CS/HB 1473 2024
CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
hb1473-01-c1
Page 1 of 32
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 safety; amending s. 30.15, 2
F.S.; providing that private schools are responsible 3
for specified costs relating to school guardian 4
programs; authorizing sheriffs to waive specified 5
costs for private schools; prohibiting specified fun ds 6
from being used to subsidize certain costs; 7
authorizing certain persons to be certified as school 8
guardians without completing certain training 9
requirements; revising specified training requirements 10
for school guardians; requiring school districts, 11
charter schools, private schools, and sheriffs to 12
report specified information relating to school 13
guardians and school guardian programs to the 14
Department of Law Enforcement within specified 15
timeframes; requiring the Department of Law 16
Enforcement to maintain a list of school guardians and 17
school guardian trainings; providing for the removal 18
of specified persons from such list; providing 19
requirements for such list; prohibiting sheriffs who 20
fail to report specified information from receiving 21
certain reimbursement ; prohibiting school districts, 22
charter schools, and private schools that fail to 23
report specified information from operating school 24
guardian programs for the following school year; 25
CS/HB 1473 2024
CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
hb1473-01-c1
Page 2 of 32
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
requiring the Department of Law Enforcement to report 26
certain information to the Department of Education by 27
specified dates of each school year; amending 330.41, 28
F.S.; prohibiting the operation of a drone over public 29
and private schools and recording video of such 30
schools; providing criminal penalties; providing 31
exemptions; amending s. 943.082, F.S.; requiring the 32
mobile suspicious activity reporting tool to be 33
integrated into schools' curriculum at least once per 34
academic year; providing requirements for such 35
instruction; amending s. 985.04, F.S.; requiring the 36
superintendent of schools to notify specified chiefs 37
of police or public safety directors of certain 38
postsecondary institutions of specified alleged acts 39
by children dual enrolled at such institutions; 40
amending s. 1001.212, F.S.; requiring the Office of 41
Safe Schools to develop and adopt a specified report 42
relating to compliance and noncompliance with school 43
safety requirements by a specified date; requiring the 44
office to provide such report to specified persons; 45
requiring the office to conduct specified inspections 46
triennially and investigate certain noncompliance; 47
providing requirements for the provision of specified 48
information from such inspections and investigations; 49
requiring the office to provide certain quarterly 50
CS/HB 1473 2024
CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
hb1473-01-c1
Page 3 of 32
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
reports to specified persons; requiring the office to 51
provide bonuses to certain persons who comply with 52
specified requirements; requiring the office to refer 53
certain personnel to specified persons or the 54
Department of Education; requiring the office to 55
notify specified personnel electronically of certain 56
requirements; requiring the office to recommend a 57
methodology to distribute the safe schools allocation 58
by a specified date; providing requirements for such 59
recommendation; amending s. 1006.07, F.S.; requiring 60
schools, including charter schools, to maintain a 61
specified record relating to certain drills; providing 62
that certain school safety specialist duties are in 63
conjunction with the district school superintendent; 64
requiring school safety specialists to conduct 65
specified annual inspections, investigate specif ied 66
reports of noncompliance, and report certain 67
noncompliance and violations to specified individuals, 68
the district school board, and the office; requiring 69
school districts and charter school governing boards 70
to comply with certain school safety requireme nts by a 71
specified date; providing that certain personnel are 72
subject to specified disciplinary measures for certain 73
violations; providing reporting requirements for 74
violations of certain school safety requirements; 75
CS/HB 1473 2024
CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
hb1473-01-c1
Page 4 of 32
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
amending s. 1006.12, F.S.; requiring spe cified 76
agreements relating to school resource officers to 77
identify the entity responsible for maintaining 78
specified records; providing requirements before the 79
appointment of a school guardian; requiring the 80
Department of Education to provide certain inform ation 81
to the Department of Law Enforcement; requiring county 82
sheriffs and the office to be notified when a safe -83
school officer separates from his or her appointment; 84
repealing specified training requirements for safe -85
school officers; amending s. 1012.795, F.S.; providing 86
that school administrators are subject to disciplinary 87
measures by the Education Practices Commission for 88
certain violations; subject to legislative 89
appropriation, requiring the Department of Law 90
Enforcement to provide grants to sheriffs' o ffices and 91
law enforcement agencies for specified purposes 92
relating to school safety in private schools; 93
providing requirements for such grants; requiring the 94
Department of Law Enforcement to develop a specified 95
form and provide such form to grant recipien ts; 96
providing an effective date. 97
98
Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: 99
100
CS/HB 1473 2024
CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
hb1473-01-c1
Page 5 of 32
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
Section 1. Paragraph (k) of subsection (1) of section 101
30.15, Florida Statutes, is amended to read: 102
30.15 Powers, duties, and obligations. — 103
(1) Sheriffs, in their respective counties, in person or 104
by deputy, shall: 105
(k) Assist district school boards and charter school 106
governing boards in complying with, or private schools in 107
exercising options in, s. 1006.12. A sheriff must, at a minimum, 108
