FL
Florida House Bill H1255

Florida 2025 Regular Session

Florida House Bill H1255 Compare Versions

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1010 F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S
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1414 A bill to be entitled 1
15-An act relating to education; amending s. 11.45, F.S.; 2
16-conforming provisions to changes made by the act; 3
17-amending s. 110.211, F.S.; authorizing recruiting 4
18-within the career service system to include the use of 5
19-certain apprenticeship programs; providing tha t open 6
20-competition is not required under certain 7
21-circumstances relating to the career service system; 8
22-amending s. 125.901, F.S.; revising the composition 9
23-and terms of membership for councils on children's 10
24-services; amending ss. 216.251, 447.203, and 1000.0 4, 11
25-F.S.; conforming provisions to changes made by the 12
26-act; amending s. 1000.40, F.S.; revising the scheduled 13
27-repeal date of the Interstate Compact on Educational 14
28-Opportunity for Military Children; amending s. 15
29-1001.03, F.S.; renaming critical teacher shorta ge 16
30-areas as "high-demand teacher needs areas"; amending 17
31-s. 1001.20, F.S.; conforming provisions to changes 18
32-made by the act; creating s. 1001.325, F.S.; 19
33-prohibiting the expenditure of funds by public 20
34-schools, charter schools, school districts, charter 21
35-school administrators, or direct -support organizations 22
36-to purchase membership in, or goods or services from, 23
37-any organization that discriminates on the basis of 24
38-race, color, national origin, sex, disability, or 25
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47-F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S
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51-religion; prohibiting the expenditure of funds by 26
52-public schools, charter schools, school districts, 27
53-charter school administrators, or direct -support 28
54-organizations to promote, support, or maintain certain 29
55-programs or activities; authorizing the use of student 30
56-fees and school or district facilities by stud ent-led 31
57-organizations under certain circumstances; providing 32
58-construction; requiring the State Board of Education 33
59-to adopt rules; amending s. 1001.452, F.S.; deleting a 34
60-provision requiring the Commissioner of Education to 35
61-determine whether school districts have maximized 36
62-efforts to include minority persons and persons of 37
63-lower socioeconomic status on their school advisory 38
64-councils; amending s. 1002.20, F.S.; authorizing 39
65-public schools to purchase or enter into arrangements 40
66-for certain emergency opioid antag onists, rather than 41
67-only for naloxone; revising specified liability 42
68-protections to include public school employees who 43
69-administer an emergency opioid antagonist; requiring 44
70-that district school board policies authorizing 45
71-corporal punishment include a requir ement that 46
72-parental consent be provided before the administration 47
73-of corporal punishment; amending s. 1002.33, F.S.; 48
74-requiring a charter school to comply with provisions 49
75-relating to corporal punishment; prohibiting local 50
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84-F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S
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88-governing authorities from imposing or enforcing 51
89-certain building requirements and restrictions on 52
90-charter school facilities; requiring the local 53
91-governing authority to administratively approve a 54
92-charter school if certain requirements are met; 55
93-amending the statutory cause of action for an 56
94-aggrieved school or entity; prohibiting local 57
95-governing authorities from requiring charter schools 58
96-to obtain a special exemption or conditional use 59
97-approval unless otherwise specified; repealing s. 60
98-1002.351, F.S., relating to the Florida School for 61
99-Competitive Academics; amending ss. 1002.394 and 62
100-1002.395, F.S.; conforming provisions to changes made 63
101-by the act; amending s. 1002.421, F.S.; revising the 64
102-background screening requirements for certain private 65
103-school personnel; amending s. 1002.71, F.S.; revising 66
104-the conditions under which a student may withdraw from 67
105-a prekindergarten program and reenroll in another 68
106-program; amending s. 1003.05, F.S.; requiring that 69
107-strategies addressed in specified memoranda of 70
108-agreement between school districts and military 71
109-installations include the development and 72
110-implementation of a specified training module; 73
111-requiring the Department of Education to provide the 74
112-training module to each district school board; 75
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121-F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S
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125-requiring each district school board to provide such 76
126-module to each public and charter K-12 school in its 77
127-district; requiring district school boards to make 78
128-certain training available to certain employees; 79
129-amending s. 1003.41, F.S.; requiring that certain 80
130-standards documents contain only academic standards 81
131-and benchmarks; requ iring the commissioner to revise 82
132-currently approved standards documents and submit them 83
133-to the state board by a specified date; amending s. 84
134-1003.42, F.S.; requiring health education for students 85
135-in grades 6 through 12 to include instruction on human 86
136-embryologic development; providing requirements for 87
137-such instruction; requiring the state board to adopt 88
138-rules relating to such instruction; providing parental 89
139-exemption for instruction on human embryologic 90
140-development; requiring school districts to notify 91
141-parents of the right to an exemption; amending s. 92
142-1003.4201, F.S.; revising the requirements for certain 93
143-reading instruction plans to include specified 94
144-instruction and information; requiring the department 95
145-to approve school district reading instruction plans; 96
146-creating s. 1003.4202, F.S.; requiring school 97
147-districts to implement a certain system of 98
148-comprehensive mathematics instruction for certain 99
149-students; defining the term "evidence -based"; amending 100
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158-F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S
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162-s. 1003.4282, F.S.; providing additional components 101
163-for required instruction on financial literacy; 102
164-amending s. 1004.04, F.S.; revising the uniform core 103
165-curricula for state-approved teacher preparation 104
166-programs to include specified mathematics content; 105
167-amending s. 1004.85, F.S.; revising the requirements 106
168-for postsecondary educator preparation institutes to 107
169-include certain instruction and assessments on 108
170-specified mathematics content; amending s. 1006.09, 109
171-F.S.; expanding the duties of school principals 110
172-relating to student discipline and school safety; 111
173-amending s. 1006.13, F.S.; requiring district school 112
174-superintendents to provide a determination to extend 113
175-the expulsion period for students; providing 114
176-requirements for such determination; requiring such 115
177-determination be provided to students and parents; 116
178-amending s. 1007.27, F.S.; authorizing the department 117
179-to join or establish a national consortium as an 118
180-additional alternative method to develop and implement 119
181-advanced placement courses; amending s. 1007.35, F.S.; 120
182-authorizing public high schools to provide the Classic 121
183-Learning Test 10 to specified students; amending s. 122
184-1008.25, F.S.; requiring certain provisions to be 123
185-defined in state board rules; requiring parents of a 124
186-student who exhibits a substantial deficiency in 125
187-
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195-F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S
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199-mathematics to be notified in writing of information 126
200-about the student's eligibility for the New Worlds 127
201-Scholarship Accounts and the New Worlds Tutoring 128
202-Program; amending s. 1008.365, F.S.; expanding the 129
203-types of tutoring hours that may be counted toward 130
204-meeting the community service requirements for the 131
205-Bright Futures scholarship to include paid tutoring 132
206-hours; amending s. 1008.366, F.S.; requiring the New 133
207-Worlds Tutoring Program to provide best practice 134
208-guidelines for mathematics tutoring in consultation 135
209-with the Office of Mathematics and Sciences; revising 136
210-the submission date for a specified report relating to 137
211-the New Worlds Tutoring Program; repealing s. 1011.58, 138
212-F.S., relating to procedures for legislative budget 139
213-requests for the Florida School for Competitive 140
214-Academics; repealing s. 1011.59, F.S.; relating to 141
215-funds for the Florida School for Competitive 142
216-Academics; amending s. 1011.71, F.S.; revising the 143
217-definition of the term "casualty insurance" for 144
218-specified purposes; amending ss. 1012.07 and 1012.22, 145
219-F.S.; conforming provisions to changes made by the 146
220-act; amending s. 1012.315, F.S.; revising the 147
221-background screening requirements for certain private 148
222-school personnel; providing that certain background 149
223-screening requirements remain in place for a specified 150
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232-F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S
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236-period of time for certain personnel; amending s. 151
237-1012.56, F.S.; requiring competency -based professional 152
238-learning certification programs to include specified 153
239-mathematics content; amending s. 1012.586, F.S.; 154
240-amending reading endorsements and subject area 155
241-examinations to address identifications of the 156
242-characteristics of dyscalculia; removing the 157
243-requirement for school districts' reading endorsement 158
244-add-on programs to be resubmitted for approval by a 159
245-date certain; requiring the department to adopt 160
246-mathematics endorsement pathways; amending s. 1012.77, 161
247-F.S.; deleting obsolete language; authorizing certain 162
248-charter school consortia to submit nominees for the 163
249-Teacher of the Year and Ambassador for Education; 164
250-providing effective dates. 165
251- 166
252-Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: 167
253- 168
254- Section 1. Paragraph s (d) and (f) of subsection (2) of 169
255-section 11.45, Florida Statutes, are amended to read: 170
256- 11.45 Definitions; duties; authorities; reports; rules. — 171
257- (2) DUTIES.—The Auditor General shall: 172
258- (d) Annually conduct financial audits of the accounts and 173
259-records of all district school boards in counties with 174
260-populations of less fewer than 150,000, according to the most 175
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269-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
270-
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273-recent federal decennial statewide census , and; the Florida 176
274-School for the Deaf and the Blind ; and the Florida School for 177
275-Competitive Academics . 178
276- (f) At least every 3 years, conduct operational audits of 179
277-the accounts and records of state agencies, state universities, 180
278-state colleges, district school boards, the Florida Clerks of 181
279-Court Operations Corporation, water management districts, and 182
280-the Florida School for the Deaf and the Blind , and the Florida 183
281-School for Competitive Academics . 184
282- 185
283-The Auditor General shall perform his or her duties 186
284-independently but under the general policies established by the 187
285-Legislative Auditing Committee. This subsection doe s not limit 188
286-the Auditor General's discretionary authority to conduct other 189
287-audits or engagements of governmental entities as authorized in 190
288-subsection (3). 191
289- Section 2. Subsection (3) of section 110.211, Florida 192
290-Statutes, is amended to read: 193
291- 110.211 Recruitment.— 194
292- (3) Recruiting shall seek efficiency in advertising and 195
293-may be assisted by a contracted vendor responsible for 196
294-maintenance of the personnel data. Recruiting may include the 197
295-use of an apprenticeship program, as defined in s. 446.021(6). 198
296-Open competition is not required for a position that will be 199
297-filled by a person who has successfully completed an 200
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306-F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S
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310-apprenticeship program with the hiring agency. 201
311- Section 3. Paragraph (b) of subsection (1) of section 202
312-125.901, Florida Statutes, is amended to rea d: 203
313- 125.901 Children's services; independent special district; 204
314-council; powers, duties, and functions; public records 205
315-exemption.— 206
316- (1) Each county may by ordinance create an independent 207
317-special district, as defined in ss. 189.012 and 200.001(8)(e), 208
318-to provide funding for children's services throughout the county 209
319-in accordance with this section. The boundaries of such district 210
320-shall be coterminous with the boundaries of the county. The 211
321-county governing body shall obtain approval at a general 212
322-election, as defined in s. 97.021, by a majority vote of those 213
323-electors voting on the question, to annually levy ad valorem 214
324-taxes which shall not exceed the maximum millage rate authorized 215
325-by this section. Any district created pursuant to the provisions 216
326-of this subsection shall be required to levy and fix millage 217
327-subject to the provisions of s. 200.065. Once such millage is 218
328-approved by the electorate, the district shall not be required 219
329-to seek approval of the electorate in future years to levy the 220
330-previously approved m illage. However, a referendum to increase 221
331-the millage rate previously approved by the electors must be 222
332-held at a general election, and the referendum may be held only 223
333-once during the 48-month period preceding the effective date of 224
334-the increased millage. 225
335-
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347- (b) However, any county as defined in s. 125.011(1) may 226
348-instead have a governing body consisting of 33 members, 227
349-including the superintendent of schools, or his or her designee; 228
350-two representatives of public postsecondary education 229
351-institutions located in t he county; the county manager or the 230
352-equivalent county officer , or his or her designee ; the district 231
353-administrator from the appropriate district of the Department of 232
354-Children and Families, or the administrator's designee who is a 233
355-member of the Senior Manag ement Service or the Selected Exempt 234
356-Service; the director of the county health department or the 235
357-director's designee; the state attorney for the county or the 236
358-state attorney's designee; the chief judge assigned to juvenile 237
359-cases, or another juvenile judge who is the chief judge's 238
360-designee and who shall sit as a voting member of the board, 239
361-except that the judge may not vote or participate in setting ad 240
362-valorem taxes under this section; an individual who is selected 241
363-by the board of the local United Way or it s equivalent; a member 242
364-of a locally recognized faith -based coalition, selected by that 243
365-coalition; a member of the local chamber of commerce, selected 244
366-by that chamber or, if more than one chamber exists within the 245
367-county, a person selected by a coalition of the local chambers; 246
368-a member of the early learning coalition, selected by that 247
369-coalition; a representative of a labor organization or union 248
370-active in the county; a member of a local alliance or coalition 249
371-engaged in cross-system planning for health and soc ial service 250
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384-delivery in the county, selected by that alliance or coalition; 251
385-a member of the local Parent -Teachers Association/Parent -252
386-Teacher-Student Association, selected by that association; a 253
387-youth representative selected by the local school system's 254
388-student government; a local school board member appointed by the 255
389-chair of the school board; the mayor of the county or the 256
390-mayor's designee; one member of the county governing body, 257
391-appointed by the chair of that body; a member of the state 258
392-Legislature who represents residents of the county, selected by 259
393-the chair of the local legislative delegation; an elected 260
394-official representing the residents of a municipality in the 261
395-county, selected by the county municipal league; and 5 4 262
396-members-at-large, appointed to the council by the majority of 263
397-sitting council members. The remaining seven members shall be 264
398-appointed by the Governor in accordance with procedures set 265
399-forth in paragraph (a), except that the Governor may remove a 266
400-member for cause or upon the written petitio n of the council. 267
401-Appointments by the Governor must, to the extent reasonably 268
402-possible, represent the geographic and demographic makeup 269
403-diversity of the population of the county. Members who are 270
404-appointed to the council by reason of their position are not 271
405-subject to the length of terms and limits on consecutive terms 272
406-as provided in this section. The remaining appointed members of 273
407-the governing body shall be appointed to serve 3-year 2-year 274
408-terms, except that those members appointed by the Governor shall 275
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421-be appointed to serve 4 -year terms, and the youth representative 276
422-and the legislative delegate shall be appointed to serve 1 -year 277
423-terms. A member may be reappointed; however, a member may not 278
424-serve for more than three consecutive terms. A member is 279
425-eligible to be appointed again after a 2 -year hiatus from the 280
426-council. 281
427- Section 4. Paragraph (a) of subsection (2) of section 282
428-216.251, Florida Statutes, is amended to read: 283
429- 216.251 Salary appropriations; limitations. — 284
430- (2)(a) The salary for each position not sp ecifically 285
431-indicated in the appropriations acts shall be as provided in one 286
432-of the following subparagraphs: 287
433- 1. Within the classification and pay plans provided for in 288
