, is amended to read: 770
1007.35 Florida Partnership for Minority and 771
Underrepresented Student Achievement. — 772
(6) The partnership shall: 773
(c) Provide teacher training and materials that are 774
aligned with the state academic standards Next Generation 775
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Sunshine State Standards and are consistent with best theory and 776
practice regarding multiple learning styles and research on 777
learning, instructional strategies , instructional design, and 778
classroom assessment. Curriculum materials must be based on 779
current, accepted, and essential academic knowledge. 780
Section 17. Paragraph (b) of subsection (1) of section 781
1008.385, Florida Statutes, is amended to read: 782
1008.385 Educational planning and information systems. — 783
(1) EDUCATIONAL PLANNING. — 784
(b) Each district school board shall maintain a continuing 785
system of planning and budgeting designed to aid in identifying 786
and meeting the educational needs of students and th e public. 787
Provision shall be made for coordination between district school 788
boards and Florida College System institution boards of trustees 789
concerning the planning for career education and adult 790
educational programs. The major emphasis of the system shall be 791
upon locally determined goals and objectives, the state plan for 792
education, and the state academic standards Sunshine State 793
Standards developed by the Department of Education and adopted 794
by the State Board of Education. The district planning and 795
budgeting system must include consideration of student 796
achievement data obtained pursuant to ss. 1008.22 and 1008.34. 797
The system shall be structured to meet the specific management 798
needs of the district and to align the budget adopted by the 799
district school board with the plan the board has also adopted. 800
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Each district school board shall utilize its system of planning 801
and budgeting to emphasize a system of school -based management 802
in which individual school centers become the principal planning 803
units and to integrat e planning and budgeting at the school 804
level. 805
Section 18. Paragraph (l) of subsection (2) of section 806
1012.05, Florida Statutes, is amended to read: 807
1012.05 Teacher recruitment and retention. — 808
(2) The Department of Education shall: 809
(l) Develop and implement an online Teacher Toolkit that 810
contains a menu of resources, based on the state academic 811
standards Sunshine State Standards , that all teachers can use to 812
enhance classroom instruction and increase teacher 813
effectiveness, thus resu lting in improved student achievement. 814
Section 19. Subsection (5) of section 1012.28, Florida 815
Statutes, is amended to read: 816
1012.28 Public school personnel; duties of school 817
principals.— 818
(5) Each school principal shall perform such duties as may 819
be assigned by the district school superintendent, pursuant to 820
the rules of the district school board. Such rules shall 821
include, but are not limited to, rules relating to 822
administrative responsibility, instructional leadership in 823
implementing the state academic standards Sunshine State 824
Standards and the overall educational program of the school to 825
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which the school principal is assigned, submission of personnel 826
recommendations to the district school superintendent, 827
administrative responsibility for records and reports, 828
administration of corporal punishment, and student suspension. 829
Section 20. Subsection (4) of section 1012.56, Florida 830
Statutes, is amended to read: 831
1012.56 Educator certification requirements. — 832
(4) ALIGNMENT OF SUBJECT AREAS. —The State Board of 833
Education shall align the subject area examinations to the state 834
academic standards Next Generation Sunshine State Standards . 835
Section 21. Subsection (1) of section 1012.72, Florida 836
Statutes, is amended to read: 837
1012.72 Dale Hickam Excellent Te aching Program.— 838
(1) The Legislature recognizes that teachers play a 839
critical role in preparing students to achieve the high levels 840
of academic performance expected by the state academic standards 841
Sunshine State Standards . The Legislature further recogni zes the 842
importance of identifying and rewarding teaching excellence and 843
of encouraging good teachers to become excellent teachers. The 844
Legislature finds that the National Board for Professional 845
Teaching Standards (NBPTS) has established high and rigorous 846
standards for accomplished teaching and has developed a national 847
voluntary system for assessing and certifying teachers who 848
demonstrate teaching excellence by meeting those standards. It 849
is therefore the Legislature's intent to reward teachers who 850
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demonstrate teaching excellence by attaining NBPTS certification 851
and sharing their expertise with other teachers. 852
Reviser's note.—Amended pursuant to the directive of the 853
Legislature in s. 10, ch. 2022 -16, Laws of Florida, to the 854
Division of Law Revision to prepare a reviser's bill for 855
the 2023 Regular Session of the Legislature to change the 856
term "Next Generation Sunshine State Standards" to "state 857
academic standards" wherever the term appears in the 858
Florida Statutes. 859
Section 22. Except as otherwise expressly p rovided in this 860
act and except for this section, which shall take effect July 1, 861
2023, this act shall take effect on the 60th day after 862
adjournment sine die of the session of the Legislature in which 863
enacted. 864