provide access to a Chris Hixon, Coach Aaron Feis, and Coach 109
Scott Beigel Guardian Program to aid in the prevention or 110
abatement of active assailant incidents on school premises, as 111
required under this paragraph. Persons certified as school 112
guardians pursuant to this par agraph have no authority to act in 113
any law enforcement capacity except to the extent necessary to 114
prevent or abate an active assailant incident. 115
1.a. If a local school board has voted by a majority to 116
implement a guardian program, the sheriff in that cou nty shall 117
establish a guardian program to provide training, pursuant to 118
subparagraph 2., to school district, charter school, or private 119
school employees, either directly or through a contract with 120
another sheriff's office that has established a guardian 121
program. 122
b. A charter school governing board in a school district 123
that has not voted, or has declined, to implement a guardian 124
program may request the sheriff in the county to establish a 125
CS/HB 1473 2024
CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
hb1473-01-c1
Page 6 of 32
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
guardian program for the purpose of training the charter school 126
employees. If the county sheriff denies the request, the charter 127
school governing board may contract with a sheriff that has 128
established a guardian program to provide such training. The 129
charter school governing board must notify the superintendent 130
and the sheriff in the charter school's county of the contract 131
prior to its execution. 132
c. A private school in a school district that has not 133
voted, or has declined, to implement a guardian program may 134
request that the sheriff in the county of the private school 135
establish a guardian program for the purpose of training private 136
school employees. If the county sheriff denies the request, the 137
private school may contract with a sheriff from another county 138
who has established a guardian program to provide such training. 139
The private school must notify the sheriff in the private 140
school's county of the contract with a sheriff from another 141
county before its execution. The private school is responsible 142
for all training and screening-related costs for a school 143
guardian program. Th e sheriff providing such training must 144
ensure that any moneys paid by a private school are not 145
commingled with any funds provided by the state to the sheriff 146
as reimbursement for screening -related and training -related 147
costs of any school district or charte r school employee. 148
d. The training program required in sub -subparagraph 2.b. 149
is a standardized statewide curriculum, and each sheriff 150
CS/HB 1473 2024
CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
hb1473-01-c1
Page 7 of 32
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
providing such training shall adhere to the course of 151
instruction specified in that sub -subparagraph. This 152
subparagraph does not prohibit a sheriff from providing 153
additional training. A school guardian who has completed the 154
training program required in sub -subparagraph 2.b. may not be 155
required to attend another sheriff's training program pursuant 156
to that sub-subparagraph unless there has been at least a 1 -year 157
break in his or her appointment employment as a guardian. 158
e. The sheriff conducting the training pursuant to 159
subparagraph 2. for school district and charter school employees 160
will be reimbursed for screening -related and training-related 161
costs and for providing a one -time stipend of $500 to each 162
school guardian who participates in the school guardian program. 163
f. The sheriff may waive the training and screening -164
related costs for a private school for a school guardian 165
program. Funds provided pursuant to sub -subparagraph e. may not 166
be used to subsidize any costs that have been waived by the 167
sheriff. 168
g. A person who is certified under the Florida Criminal 169
Justice Standards and Training Commission, who meets the 170
qualifications established in s. 943.13, and who is otherwise 171
qualified for the position of a school guardian may be certified 172
as a school guardian by the sheriff without completing the 173
training requirements of sub -subparagraph 2.b. However, a person 174
certified as a school guardian under this sub -subparagraph must 175
CS/HB 1473 2024
CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
hb1473-01-c1
Page 8 of 32
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
meet the requirements of sub -subparagraphs 2.c.-e. 176
2. A sheriff who establishes a program shall consult with 177
the Department of Law Enforcement on programmatic guiding 178
principles, practices, and resources, and shall certify as 179
school guardians, without the power of arrest, school employees, 180
as specified in s. 1006.12(3), who: 181
a. Hold a valid license issued under s. 790.06. 182
b. Complete a 144-hour training program, consisting of 12 183
hours of training to improve the school guardian's knowledge and 184
skills necessary to respond to and de -escalate incidents on 185
school premises certified nationally recognized diversity 186
training and 132 total hours of comprehensive firearm safety and 187
proficiency training conducte d by Criminal Justice Standards and 188
Training Commission-certified instructors, which must include: 189
(I) Eighty hours of firearms instruction based on the 190
Criminal Justice Standards and Training Commission's Law 191
Enforcement Academy training model, which mu st include at least 192
10 percent but no more than 20 percent more rounds fired than 193
associated with academy training. Program participants must 194
achieve an 85 percent pass rate on the firearms training. 195
(II) Sixteen hours of instruction in precision pistol. 196
(III) Eight hours of discretionary shooting instruction 197
using state-of-the-art simulator exercises. 198
(IV) Sixteen hours of instruction in active shooter or 199
assailant scenarios. 200
CS/HB 1473 2024
CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
hb1473-01-c1
Page 9 of 32
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
(V) Eight hours of instruction in defensive tactics. 201
(VI) Four hours of instruction in legal issues. 202
c. Pass a psychological evaluation administered by a 203