434-chapter 110. 289
435- 2. Within the classification and pay plans established by 290
436-the Board of Trustees for the Florida School for the Deaf and 291
437-the Blind of the Department of Education and approved by the 292
438-State Board of Education for academic and academic 293
439-administrative personnel. 294
440- 3. Within the classification and pay plan approved and 295
441-administered by the Board of Governors or the designee of the 296
442-board for those positions in the State University System. 297
443- 4. Within the classification and pay plan approved by the 298
444-President of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of 299
445-Representatives, as the case may be, for employees of the 300
446-
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458-Legislature. 301
459- 5. Within the approved classification and pay plan for the 302
460-judicial branch. 303
461- 6. Within the classification and pay plans established by 304
462-the Board of Trustees for the Florida School for Competitive 305
463-Academics of the Department of Education and approved by the 306
464-State Board of Education for academic and academic 307
465-administrative personnel. 308
466- Section 5. Subsection (2) of section 447.203, Florida 309
467-Statutes, is amended to read: 310
468- 447.203 Definitions. —As used in this part: 311
469- (2) "Public employer" or "employer" means the state or any 312
470-county, municipality, or special district or any subdivision or 313
471-agency thereof which the commission determines has sufficient 314
472-legal distinctiveness properly to carry out the functions of a 315
473-public employer. With respect to all public employees determined 316
474-by the commission as properly belonging to a statewide 317
475-bargaining unit composed of State Career Service System 318
476-employees or Selected Professional Service employees, the 319
477-Governor is deemed to be the pub lic employer; and the Board of 320
478-Governors of the State University System, or the board's 321
479-designee, is deemed to be the public employer with respect to 322
480-all public employees of each constituent state university. The 323
481-board of trustees of a community college is deemed to be the 324
482-public employer with respect to all employees of the community 325
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495-college. The district school board is deemed to be the public 326
496-employer with respect to all employees of the school district. 327
497-The Board of Trustees of the Florida School for th e Deaf and the 328
498-Blind is deemed to be the public employer with respect to the 329
499-academic and academic administrative personnel of the Florida 330
500-School for the Deaf and the Blind. The Board of Trustees of the 331
501-Florida School for Competitive Academics is deemed to be the 332
502-public employer with respect to the academic and academic 333
503-administrative personnel of the Florida School for Competitive 334
504-Academics. The Governor is deemed to be the public employer with 335
505-respect to all employees in the Correctional Education Program 336
506-of the Department of Corrections established pursuant to s. 337
507-944.801. 338
508- Section 6. Subsection (7) of section 1000.04, Florida 339
509-Statutes, is amended to read: 340
510- 1000.04 Components for the delivery of public education 341
511-within the Florida Early Learning -20 education system.—Florida's 342
512-Early Learning-20 education system provides for the delivery of 343
513-early learning and public education through publicly supported 344
514-and controlled K-12 schools, Florida College System 345
515-institutions, state universities and other postsecon dary 346
516-educational institutions, other educational institutions, and 347
517-other educational services as provided or authorized by the 348
518-Constitution and laws of the state. 349
519- (7) THE FLORIDA SCHOOL FOR COMPETITIVE ACADEMICS. —The 350
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532-Florida School for Competitive Academ ics is a component of the 351
533-delivery of public education within Florida's Early Learning -20 352
534-education system. 353
535- Section 7. Effective upon this act becoming a law, section 354
536-1000.40, Florida Statutes, is amended to read: 355
537- 1000.40 Future repeal of the Interst ate Compact on 356
538-Educational Opportunity for Military Children. —Sections 1000.36, 357
539-1000.361, 1000.38, and 1000.39 and this section shall stand 358
540-repealed on July 1, 2028 2025, unless reviewed and saved from 359
541-repeal through reenactment by the Legislature. 360
542- Section 8. Subsection (5) of section 1001.03, Florida 361
543-Statutes, is amended to read: 362
544- 1001.03 Specific powers of State Board of Education. — 363
545- (5) IDENTIFICATION OF HIGH-DEMAND CRITICAL TEACHER NEEDS 364
546-SHORTAGE AREAS.—The State Board of Education shall identify 365
547-high-demand critical teacher needs shortage areas pursuant to s. 366
548-1012.07. 367
549- Section 9. Paragraph (e) of subsection (4) of section 368
550-1001.20, Florida Statutes, is amended to read: 369
551- 1001.20 Department under direction of state board. — 370
552- (4) The Department of Education shall establish the 371
553-following offices within the Office of the Commissioner of 372
554-Education which shall coordinate their activities with all other 373
555-divisions and offices: 374
556- (e) Office of Inspector General. —Organized using existing 375
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569-resources and funds and responsible for promoting 376
570-accountability, efficiency, and effectiveness and detecting 377
571-fraud and abuse within school districts, the Florida School for 378
572-the Deaf and the Blind, the Florida School for Competitive 379
573-Academics, and Florida College System ins titutions in Florida. 380
574-If the Commissioner of Education determines that a district 381
575-school board, the Board of Trustees for the Florida School for 382
576-the Deaf and the Blind, the Board of Trustees for the Florida 383
577-School for Competitive Academics, or a Florida College System 384
578-institution board of trustees is unwilling or unable to address 385
579-substantiated allegations made by any person relating to waste, 386
580-fraud, or financial mismanagement within the school district, 387
581-the Florida School for the Deaf and the Blind, the Florida 388
582-School for Competitive Academics, or the Florida College System 389
583-institution, the office must conduct, coordinate, or request 390
584-investigations into such substantiated allegations. The office 391
585-shall investigate allegations or reports of possible fraud or 392
586-abuse against a district school board made by any member of the 393
587-Cabinet; the presiding officer of either house of the 394
588-Legislature; a chair of a substantive or appropriations 395
589-committee with jurisdiction; or a member of the board for which 396
590-an investigation is sought. The office may investigate 397
591-allegations or reports of suspected violations of a student's, 398
592-parent's, or teacher's rights. The office shall have access to 399
593-all information and personnel necessary to perform its duties 400
594-
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602-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
603-
604-
605-
606-and shall have all of its curre nt powers, duties, and 401
607-responsibilities authorized in s. 20.055. 402
608- Section 10. Section 1001.325, Florida Statutes, is created 403
609-to read: 404
610- 1001.325 Prohibited expenditures. — 405
611- (1) A public school, charter school, school district, 406
612-charter school administrat or, or direct-support organization may 407
613-not expend any funds, regardless of source, to purchase 408
614-membership in, or goods and services from, any organization that 409
615-discriminates on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, 410
616-disability, or religion. 411
617- (2) A public school, charter school, school district, 412
618-charter school administrator, or direct -support organization may 413
619-not expend any state or federal funds to promote, support, or 414
620-maintain any programs or campus activities that: 415
621- (a) Violate s. 1000.05; or 416
622- (b) Advocate, promote, or engage in political or social 417
623-activism, as defined by the State Board of Education. 418
624- 419
625-Student fees to support student -led organizations are permitted 420
626-notwithstanding any speech or expressive activity by such 421
627-organizations which wo uld otherwise violate this subsection, 422
628-provided that public funds are allocated to student -led 423
629-organizations pursuant to written policies or regulations of the 424
630-school or district in which the student is enrolled, as 425
631-
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639-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
640-
641-
642-
643-applicable. Use of school or district fa cilities by student-led 426
644-organizations is permitted notwithstanding any speech or 427
645-expressive activity by such organizations which would otherwise 428
646-violate this subsection, provided that such use is granted to 429
647-student-led organizations pursuant to written pol icies or 430
648-regulations of the school or school district, as applicable. 431
649- (3) Subsection (2) does not prohibit programs, campus 432
650-activities, or functions required for compliance with general or 433
651-federal laws or regulations, for obtaining or retaining 434
652-accreditation, or for continuing to receive state funds with the 435
653-approval of either the State Board of Education or the 436
654-department. 437
655- (4) The State Board of Education shall adopt rules to 438
656-implement this section. 439
657- Section 11. Paragraph (a) of subsection (1) of se ction 440
658-1001.452, Florida Statutes, is amended to read: 441
659- 1001.452 District and school advisory councils. — 442
660- (1) ESTABLISHMENT.— 443
661- (a) The district school board shall establish an advisory 444
662-council for each school in the district and shall develop 445
663-procedures for the election and appointment of advisory council 446
664-members. Each school advisory council shall include in its name 447
665-the words "school advisory council." The school advisory council 448
666-shall be the sole body responsible for final decisionmaking at 449
667-the school relating to implementation of ss. 1001.42(18) and 450
668-
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676-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
677-
678-
679-
680-1008.345. A majority of the members of each school advisory 451
681-council must be persons who are not employed by the school 452
682-district. Each advisory council shall be composed of the 453
683-principal and an appropriately balanced number of teachers, 454
684-education support employees, students, parents, and other 455
685-business and community citizens who are representative of the 456
686-ethnic, racial, and economic community served by the school. 457
687-Career center and high school advisory counci ls shall include 458
688-students, and middle and junior high school advisory councils 459
689-may include students. School advisory councils of career centers 460
690-and adult education centers are not required to include parents 461
691-as members. Council members representing teacher s, education 462
692-support employees, students, and parents shall be elected by 463
693-their respective peer groups at the school in a fair and 464
694-equitable manner as follows: 465
695- 1. Teachers shall be elected by teachers. 466
696- 2. Education support employees shall be elected by 467
697-education support employees. 468
698- 3. Students shall be elected by students. 469
699- 4. Parents shall be elected by parents. 470
700- 471
701- The district school board shall establish procedures to be 472
702-used by schools in selecting business and community members 473
703-which that include means of ensuring wide notice of vacancies 474
704-and of taking input on possible members from local business, 475
705-
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713-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
714-
715-
716-
717-chambers of commerce, community and civic organizations and 476
718-groups, and the public at large. The district school board shall 477
719-review the membership compo sition of each advisory council. If 478
720-the district school board determines that the membership elected 479
721-by the school is not representative of the ethnic, racial, and 480
722-economic community served by the school, the district school 481
723-board must shall appoint additional members to achieve proper 482
724-representation. The commissioner shall determine if schools have 483
725-maximized their efforts to include on their advisory councils 484
726-minority persons and persons of lower socioeconomic status. 485
727-Although schools are strongly encourag ed to establish school 486
728-advisory councils, the district school board of any school 487
729-district that has a student population of 10,000 or less fewer 488
730-may establish a district advisory council which includes at 489
731-least one duly elected teacher from each school in the district. 490
732-For the purposes of school advisory councils and district 491
733-advisory councils, the term "teacher" includes classroom 492
734-teachers, certified student services personnel, and media 493
735-specialists. For purposes of this paragraph, "education support 494
736-employee" means any person employed by a school who is not 495
737-defined as instructional or administrative personnel pursuant to 496
738-s. 1012.01 and whose duties require 20 or more hours in each 497
739-normal working week. 498
740- Section 12. Paragraph (o) of subsection (3) and par agraph 499
741-(c) of subsection (4) of section 1002.20, Florida Statutes, are 500
742-
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750-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
751-
752-
753-
754-amended to read: 501
755- 1002.20 K-12 student and parent rights. —Parents of public 502
756-school students must receive accurate and timely information 503
757-regarding their child's academic progress and m ust be informed 504
758-of ways they can help their child to succeed in school. K -12 505
759-students and their parents are afforded numerous statutory 506
760-rights including, but not limited to, the following: 507
761- (3) HEALTH ISSUES.— 508
762- (o) Emergency opioid antagonist Naloxone use and supply.— 509
763- 1. A public school may purchase a supply of an emergency 510
764-the opioid antagonist approved by the United States Food and 511
765-Drug Administration (FDA) naloxone from a wholesale distributor 512
766-as defined in s. 499.003 or may enter into an arrangement with a 513
767-wholesale distributor or manufacturer as defined in s. 499.003 514
768-for an FDA-approved emergency opioid antagonist naloxone at 515
769-fair-market, free, or reduced prices for use in the event that a 516
770-student has an opioid overdose. The FDA-approved emergency 517
771-opioid antagonist naloxone must be maintained in a secure 518
772-location on the public school's premises. 519
773- 2. A public school district employee who administers an 520
774-approved emergency opioid antagonist to a student in compliance 521
775-with ss. 381.887 and 768.13 is immune from civil liability under 522
776-s. 768.13. 523
777- (4) DISCIPLINE.— 524
778- (c) Corporal punishment. — 525
779-
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787-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
788-
789-
790-
791- 1. In accordance with the provisions o f s. 1003.32, 526
792-corporal punishment of a public school student may only be 527
793-administered by a teacher or school principal within guidelines 528
794-of the school principal and according to district school board 529
795-policy. Another adult must be present and must be inform ed in 530
796-the student's presence of the reason for the punishment. Upon 531
797-request, the teacher or school principal must provide the parent 532
798-with a written explanation of the reason for the punishment and 533
799-the name of the other adult who was present. 534
800- 2. A district school board having a policy authorizing the 535
801-use of corporal punishment as a form of discipline shall include 536
802-in such policy a requirement that a parent provide consent for 537
803-the school to administer corporal punishment. The district 538
804-school board policy ma y require such consent for the school year 539
805-or before each administration. The district school board shall 540
806-review its policy on corporal punishment once every 3 years 541
807-during a district school board meeting held pursuant to s. 542
808-1001.372. The district school b oard shall take public testimony 543
809-at the board meeting. If such board meeting is not held in 544
810-accordance with this subparagraph, the portion of the district 545
811-school board's policy authorizing corporal punishment expires. 546
812- Section 13. Paragraph (b) of subse ction (16) and 547
813-paragraphs (a) and (c) of subsection (18) of section 1002.33, 548
814-Florida Statutes, are amended to read: 549
815- 1002.33 Charter schools. — 550
816-
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824-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
825-
826-
827-
828- (16) EXEMPTION FROM STATUTES. — 551
829- (b) Additionally, a charter school shall be in compliance 552
830-with the following statutes: 553
831- 1. Section 286.011, relating to public meetings and 554
832-records, public inspection, and criminal and civil penalties. 555
833- 2. Chapter 119, relating to public records. 556
834- 3. Section 1003.03, relating to the maximum class size, 557
835-except that the calculatio n for compliance pursuant to s. 558
836-1003.03 shall be the average at the school level. 559
837- 4. Section 1012.22(1)(c), relating to compensation and 560
838-salary schedules. 561
839- 5. Section 1012.33(5), relating to workforce reductions. 562
840- 6. Section 1012.335, relating to contr acts with 563
841-instructional personnel hired on or after July 1, 2011. 564
842- 7. Section 1012.34, relating to the substantive 565
843-requirements for performance evaluations for instructional 566
844-personnel and school administrators. 567
845- 8. Section 1006.12, relating to safe -school officers. 568
846- 9. Section 1006.07(7), relating to threat management 569
847-teams. 570
848- 10. Section 1006.07(9), relating to School Environmental 571
849-Safety Incident Reporting. 572
850- 11. Section 1006.07(10), relating to reporting of 573
851-involuntary examinations. 574
852- 12. Section 1006.1493, relating to the Florida Safe 575
853-
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861-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
862-
863-
864-
