HB 1009 2025
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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 religious expression and classroom 2
requirements in K-12 schools; providing short titles; 3
prohibiting a school district from discriminating 4
against students, parents, or school personnel on the 5
basis of religious viewpoints or religious expression; 6
prohibiting penalty or reward for a student's 7
religious expression in coursework, artwork, and other 8
specified assignments; authorizing a student t o wear 9
clothing, accessories, and jewelry that display 10
religious messages or symbols; authorizing a student 11
to pray or engage in religious activities or 12
expression; authorizing school personnel to engage in 13
such activities or expression with a student unde r 14
specified circumstances; authorizing a student to 15
organize prayer groups, religious clubs, and other 16
religious gatherings; prohibiting a school district 17
from preventing school personnel from participating in 18
voluntary, student-initiated religious activit ies on 19
school grounds under specified circumstances; 20
requiring that a school district provide religious 21
groups with equal access to school facilities; 22
authorizing religious groups to advertise or announce 23
meetings in the same manner and to the same extent as 24
secular groups; requiring that a school district adopt 25
HB 1009 2025
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a limited public forum policy and deliver a disclaimer 26
at school events; requiring the Department of 27
Education to develop and publish a model policy 28
regarding a limited public forum and religious 29
expression; requiring that each district school board 30
adopt and implement such model policy; amending s. 31
1003.44, F.S.; requiring the national anthem to be 32
played at the beginning of each school day after the 33
completion of the moment of silence; requiring 34
students to be provided written notice of the right to 35
not participate in specified activities; requiring 36
students to be excused from specified activities upon 37
written request; authorizing excused students to stand 38
outside the classroom door for specified ac tivities; 39
requiring such students to immediately return to the 40
classroom after such activities; requiring public 41
schools to comply with certain provisions by a 42
specified date; providing penalties for noncompliance; 43
requiring school districts to conduct a p ublic 44
awareness campaign for specified purposes; providing 45
requirements for the display of the state motto in 46
certain portions of schools; requiring the department 47
to provide certain materials; providing an effective 48
date. 49
50
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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
Be It Enacted by the Legisla ture of the State of Florida: 51
52
Section 1. This act may be cited as the "Florida Religious 53
Liberty Awareness and Activation Act." 54
Section 2. Religious expression in public schools. — 55
(1) This section may be cited as the "Florida Student and 56
School Personnel Religious Liberties Act." 57
(2) A school district may not discriminate against a 58
student, parent, or school personnel on the basis of a religious 59
viewpoint or religious expression. A school district shall treat 60
a student's voluntary expression of a religious viewpoint on an 61
otherwise permissible subject in the same manner that the school 62
district treats a student's voluntary expression of a secular 63
viewpoint. 64
(3)(a) A student may express his or her religious beliefs 65
in coursework, artwork, and o ther written and oral assignments 66
free from discrimination. A student's homework and classroom 67
assignments shall be evaluated, regardless of their religious 68
content, based on expected academic standards relating to the 69
course curriculum and requirements. A student may not be 70
penalized or rewarded based on the religious content of his or 71
her work if the coursework, artwork, or other written or oral 72
assignments require a student's viewpoint to be expressed. 73
(b) A student may wear clothing, accessories, and jewelry 74
that display a religious message or symbol in the same manner 75
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and to the same extent that clothing, accessories, and jewelry 76
that display a secular message or symbol are permitted to be 77
worn. 78
(4)(a) A student may pray or engage in religious 79
activities or expression before, during, and after the school 80
day in the same manner and to the same extent that a student may 81
engage in secular activities or expression. School personnel, 82
including classroom teachers and athletic coaches, may pray or 83
engage in religious activities or expression s with a student if 84
such prayer or religious activity or expression does not occur 85
during instructional time. A student may organize prayer groups, 86
religious clubs, and other religious gatherings before, during, 87
and after the school day in the same manner and to the same 88
extent that a student is permitted to organize secular 89
activities and groups. 90
(b)1. A school district may not prevent school personnel 91
from participating in religious activities on school grounds 92
that are initiated by students at reasonable times before or 93
after the school day if such activities are voluntary and do not 94
conflict with the responsibilities or assignments of such 95
personnel. 96
2. A school district shall comply with the federal 97
requirements in Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which 98
prohibit an employer from discriminating against an employee on 99
the basis of religion. 100
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(c) A school district shall provide a religious group with 101
access to the same school facilities for assembling as pro vided 102
to secular groups without discrimination based on the religious 103
content of the group's expression. A group that meets for prayer 104
or other religious speech may advertise or announce its meetings 105
in the same manner and to the same extent that a secular group 106
may advertise or announce its meetings. 107
(5)(a) A school district shall adopt a policy that 108
establishes a limited public forum for student speakers at any 109