psychologist licensed under chapter 490 and designated by the 204
Department of Law Enforcement and submit the results of the 205
evaluation to the sheriff's office. The Departmen t of Law 206
Enforcement is authorized to provide the sheriff's office with 207
mental health and substance abuse data for compliance with this 208
paragraph. 209
d. Submit to and pass an initial drug test and subsequent 210
random drug tests in accordance with the requirem ents of s. 211
112.0455 and the sheriff's office. 212
e. Successfully complete ongoing training, weapon 213
inspection, and firearm qualification on at least an annual 214
basis. 215
216
The sheriff who conducts the guardian training or waives the 217
training requirements for a p erson under sub-subparagraph 1.g. 218
shall issue a school guardian certificate to persons individuals 219
who meet the requirements of this section to the satisfaction of 220
the sheriff, and shall maintain documentation of weapon and 221
equipment inspections, as well a s the training, certification, 222
inspection, and qualification records of each school guardian 223
certified by the sheriff. A person An individual who is 224
certified under this paragraph may serve as a school guardian 225
CS/HB 1473 2024
CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
hb1473-01-c1
Page 10 of 32
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
under s. 1006.12(3) only if he or she is appo inted by the 226
applicable school district superintendent, charter school 227
principal, or private school head of school. 228
3.a.(I) Within 30 days after issuing a school guardian 229
certificate, the sheriff who issued the certificate must report 230
to the Department of Law Enforcement the name, date of birth, 231
and certification date of the school guardian. 232
(II) By September 1, 2024, each sheriff who issued a 233
school guardian certificate must report to the Department of Law 234
Enforcement the name, date of birth, and certi fication date of 235
each school guardian who received a certificate from the 236
sheriff. 237
b.(I) By February 1 and September 1 of each school year, 238
each school district, charter school, and private school must 239
report to the Department of Law Enforcement the name , date of 240
birth, and appointment date of each person appointed as a school 241
guardian. The school district, charter school, and private 242
school must also report to the Department of Law Enforcement the 243
date such person separates from his or her appointment as a 244
school guardian. 245
(II) By September 1, 2024, each school district, charter 246
school, and private school must report to the Department of Law 247
Enforcement the name, date of birth, and appointment date of 248
each person appointed as a school guardian. Within 3 0 days after 249
a school guardian separates from his or her appointment, the 250
CS/HB 1473 2024
CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
hb1473-01-c1
Page 11 of 32
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, charter school, and private school must report 251
to the Department of Law Enforcement the date such person 252
separated from his or her appointment as a school guardian. 253
c. The Department of Law Enforcement shall maintain a list 254
of each person appointed as a school guardian in the state. The 255
list must include the name and certification date of each school 256
guardian and the date the person was appointed as a school 257
guardian, including the name of the school district, charter 258
school, or private school in which the school guardian is 259
appointed, any information provided pursuant to s. 1006.12(5), 260
and, if applicable, the date such person separated from his or 261
her appointment as a school guardian. The Department of Law 262
Enforcement shall remove from the list any person whose training 263
has expired pursuant to sub -subparagraph 1.d. 264
d. Each sheriff must report on a quarterly basis to the 265
Department of Law Enforcement the schedule fo r upcoming school 266
guardian trainings, including the dates of the training, the 267
training locations, a contact person to register for the 268
training, and the class capacity. The Department of Law 269
Enforcement shall publish on its website a list of the upcoming 270
school guardian trainings. The Department of Law Enforcement 271
must update such list quarterly. 272
e. A sheriff who fails to report the information required 273
by this subparagraph may not receive reimbursement from the 274
Department of Education for school guardia n trainings. Upon the 275
CS/HB 1473 2024
CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
hb1473-01-c1
Page 12 of 32
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
submission of the required information, a sheriff is deemed 276
eligible for such funding and is authorized to continue to 277
receive reimbursement for school guardian training. 278
f. A school district, charter school, or private school 279
that fails to report the information required by this 280
subparagraph may not operate a school guardian program for the 281
following school year. Upon the submission of the required 282
information, the school district, charter school, or private 283
school is authorized to resume operation of the school guardian 284
program. 285
g. By March 1 and October 1 of each school year, the 286
Department of Law Enforcement shall notify the Department of 287
Education of any sheriff, school district, charter school, or 288
private school that has not c omplied with the reporting 289
requirements of this subparagraph. 290
Section 2. Subsection (5) of section 330.41, Florida 291
Statutes, is renumbered as subsection (6), and a new subsection 292
(5) is added to that section to read: 293
330.41 Unmanned Aircraft Systems Act.— 294
(5) PROTECTION OF SCHOOLS. — 295
(a) A person may not knowingly or willfully: 296
1. Operate a drone over a public or private school serving 297
students in any grade from voluntary prekindergarten through 298
grade 12; or 299
2. Allow a drone to make contact wit h a school, including 300
CS/HB 1473 2024
CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
hb1473-01-c1
Page 13 of 32
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
any person or object on the premises of or within the school 301
facility. 302
(b) A person who violates paragraph (a) commits a 303