865-Schools Assessment Tool. 576
866- 13. Section 1006.07(6)(d), relating to adopting an active 577
867-assailant response plan. 578
868- 14. Section 943.082(4)(b), relating to the mobile 579
869-suspicious activity reporting tool. 580
870- 15. Section 1012.584 , relating to youth mental health 581
871-awareness and assistance training. 582
872- 16. Section 1001.42(4)(f)2., relating to middle school and 583
873-high school start times. A charter school -in-the-workplace is 584
874-exempt from this requirement. 585
875- 17. Section 1002.20(4)(c), relat ing to school corporal 586
876-punishment. 587
877- (18) FACILITIES.— 588
878- (a)1. A startup charter school shall utilize facilities 589
879-which comply with the Florida Building Code pursuant to chapter 590
880-553 except for the State Requirements for Educational 591
881-Facilities. Conversion ch arter schools shall utilize facilities 592
882-that comply with the State Requirements for Educational 593
883-Facilities provided that the school district and the charter 594
884-school have entered into a mutual management plan for the 595
885-reasonable maintenance of such facilities. The mutual management 596
886-plan shall contain a provision by which the district school 597
887-board agrees to maintain charter school facilities in the same 598
888-manner as its other public schools within the district. Charter 599
889-schools, with the exception of conversion char ter schools, are 600
890-
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898-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
899-
900-
901-
902-not required to comply, but may choose to comply, with the State 601
903-Requirements for Educational Facilities of the Florida Building 602
904-Code adopted pursuant to s. 1013.37. 603
905- 2. The local governing authority may shall not adopt, or 604
906-impose, or enforce any local building requirements , or site-605
907-development restrictions , or operational requirements , such as 606
908-parking and site-size criteria, student enrollment and capacity, 607
909-hours of operation, and occupant load:, 608
910- a. That are addressed by and more string ent than those 609
911-found in the State Requirements for Educational Facilities of 610
912-the Florida Building Code ; or 611
913- b. That are not uniformly imposed or enforced by the local 612
914-governing authority upon public schools within the jurisdiction 613
915-of the local governing a uthority. 614
916- 3. A local governing authority must treat charter schools 615
917-equitably in comparison to similar requirements, restrictions, 616
918-and site planning processes imposed upon public schools that are 617
919-not charter schools, including such provisions that are 618
920-established by interlocal agreement , development order, or 619
921-development permit. An interlocal agreement entered into by a 620
922-school district for the development of only its own schools, 621
923-including provisions relating to the extension of 622
924-infrastructure, may be use d by charter schools. A charter school 623
925-may not be subject to any land use regulation requiring a change 624
926-to a local government comprehensive plan or requiring a 625
927-
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935-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
936-
937-
938-
939-development order or development permit, as those terms are 626
940-defined in s. 163.3164, or any requirement or restriction that 627
941-would not be required for a public or private school in the same 628
942-location or a location on which a public or private school has 629
943-previously been permitted. A local governing authority may not 630
944-apply or enforce a condition against a charter school unless the 631
945-condition is uniformly applied to other public schools within 632
946-the jurisdiction of the local governing authority and the 633
947-charter school is located on property that is the subject of a 634
948-previously approved development order or devel opment permit, and 635
949-if such development order or development permit contains 636
950-conditions applicable to the construction or operation of a 637
951-public or private school, including, but not limited to: 638
952- a. Limits on the number of students; 639
953- b. Limits on the numbe r of teachers; 640
954- c. Limits on the number of classrooms; 641
955- d. Limits on the hours of operation; 642
956- e. Minimum outdoor recreation area; or 643
957- f. Requirements to conform to a prior plan of development . 644
958- 4. The agency having jurisdiction for inspection of a 645
959-facility and issuance of a certificate of occupancy or use shall 646
960-be the local municipality or, if in an unincorporated area, the 647
961-county governing authority. A charter school that meets the 648
962-requirements of state law consistent with the requirements of 649
963-this subsection shall be administratively approved by the local 650
964-
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972-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
973-
974-
975-
976-governing authority. If a an official or employee of the local 651
977-governing authority refuses to comply with this subsection 652
978-paragraph, the aggrieved school or entity has an immediate right 653
979-to bring an action in circuit court to enforce its rights by 654
980-injunction. An aggrieved party that prevails in such an action 655
981-receives injunctive relief may be awarded attorney fees and 656
982-court costs. 657
983- (c) Any facility, or portion thereof, used to house a 658
984-charter school whose charter has been approved by the sponsor 659
985-and the governing board, pursuant to subsection (7), is exempt 660
986-from ad valorem taxes pursuant to s. 196.1983. Notwithstanding 661
987-any other law, local ordinance, or regulation to the contrary, a 662
988-local governing authority may not require a charter school to 663
989-obtain a special exemption or conditional use approval for the 664
990-charter school to be an allowable use under the local governing 665
991-authority's land development code. Any library, community 666
992-service, museum, performing arts, theater, cinema, or church 667
993-facility; any facility or land owned by a Florida College System 668
994-institution or university; any similar public institutional 669
995-facilities; and any facilit y recently used to house a school or 670
996-child care facility licensed under s. 402.305 may provide space 671
997-to charter schools within their facilities under their 672
998-preexisting zoning and land use designations without obtaining a 673
999-special exception, rezoning, or a l and use change. 674
1000- Section 14. Section 1002.351, Florida Statutes, is 675
1001-
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1009-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
1010-
1011-
1012-
1013-repealed. 676
1014- Section 15. Subsection (6) of section 1002.394, Florida 677
1015-Statutes, is amended to read: 678
1016- 1002.394 The Family Empowerment Scholarship Program. — 679
1017- (6) SCHOLARSHIP PROHIBITION S.—A student is not eligible 680
1018-for a Family Empowerment Scholarship while he or she is: 681
1019- (a) Enrolled full time in a public school, including, but 682
1020-not limited to, the Florida School for the Deaf and the Blind, 683
1021-the College-Preparatory Boarding Academy, the Florida School for 684
1022-Competitive Academics, the Florida Virtual School, the Florida 685
1023-Scholars Academy, a developmental research school authorized 686
1024-under s. 1002.32, or a charter school authorized under this 687
1025-chapter. For purposes of this paragraph, a 3 - or 4-year-old 688
1026-child who receives services funded through the Florida Education 689
1027-Finance Program is considered to be a student enrolled in a 690
1028-public school; 691
1029- (b) Enrolled in a school operating for the purpose of 692
1030-providing educational services to youth in a Departmen t of 693
1031-Juvenile Justice commitment program; 694
1032- (c) Receiving any other educational scholarship pursuant 695
1033-to this chapter. However, an eligible public school student 696
1034-receiving a scholarship under s. 1002.411 may receive a 697
1035-scholarship for transportation pursuant to subparagraph 698
1036-(4)(a)2.; 699
1037- (d) Not having regular and direct contact with his or her 700
1038-
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1046-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
1047-
1048-
1049-
1050-private school teachers pursuant to s. 1002.421(1)(i), unless he 701
1051-or she is eligible pursuant to paragraph (3)(b) and enrolled in 702
1052-the participating private school's trans ition-to-work program 703
1053-pursuant to subsection (16) or a home education program pursuant 704
1054-to s. 1002.41; 705
1055- (e) Participating in a private tutoring program pursuant 706
1056-to s. 1002.43 unless he or she is determined eligible pursuant 707
1057-to paragraph (3)(b); or 708
1058- (f) Participating in virtual instruction pursuant to s. 709
1059-1002.455 that receives state funding pursuant to the student's 710
1060-participation. 711
1061- Section 16. Subsection (4) of section 1002.395, Florida 712
1062-Statutes, is amended to read: 713
1063- 1002.395 Florida Tax Credit Scholars hip Program.— 714
1064- (4) SCHOLARSHIP PROHIBITIONS. —A student is not eligible 715
1065-for a scholarship while he or she is: 716
1066- (a) Enrolled full time in a public school, including, but 717
1067-not limited to, the Florida School for the Deaf and the Blind, 718
1068-the College-Preparatory Boarding Academy, the Florida School for 719
1069-Competitive Academics, the Florida Virtual School, the Florida 720
1070-Scholars Academy, a developmental research school authorized 721
1071-under s. 1002.32, or a charter school authorized under this 722
1072-chapter. For purposes of this paragraph, a 3- or 4-year-old 723
1073-child who receives services funded through the Florida Education 724
1074-Finance Program is considered a student enrolled full time in a 725
1075-
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1083-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
1084-
1085-
1086-
1087-public school; 726
1088- (b) Enrolled in a school operating for the purpose of 727
1089-providing educational serv ices to youth in a Department of 728
1090-Juvenile Justice commitment program; 729
1091- (c) Receiving any other educational scholarship pursuant 730
1092-to this chapter. However, an eligible public school student 731
1093-receiving a scholarship under s. 1002.411 may receive a 732
1094-scholarship for transportation pursuant to subparagraph 733
1095-(6)(d)4.; 734
1096- (d) Not having regular and direct contact with his or her 735
1097-private school teachers pursuant to s. 1002.421(1)(i) unless he 736
1098-or she is enrolled in a personalized education program; 737
1099- (e) Participating i n a home education program as defined 738
1100-in s. 1002.01(1); 739
1101- (f) Participating in a private tutoring program pursuant 740
1102-to s. 1002.43 unless he or she is enrolled in a personalized 741
1103-education program; or 742
1104- (g) Participating in virtual instruction pursuant to s. 743
1105-1002.455 that receives state funding pursuant to the student's 744
1106-participation. 745
1107- Section 17. Paragraphs (e), (m), and (p) of subsection (1) 746
1108-of section 1002.421, Florida Statutes, are amended to read: 747
1109- 1002.421 State school choice scholarship program 748
1110-accountability and oversight. — 749
1111- (1) PRIVATE SCHOOL ELIGIBILITY AND OBLIGATIONS. —A private 750
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1121-
1122-
1123-
1124-school participating in an educational scholarship program 751
1125-established pursuant to this chapter must be a private school as 752
1126-defined in s. 1002.01 in this state, be regis tered, and be in 753
1127-compliance with all requirements of this section in addition to 754
1128-private school requirements outlined in s. 1002.42, specific 755
1129-requirements identified within respective scholarship program 756
1130-laws, and other provisions of Florida law that apply to private 757
1131-schools, and must: 758
1132- (e) Annually complete and submit to the department a 759
1133-notarized scholarship compliance statement certifying that all 760
1134-school employees and contracted personnel with direct student 761
1135-contact have undergone background screening pursuant to s. 762
1136-435.12 and have met the screening standards as provided in s. 763
1137-1012.315 s. 435.04. 764
1138- (m) Require each employee and contracted personnel with 765
1139-direct student contact, upon employment or engagement to provide 766
1140-services, to undergo a state and national background screening 767
1141-under s. 1012.315, pursuant to s. 943.0542, by electronically 768
1142-filing with the Department of Law Enforcement a complete set of 769
1143-fingerprints taken by an authorized law enforcement agency or an 770
1144-employee of the private school, a schoo l district, or a private 771
1145-company who is trained to take fingerprints and deny employment 772
1146-to or terminate an employee if he or she fails to meet the 773
1147-screening standards under s. 1012.315 s. 435.04. Results of the 774
1148-screening shall be provided to the participa ting private school. 775
1149-
1150-CS/CS/HB 1255 2025
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1157-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
1158-
1159-
1160-
1161-For purposes of this paragraph: 776
1162- 1. An "employee or contracted personnel with direct 777
1163-student contact" means any employee or contracted personnel who 778
1164-has unsupervised access to a scholarship student for whom the 779
1165-private school is respo nsible. 780
1166- 2. The costs of fingerprinting and the background check 781
1167-shall not be borne by the state. 782
1168- 3. Continued employment of an employee or contracted 783
1169-personnel after notification that he or she has failed the 784
1170-background screening under this paragraph shall cause a private 785
1171-school to be ineligible for participation in a scholarship 786
1172-program. 787
1173- 4. An employee or contracted personnel holding a valid 788
1174-Florida teaching certificate who has been fingerprinted pursuant 789
1175-to s. 1012.32 is not required to comply with the provisions of 790
1176-this paragraph. 791
1177- 5. All fingerprints submitted to the Department of Law 792
1178-Enforcement as required by this section shall be retained in the 793
1179-Care Provider Background Screening Clearinghouse as provided in 794
1180-s. 435.12 by the Department of Law Enforcement in a manner 795
1181-provided by rule and entered in the statewide automated 796
1182-biometric identification system authorized by s. 943.05(2)(b). 797
1183-Such fingerprints shall thereafter be available for all purposes 798
1184-and uses authorized for arrest fingerprints ente red in the 799
1185-statewide automated biometric identification system pursuant to 800
1186-
1187-CS/CS/HB 1255 2025
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1194-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
1195-
1196-
1197-
1198-s. 943.051. 801
1199- 6. Employees, contracted personnel, owners, and operators 802
1200-must be rescreened as required by s. 435.12. 803
1201- 7. Persons who apply for employment are governed by the 804
1202-laws and rules in effect at the time of application for 805
1203-employment, provided that the person is continually employed by 806
1204-the same school. 807
1205- 6. The Department of Law Enforcement shall search all 808
1206-arrest fingerprints received under s. 943.051 against the 809
1207-fingerprints retained in the statewide automated biometric 810
1208-identification system under subparagraph 5. Any arrest record 811
1209-that is identified with the retained fingerprints of a person 812
1210-subject to the background screening under this section shall be 813
1211-reported to the empl oying school with which the person is 814
1212-affiliated. Each private school participating in a scholarship 815
1213-program is required to participate in this search process by 816
1214-informing the Department of Law Enforcement of any change in the 817
1215-employment or contractual sta tus of its personnel whose 818
1216-fingerprints are retained under subparagraph 5. The Department 819
1217-of Law Enforcement shall adopt a rule setting the amount of the 820
1218-annual fee to be imposed upon each private school for performing 821
1219-these searches and establishing the p rocedures for the retention 822
1220-of private school employee and contracted personnel fingerprints 823
1221-and the dissemination of search results. The fee may be borne by 824
1222-the private school or the person fingerprinted. 825
1223-
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1231-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
1232-
1233-
1234-
1235- 7. Employees and contracted personnel whose fing erprints 826
1236-are not retained by the Department of Law Enforcement under 827
1237-subparagraphs 5. and 6. are required to be refingerprinted and 828
1238-must meet state and national background screening requirements 829
1239-upon reemployment or reengagement to provide services in orde r 830
1240-to comply with the requirements of this section . 831
1241- 8. Every 5 years following employment or engagement to 832
1242-provide services with a private school, employees or contracted 833
1243-personnel required to be screened under this section must meet 834
1244-screening standards u nder s. 435.04, at which time the private 835
1245-school shall request the Department of Law Enforcement to 836
1246-forward the fingerprints to the Federal Bureau of Investigation 837
1247-for national processing. If the fingerprints of employees or 838
1248-contracted personnel are not re tained by the Department of Law 839
1249-Enforcement under subparagraph 5., employees and contracted 840
1250-personnel must electronically file a complete set of 841
1251-fingerprints with the Department of Law Enforcement. Upon 842
1252-submission of fingerprints for this purpose, the priv ate school 843
1253-shall request that the Department of Law Enforcement forward the 844
1254-fingerprints to the Federal Bureau of Investigation for national 845
1255-processing, and the fingerprints shall be retained by the 846
1256-Department of Law Enforcement under subparagraph 5. 847
1257- (p) Require each owner or operator of the private school, 848
1258-prior to employment or engagement to provide services, to 849
1259-undergo level 2 background screening as provided in s. 1012.315 850
1260-
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1268-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
1269-
1270-
1271-
1272-under chapter 435. For purposes of this paragraph, the term 851
1273-"owner or operator" means an owner, operator, superintendent, or 852
1274-principal of, or a person with equivalent decisionmaking 853
