HB 931 2024
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hb0931-00
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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 bill to be entitled 1
An act relating to school chaplains; creating s. 2
1012.461, F.S.; authorizing school districts and 3
charter schools to adopt a policy to allow volunteer 4
school chaplains; establishing the requirements for 5
such policy; requiring district school boards and 6
charter school governing boards to assign specified 7
duties to such volunteer school chaplains; requiring 8
volunteer school chaplains to meet certain backgr ound 9
screening requirements; requiring each district school 10
board and charter school to vote by a specified date 11
on the adoption of a volunteer school chaplain policy; 12
amending s. 1012.465, F.S.; providing background 13
screening requirements for volunteer sc hool chaplains; 14
providing an effective date. 15
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Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: 17
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Section 1. Section 1012.461, Florida Statutes, is created 19
to read: 20
1012.461 School chaplains. — 21
(1) Each school district or charter school m ay adopt a 22
policy to authorize volunteer school chaplains to provide 23
support, services, and programs to students as assigned by the 24
district school board or charter school governing board. The 25
HB 931 2024
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hb0931-00
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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
school district or charter school policy must, at a minimum: 26
(a) Describe the supports, services, or programs that 27
volunteer school chaplains may be assigned. 28
(b) Require that principals of schools with a volunteer 29
school chaplain inform all parents of the availability of such 30
supports, services, and programs. 31
(c) Require written parental consent before a student 32
participates in or receives supports, services, and programs 33
provided by a volunteer school chaplain. Parents must be 34
permitted to select a volunteer school chaplain from the list 35
provided by the school district, which must include the 36
chaplain's religious affiliation, if any. 37
(2) Each volunteer school chaplain must meet the 38
requirements of s. 1012.465. 39
(3) No later than January 1, 2025, each district school 40
board and charter school governing board mu st vote on whether to 41
adopt a policy authorizing the school district or charter school 42
to allow volunteer school chaplains. 43
(4) Any school district that adopts a volunteer school 44
chaplains policy must publish the list of volunteer school 45
chaplains, including any religious affiliation, on the school 46
district's website. 47
Section 2. Subsection (1) of section 1012.465, Florida 48
Statutes, is amended to read: 49
1012.465 Background screening requirements for certain 50
HB 931 2024
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hb0931-00
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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
noninstructional school district employees , and contractors, and 51
volunteer school chaplains .— 52
(1) Except as provided in s. 1012.467 or s. 1012.468, 53
noninstructional school district employees , or contractual 54
personnel, or volunteer school chaplains who are permitted 55
access on school grounds when st udents are present, who have 56
direct contact with students or who have access to or control of 57
school funds must meet the screening requirements of s. 1012.32. 58
Contractual personnel shall include any vendor, individual, or 59
entity under contract with a schoo l or the school board. 60
Section 3. This act shall take effect July 1, 2024. 61