misdemeanor of the second degree, punishable as provided in s. 304
775.082 or s. 775.083. A person who commits a se cond or 305
subsequent violation commits a misdemeanor of the first degree, 306
punishable as provided in s. 775.082 or s. 775.083. 307
(c) A person who violates paragraph (a) and records video 308
of the school, including any person or object on the premises of 309
or within the school facility, commits a misdemeanor of the 310
first degree, punishable as provided in s. 775.082 or s. 311
775.083. A person who commits a second or subsequent violation 312
commits a felony of the third degree, punishable as provided in 313
s. 775.082, s. 775.083, or s. 775.084. 314
(d) This subsection does not apply to actions identified 315
in paragraph (a) which are committed by: 316
1. A person acting under the prior written consent of the 317
school principal, district school board, superintendent, or 318
school governing board. 319
2. A law enforcement agency that is in compliance with s. 320
934.50 or a person under contract with or otherwise acting under 321
the direction of such law enforcement agency. 322
Section 3. Paragraph (b) of subsection (4) of section 323
943.082, Florida Statutes, is amended to read: 324
943.082 School Safety Awareness Program. — 325
CS/HB 1473 2024
CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
hb1473-01-c1
Page 14 of 32
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
(4) 326
(b) The district school board shall promote the use of the 327
mobile suspicious activity reporting tool by advertising it on 328
the school district website, in newsletters, on sch ool campuses, 329
and in school publications, by installing it on all mobile 330
devices issued to students, and by bookmarking the website on 331
all computer devices issued to students. Each school principal 332
must integrate the use of the mobile suspicious activity 333
reporting tool within the school's curriculum a minimum of once 334
per academic year. The instruction must be age and 335
developmentally appropriate and include the consequences for 336
making a threat or false report, as described in ss. 790.162 and 337
790.163, respectively, involving school or school personnel's 338
property, school transportation, or a school -sponsored activity. 339
Section 4. Paragraph (a) of subsection (4) of section 340
985.04, Florida Statutes, is amended to read: 341
985.04 Oaths; records; confidential inf ormation.— 342
(4)(a) Notwithstanding any other provision of this 343
section, when a child of any age is taken into custody by a law 344
enforcement officer for an offense that would have been a felony 345
if committed by an adult, or a crime of violence, the law 346
enforcement agency must notify the superintendent of schools 347
that the child is alleged to have committed the delinquent act. 348
If the child is a dual enrolled student at a postsecondary 349
institution, the superintendent of schools must notify the chief 350
CS/HB 1473 2024
CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
hb1473-01-c1
Page 15 of 32
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
of police or the public safety director of the postsecondary 351
institution at which the student is dual enrolled within 24 352
hours after receiving such notification. 353
Section 5. Subsection (14) of section 1001.212, Florida 354
Statutes, is amended, and subsections (17) and (18) are added to 355
that section, to read: 356
1001.212 Office of Safe Schools. —There is created in the 357
Department of Education the Office of Safe Schools. The office 358
is fully accountable to the Commissioner of Education. The 359
office shall serve as a central r epository for best practices, 360
training standards, and compliance oversight in all matters 361
regarding school safety and security, including prevention 362
efforts, intervention efforts, and emergency preparedness 363
planning. The office shall: 364
(14)(a) By August 1, 2024, develop and adopt a Florida 365
school safety compliance inspection report to document 366
compliance or noncompliance with school safety requirements 367
mandated by law or rule and adherence to established school 368
safety best practices to evaluate the safety, security, and 369
emergency response of the school. Upon the adoption of the 370
report and upon any revisions to the report, the office shall 371
provide a blank copy of the report to each district school 372
superintendent and charter school administrator. 373
(b) Monitor compliance with requirements relating to 374
school safety by school districts and public schools, including 375
CS/HB 1473 2024
CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
hb1473-01-c1
Page 16 of 32
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
charter schools. The office shall conduct unannounced 376
inspections of all public schools, including charter schools, 377
while school is in session, trien nially and investigate reports 378
of noncompliance with school safety requirements. Within 3 379
school days after the unannounced inspection, the office shall 380
provide a copy of the completed Florida school safety compliance 381
inspection report, including any photo graphs or other evidence 382
of noncompliance, to the school safety specialist and the school 383
principal or charter school administrator, as appropriate. The 384
school principal or charter school administrator shall 385
acknowledge receipt of the report in writing wit hin 1 school day 386
after receipt. The school safety specialist shall inform the 387
district school superintendent of any schools in the district, 388
including charter schools, with documented noncompliance. The 389
office shall reinspect any school with documented def iciencies 390
within 6 months. The school principal or charter school 391
administrator, or his or her designee, must provide the office 392
with written notice of how the noncompliance with s. 393
1006.07(6)(f) has been remediated within 3 school days after 394
receipt of the report. 395
(c) Provide quarterly reports to each district school 396
superintendent and school safety specialist identifying the 397
number and percentage of schools, including charter schools, 398
inspected or reinspected during that quarter and the number and 399
percentage of inspected schools that had no school safety 400
CS/HB 1473 2024
CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
hb1473-01-c1
Page 17 of 32
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
requirement deficiencies. The school safety specialist shall 401
present each quarterly report to the district school board in a 402
public meeting. Annually, during the first quarter of every 403
school year, the school safety specialist shall report to the 404
district school board in a public meeting the number of schools 405
inspected during the preceding calendar year and the number and 406
percentage of schools in compliance during the initial 407
inspection and reinspection. 408
(d) Provide a bonus in an amount determined in the General 409
Appropriations Act, at the conclusion of the initial unannounced 410
inspection conducted during the triennial period, to the school 411
principal or charter school administrator of each school that 412
complies with all school safety requirements. 413
(e)1. Refer any instructional personnel as defined in s. 414
1012.01(2) who knowingly violate s. 1006.07(6)(f) to the 415
district school superintendent or charter school administrator, 416
as applicable, for disciplinar y action if such action has not 417
already been commenced by the district school superintendent or 418
charter school administrator upon receipt of the Florida school 419
safety compliance inspection report. The district school 420
superintendent or charter school admini strator must notify the 421
office of the outcome of the disciplinary proceedings within 3 422
school days after the conclusion of the proceedings. 423
2. Refer any administrative personnel as defined in s. 424
1012.01(3) who knowingly permitted a violation of s. 425
CS/HB 1473 2024
CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
hb1473-01-c1
Page 18 of 32
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
1006.07(6)(f) to the department pursuant to s. 1012.796. 426
3. Maintain a record of any administrative personnel or 427
instructional personnel who unknowingly violated s. 428
1006.07(6)(f), and may use such information when making any 429
subsequent determinations of an all eged violation by the same 430
person. 431
(17) Annually, at the beginning of the school year, notify 432
all administrative and instructional personnel by electronic 433
mail of the requirements of s. 1006.07(6)(f). 434
(18) By December 1, 2024, recommend a methodology t o 435
distribute the safe schools allocation under s. 1011.62(12) 436
based upon the number and severity of incidents reported 437
pursuant to s. 1006.07(9) and each school district's 438
proportionate share of the state's total unweighted full -time 439
equivalent student enr ollment report incidents of noncompliance 440
to the commissioner pursuant to s. 1001.11(9) and the state 441
board pursuant to s. 1008.32 and other requirements of law, as 442
appropriate. 443
Section 6. Paragraph (a) of subsection (4) and paragraph 444
(a) of subsection (6) of section 1006.07, Florida Statutes, are 445
amended, and paragraph (f) is added to subsection (6) of that 446
section, to read: 447
1006.07 District school board duties relating to student 448
discipline and school safety. —The district school board shall 449
provide for the proper accounting for all students, for the 450
CS/HB 1473 2024
CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
hb1473-01-c1
Page 19 of 32
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
attendance and control of students at school, and for proper 451
attention to health, safety, and other matters relating to the 452
welfare of students, including: 453
(4) EMERGENCY DRILLS; EMERGENCY PROCEDURES. — 454
(a) Formulate and prescribe policies and procedures, in 455
consultation with the appropriate public safety agencies, for 456
emergency drills and for actual emergencies, including, but not 457
limited to, fires, natural disasters, active assailant and 458
hostage situations, and bomb threats, for all students and 459
faculty at all public schools of the district composed of grades 460
K-12, pursuant to State Board of Education rules. Drills for 461
active assailant and hostage situations must be conducted in 462
accordance with developm entally appropriate and age -appropriate 463
procedures, as specified in State Board of Education rules. Law 464
enforcement officers responsible for responding to the school in 465
the event of an active assailant emergency, as determined 466
necessary by the sheriff in c oordination with the district's 467
school safety specialist, must be physically present on campus 468
and directly involved in the execution of active assailant 469
emergency drills. School districts must notify law enforcement 470
officers at least 24 hours before condu cting an active assailant 471
emergency drill at which such law enforcement officers are 472
expected to attend. Each school, including charter schools, must 473
maintain a record that is accessible on each campus or by 474
request of the Office of Safe Schools of all cur rent school year 475
CS/HB 1473 2024
CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
hb1473-01-c1
Page 20 of 32
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
and prior school year drills conducted pursuant to this 476
subsection, including the names of law enforcement personnel 477
present on campus for each active assailant emergency drill. 478
District school board policies must include commonly used ala rm 479
system responses for specific types of emergencies and 480
verification by each school that drills have been provided as 481
required by law, State Board of Education rules, and fire 482
protection codes and may provide accommodations for drills 483
conducted by exceptional student education centers. District 484
school boards shall establish emergency response and emergency 485
preparedness policies and procedures that include, but are not 486
limited to, identifying the individuals responsible for 487
contacting the primary emergency response agency and the 488
emergency response agency responsible for notifying the school 489
district for each type of emergency. The State Board of 490
Education shall refer to recommendations provided in reports 491
published pursuant to s. 943.687 for guidance and, by August 1, 492
2023, consult with state and local constituencies to adopt rules 493
applicable to the requirements of this subsection which, at a 494