1275-authority over, a private school participating in a scholarship 854
1276-program established pursuan t to this chapter. The fingerprints 855
1277-for the background screening must be electronically submitted to 856
1278-the Department of Law Enforcement and may be taken by an 857
1279-authorized law enforcement agency or a private company who is 858
1280-trained to take fingerprints. Howeve r, the complete set of 859
1281-fingerprints of an owner or operator may not be taken by the 860
1282-owner or operator. The owner or operator shall provide a copy of 861
1283-the results of the state and national criminal history check to 862
1284-the Department of Education. The cost of the background 863
1285-screening may be borne by the owner or operator. 864
1286- 1. Every 5 years following employment or engagement to 865
1287-provide services, each owner or operator must meet level 2 866
1288-screening standards as described in s. 435.04, at which time the 867
1289-owner or operator shall request the Department of Law 868
1290-Enforcement to forward the fingerprints to the Federal Bureau of 869
1291-Investigation for level 2 screening. If the fingerprints of an 870
1292-owner or operator are not retained by the Department of Law 871
1293-Enforcement under subparagr aph 2., the owner or operator must 872
1294-electronically file a complete set of fingerprints with the 873
1295-Department of Law Enforcement. Upon submission of fingerprints 874
1296-for this purpose, the owner or operator shall request that the 875
1297-
1298-CS/CS/HB 1255 2025
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1305-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
1306-
1307-
1308-
1309-Department of Law Enforcement forwa rd the fingerprints to the 876
1310-Federal Bureau of Investigation for level 2 screening, and the 877
1311-fingerprints shall be retained by the Department of Law 878
1312-Enforcement under subparagraph 2. 879
1313- 2. Fingerprints submitted to the Department of Law 880
1314-Enforcement as required by this paragraph must be retained by 881
1315-the Department of Law Enforcement in a manner approved by rule 882
1316-and entered in the statewide automated biometric identification 883
1317-system authorized by s. 943.05(2)(b). The fingerprints must 884
1318-thereafter be available for al l purposes and uses authorized for 885
1319-arrest fingerprints entered in the statewide automated biometric 886
1320-identification system pursuant to s. 943.051. 887
1321- 3. The Department of Law Enforcement shall search all 888
1322-arrest fingerprints received under s. 943.051 against the 889
1323-fingerprints retained in the statewide automated biometric 890
1324-identification system under subparagraph 2. Any arrest record 891
1325-that is identified with an owner's or operator's fingerprints 892
1326-must be reported to the owner or operator, who must report to 893
1327-the Department of Education. Any costs associated with the 894
1328-search shall be borne by the owner or operator. 895
1329- 4. An owner or operator who fails the level 2 background 896
1330-screening is not eligible to participate in a scholarship 897
1331-program under this chapter. 898
1332- 1.5. In addition to the offenses listed in s. 435.04, a 899
1333-person required to undergo background screening pursuant to this 900
1334-
1335-CS/CS/HB 1255 2025
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1342-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
1343-
1344-
1345-
1346-part or authorizing statutes may not have an arrest awaiting 901
1347-final disposition for, must not have been found guilty of, or 902
1348-entered a plea of nol o contendere to, regardless of 903
1349-adjudication, and must not have been adjudicated delinquent for, 904
1350-and the record must not have been sealed or expunged for, any of 905
1351-the following offenses or any similar offense of another 906
1352-jurisdiction: 907
1353- a. Any authorizing sta tutes, if the offense was a felony. 908
1354- b. This chapter, if the offense was a felony. 909
1355- c. Section 409.920, relating to Medicaid provider fraud. 910
1356- d. Section 409.9201, relating to Medicaid fraud. 911
1357- e. Section 741.28, relating to domestic violence. 912
1358- f. Section 817.034, relating to fraudulent acts through 913
1359-mail, wire, radio, electromagnetic, photoelectronic, or 914
1360-photooptical systems. 915
1361- g. Section 817.234, relating to false and fraudulent 916
1362-insurance claims. 917
1363- h. Section 817.505, relating to patient brokering. 918
1364- i. Section 817.568, relating to criminal use of personal 919
1365-identification information. 920
1366- j. Section 817.60, relating to obtaining a credit card 921
1367-through fraudulent means. 922
1368- k. Section 817.61, relating to fraudulent use of credit 923
1369-cards, if the offense was a felo ny. 924
1370- l. Section 831.01, relating to forgery. 925
1371-
1372-CS/CS/HB 1255 2025
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1379-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
1380-
1381-
1382-
1383- m. Section 831.02, relating to uttering forged 926
1384-instruments. 927
1385- n. Section 831.07, relating to forging bank bills, checks, 928
1386-drafts, or promissory notes. 929
1387- o. Section 831.09, relating to uttering forged bank bills, 930
1388-checks, drafts, or promissory notes. 931
1389- p. Section 831.30, relating to fraud in obtaining 932
1390-medicinal drugs. 933
1391- q. Section 831.31, relating to the sale, manufacture, 934
1392-delivery, or possession with the intent to sell, manufacture, or 935
1393-deliver any counterfei t controlled substance, if the offense was 936
1394-a felony. 937
1395- 2.6. At least 30 calendar days before a transfer of 938
1396-ownership of a private school, the owner or operator shall 939
1397-notify the parent of each scholarship student. 940
1398- 3.7. The owner or operator of a private s chool that has 941
1399-been deemed ineligible to participate in a scholarship program 942
1400-pursuant to this chapter may not transfer ownership or 943
1401-management authority of the school to a relative in order to 944
1402-participate in a scholarship program as the same school or a n ew 945
1403-school. For purposes of this subparagraph, the term "relative" 946
1404-means father, mother, son, daughter, grandfather, grandmother, 947
1405-brother, sister, uncle, aunt, cousin, nephew, niece, husband, 948
1406-wife, father-in-law, mother-in-law, son-in-law, daughter-in-law, 949
1407-brother-in-law, sister-in-law, stepfather, stepmother, stepson, 950
1408-
1409-CS/CS/HB 1255 2025
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1416-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
1417-
1418-
1419-
1420-stepdaughter, stepbrother, stepsister, half brother, or half 951
1421-sister. 952
1422- 953
1423-The department shall suspend the payment of funds to a private 954
1424-school that knowingly fails to comply with this subsection, and 955
1425-shall prohibit the school from enrolling new scholarship 956
1426-students, for 1 fiscal year and until the school complies. If a 957
1427-private school fails to meet the requirements of this subsection 958
1428-or has consecutive years of material exceptions listed in the 959
1429-report required under paragraph (q), the commissioner may 960
1430-determine that the private school is ineligible to participate 961
1431-in a scholarship program. 962
1432- Section 18. Subsection (4) of section 1002.71, Florida 963
1433-Statutes, is amended to read: 964
1434- 1002.71 Funding; fina ncial and attendance reporting. — 965
1435- (4) Notwithstanding s. 1002.53(3) and subsection (2): 966
1436- (a) A child who, for any of the prekindergarten programs 967
1437-listed in s. 1002.53(3), has not completed any of the 968
1438-prekindergarten programs listed in s. 1002.53(3) more than 70 969
1439-percent of the hours authorized to be reported for funding under 970
1440-subsection (2), or has not expended more than 70 percent of the 971
1441-funds authorized for the child under s. 1002.66, may withdraw 972
1442-from the program for good cause and reenroll in one of th e 973
1443-programs. The total funding for a child who reenrolls in one of 974
1444-the programs for good cause may not exceed one full -time 975
1445-
1446-CS/CS/HB 1255 2025
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1453-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
1454-
1455-
1456-
1457-equivalent student. Funding for a child who withdraws and 976
1458-reenrolls in one of the programs for good cause must shall be 977
1459-issued in accordance with the department's uniform attendance 978
1460-policy adopted pursuant to paragraph (6)(d). 979
1461- (b) A child who has not substantially completed any of the 980
1462-prekindergarten programs listed in s. 1002.53(3) may withdraw 981
1463-from the program due to an extreme hard ship that is beyond the 982
1464-child's or parent's control, reenroll in one of the summer 983
1465-programs, and be reported for funding purposes as a full -time 984
1466-equivalent student in the summer program for which the child is 985
1467-reenrolled. 986
1468- 987
1469-A child may reenroll only once in a prekindergarten program 988
1470-under this section. A child who reenrolls in a prekindergarten 989
1471-program under this subsection may not subsequently withdraw from 990
1472-the program and reenroll, unless the child is granted a good 991
1473-cause exemption under this subsection. Th e department shall 992
1474-establish criteria specifying whether a good cause exists for a 993
1475-child to withdraw from a program under paragraph (a) , whether a 994
1476-child has substantially completed a program under paragraph (b), 995
1477-and whether an extreme hardship exists which is beyond the 996
1478-child's or parent's control under paragraph (b). 997
1479- Section 19. Subsection (2) of section 1003.05, Florida 998
1480-Statutes, is amended to read: 999
1481- 1003.05 Assistance to transitioning students from military 1000
1482-
1483-CS/CS/HB 1255 2025
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1490-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
1491-
1492-
1493-
1494-families.— 1001
1495- (2) The Department of Educati on shall facilitate the 1002
1496-development and implementation of memoranda of agreement between 1003
1497-school districts and military installations which address 1004
1498-strategies for assisting students who are the children of active 1005
1499-duty military personnel in the transition to Florida schools. 1006
1500- (a) The strategies developed by the department must 1007
1501-include the development and implementation of a training module 1008
1502-relating to facilitating and expediting the transfer of a K -12 1009
1503-student's education records from an out -of-state school. 1010
1504- (b) The department shall provide the training module 1011
1505-required under paragraph (a) to each district school board to 1012
1506-provide to each public and charter K -12 school within its 1013
1507-district. The district school board shall make the training 1014
1508-available to employee s who work directly with military students 1015
1509-and families. 1016
1510- Section 20. Subsection (3) of section 1003.41, Florida 1017
1511-Statutes, is amended to read: 1018
1512- 1003.41 State academic standards. — 1019
1513- (3) The Commissioner of Education shall, as deemed 1020
1514-necessary, develop a nd submit proposed revisions to the 1021
1515-standards for review and comment by Florida educators, school 1022
1516-administrators, representatives of the Florida College System 1023
1517-institutions and state universities who have expertise in the 1024
1518-content knowledge and skills neces sary to prepare a student for 1025
1519-
1520-CS/CS/HB 1255 2025
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1527-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
1528-
1529-
1530-
1531-postsecondary education and careers, a representative from the 1026
1532-Department of Commerce, business and industry leaders for in -1027
1533-demand careers, and the public. The commissioner, after 1028
1534-considering reviews and comments, shall submit the proposed 1029
1535-revisions to the State Board of Education for adoption. New and 1030
1536-revised standards documents submitted for approval to the state 1031
1537-board must consist only of academic standards and benchmarks. 1032
1538-The commissioner shall revise all currently approved standards 1033
1539-documents based on the requirements of this subsection and 1034
1540-submit all revised standards documents to the state board for 1035
1541-approval no later than July 1, 2026. 1036
1542- Section 21. Paragraph (o) of subsection (2) of section 1037
1543-1003.42, Florida Statutes, i s amended to read: 1038
1544- 1003.42 Required instruction. — 1039
1545- (2) Members of the instructional staff of the public 1040
1546-schools, subject to the rules of the State Board of Education 1041
1547-and the district school board, shall teach efficiently and 1042
1548-faithfully, using the books and materials required that meet the 1043
1549-highest standards for professionalism and historical accuracy, 1044
1550-following the prescribed courses of study, and employing 1045
1551-approved methods of instruction, the following: 1046
1552- (o) Comprehensive age -appropriate and development ally 1047
1553-appropriate K-12 instruction on: 1048
1554- 1. Health education that addresses concepts of community 1049
1555-health, consumer health, environmental health, and family life, 1050
1556-
1557-CS/CS/HB 1255 2025
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1564-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
1565-
1566-
1567-
1568-including: 1051
1569- a. Injury prevention and safety. 1052
1570- b. Internet safety. 1053
1571- c. Nutrition. 1054
1572- d. Personal health. 1055
1573- e. Prevention and control of disease. 1056
1574- f. Substance use and abuse. 1057
1575- g. Prevention of child sexual abuse, exploitation, and 1058
1576-human trafficking. 1059
1577- 2. For students in grades 7 through 12, teen dating 1060
1578-violence and abuse. This component must include, but not be 1061
1579-limited to, the definition of dating violence and abuse, the 1062
1580-warning signs of dating violence and abusive behavior, the 1063
1581-characteristics of healthy relationships, measures to prevent 1064
1582-and stop dating violence and abuse, and community res ources 1065
1583-available to victims of dating violence and abuse. 1066
1584- 3. For students in grades 6 through 12, awareness of the 1067
1585-benefits of sexual abstinence as the expected standard and the 1068
1586-consequences of teenage pregnancy. 1069
1587- 4. Life skills that build confidence, s upport mental and 1070
1588-emotional health, and enable students to overcome challenges, 1071
1589-including: 1072
1590- a. Self-awareness and self-management. 1073
1591- b. Responsible decisionmaking. 1074
1592- c. Resiliency. 1075
1593-
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1601-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
1602-
1603-
1604-
1605- d. Relationship skills and conflict resolution. 1076
1606- e. Understanding and r especting other viewpoints and 1077
1607-backgrounds. 1078
1608- f. For grades 9 through 12, developing leadership skills, 1079
1609-interpersonal skills, organization skills, and research skills; 1080
1610-creating a résumé, including a digital résumé; exploring career 1081
1611-pathways; using state ca reer planning resources; developing and 1082
1612-practicing the skills necessary for employment interviews; 1083
1613-workplace ethics and workplace law; managing stress and 1084
1614-expectations; and self -motivation. 1085
1615- 5.a. For students in grades 6 through 12, the social, 1086
1616-emotional, and physical effects of social media. This component 1087
1617-must include, but need not be limited to, the negative effects 1088
1618-of social media on mental health, including addiction; the 1089
1619-distribution of misinformation on social media; how social media 1090
1620-manipulates behavior; the permanency of sharing materials 1091
1621-online; how to maintain personal security and identify 1092
1622-cyberbullying, predatory behavior, and human trafficking on the 1093
1623-Internet; and how to report suspicious behavior encountered on 1094
1624-the Internet. 1095
1625- b. The Department of Education shall make available online 1096
1626-the instructional material being used pursuant to this 1097
1627-subparagraph, and each district school board shall notify 1098
1628-parents of its availability. 1099
1629- 6.a. For students in grades 6 through 12, health education 1100
1630-
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1638-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
1639-
1640-
1641-
1642-addressing human embryologic development must include: 1101
1643- (I) A high-definition, medically accurate ultrasound 1102
1644-video, at least 1 minute in duration, showing the development of 1103
1645-the heart and other organs and movement of the limbs and head; 1104
1646-and 1105
1647- (II) A high-quality, medically accurate, computer -1106
1648-generated rendering, animation, video, or other multimedia, at 1107
1649-least 3 minutes in duration, showing and describing the process 1108
1650-of fertilization and various stages of human development inside 1109
1651-the uterus, noting significant marke rs in cell growth and organ 1110
1652-development by week from conception until birth. 1111
1653- b. The State Board of Education shall adopt rules to 1112
1654-implement this subparagraph. 1113
1655- c. Any student whose parent makes a written request to the 1114
1656-school principal shall be exempted from the teaching of human 1115
1657-embryologic development. A student so exempted may not be 1116
1658-penalized by reason of that exemption. Each school district 1117
1659-shall, on the district's website homepage, notify parents of 1118
1660-this right and the process to request an exemptio n. 1119
1661- 1120
1662-Health education and life skills instruction and materials may 1121
1663-not contradict the principles enumerated in subsection (3). 1122
1664- 1123
1665-The State Board of Education is encouraged to adopt standards 1124
1666-and pursue assessment of the requirements of this subsection. 1125
1667-
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1675-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
1676-
1677-
1678-
1679-Instructional programming that incorporates the values of the 1126
1680-recipients of the Congressional Medal of Honor and that is 1127
1681-offered as part of a social studies, English Language Arts, or 1128
1682-other schoolwide character building and veteran awareness 1129
1683-initiative meets the requirements of paragraph (u). 1130
1684- Section 22. Paragraph (a) of subsection (2) and subsection 1131
1685-(3) of section 1003.4201, Florida Statutes, are amended to read: 1132