school event at which a student is to speak publicly. The 110
limited public forum policy shall r equire the school district 111
to: 112
1. Provide the forum in a manner that does not 113
discriminate against a student's voluntary expression of a 114
religious viewpoint on an otherwise permissible subject; 115
2. Provide a method based on neutral criteria for the 116
selection of student speakers at school events, activities, and 117
graduation ceremonies; 118
3. Ensure that a student speaker does not engage in 119
obscene, vulgar, offensively lewd, or indecent speech; and 120
4. State in written or oral form that the student's sp eech 121
does not reflect the endorsement, sponsorship, position, or 122
expression of the school district. 123
(b) The school district shall deliver the disclaimer 124
required in subparagraph (a)4. at all graduation events and any 125
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other event at which a student speaks publicly. 126
(c) Student expression of a religious viewpoint on an 127
otherwise permissible subject may not be excluded from the 128
limited public forum. 129
(6) The Department of Education shall develop a model 130
policy regarding a limited public forum and voluntar y expression 131
of religious viewpoints by students and school personnel in 132
public schools pursuant to this section. The department shall 133
publish the model policy on its website. Each district school 134
board shall adopt and implement the department's model poli cy. 135
Section 3. Subsections (1) and (4) of section 1003.44, 136
Florida Statutes, are amended to read: 137
1003.44 Patriotic programs; rules. — 138
(1)(a)1. Each district school board may adopt rules to 139
require, in all of the schools of the district, programs of a 140
patriotic nature to encourage greater respect for the government 141
of the United States and its national anthem and flag, subject 142
always to other existing pertinent laws of the United States or 143
of the state. 144
2. The national anthem must be played at the beginning of 145
each school day after the completion of the moment of silence 146
pursuant to s. 1003.45. When the national anthem is played, 147
students and all civilians shall stand at attention, men 148
removing the headdress, except when such headdress is worn for 149
religious purposes. 150
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3. The pledge of allegiance to the flag, "I pledge 151
allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to 152
the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, 153
indivisible, with liberty and justice for all," shall be 154
rendered by students standing with the right hand over the 155
heart. The pledge of allegiance to the flag shall be recited at 156
the beginning of the day in each public elementary, middle, and 157
high school in the state. Each student shall be informed by a 158
written notice published in the student handbook or a similar 159
publication pursuant to s. 1006.07(2) that the student has the 160
right not to participate in reciting the pledge. Upon written 161
request by his or her parent, the student must be excused from 162
reciting the pledge, i ncluding standing and placing the right 163
hand over his or her heart. When the pledge is given, unexcused 164
students must show full respect to the flag by standing at 165
attention, men removing the headdress, except when such 166
headdress is worn for religious purpo ses, as provided by Pub. L. 167
ch. 77-435, s. 7, approved June 22, 1942, 56 Stat. 377, as 168
amended by Pub. L. ch. 77 -806, 56 Stat. 1074, approved December 169
22, 1942. 170
4. Each student shall be informed by a written notice 171
published in the student handbook or a similar publication 172
pursuant to s. 1006.07(2) that the student has the right not to 173
participate in singing the national anthem, reciting the pledge, 174
or the moment of silence in s. 1003.45. Upon written request by 175
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his or her parent, the student must be excused from singing the 176
national anthem, reciting the pledge, including standing and 177
placing the right hand over his or her heart , or the moment of 178
silence in s. 1003.45. Each morning, before singing the national 179
anthem, reciting the pledge, and the momen t of silence, a 180
moderator must announce that all excused students may leave the 181
classroom and stand outside the classroom door. Such students 182
must immediately return to the classroom after such activities. 183
5. Each school within a school district must com ply with 184
the requirements of this paragraph by October 1, 2025. A school 185
that is not in compliance with such requirements by such date, 186
shall receive a warning from the department to comply within 30 187
days. If the school fails to comply within the 30 -day period, 188
the district school superintendent shall be officially 189
reprimanded by the department for the school's noncompliance. 190
The department shall refer the school district to the State 191
Board of Education. The state board has the sole authority to 192
further review the school's noncompliance and take any actions 193
deemed necessary until the school complies with the requirements 194
of this paragraph. 195
(b) Each school district shall conduct a public awareness 196
campaign about the display of the state motto, "In God We 197
Trust," in district schools and buildings pursuant to subsection 198
(4), the inclusion of a moment of silence at the beginning of 199
each school day pursuant to s. 1003.45 , and religious expression 200
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in public schools as authorized by general law . 201
(4)(a) Each district school board shall adopt rules to 202
require, in all of the schools of the district and in each 203
building used by the district school board, the display of the 204
state motto, "In God We Trust," designated under s. 15.0301, in 205
a conspicuous place. 206
(b) The state motto, "In God We Trust," must be displayed 207
on a 22 inch by 28 inch posterboard in a conspicuous location in 208
each school library, cafeteria, gymnasium, and main office. The 209
department shall provide the posterboards required under this 210
paragraph. 211
Section 4. This act shall take effect July 1, 2025. 212