minimum, define the terms "emergency drill," "active threat," 495
and "after-action report" and establish minimum emerge ncy drill 496
policies and procedures related to the timing, frequency, 497
participation, training, notification, accommodations, and 498
responses to threat situations by incident type, school level, 499
school type, and student and school characteristics. The rules 500
CS/HB 1473 2024
CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
hb1473-01-c1
Page 21 of 32
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
must require all types of emergency drills to be conducted no 501
less frequently than on an annual school year basis. 502
(6) SAFETY AND SECURITY BEST PRACTICES. —Each district 503
school superintendent shall establish policies and procedures 504
for the prevention of viol ence on school grounds, including the 505
assessment of and intervention with individuals whose behavior 506
poses a threat to the safety of the school community. 507
(a) School safety specialist. —Each district school 508
superintendent shall designate a school safety s pecialist for 509
the district. The school safety specialist must be a school 510
administrator employed by the school district or a law 511
enforcement officer employed by the sheriff's office located in 512
the school district. Any school safety specialist designated 513
from the sheriff's office must first be authorized and approved 514
by the sheriff employing the law enforcement officer. Any school 515
safety specialist designated from the sheriff's office remains 516
the employee of the office for purposes of compensation, 517
insurance, workers' compensation, and other benefits authorized 518
by law for a law enforcement officer employed by the sheriff's 519
office. The sheriff and the school superintendent may determine 520
by agreement the reimbursement for such costs, or may share the 521
costs, associated with employment of the law enforcement officer 522
as a school safety specialist. The school safety specialist must 523
earn a certificate of completion of the school safety specialist 524
training provided by the Office of Safe Schools within 1 year 525
CS/HB 1473 2024
CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
hb1473-01-c1
Page 22 of 32
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
after appointment and is responsible for the supervision and 526
oversight for all school safety and security personnel, 527
policies, and procedures in the school district. The school 528
safety specialist shall: 529
1. In conjunction with the district school superintendent, 530
annually review school district policies and procedures for 531
compliance with state law and rules, including the district's 532
timely and accurate submission of school environmental safety 533
incident reports to the department pursuant to s. 1001.212(8). 534
At least quarterly, the school safety specialist must report to 535
the district school superintendent and the district school board 536
any noncompliance by the school district with laws or rules 537
regarding school safety. 538
2. Provide the necessary training and resources to 539
students and school district staff in matters relating to youth 540
mental health awareness and assistance; emergency procedures, 541
including active shooter training; and school safety and 542
security. 543
3. Serve as the school district liaison with local public 544
safety agencies and national, state, and community agencies and 545
organizations in matters of school safety and security. 546
4. In collaboration with the appropriate public safety 547
agencies, as that term is defined in s. 365.171, by October 1 of 548
each year, conduct a school security risk assessment at each 549
public school using the Florida Safe Schools Assessment Tool 550
CS/HB 1473 2024
CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
hb1473-01-c1
Page 23 of 32
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
developed by the Office of Safe Schools pursuant to s. 551
1006.1493. Based on the assessment findings, the district's 552
school safety specialist shall provi de recommendations to the 553
district school superintendent and the district school board 554
which identify strategies and activities that the district 555
school board should implement in order to address the findings 556
and improve school safety and security. Each di strict school 557
board must receive such findings and the school safety 558
specialist's recommendations at a publicly noticed district 559
school board meeting to provide the public an opportunity to 560
hear the district school board members discuss and take action 561
on the findings and recommendations. Each school safety 562
specialist, through the district school superintendent, shall 563
report such findings and school board action to the Office of 564
Safe Schools within 30 days after the district school board 565
meeting. 566
5. Conduct annual unannounced inspections of all public 567
schools while school is in session and investigate reports of 568
noncompliance with school safety requirements. 569
6. Report violations of paragraph (f) by administrative 570
personnel and instructional personnel to the district school 571
superintendent or charter school administrator, as applicable, 572
and the Office of Safe Schools. 573
(f) School safety requirements. — 574
1. By August 1, 2024, each school district and charter 575
CS/HB 1473 2024
CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
hb1473-01-c1
Page 24 of 32
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 governing board shall comply with the foll owing school 576
safety requirements: 577
a. All gates or other access points that restrict ingress 578
to or egress from a school campus shall remain closed and locked 579
when students are on campus. A gate or other campus access point 580
may not be open or unlocked, unl ess attended or actively staffed 581
by a person when students are on campus, regardless of whether 582
it is during normal school hours, or the school safety 583
specialist has determined in writing and notified the Office of 584
Safe Schools that the open and unlocked g ate or other access 585
point is not a threat to school safety based upon other school 586
safety measures. The office may conduct a compliance visit 587
pursuant to s. 1001.212(14) to review if such determination is 588
appropriate. 589