1686- 1003.4201 Comprehensive system of reading instruction. —1133
1687-Each school district must implement a system of comprehensive 1134
1688-reading instruction for students enrolled in prekindergarten 1135
1689-through grade 12 and certain students who exhibit a substantial 1136
1690-deficiency in early literacy. 1137
1691- (2)(a) Components of the reading instruction plan may 1138
1692-include the following: 1139
1693- 1. Additional time per day of evidence -based intensive 1140
1694-reading instruction for kindergarten through grade 12 students, 1141
1695-which may be delivered during or outside of the regular school 1142
1696-day. 1143
1697- 2. Highly qualified reading coaches, who must be endor sed 1144
1698-in reading, to specifically support classroom teachers in making 1145
1699-instructional decisions based on progress monitoring data 1146
1700-collected pursuant to s. 1008.25(9) and improve classroom 1147
1701-teacher delivery of effective reading instruction, reading 1148
1702-intervention, and reading in the content areas based on student 1149
1703-need. 1150
1704-
1705-CS/CS/HB 1255 2025
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1707-
1708-
1709-CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
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1712-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
1713-
1714-
1715-
1716- 3. Professional learning to help instructional personnel 1151
1717-and certified prekindergarten teachers funded in the Florida 1152
1718-Education Finance Program earn a certification, a credential, an 1153
1719-endorsement, or an advanced degree in scientifically researched 1154
1720-and evidence-based reading instruction. 1155
1721- 4. Summer reading camps, using only classroom teachers or 1156
1722-other district personnel who possess a micro -credential as 1157
1723-specified in s. 1003.485 or are certified or e ndorsed in reading 1158
1724-consistent with s. 1008.25(8)(b)3., for all students in 1159
1725-kindergarten through grade 5 exhibiting a reading deficiency as 1160
1726-determined by district and state assessments. 1161
1727- 5. Intensive reading interventions that must be delivered 1162
1728-by instructional personnel who possess a micro -credential as 1163
1729-provided in s. 1003.485 or are certified or endorsed in reading 1164
1730-as provided in s. 1012.586 and must incorporate evidence -based 1165
1731-strategies identified by the Just Read, Florida! Office pursuant 1166
1732-to s. 1001.215(7). Instructional personnel who possess a micro -1167
1733-credential as specified in s. 1003.485 and are delivering 1168
1734-intensive reading interventions must be supervised by an 1169
1735-individual certified or endorsed in reading. For the purposes of 1170
1736-this subsection, the term " supervised" means the ability to 1171
1737-communicate by way of telecommunication with or physical 1172
1738-presence of the certified or endorsed personnel for consultation 1173
1739-and direction of the actions of the personnel with the micro -1174
1740-credential. Incentives for instructional personnel and certified 1175
1741-
1742-CS/CS/HB 1255 2025
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1744-
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1749-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
1750-
1751-
1752-
1753-prekindergarten teachers funded in the Florida Education Finance 1176
1754-Program who possess a reading certification or endorsement as 1177
1755-specified in s. 1012.586 or micro-credential as specified in s. 1178
1756-1003.485 and provide educational support to improve student 1179
1757-literacy. 1180
1758- 6. Tutoring in reading. 1181
1759- 7. A description of how the district prioritizes the 1182
1760-assignment of highly effective teachers, as identified in s. 1183
1761-1012.34(2)(e), to students in kindergarten to grade 2. 1184
1762- (3) Each school district sh all submit its approved reading 1185
1763-instruction plan, including approved reading instruction plans 1186
1764-for each charter school in the district, to the Department of 1187
1765-Education for approval by August 1 of each fiscal year. 1188
1766- Section 23. Section 1003.4202, Florida Statutes, is 1189
1767-created to read: 1190
1768- 1003.4202 Comprehensive system of mathematics 1191
1769-instruction.—Each school district must implement a system of 1192
1770-comprehensive mathematics instruction for students enrolled in 1193
1771-prekindergarten through grade 12 and certain students who 1194
1772-exhibit a substantial deficiency in early mathematics skills 1195
1773-under s. 1008.25(6). 1196
1774- (1) As part of the reading instruction plan required under 1197
1775-s. 1003.4201, each school district shall include a detailed 1198
1776-mathematics instruction plan that outlines the co mponents of the 1199
1777-district's comprehensive system of mathematics instruction. 1200
1778-
1779-CS/CS/HB 1255 2025
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1786-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
1787-
1788-
1789-
1790- (2) Components of the mathematics instruction plan may 1201
1791-include the following: 1202
1792- (a) Additional time per day of evidence -based intensive 1203
1793-mathematics instruction for students in ki ndergarten through 1204
1794-grade 12, which may be delivered during or outside of the 1205
1795-regular school day. 1206
1796- (b) Highly qualified mathematics coaches who hold a 1207
1797-certification that aligns with the certification requirements 1208
1798-for the courses of the teachers they suppor t and have at least 3 1209
1799-consecutive years of a highly effective district evaluation 1210
1800-pursuant to s. 1012.34, to specifically support classroom 1211
1801-teachers in making instructional decisions based on progress 1212
1802-monitoring data collected pursuant to s. 1008.25(9) and improve 1213
1803-classroom teacher delivery of effective mathematics instruction 1214
1804-and mathematics intervention. 1215
1805- (c) Tutoring in mathematics. 1216
1806- (3) For purposes of this section, the term "evidence -1217
1807-based" means demonstrating a statistically significant effect on 1218
1808-improving student outcomes or other relevant outcomes as 1219
1809-provided in 20 U.S.C. s. 8101(21)(A)(i) . 1220
1810- Section 24. Paragraph (h) of subsection (3) of section 1221
1811-1003.4282, Florida Statutes, is amended to read: 1222
1812- 1003.4282 Requirements for a standard high school 1223
1813-diploma.— 1224
1814- (3) STANDARD HIGH SCHOOL DIPLOMA; COURSE AND ASSESSMENT 1225
1815-
1816-CS/CS/HB 1255 2025
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1823-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
1824-
1825-
1826-
1827-REQUIREMENTS.— 1226
1828- (h) One-half credit in personal financial literacy. —1227
1829-Beginning with students entering grade 9 in the 2023 -2024 school 1228
1830-year, each student must earn one -half credit in person al 1229
1831-financial literacy and money management. This instruction must 1230
1832-include discussion of or instruction in all of the following: 1231
1833- 1. Types of bank accounts offered, opening and managing a 1232
1834-bank account, and assessing the quality of a depository 1233
1835-institution's services. 1234
1836- 2. Balancing a checkbook. 1235
1837- 3. Basic principles of money management, such as spending, 1236
1838-credit, credit scores, and managing debt, including retail and 1237
1839-credit card debt. 1238
1840- 4. Completing a loan application. 1239
1841- 5. Receiving an inheritance and rela ted implications. 1240
1842- 6. Basic principles of personal insurance policies. 1241
1843- 7. Computing federal income taxes. 1242
1844- 8. Local tax assessments. 1243
1845- 9. Computing interest rates by various mechanisms. 1244
1846- 10. Simple contracts. 1245
1847- 11. Contesting an incorrect billing statement. 1246
1848- 12. Types of savings and investments. 1247
1849- 13. State and federal laws concerning finance. 1248
1850- 14. Costs of postsecondary education, including the cost 1249
1851-of attendance, completion of the Free Application for Federal 1250
1852-
1853-CS/CS/HB 1255 2025
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1855-
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1860-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
1861-
1862-
1863-
1864-Student Aid, scholarships and grant s, and student loans. 1251
1865- Section 25. Paragraph (b) of subsection (2) and paragraph 1252
1866-(a) of subsection (4) of section 1004.04, Florida Statutes, are 1253
1867-amended to read: 1254
1868- 1004.04 Public accountability and state approval for 1255
1869-teacher preparation programs. — 1256
1870- (2) UNIFORM CORE CURRICULA AND CANDIDATE ASSESSMENT. — 1257
1871- (b) The rules to establish uniform core curricula for each 1258
1872-state-approved teacher preparation program must include, but are 1259
1873-not limited to, the following: 1260
1874- 1. Candidate instruction and assessment in the Florida 1261
1875-Educator Accomplished Practices across content areas. 1262
1876- 2. The use of state -adopted content standards to guide 1263
1877-curricula and instruction. 1264
1878- 3. Scientifically researched and evidence -based reading 1265
1879-instructional strategies grounded in the science of reading 1266
1880-which improve reading performance for all students, including 1267
1881-explicit, systematic, and sequential approaches to teaching 1268
1882-phonemic awareness, phonics, vocabulary, fluency, and text 1269
1883-comprehension and multisensory intervention strategies. The 1270
1884-primary instructional strategy for teaching word reading is 1271
1885-phonics instruction for decoding and encoding. Instructional 1272
1886-strategies for foundational skills may not employ the three -1273
1887-cueing system model of reading or visual memory as a basis for 1274
1888-teaching word reading. Instructional strategies may include 1275
1889-
1890-CS/CS/HB 1255 2025
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1897-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
1898-
1899-
1900-
1901-visual information and strategies that improve background and 1276
1902-experiential knowledge, add context, and increase oral language 1277
1903-and vocabulary to support comprehension, but may not be used to 1278
1904-teach word reading. 1279
1905- 4. Content in literacy and mathematics practices. 1280
1906- 5. Beginning with the 2026 -2027 school year, content in 1281
1907-mathematics, including numbers and operations, fractions, 1282
1908-algebraic reasoning, measurement, geometric reasoning, and data 1283
1909-analysis and probability at the elementary level, for a minimum 1284
1910-of 6 credit hours. 1285
1911- 6.5. Strategies appropriate for the instruction of English 1286
1912-language learners. 1287
1913- 7.6. Strategies appropriate for the instruction of 1288
1914-students with disabilities. 1289
1915- 8.7. Strategies to differentiate inst ruction based on 1290
1916-student needs. 1291
1917- 9.8. Strategies and practices to support evidence -based 1292
1918-content aligned to state standards and grading practices. 1293
1919- 10.9. Strategies appropriate for the early identification 1294
1920-of a student in crisis or experiencing a mental health challenge 1295
1921-and the referral of such student to a mental health professional 1296
1922-for support. 1297
1923- 11.10. Strategies to support the use of technology in 1298
1924-education and distance learning. 1299
1925- 12.11. Strategies and practices to support effective, 1300
1926-
1927-CS/CS/HB 1255 2025
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1934-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
1935-
1936-
1937-
1938-research-based assessment and grading practices aligned to the 1301
1939-state's academic standards. 1302
1940- (4) CONTINUED PROGRAM APPROVAL. —Continued approval of a 1303
1941-teacher preparation program shall be based upon evidence that 1304
1942-the program continues to implement the requirements for initi al 1305
1943-approval and upon significant, objective, and quantifiable 1306
1944-measures of the program and the performance of the program 1307
1945-completers. 1308
1946- (a) The criteria for continued approval must include each 1309
1947-of the following: 1310
1948- 1. Candidate readiness based on passage rat es on educator 1311
1949-certification examinations under s. 1012.56, as applicable. 1312
1950- 2. Evidence of performance in each of the following areas: 1313
1951- a. Performance of students in prekindergarten through 1314
1952-grade 12 who are assigned to in -field program completers on 1315
1953-statewide assessments using the results of the student learning 1316
1954-growth formula adopted under s. 1012.34. 1317
1955- b. Results of program completers' annual evaluations in 1318
1956-accordance with the timeline as set forth in s. 1012.34. 1319
1957- c. Workforce contributions, including placement of program 1320
1958-completers in instructional positions in Florida public and 1321
1959-private schools, with additional weight given to production of 1322
1960-program completers in statewide high-demand critical teacher 1323
1961-needs shortage areas as identified in s. 1012.07. 1324
1962- 3. Results of the program completers' survey measuring 1325
1963-
1964-CS/CS/HB 1255 2025
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1966-
1967-
1968-CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
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1971-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
1972-
1973-
1974-
1975-their satisfaction with preparation for the realities of the 1326
1976-classroom. 1327
1977- 4. Results of the employers' survey measuring satisfaction 1328
1978-with the program and the program's responsiveness to local 1329
1979-school districts. 1330
1980- Section 26. Effective July 1, 2026, paragraph (a) of 1331
1981-subsection (3) of section 1004.85, Florida Statutes, is amended 1332
1982-to read: 1333
1983- 1004.85 Postsecondary educator preparation institutes. — 1334
1984- (3) Educator preparation institutes approved pursuant to 1335
1985-this section may offer competency -based certification programs 1336
1986-specifically designed for noneducation major baccalaureate 1337
1987-degree holders to enable program participants to meet the 1338
1988-educator certification requirements of s. 1012.56. An educator 1339
1989-preparation institute choosing to offer a competency -based 1340
1990-certification program pursuant to the provisions of this section 1341
1991-must implement a program developed by the institute and approved 1342
1992-by the department for this purpose. Approved programs shall be 1343
1993-available for use by other approved educator preparation 1344
1994-institutes. 1345
1995- (a) Within 90 days after receipt of a request for 1346
1996-approval, the Department of Education shall approve a 1347
1997-preparation program pursuant to the requirements of this 1348
1998-subsection or issue a statement of the d eficiencies in the 1349
1999-request for approval. The department shall approve a 1350
2000-
2001-CS/CS/HB 1255 2025
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2004-
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2008-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
2009-
2010-
2011-
2012-certification program if the institute provides evidence of the 1351
2013-institute's capacity to implement a competency -based program 1352
2014-that instructs and assesses each candidate in the following : 1353
2015- 1.a. The Florida Educator Accomplished Practices approved 1354
2016-by the state board. 1355
2017- b. The state academic standards provided under s. 1003.41, 1356
2018-including scientifically based reading instruction, content 1357
2019-literacy, and mathematical practices, for each subjec t 1358
2020-identified on the statement of status of eligibility or the 1359
2021-temporary certificate. 1360
2022- c. Scientifically researched and evidence -based reading 1361
2023-instructional strategies grounded in the science of reading 1362
2024-which improve reading performance for all students, i ncluding 1363
2025-explicit, systematic, and sequential approaches to teaching 1364
2026-phonemic awareness, phonics, vocabulary, fluency, and text 1365
2027-comprehension and multisensory intervention strategies. The 1366
2028-primary instructional strategy for teaching word reading is 1367
2029-phonics instruction for decoding and encoding. Instructional 1368
2030-strategies for foundational skills may not employ the three -1369
2031-cueing system model of reading or visual memory as a basis for 1370
2032-teaching word reading. Instructional strategies may include 1371
2033-visual information a nd strategies which improve background and 1372
2034-experiential knowledge, add context, and increase oral language 1373
2035-and vocabulary to support comprehension, but may not be used to 1374
2036-teach word reading. 1375
2037-
2038-CS/CS/HB 1255 2025
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2045-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
2046-
2047-
2048-
2049- d. Content in mathematics, including numbers and 1376
2050-operations, fractions, algebraic reasoning, measurement, 1377
2051-geometric reasoning, and data analysis and probability at the 1378
2052-elementary level. 1379
2053- 2. An educational plan for each participant to meet 1380
2054-certification requirements and demonstrate his or her ability to 1381
2055-teach the subject area for which the participant is seeking 1382
2056-certification, which is based on an assessment of his or her 1383
2057-competency in the areas listed in subparagraph 1. 1384
2058- 3. Field experiences appropriate to the certification 1385
2059-subject area specified in the educational p lan under the 1386
2060-supervision of qualified educators. The state board shall 1387
2061-determine in rule the amount of field experience necessary to 1388
2062-serve as the teacher of record, beginning with candidates 1389
2063-entering a program in the 2023 -2024 school year. 1390
2064- 4. A certification ombudsman to facilitate the process and 1391
2065-procedures required for participants who complete the program to 1392
2066-meet any requirements related to the background screening 1393
2067-pursuant to s. 1012.32 and educator professional or temporary 1394
2068-certification pursuant to s. 1012.56. 1395
2069- Section 27. Paragraph (a) of subsection (1) of section 1396
2070-1006.09, Florida Statutes, is amended to read: 1397
2071- 1006.09 Duties of school principal relating to student 1398
2072-discipline and school safety. — 1399
2073- (1)(a)1. Subject to law and to the rules of the State 1400
2074-
2075-CS/CS/HB 1255 2025
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2082-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
2083-
2084-
2085-
2086-Board of Education and the district school board, the principal 1401
2087-in charge of the school or the principal's designee shall 1402
2088-develop policies for delegating to any teacher or other member 1403
2089-of the instructional staff or to any bus driver transporting 1404
2090-students of the school responsibility for the control and 1405
2091-direction of students. Each school principal shall fully support 1406
2092-the authority of his or her teachers and school bus drivers to 1407
2093-remove disobedient, disrespectful, violent, abusive, 1408
2094-uncontrollable, or d isruptive students from the classroom and 1409
2095-the school bus and, when appropriate and available, place such 1410
2096-students in an alternative educational setting. The principal or 1411
2097-the principal's designee must give full consideration to the 1412
2098-recommendation for discip line made by a teacher, other member of 1413
2099-the instructional staff, or a bus driver when making a decision 1414
2100-regarding student referral for discipline. 1415
2101- 2. If the disobedient, disrespectful, violent, abusive, 1416
2102-uncontrollable, or disruptive behavior continues, t he school 1417
2103-principal shall refer the case to the school's child study team 1418
2104-to schedule a meeting with the parent to identify potential 1419
2105-remedies. 1420
2106- 3. If an initial meeting with the student's parent does 1421
2107-not resolve the behavioral issues, the child study tea m shall 1422
2108-implement the following: 1423
2109- a. Frequent attempts by the school, including the 1424
2110-student's teacher and a school administrator, at communicating 1425
2111-
2112-CS/CS/HB 1255 2025
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2119-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
2120-
2121-
2122-
2123-with the student's family. The attempts may be made in writing 1426
2124-or by telephone, but must be documented. 1427
2125- b. A student evaluation for alternative education 1428
2126-programs. 1429
2127- c. Behavior contracts. 1430
2128- 1431
2129-The child study team may, but is not required to, implement 1432
2130-other interventions, including referral to other agencies for 1433
2131-family services or a recommendation for filing a p etition for a 1434
2132-child in need of services pursuant to s. 984.15. 1435
2133- Section 28. Subsection (3) of section 1006.13, Florida 1436
2134-Statutes, is amended to read: 1437
2135- 1006.13 Policy of zero tolerance for crime and 1438
2136-victimization.— 1439
2137- (3)(a) Zero-tolerance policies must require students found 1440
2138-to have committed one of the following offenses to be expelled, 1441
2139-with or without continuing educational services, from the 1442
2140-student's regular school for a period of not less than 1 full 1443
2141-year, and to be referred to the criminal justice or juvenile 1444
2142-justice system. 1445
2143- 1.(a) Bringing a firearm or weapon, as defined in chapter 1446
2144-790, to school, to any school function, or onto any school -1447
2145-sponsored transportation or possessing a firearm at school. 1448
2146- 2.(b) Making a threat or false report, as defined by ss. 1449
2147-790.162 and 790.163, respectively, involving school or school 1450
2148-
2149-CS/CS/HB 1255 2025
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2156-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
2157-
2158-
2159-
2160-personnel's property, school transportation, or a school -1451
2161-sponsored activity. 1452
2162- (b) District school boards may assign the student to a 1453
2163-disciplinary program for the purpose of continuing educational 1454
2164-services during the period of expulsion. District school 1455
2165-superintendents may consider the 1 -year expulsion requirement on 1456
2166-a case-by-case basis and request the district school board to 1457
2167-modify the requirement by as signing the student to a 1458
2168-disciplinary program or second chance school if the request for 1459
2169-modification is in writing and it is determined to be in the 1460
2170-best interest of the student and the school system. If a student 1461
2171-committing any of the offenses in this su bsection is a student 1462
2172-who has a disability, the district school board shall comply 1463
2173-with applicable State Board of Education rules. 1464
2174- (c) Before the expiration of an expulsion period, the 1465
2175-district school superintendent must determine, based upon the 1466
2176-determination of the threat management team, whether the 1467
2177-expulsion period should be extended and, if the expulsion period 1468
2178-is extended, what educational services will be provided. A 1469
2179-recommendation to extend the expulsion period must be provided 1470
2180-to the student and his or her parents in accordance with s. 1471
2181-1006.08(1). 1472
2182- Section 29. Effective upon this act becoming a law, 1473
2183-paragraph (b) of subsection (1) of section 1007.27, Florida 1474
2184-Statutes, is amended, and paragraph (d) is added to subsection 1475
2185-
2186-CS/CS/HB 1255 2025
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2193-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
2194-
2195-
2196-
2197-(2) of that section, to read: 1476
2198- 1007.27 Articulated acceleration mechanisms. — 1477
2199- (1) 1478
2200- (b) The State Board of Education and the Board of 1479
2201-Governors shall identify Florida College System institutions and 1480
2202-state universities or a national consortium to develop courses 1481
2203-that align with s. 1007.25 for students in secondary education 1482
2204-and provide the training required under s. 1007.35(6). 1483
2205- (2) 1484
2206- (d) The department may join or establish a national 1485
2207-consortium as an alternative method to develop and implement 1486
2208-advanced courses that align with s. 1007.25. 1487
2209- Section 30. Subsection (5), paragraph (j) of subsection 1488
2210-(6), and subsection (8) of section 1007.35, Florida Statutes, 1489
2211-are amended to read: 1490
2212- 1007.35 Florida Partnership for Minority and 1491
2213-Underrepresented Student Achievement. — 1492
2214- (5) Each public high school, including, but not limited 1493
2215-to, schools and alternative sites and centers of the Department 1494
2216-of Juvenile Justice, shall provide for the administration of the 1495
2217-Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test 1496
2218-(PSAT/NMSQT), the Classic Learning Test 10 (CLT10), or the 1497
2219-PreACT to all enrolled 10th grade students. However, a written 1498
2220-notice shall be provided to each parent which must include the 1499
2221-opportunity to exempt his or her child from taking the 1500
2222-
2223-CS/CS/HB 1255 2025
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2230-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
2231-
2232-
2233-
2234-PSAT/NMSQT, CLT10, or the PreACT. 1501
2235- (a) Test results will provide each high school with a 1502
2236-database of student assessment data which certified school 1503
2237-counselors will use to identify students who are prepared or who 1504
2238-need additional work to be prepared to enroll and be successful 1505
2239-in advanced high school courses. 1506
2240- (b) Funding for the PSAT/NMSQT , CLT10, or the PreACT for 1507
2241-all 10th grade students shall be contingent upon annual funding 1508
2242-in the General Appropriations Act. 1509
2243- (c) Public school districts must choose either the 1510
2244-PSAT/NMSQT, CLT10, or the PreACT for districtwide 1511
2245-administration. 1512
2246- (6) The partnership shall: 1513
2247- (j) Provide information to students, parents, teachers, 1514
2248-counselors, administrators, districts, Florida College System 1515
2249-institutions, and state universities regarding PSAT/NMSQT , 1516
2250-CLT10, or the PreACT administration, including, but not limited 1517
2251-to: 1518
2252- 1. Test administration dates and times. 1519
2253- 2. That participation in the PSAT/NMSQT , CLT10, or the 1520
2254-PreACT is open to all 10th grade students. 1521
2255- 3. The value of such tests in providing diagnostic 1522
2256-feedback on student skills. 1523
2257- 4. The value of student scores in predicting the 1524
2258-probability of success on advanced course examinations. 1525
2259-
2260-CS/CS/HB 1255 2025
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2267-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
2268-
2269-
2270-
2271- (8)(a) By September 30 of each year, the partnership shall 1526
2272-submit to the department a report that contains an evaluation of 1527
2273-the effectiveness of the delivered services and activities. 1528
2274-Activities and services must be evaluated on their effectiveness 1529
2275-at raising student achievement and increasing the number of AP 1530
2276-or other advanced course examinations in low -performing middle 1531
2277-and high schools. Other indicators that must be addressed in the 1532
2278-evaluation report include the number of middle and high school 1533
2279-teachers trained; the effectiveness of the training; measures of 1534
2280-postsecondary readiness of the students affected by the program; 1535
2281-levels of participation in 10th grade PSAT/NMSQT , CLT10, or the 1536
2282-PreACT testing; and measures of student, parent, and teacher 1537
2283-awareness of and satisfaction with the services of the 1538
2284-partnership. 1539
2285- (b) The department shall contribute to the evaluation 1540
2286-process by providing access, consistent with s. 119.071(5)(a), 1541
2287-to student and teacher information necessary to match against 1542
2288-databases containing teacher professional learning data and 1543
2289-databases containing assessment data for the PSAT/NMSQT, SAT, 1544
2290-ACT, PreACT, CLT, CLT10, AP, and other appropriate measures. The 1545
2291-department shall also provide student -level data on student 1546
2292-progress from middle school through high school and into college 1547
2293-and the workforce, if available, in order to support 1548
2294-longitudinal studies. The pa rtnership shall analyze and report 1549
2295-student performance data in a manner that protects the rights of 1550
2296-
2297-CS/CS/HB 1255 2025
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2304-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
2305-
2306-
2307-
2308-students and parents as required in 20 U.S.C. s. 1232g and s. 1551
2309-1002.22. 1552
2310- Section 31. Paragraphs (a) and (c) of subsection (6) of 1553
2311-section 1008.25, Florida Statutes, are amended to read: 1554
2312- 1008.25 Public school student progression; student 1555
2313-support; coordinated screening and progress monitoring; 1556
2314-reporting requirements. — 1557
2315- (6) MATHEMATICS DEFICIENCY AND PARENTAL NOTIFICATION. — 1558
2316- (a) Any student in a Voluntary P rekindergarten Education 1559
2317-Program provided by a public school who exhibits a substantial 1560
2318-deficiency in early mathematics skills and any student in 1561
2319-kindergarten through grade 4 who exhibits a substantial 1562
2320-deficiency in mathematics or the characteristics of dy scalculia 1563
2321-based upon screening, diagnostic, progress monitoring, or 1564
2322-assessment data; statewide assessments; or teacher observations 1565
2323-must: 1566
2324- 1. Immediately following the identification of the 1567
2325-mathematics deficiency, be provided systematic and explicit 1568
2326-mathematics instruction to address his or her specific 1569
2327-deficiencies through either: 1570
2328- a. Daily targeted small group mathematics intervention 1571
2329-based on student need; or 1572
2330- b. Supplemental, evidence -based mathematics interventions 1573
2331-before or after school, or both, d elivered by a highly qualified 1574
2332-teacher of mathematics or a trained tutor , as defined by the 1575
2333-
2334-CS/CS/HB 1255 2025
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2336-
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2341-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
2342-
2343-
2344-
2345-State Board of Education . 1576
2346- 2. The performance of a student receiving mathematics 1577
2347-instruction under subparagraph 1. must be monitored, and 1578
2348-instruction must be adjusted based on the student's need. 1579
2349- 3. The department shall provide a list of state examined 1580
2350-and approved mathematics intervention programs, curricula, and 1581
2351-high-quality supplemental materials that may be used to improve 1582
2352-a student's mathematics deficien cies. In addition, the 1583
2353-department shall work, at a minimum, with the Florida Center for 1584
2354-Mathematics and Science Education Research established in s. 1585
2355-1004.86 to disseminate information to school districts and 1586
2356-teachers on effective evidence -based explicit mathematics 1587
2357-instructional practices, strategies, and interventions. 1588
2358- 4. A school may not wait for a student to receive a 1589
2359-failing grade at the end of a grading period or wait until a 1590
2360-plan under paragraph (4)(b) is developed to identify the student 1591
2361-as having a substantial mathematics deficiency and initiate 1592
2362-intensive mathematics interventions. In addition, a school may 1593
2363-not wait until an evaluation conducted pursuant to s. 1003.57 is 1594
2364-completed to provide appropriate, evidence -based interventions 1595
2365-for a student whose parent submits documentation from a 1596
2366-professional licensed under chapter 490 which demonstrates that 1597
2367-the student has been diagnosed with dyscalculia. Such 1598
2368-interventions must be initiated upon receipt of the 1599
2369-documentation and based on the student's spec ific areas of 1600
2370-
2371-CS/CS/HB 1255 2025
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2378-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
2379-
2380-
2381-
2382-difficulty as identified by the licensed professional. 1601
2383- 5. The mathematics proficiency of a student receiving 1602
2384-additional mathematics supports must be monitored and the 1603
2385-intensive interventions must continue until the student 1604
2386-demonstrates grade level proficiency in a manner determined by 1605
2387-the district, which may include achieving a Level 3 on the 1606
2388-statewide, standardized Mathematics assessment. The State Board 1607
2389-of Education shall identify by rule guidelines for determining 1608
2390-whether a student in a V oluntary Prekindergarten Education 1609
2391-Program has a deficiency in early mathematics skills or a 1610
2392-student in kindergarten through grade 4 has a substantial 1611
2393-deficiency in mathematics. 1612
2394- 1613
2395-For the purposes of this subsection, a Voluntary Prekindergarten 1614
2396-Education Program student is deemed to exhibit a substantial 1615
2397-deficiency in mathematics skills based upon the results of the 1616
2398-midyear or final administration of the coordinated screening and 1617
2399-progress monitoring under subsection (9). 1618
2400- (c) The parent of a student who exh ibits a substantial 1619
2401-deficiency in mathematics, as described in paragraph (a), must 1620
2402-be immediately notified in writing of the following: 1621
2403- 1. That his or her child has been identified as having a 1622
2404-substantial deficiency in mathematics, including a descriptio n 1623
2405-and explanation, in terms understandable to the parent, of the 1624
2406-exact nature of the student's difficulty in learning and lack of 1625
2407-
2408-CS/CS/HB 1255 2025
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2415-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
2416-
2417-
2418-
2419-achievement in mathematics. 1626
2420- 2. A description of the current services that are provided 1627
2421-to the child. 1628
2422- 3. A description of t he proposed intensive interventions 1629
2423-and supports that will be provided to the child that are 1630
2424-designed to remediate the identified area of mathematics 1631
2425-deficiency. 1632
2426- 4. Strategies, including multisensory strategies and 1633
2427-programming, through a home -based plan the parent can use in 1634
2428-helping his or her child succeed in mathematics. The home -based 1635
2429-plan must provide access to the resources identified in 1636
2430-paragraph (d). 1637
2431- 5. Information about the student's eligibility for the New 1638
2432-Worlds Scholarship Accounts under s. 1 002.411 and the school 1639
2433-district's tutoring services provided by the New Worlds Tutoring 1640
2434-Program under s. 1008.366. 1641
2435- 1642
2436-After the initial notification, the school shall apprise the 1643
2437-parent at least monthly of the student's progress in response to 1644
2438-the intensive interventions and supports. Such communications 1645
2439-must be in writing and must explain any additional interventions 1646
2440-or supports that will be implemented to accelerate the student's 1647
2441-progress if the interventions and supports already being 1648
2442-implemented have not resulted in improvement. Upon the request 1649
2443-of the parent, the teacher or school administrator shall meet to 1650
2444-
2445-CS/CS/HB 1255 2025
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2452-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
2453-
2454-
2455-
2456-discuss the student's progress. The parent may request more 1651
2457-frequent notification of the student's progress, more frequent 1652
2458-interventions or supports, and earlier implementation of the 1653
2459-additional interventions or supports described in the initial 1654
2460-notification. 1655
2461- Section 32. Subsection (8) of section 1008.365, Florida 1656
2462-Statutes, is amended to read: 1657
2463- 1008.365 Reading Achievement Initiative for Scholasti c 1658
2464-Excellence Act.— 1659
2465- (8) As part of the RAISE Program, the department shall 1660
2466-establish a tutoring program and develop training in effective 1661
2467-reading tutoring practices and content, based on evidence -based 1662
2468-practices grounded in the science of reading and alig ned to the 1663
2469-English Language Arts standards under s. 1003.41, which prepares 1664
2470-eligible high school students to tutor students in kindergarten 1665
2471-through grade 3 in schools identified under this section, 1666
2472-instilling in those students a love of reading and improvi ng 1667
2473-their literacy skills. 1668
2474- (a) To be eligible to participate in the tutoring program, 1669
2475-a high school student must be a rising junior or senior who has 1670
2476-a cumulative grade point average of 3.0 or higher, has no 1671
2477-history of out-of-school suspensions or expulsi ons, is on track 1672
2478-to complete all core course requirements to graduate, and has 1673
2479-written recommendations from at least two of his or her present 1674
2480-or former high school teachers of record or extracurricular 1675
2481-
2482-CS/CS/HB 1255 2025
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2489-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
2490-
2491-
2492-
2493-activity sponsors. 1676
2494- (b) School districts that wish t o participate in the 1677