b. All school classrooms and other i nstructional spaces 590
must be locked to prevent ingress when occupied by students, 591
except between class periods when students are moving between 592
classrooms or other instructional spaces. If a classroom or 593
other instructional space door must be left unlocked or open for 594
any reason other than between class periods when students are 595
moving between classrooms or other instructional spaces, the 596
door must be actively staffed by a person standing or seated at 597
the door. 598
c. All campus access doors, gates, and other access points 599
that allow ingress to or egress from a school building shall 600
CS/HB 1473 2024
CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
hb1473-01-c1
Page 25 of 32
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
remain closed and locked at all times to prevent ingress, unless 601
a person is actively entering or exiting the door, gate, or 602
other access point or the school safety specialist has 603
determined in writing and notified the Office of Safe Schools 604
that the open and unlocked door, gate, or other access point is 605
not a threat to school safety based upon other school safety 606
measures. The office may conduct a compliance visit pursuant to 607
s. 1001.212(14) to review if such determination is appropriate. 608
All campus access doors, gates, and other access points may be 609
electronically or manually controlled by school personnel to 610
allow access by authorized visitors, students, and school 611
personnel. 612
d. All school classrooms and other instructional spaces 613
must clearly and conspicuously mark the safest areas in each 614
classroom or other instructional space where students must 615
shelter in place during an emergency. Students must be notified 616
of these safe areas within the first 5 days of the school year. 617
If it is not feasible to clearly and conspicuously mark the 618
safest areas in a classroom or other instructional space, the 619
school safety specialist or his or her designee must document 620
such determination in writi ng, identify where affected students 621
must shelter in place, and notify the Office of Safe Schools. 622
The office shall assist the school safety specialist with 623
compliance during the inspection required under s. 1001.212(14). 624
2. Administrative personnel as d efined in s. 1012.01(3) 625
CS/HB 1473 2024
CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
hb1473-01-c1
Page 26 of 32
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
who knowingly violate the requirements of this paragraph are 626
subject to disciplinary measures under ss. 1012.795 and 627
1012.796. 628
629
Persons who are aware of a violation of this paragraph must 630
report the violation to the school principal . The school 631
principal must report the violation to the school safety 632
specialist no later than the next business day after receiving 633
such report. If the person who violated this paragraph is the 634
school principal or charter school administrator, the report 635
must be made directly to the district school superintendent or 636
charter school governing board, as applicable. 637
Section 7. Paragraph (b) of subsection (1) and subsections 638
(3), (5), and (6) of section 1006.12, Florida Statutes, are 639
amended to read: 640
1006.12 Safe-school officers at each public school. —For 641
the protection and safety of school personnel, property, 642
students, and visitors, each district school board and school 643
district superintendent shall partner with law enforcement 644
agencies or security agenc ies to establish or assign one or more 645
safe-school officers at each school facility within the 646
district, including charter schools. A district school board 647
must collaborate with charter school governing boards to 648
facilitate charter school access to all saf e-school officer 649
options available under this section. The school district may 650
CS/HB 1473 2024
CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
hb1473-01-c1
Page 27 of 32
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
implement any combination of the options in subsections (1) -(4) 651
to best meet the needs of the school district and charter 652
schools. 653
(1) SCHOOL RESOURCE OFFICER. —A school district may 654
establish school resource officer programs through a cooperative 655
agreement with law enforcement agencies. 656
(b) School resource officers shall abide by district 657
school board policies and shall consult with and coordinate 658
activities through the schoo l principal, but shall be 659
responsible to the law enforcement agency in all matters 660
relating to employment, subject to agreements between a district 661
school board and a law enforcement agency. The agreements shall 662
identify the entity responsible for maintain ing records relating 663
to training. Activities conducted by the school resource officer 664
which are part of the regular instructional program of the 665
school shall be under the direction of the school principal. 666
(3) SCHOOL GUARDIAN. — 667
(a) At the school distri ct's or the charter school 668
governing board's discretion, as applicable, pursuant to s. 669
30.15, a school district or charter school governing board may 670
participate in the Chris Hixon, Coach Aaron Feis, and Coach 671
Scott Beigel Guardian Program to meet the requ irement of 672
establishing a safe-school officer. The following individuals 673
may serve as a school guardian, in support of school -sanctioned 674
activities for purposes of s. 790.115, upon satisfactory 675
CS/HB 1473 2024
CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
hb1473-01-c1
Page 28 of 32
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
completion of the requirements under s. 30.15(1)(k) and 676
certification by a sheriff: 677
1.(a) A school district employee or personnel, as defined 678
under s. 1012.01, or a charter school employee, as provided 679
under s. 1002.33(12)(a), who volunteers to serve as a school 680
guardian in addition to his or her official job dutie s; or 681
2.(b) An employee of a school district or a charter school 682
who is hired for the specific purpose of serving as a school 683
guardian. 684
(b) Before appointing an individual as a school guardian, 685
the school district or charter school shall contact the 686