2495-tutoring program must recruit, train, and deploy eligible high 1678
2496-school students using the materials developed under this 1679
2497-section. Tutoring must occur during or after the school day on 1680
2498-school district property in the presence and under t he 1681
2499-supervision of instructional personnel who are school district 1682
2500-employees. A parent must give written permission for his or her 1683
2501-child to receive tutoring through the program. 1684
2502- (c) Tutoring may be part of a service -learning course 1685
2503-adopted pursuant to s. 1003.497. Students may earn up to three 1686
2504-elective credits for high school graduation based on the 1687
2505-verified number of hours the student spends tutoring under the 1688
2506-program. The hours of volunteer service must be documented in 1689
2507-writing, and the document must be signed by the student, the 1690
2508-student's parent or guardian, and an administrator or designee 1691
2509-of the school in which the tutoring occurred. The Unpaid hours 1692
2510-that a high school student devotes to tutoring may be counted 1693
2511-toward meeting community service requirem ents for high school 1694
2512-graduation and community service requirements for participation 1695
2513-in the Florida Bright Futures Scholarship Program as provided in 1696
2514-s. 1003.497(3)(b). The department shall designate a high school 1697
2515-student who provides at least 75 verified hours of tutoring 1698
2516-under the program as a New Worlds Scholar and award the student 1699
2517-with a pin indicating such designation. 1700
2518-
2519-CS/CS/HB 1255 2025
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2526-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
2527-
2528-
2529-
2530- (d) School districts participating in the tutoring program 1701
2531-may provide a stipend to instructional personnel and high school 1702
2532-students serving as tutors for after -school tutoring. 1703
2533- Section 33. Paragraph (b) of subsection (1) and subsection 1704
2534-(2) of section 1008.366, Florida Statutes, are amended to read: 1705
2535- 1008.366 The New Worlds Tutoring Program. — 1706
2536- (1) The New Worlds Tutoring Program is created to support 1707
2537-school districts and schools in improving student achievement in 1708
2538-reading and mathematics by: 1709
2539- (b) Providing best practice guidelines for mathematics 1710
2540-tutoring in alignment with Florida's Benchmarks for Excellent 1711
2541-Student Thinking (B.E. S.T.) Standards for mathematics in 1712
2542-consultation with the Office of Mathematics and Sciences . 1713
2543- (2) Annually, by August 31 July 1, the administrator of 1714
2544-the New Worlds Tutoring Program shall provide to the President 1715
2545-of the Senate, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, and 1716
2546-the Commissioner of Education a report summarizing school 1717
2547-district use of program funds and student academic outcomes as a 1718
2548-result of the additional literacy or mathematics support 1719
2549-provided under this section. 1720
2550- Section 34. Sections 1011.58 and 1011.59, Florida 1721
2551-Statutes, are repealed. 1722
2552- Section 35. Paragraph (b) of subsection (5) of section 1723
2553-1011.71, Florida Statutes, is amended to read: 1724
2554- 1011.71 District school tax. — 1725
2555-
2556-CS/CS/HB 1255 2025
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2558-
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2563-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
2564-
2565-
2566-
2567- (5) A school district may expend, subject to s. 200.065, 1726
2568-up to $200 per unweighted full -time equivalent student from the 1727
2569-revenue generated by the millage levy authorized by subsection 1728
2570-(2) to fund, in addition to expenditures authorized in 1729
2571-paragraphs (2)(a)-(j), expenses for the following: 1730
2572- (b) Payment of the cost of premiums, as defined in s. 1731
2573-627.403, for property and casualty insurance necessary to insure 1732
2574-school district educational and ancillary plants. As used in 1733
2575-this paragraph, casualty insurance has the same meaning as in s. 1734
2576-624.605(1)(b), (d), (f), (g), (h), and (m). Operating revenues 1735
2577-that are made available through the payment of property and 1736
2578-casualty insurance premiums from revenues generated under this 1737
2579-subsection may be expended only for nonrecurring operational 1738
2580-expenditures of the school district. 1739
2581- Section 36. Section 1012.07, Florida Statutes, is amended 1740
2582-to read: 1741
2583- 1012.07 Identification of high-demand critical teacher needs 1742
2584-shortage areas.—The term "high-demand critical teacher needs 1743
2585-shortage area" means high-need content areas and high -priority 1744
2586-location areas identified by the State Board of Education. The 1745
2587-State Board of Education shall adopt rules pursuant to ss. 1746
2588-120.536(1) and 120.54 necessary to annually identify high-demand 1747
2589-critical teacher needs shortage areas. The state board must 1748
2590-consider current and emerging educational requirements and 1749
2591-workforce demands in determining high-demand critical teacher 1750
2592-
2593-CS/CS/HB 1255 2025
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2600-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
2601-
2602-
2603-
2604-needs shortage areas. School grade levels may also be designated 1751
2605-critical teacher shortage areas. Individual district school 1752
2606-boards may identify and sub mit other high-demand critical 1753
2607-teacher needs shortage areas. Such submissions must be aligned 1754
2608-to current and emerging educational requirements and workforce 1755
2609-demands in order to be approved by the State Board of Education. 1756
2610-High-priority location areas must be in high-density, low-1757
2611-economic urban schools; low -density, low-economic rural schools; 1758
2612-and schools that earned a grade of "F" or three consecutive 1759
2613-grades of "D" pursuant to s. 1008.34. The State Board of 1760
2614-Education shall develop strategies to address high-demand 1761
2615-critical teacher needs shortage areas. 1762
2616- Section 37. Paragraph (c) of subsection (1) of section 1763
2617-1012.22, Florida Statutes, is amended to read: 1764
2618- 1012.22 Public school personnel; powers and duties of the 1765
2619-district school board. —The district school board shall: 1766
2620- (1) Designate positions to be filled, prescribe 1767
2621-qualifications for those positions, and provide for the 1768
2622-appointment, compensation, promotion, suspension, and dismissal 1769
2623-of employees as follows, subject to the requirements of this 1770
2624-chapter: 1771
2625- (c) Compensation and salary schedules. — 1772
2626- 1. Definitions.—As used in this paragraph: 1773
2627- a. "Adjustment" means an addition to the base salary 1774
2628-schedule that is not a bonus and becomes part of the employee's 1775
2629-
2630-CS/CS/HB 1255 2025
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2637-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
2638-
2639-
2640-
2641-permanent base salary and shall be considered compens ation under 1776
2642-s. 121.021(22). 1777
2643- b. "Grandfathered salary schedule" means the salary 1778
2644-schedule or schedules adopted by a district school board before 1779
2645-July 1, 2014, pursuant to subparagraph 4. 1780
2646- c. "Instructional personnel" means instructional personnel 1781
2647-as defined in s. 1012.01(2)(a) -(d), excluding substitute 1782
2648-teachers. 1783
2649- d. "Performance salary schedule" means the salary schedule 1784
2650-or schedules adopted by a district school board pursuant to 1785
2651-subparagraph 5. 1786
2652- e. "Salary schedule" means the schedule or schedules used 1787
2653-to provide the base salary for district school board personnel. 1788
2654- f. "School administrator" means a school administrator as 1789
2655-defined in s. 1012.01(3)(c). 1790
2656- g. "Supplement" means an annual addition to the base 1791
2657-salary for the term of the negotiated supplemen t as long as the 1792
2658-employee continues his or her employment for the purpose of the 1793
2659-supplement. A supplement does not become part of the employee's 1794
2660-continuing base salary but shall be considered compensation 1795
2661-under s. 121.021(22). 1796
2662- 2. Cost-of-living adjustment.—A district school board may 1797
2663-provide a cost-of-living salary adjustment if the adjustment: 1798
2664- a. Does not discriminate among comparable classes of 1799
2665-employees based upon the salary schedule under which they are 1800
2666-
2667-CS/CS/HB 1255 2025
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2674-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
2675-
2676-
2677-
2678-compensated. 1801
2679- b. Does not exceed 50 percent o f the annual adjustment 1802
2680-provided to instructional personnel rated as effective. 1803
2681- 3. Advanced degrees. —A district school board may use 1804
2682-advanced degrees in setting a salary schedule for instructional 1805
2683-personnel or school administrators if the advanced degree is 1806
2684-held in the individual's area of certification. 1807
2685- 4. Grandfathered salary schedule. — 1808
2686- a. The district school board shall adopt a salary schedule 1809
2687-or salary schedules to be used as the basis for paying all 1810
2688-school employees hired before July 1, 2014. Ins tructional 1811
2689-personnel on annual contract as of July 1, 2014, shall be placed 1812
2690-on the performance salary schedule adopted under subparagraph 5. 1813
2691-Instructional personnel on continuing contract or professional 1814
2692-service contract may opt into the performance salary schedule if 1815
2693-the employee relinquishes such contract and agrees to be 1816
2694-employed on an annual contract under s. 1012.335. Such an 1817
2695-employee shall be placed on the performance salary schedule and 1818
2696-may not return to continuing contract or professional service 1819
2697-contract status. Any employee who opts into the performance 1820
2698-salary schedule may not return to the grandfathered salary 1821
2699-schedule. 1822
2700- b. In determining the grandfathered salary schedule for 1823
2701-instructional personnel, a district school board must base a 1824
2702-portion of each employee's compensation upon performance 1825
2703-
2704-CS/CS/HB 1255 2025
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2712-
2713-
2714-
2715-demonstrated under s. 1012.34 and shall provide differentiated 1826
2716-pay for both instructional personnel and school administrators 1827
2717-based upon district-determined factors, including, but not 1828
2718-limited to, additional r esponsibilities, school demographics, 1829
2719-high-demand teacher needs critical shortage areas, and level of 1830
2720-job performance difficulties. 1831
2721- 5. Performance salary schedule. —By July 1, 2014, the 1832
2722-district school board shall adopt a performance salary schedule 1833
2723-that provides annual salary adjustments for instructional 1834
2724-personnel and school administrators based upon performance 1835
2725-determined under s. 1012.34. Employees hired on or after July 1, 1836
2726-2014, or employees who choose to move from the grandfathered 1837
2727-salary schedule to the performance salary schedule shall be 1838
2728-compensated pursuant to the performance salary schedule once 1839
2729-they have received the appropriate performance evaluation for 1840
2730-this purpose. 1841
2731- a. Base salary.—The base salary shall be established as 1842
2732-follows: 1843
2733- (I) The base salary for instructional personnel or school 1844
2734-administrators who opt into the performance salary schedule 1845
2735-shall be the salary paid in the prior year, including 1846
2736-adjustments only. 1847
2737- (II) Instructional personnel or school administrators new 1848
2738-to the district, returning to the district after a break in 1849
2739-service without an authorized leave of absence, or appointed for 1850
2740-
2741-CS/CS/HB 1255 2025
2742-
2743-
2744-
2745-CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
2746-hb1255-02-c2
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2748-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
2749-
2750-
2751-
2752-the first time to a position in the district in the capacity of 1851
2753-instructional personnel or school administrator shall be placed 1852
2754-on the performance salary schedule. 1853
2755- b. Salary adjustments. —Salary adjustments for highly 1854
2756-effective or effective performance shall be established as 1855
2757-follows: 1856
2758- (I) The annual salary adjustment under the performance 1857
2759-salary schedule for an employee rated as highly effective must 1858
2760-be at least 25 percent greater than the highest annual salary 1859
2761-adjustment available to an employee of the same classification 1860
2762-through any other salary schedule adopted by the district. 1861
2763- (II) The annual salary adjustment under the performance 1862
2764-salary schedule for an employee rated as effective must be equal 1863
2765-to at least 50 percent and no more than 75 percent of the annual 1864
2766-adjustment provided for a highly effective employee of the same 1865
2767-classification. 1866
2768- (III) A salary schedule shall not provide an annual salary 1867
2769-adjustment for an employee who receives a rating other than 1868
2770-highly effective or effective for the year. 1869
2771- c. Salary supplements. —In addition to the salary 1870
2772-adjustments, each district school board shall provide for salary 1871
2773-supplements for activities th at must include, but are not 1872
2774-limited to: 1873
2775- (I) Assignment to a Title I eligible school. 1874
2776- (II) Assignment to a school that earned a grade of "F" or 1875
2777-
2778-CS/CS/HB 1255 2025
2779-
2780-
2781-
2782-CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
2783-hb1255-02-c2
2784-Page 76 of 86
2785-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
2786-
2787-
2788-
2789-three consecutive grades of "D" pursuant to s. 1008.34 such that 1876
2790-the supplement remains in force for at leas t 1 year following 1877
2791-improved performance in that school. 1878
2792- (III) Certification and teaching in high-demand critical 1879
2793-teacher needs shortage areas. Statewide high-demand critical 1880
2794-teacher needs shortage areas shall be identified by the State 1881
2795-Board of Education under s. 1012.07. However, the district 1882
2796-school board may identify other areas of high-demand needs 1883
2797-critical shortage within the school district for purposes of 1884
2798-this sub-sub-subparagraph and may remove areas identified by the 1885
2799-state board which do not apply within the school district. 1886
2800- (IV) Assignment of additional academic responsibilities. 1887
2801- 1888
2802-If budget constraints in any given year limit a district school 1889
2803-board's ability to fully fund all adopted salary schedules, the 1890
2804-performance salary schedule shall not b e reduced on the basis of 1891
2805-total cost or the value of individual awards in a manner that is 1892
2806-proportionally greater than reductions to any other salary 1893
2807-schedules adopted by the district. Any compensation for 1894
2808-longevity of service awarded to instructional pers onnel who are 1895
2809-on any other salary schedule must be included in calculating the 1896
2810-salary adjustments required by sub -subparagraph b. 1897
2811- Section 38. Section 1012.315, Florida Statutes, is amended 1898
2812-to read: 1899
2813- 1012.315 Screening standards. — 1900
2814-
2815-CS/CS/HB 1255 2025
2816-
2817-
2818-
2819-CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
2820-hb1255-02-c2
2821-Page 77 of 86
2822-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
2823-
2824-
2825-
2826- (1) A person is ineligible for educator certification or 1901
2827-employment in any position that requires direct contact with 1902
2828-students in a district school system, a charter school, or a 1903
2829-private school that participates in a state scholarship program 1904
2830-under chapter 1002, which includes being an owner or operator of 1905
2831-a private school that participates in a scholarship program 1906
2832-under chapter 1002, if the person: 1907
2833- (a)(1) Is on the disqualification list maintained by the 1908
2834-department under s. 1001.10(4)(b); 1909
2835- (b)(2) Is registered as a sex of fender as described in 42 1910
2836-U.S.C. s. 9858f(c)(1)(C); 1911
2837- (c)(3) Is ineligible based on a security background 1912
2838-investigation under s. 435.04(2). Beginning January 1, 2025, or 1913
2839-a later date as determined by the Agency for Health Care 1914
2840-Administration, The Agency for Health Care Administration shall 1915
2841-determine the eligibility of employees in any position that 1916
2842-requires direct contact with students in a district school 1917
2843-system, a charter school, or a private school that participates 1918
2844-in a state scholarship program under c hapter 1002; 1919
2845- (d)(4) Would be ineligible for an exemption under s. 1920
2846-435.07(4)(c); or 1921
2847- (e)(5) Has been convicted or found guilty of, has had 1922
2848-adjudication withheld for, or has pled guilty or nolo contendere 1923
2849-to: 1924
2850- 1.(a) Any criminal act committed in another state or under 1925
2851-
2852-CS/CS/HB 1255 2025
2853-
2854-
2855-
2856-CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
2857-hb1255-02-c2
2858-Page 78 of 86
2859-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
2860-
2861-
2862-
2863-federal law which, if committed in this state, constitutes a 1926
2864-disqualifying offense under s. 435.04(2). 1927
2865- 2.(b) Any delinquent act committed in this state or any 1928
2866-delinquent or criminal act committed in another state or under 1929
2867-federal law which, if committed in this state, qualifies an 1930
2868-individual for inclusion on the Registered Juvenile Sex Offender 1931
2869-List under s. 943.0435(1)(h)1.d. 1932
2870- (2) Persons who apply for certification or employment are 1933
2871-governed by the law and rules in effect at the time of 1934
2872-application for issuance of the initial certificate or 1935
2873-employment, provided that continuity of certificates or 1936
2874-employment is maintained. 1937
2875- Section 39. Effective July 1, 2026, paragraph (a) of 1938
2876-subsection (8) of section 1012.56, Florida Statutes, is amende d 1939
2877-to read: 1940
2878- 1012.56 Educator certification requirements. — 1941
2879- (8) PROFESSIONAL LEARNING CERTIFICATION PROGRAM. — 1942
2880- (a) The Department of Education shall develop and each 1943
2881-school district, charter school, and charter management 1944
2882-organization may provide a cohe sive competency-based 1945
2883-professional learning certification program by which 1946