Department of Law Enforcement and review all information 687
maintained under s. 30.15(1)(k)3.c. related to the individual. 688
(c) The department shall provide to the Department of Law 689
Enforcement any information relating to a school guardian 690
received pursuant to subsection (5). 691
(5) NOTIFICATION.—The district school superintendent or 692
charter school administrator, or a respective designee, shall 693
notify the county sheriff and the Office of Safe Schools 694
immediately after, but no later than 72 hours after: 695
(a) A safe-school officer is dismissed for misconduct or 696
is otherwise disciplined. 697
(b) A safe-school officer discharges his or her firearm in 698
the exercise of the safe -school officer's duties, other than for 699
training purposes. 700
CS/HB 1473 2024
CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
hb1473-01-c1
Page 29 of 32
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
(c) A safe-school officer separat es from his or her 701
appointment. 702
(6) CRISIS INTERVENTION TRAINING. — 703
(a) Each safe-school officer who is also a sworn law 704
enforcement officer shall complete mental health crisis 705
intervention training using a curriculum developed by a national 706
organization with expertise in mental health crisis 707
intervention. The training must improve the officer's knowledge 708
and skills as a first responder to incidents involving students 709
with emotional disturbance or mental illness, including de -710
escalation skills to ensure student and officer safety. 711
(b) Each safe-school officer who is not a s worn law 712
enforcement officer shall receive training to improve the 713
officer's knowledge and skills necessary to respond to and de -714
escalate incidents on school premises. 715
716
If a district school board, through its adopted policies, 717
procedures, or actions, denie s a charter school access to any 718
safe-school officer options pursuant to this section, the school 719
district must assign a school resource officer or school safety 720
officer to the charter school. Under such circumstances, the 721
charter school's share of the cos ts of the school resource 722
officer or school safety officer may not exceed the safe school 723
allocation funds provided to the charter school pursuant to s. 724
1011.62(12) and shall be retained by the school district. 725
CS/HB 1473 2024
CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
hb1473-01-c1
Page 30 of 32
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
Section 8. Paragraph (q) is added to subs ection (1) of 726
section 1012.795, Florida Statutes, to read: 727
1012.795 Education Practices Commission; authority to 728
discipline.— 729
(1) The Education Practices Commission may suspend the 730
educator certificate of any instructional personnel or school 731
administrator, as defined in s. 1012.01(2) or (3), for up to 5 732
years, thereby denying that person the right to teach or 733
otherwise be employed by a district school board or public 734
school in any capacity requiring direct contact with students 735
for that period of time, after which the person may return to 736
teaching as provided in subsection (4); may revoke the educator 737
certificate of any person, thereby denying that person the right 738
to teach or otherwise be employed by a district school board or 739
public school in any capa city requiring direct contact with 740
students for up to 10 years, with reinstatement subject to 741
subsection (4); may permanently revoke the educator certificate 742
of any person thereby denying that person the right to teach or 743
otherwise be employed by a distric t school board or public 744
school in any capacity requiring direct contact with students; 745
may suspend a person's educator certificate, upon an order of 746
the court or notice by the Department of Revenue relating to the 747
payment of child support; may direct the department to place a 748
certificateholder employed by a public school, charter school, 749
charter school governing board, or private school that 750
CS/HB 1473 2024
CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
hb1473-01-c1
Page 31 of 32
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
participates in a state scholarship program under chapter 1002 751
on the disqualification list maintained by the depart ment 752
pursuant to s. 1001.10(4)(b) for misconduct that would render 753
the person ineligible pursuant to s. 1012.315 or sexual 754
misconduct with a student; or may impose any other penalty 755
provided by law, if the person: 756
(q) Is a school administrator who knowin gly violated the 757
school safety requirements under s. 1006.07(6)(f). 758
Section 9. For the 2024-2025 fiscal year and subject to 759
legislative appropriation, the Department of Law Enforcement 760
shall provide grants to sheriffs' offices and law enforcement 761
agencies to conduct physical site security assessments for and 762
provide reports to private schools with recommendations on 763
improving such schools' infrastructure safety and security; to 764
assist private schools in developing active assailant response 765
protocols and develop and implement training relating to active 766
assailant responses, including active assailant response drills 767
for students and school personnel; and to consult with or 768
provide guidance to private schools in implementing a threat 769
management program sim ilar to the program required under s. 770
1001.212(12), Florida Statutes, for public schools. The 771
Department of Law Enforcement shall develop a site security 772
assessment form for use by sheriffs' offices and law enforcement 773
agencies and provide the form, includ ing any subsequent 774
revisions, to the recipient of funds in conducting the duties 775
CS/HB 1473 2024
CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
hb1473-01-c1
Page 32 of 32
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
outlined in this section. Grants awarded under this section may 776
be used for personnel costs and to purchase software and other 777
items necessary to assist private schools. The D epartment of Law 778
Enforcement shall establish the requirements for awarding grants 779
under this section through an open, competitive process. Grants 780
must be awarded no later than October 1, 2024. 781
Section 10. This act shall take effect July 1, 2024. 782