2884-instructional staff may satisfy the mastery of professional 1947
2885-preparation and education competence requirements specified in 1948
2886-subsection (6) and rules of the State Board of Education. 1949
2887-Participants must hold a state -issued temporary certificate. A 1950
2888-
2889-CS/CS/HB 1255 2025
2890-
2891-
2892-
2893-CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
2894-hb1255-02-c2
2895-Page 79 of 86
2896-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
2897-
2898-
2899-
2900-school district, charter school, or charter management 1951
2901-organization that implements the program shall provide a 1952
2902-competency-based certification program developed by the 1953
2903-Department of Education o r developed by the district, charter 1954
2904-school, or charter management organization and approved by the 1955
2905-Department of Education. These entities may collaborate with 1956
2906-other supporting agencies or educational entities for 1957
2907-implementation. The program shall include the following: 1958
2908- 1. A teacher mentorship and induction component. 1959
2909- a. Each individual selected by the district, charter 1960
2910-school, or charter management organization as a mentor: 1961
2911- (I) Must hold a valid professional certificate issued 1962
2912-pursuant to this secti on; 1963
2913- (II) Must have earned at least 3 years of teaching 1964
2914-experience in prekindergarten through grade 12; 1965
2915- (III) Must have completed training in clinical supervision 1966
2916-and participate in ongoing mentor training provided through the 1967
2917-coordinated system of professional learning under s. 1012.98(4); 1968
2918- (IV) Must have earned an effective or highly effective 1969
2919-rating on the prior year's performance evaluation; and 1970
2920- (V) May be a peer evaluator under the district's 1971
2921-evaluation system approved under s. 1012.34. 1972
2922- b. The teacher mentorship and induction component must, at 1973
2923-a minimum, provide routine opportunities for mentoring and 1974
2924-induction activities, including ongoing professional learning as 1975
2925-
2926-CS/CS/HB 1255 2025
2927-
2928-
2929-
2930-CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
2931-hb1255-02-c2
2932-Page 80 of 86
2933-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
2934-
2935-
2936-
2937-described in s. 1012.98 targeted to a teacher's needs, 1976
2938-opportunities for a t eacher to observe other teachers, co -1977
2939-teaching experiences, and reflection and followup discussions. 1978
2940-Professional learning must meet the criteria established in s. 1979
2941-1012.98(3). Mentorship and induction activities must be provided 1980
2942-for an applicant's first yea r in the program and may be provided 1981
2943-until the applicant attains his or her professional certificate 1982
2944-in accordance with this section. 1983
2945- 2. An assessment of teaching performance aligned to the 1984
2946-district's, charter school's, or charter management 1985
2947-organization's system for personnel evaluation under s. 1012.34 1986
2948-which provides for: 1987
2949- a. An initial evaluation of each educator's competencies 1988
2950-to determine an appropriate individualized professional learning 1989
2951-plan. 1990
2952- b. A summative evaluation to assure successful compl etion 1991
2953-of the program. 1992
2954- 3. Professional education preparation content knowledge, 1993
2955-which must be included in the mentoring and induction activities 1994
2956-under subparagraph 1., that includes, but is not limited to, the 1995
2957-following: 1996
2958- a. The state academic standards provided under s. 1003.41, 1997
2959-including scientifically researched and evidence -based reading 1998
2960-instructional strategies grounded in the science of reading, 1999
2961-content literacy, and mathematical practices, for each subject 2000
2962-
2963-CS/CS/HB 1255 2025
2964-
2965-
2966-
2967-CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
2968-hb1255-02-c2
2969-Page 81 of 86
2970-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
2971-
2972-
2973-
2974-identified on the temporary certificate. R eading instructional 2001
2975-strategies for foundational skills shall include phonics 2002
2976-instruction for decoding and encoding as the primary 2003
2977-instructional strategy for word reading. Instructional 2004
2978-strategies may not employ the three -cueing system model of 2005
2979-reading or visual memory as a basis for teaching word reading. 2006
2980-Instructional strategies may include visual information and 2007
2981-strategies which improve background and experiential knowledge, 2008
2982-add context, and increase oral language and vocabulary to 2009
2983-support comprehension, but may not be used to teach word 2010
2984-reading. Content in mathematics shall include numbers and 2011
2985-operations, fractions, algebraic reasoning, measurement, 2012
2986-geometric reasoning, and data analysis and probability at the 2013
2987-elementary level. 2014
2988- b. The educator-accomplished practices approved by the 2015
2989-state board. 2016
2990- 4. Required achievement of passing scores on the subject 2017
2991-area and professional education competency examination required 2018
2992-by State Board of Education rule. Mastery of general knowledge 2019
2993-must be demonstrated as de scribed in subsection (3). 2020
2994- 5. Beginning with candidates entering a program in the 2021
2995-2022-2023 school year, a candidate for certification in a 2022
2996-coverage area identified pursuant to s. 1012.585(3)(f) must 2023
2997-successfully complete all competencies for a reading 2024
2998-endorsement, including completion of the endorsement practicum. 2025
2999-
3000-CS/CS/HB 1255 2025
3001-
3002-
3003-
3004-CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
3005-hb1255-02-c2
3006-Page 82 of 86
3007-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
3008-
3009-
3010-
3011- Section 40. Paragraph (b) of subsection (2) of section 2026
3012-1012.586, Florida Statutes, is amended, and subsection (3) is 2027
3013-added to that section, to read: 2028
3014- 1012.586 Additions or changes to certi ficates; duplicate 2029
3015-certificates; reading endorsement pathways ; mathematics 2030
3016-endorsement pathways .— 2031
3017- (2) 2032
3018- (b) As part of adopting a pathway pursuant to paragraph 2033
3019-(a), the department shall review the competencies for the 2034
3020-reading endorsement and subject area examinations for educator 2035
3021-certificates identified pursuant to s. 1012.585(3)(f) for 2036
3022-alignment with evidence -based instructional and intervention 2037
3023-strategies rooted in the science of reading and identified 2038
3024-pursuant to s. 1001.215(7) and recommend changes to the State 2039
3025-Board of Education. Recommended changes must address 2040
3026-identification of the characteristics of conditions such as 2041
3027-dyslexia or dyscalculia, implementation of evidence -based 2042
3028-classroom instruction and interventions, including evidence -2043
3029-based reading or mathematics instruction and interventions 2044
3030-specifically for students with characteristics of dyslexia or 2045
3031-dyscalculia, and effective progress monitoring. By July 1, 2023, 2046
3032-each school district reading endorsement add -on program must be 2047
3033-resubmitted for appro val by the department consistent with this 2048
3034-paragraph. 2049
3035- (3)(a) By the beginning of the 2027 -2028 school year, the 2050
3036-
3037-CS/CS/HB 1255 2025
3038-
3039-
3040-
3041-CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
3042-hb1255-02-c2
3043-Page 83 of 86
3044-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
3045-
3046-
3047-
3048-department shall adopt one or more statewide, competency -based 2051
3049-pathways by which instructional personnel may earn a mathematics 2052
3050-endorsement. A pathway adopted by the department must allow a 2053
3051-candidate to complete coursework online and demonstrate mastery 2054
3052-of each endorsement competency either in person or remotely. 2055
3053- (b) As part of adopting a pathway pursuant to paragraph 2056
3054-(a), the department shall establish the competencies for the 2057
3055-mathematics endorsement and subject area examinations for 2058
3056-educator certificates identified pursuant to s. 1012.585(3)(f) 2059
3057-for alignment with evidence -based instructional and intervention 2060
3058-strategies and recommend changes t o the State Board of 2061
3059-Education. Established competencies for the mathematics 2062
3060-endorsement must include competency to teach numbers and 2063
3061-operations, fractions, algebraic reasoning, measurement, 2064
3062-geometric reasoning, and data analysis and probability at the 2065
3063-elementary or secondary level. 2066
3064- Section 41. Section 1012.77, Florida Statutes, is amended 2067
3065-to read: 2068
3066- 1012.77 Christa McAuliffe Ambassador for Education 2069
3067-Program.— 2070
3068- (1) The Legislature recognizes that Florida continues to 2071
3069-face teacher shortages and that fewer young people consider 2072
3070-teaching as a career. It is the intent of the Legislature to 2073
3071-promote the positive and rewarding aspects of being a teacher, 2074
3072-to encourage more individuals to become teachers, and to provide 2075
3073-
3074-CS/CS/HB 1255 2025
3075-
3076-
3077-
3078-CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
3079-hb1255-02-c2
3080-Page 84 of 86
3081-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
3082-
3083-
3084-
3085-annual sabbatical support for outstandi ng Florida teachers to 2076
3086-serve as goodwill ambassadors for education. The Legislature 2077
3087-further wishes to honor the memory of Christa McAuliffe, who 2078
3088-epitomized the challenge and inspiration that teaching can be. 2079
3089- (2) The Christa McAuliffe Ambassador for Educa tion Program 2080
3090-is established to provide salary, travel, and other related 2081
3091-expenses annually for an outstanding Florida teacher to promote 2082
3092-the positive aspects of teaching as a career. The goals of the 2083
3093-program are to: 2084
3094- (a) Enhance the stature of teachers an d the teaching 2085
3095-profession. 2086
3096- (b) Promote the importance of quality education and 2087
3097-teaching for our future. 2088
3098- (c) Inspire and attract talented people to become 2089
3099-teachers. 2090
3100- (d) Provide information regarding Florida's scholarship 2091
3101-and loan programs related to t eaching. 2092
3102- (e) Promote the teaching profession within community and 2093
3103-business groups. 2094
3104- (f) Provide information to retired military personnel and 2095
3105-other individuals who might consider teaching as a second 2096
3106-career. 2097
3107- (g) Work with and represent the Department of Education, 2098
3108-as needed. 2099
3109- (h) Work with and encourage the efforts of school and 2100
3110-
3111-CS/CS/HB 1255 2025
3112-
3113-
3114-
3115-CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
3116-hb1255-02-c2
3117-Page 85 of 86
3118-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
3119-
3120-
3121-
3122-district teachers of the year. 2101
3123- (i) Support the activities of the Florida Future Educator 2102
3124-of America Program. 2103
3125- (j) Represent Florida teachers at business, trade, 2104
3126-education, and other conferences and meetings. 2105
3127- (k) Promote the teaching profession in other ways related 2106
3128-to the teaching responsibilities, background experiences, and 2107
3129-aspirations of the Ambassador for Education. 2108
3130- (3) The Teacher of the Year shall serve as the Amba ssador 2109
3131-for Education. If the Teacher of the Year is unable to serve as 2110
3132-the Ambassador for Education, the first runner -up shall serve in 2111
3133-his or her place. The Department of Education shall establish 2112
3134-application and selection procedures for determining an an nual 2113
3135-teacher of the year. Applications and selection criteria shall 2114
3136-be developed and distributed annually by the Department of 2115
3137-Education to all eligible entities identified in subsection (4) 2116
3138-school districts. The Commissioner of Education shall establish 2117
3139-a selection committee which assures representation from teacher 2118
3140-organizations, administrators, and parents to select the Teacher 2119
3141-of the Year and Ambassador for Education from among the district 2120
3142-teachers of the year. 2121
3143- (4) Eligible entities to submit to the Department of 2122
3144-Education a nominee for the Teacher of the Year and Ambassador 2123
3145-for Education are: 2124
3146- (a) Florida school districts, including lab schools as 2125
3147-
3148-CS/CS/HB 1255 2025
3149-
3150-
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3152-CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
3153-hb1255-02-c2
3154-Page 86 of 86
3155-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
3156-
3157-
3158-
3159-defined in s. 1002.32. 2126
3160- (b) Charter school consortia with at least 30 member 2127
3161-schools and an approved p rofessional learning system on file 2128
3162-with the department. 2129
3163- (5)(a)(4)(a) The Commissioner of Education shall pay an 2130
3164-annual salary, fringe benefits, travel costs, and other costs 2131
3165-associated with administering the program. 2132
3166- (b) The Ambassador for Education s hall serve for 1 year, 2133
3167-from July 1 to June 30, and shall be assured of returning to his 2134
3168-or her teaching position upon completion of the program. The 2135
3169-ambassador will not have a break in creditable or continuous 2136
3170-service or employment for the period of time i n which he or she 2137
3171-participates in the program. 2138
3172- Section 42. Except as otherwise expressly provided in this 2139
3173-act and except for this section, which shall take effect upon 2140
3174-this act becoming a law, this act shall take effect July 1, 2141
3175-2025. 2142
15+An act relating to education; amending ss. 11.45, 2
16+216.251, 447.203, and 1000.04, F.S.; conforming 3
17+provisions to changes made by the act; amending s. 4
18+1000.40, F.S.; revising the scheduled repeal date of 5
19+the Interstate Compact on Educational Opportunity for 6
20+Military Children; amending s. 1001.03, F.S.; renaming 7
21+critical teacher shortage areas as "high -demand 8
22+teacher needs areas"; amending s. 1001.20, F.S.; 9
23+conforming provisions to changes made by the act; 10
24+creating s. 1001.325, F.S.; prohibiting the 11
25+expenditure of funds by public schools, charter 12
26+schools, school districts, charter school 13
27+administrators, or direct -support organizations to 14
28+purchase membership in, or goods or services from, any 15
29+organization that discriminates on the basis of race, 16
30+color, national origin, sex, disability, or religion; 17
31+prohibiting the expenditure of funds by public 18
32+schools, charter schools, school districts, charter 19
33+school administrators, or direct -support organizations 20
34+to promote, support, or maintain certain programs or 21
35+activities; authorizing the use of student fees and 22
36+school or district facilities by student -led 23
37+organizations under certain circumstances; providing 24
38+construction; requiring the State Board of Education 25
39+
40+CS/HB 1255 2025
41+
42+
43+
44+CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
45+hb1255-01-c1
46+Page 2 of 68
47+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
48+
49+
50+
51+to adopt rules; amending s. 1001.452, F.S.; deleting a 26
52+provision requiring the Commissioner of Education to 27
53+determine whether school districts have maximized 28
54+efforts to include minority persons and persons of 29
55+lower socioeconomic status on their school advisory 30
56+councils; amending s. 1002.20, F.S.; authorizing 31
57+public schools to purchase or enter into arrangements 32
58+for certain emergency opioid antagonists, rather than 33
59+only for naloxone; requiring that district school 34
60+board policies authorizing corporal punishment include 35
61+a requirement that parental consent be provided befor e 36
62+the administration of corporal punishment; amending s. 37
63+1002.33, F.S.; requiring a charter school to comply 38
64+with provisions relating to corporal punishment; 39
65+repealing s. 1002.351, F.S., relating to the Florida 40
66+School for Competitive Academics; amending ss . 41
67+1002.394 and 1002.395, F.S.; conforming provisions to 42
68+changes made by the act; amending s. 1002.421, F.S.; 43
69+revising the background screening requirements for 44
70+certain private school personnel; amending s. 1002.71, 45
71+F.S.; revising the conditions under which a student 46
72+may withdraw from a prekindergarten program and 47
73+reenroll in another program; amending s. 1003.05, 48
74+F.S.; requiring that strategies addressed in specified 49
75+memoranda of agreement between school districts and 50
76+
77+CS/HB 1255 2025
78+
79+
80+
81+CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
82+hb1255-01-c1
83+Page 3 of 68
84+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
85+
86+
87+
88+military installations include the devel opment and 51
89+implementation of a specified training module; 52
90+requiring the Department of Education to provide the 53
91+training module to each district school board; 54
92+requiring each district school board to provide such 55
93+module to each public and charter K -12 school in its 56
94+district; requiring district school boards to make 57
95+certain training available to certain employees; 58
96+amending s. 1003.41, F.S.; requiring that certain 59
97+standards documents contain only academic standards 60
98+and benchmarks; requiring the commissioner to revise 61
99+currently approved standards documents and submit them 62
100+to the state board by a specified date; amending s. 63
101+1003.42, F.S.; requiring K -12 health education to 64
102+include instruction on human embryologic development; 65
103+providing requirements for such instru ction; requiring 66
104+the state board to adopt rules relating to such 67
105+instruction; amending s. 1003.4201, F.S.; revising the 68
106+requirements for certain reading instruction plans to 69
107+include specified instruction and information; 70
108+requiring the department to approve school district 71
109+reading instruction plans; creating s. 1003.4202, 72
110+F.S.; requiring school districts to implement a 73
111+certain system of comprehensive mathematics 74
112+instruction for certain students; defining the term 75
113+
114+CS/HB 1255 2025
115+
116+
117+
118+CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
119+hb1255-01-c1
120+Page 4 of 68
121+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
122+
123+
124+
125+"evidence-based"; amending s. 1003.4282, F.S. ; 76
126+providing additional components for required 77
127+instruction on financial literacy; amending s. 78
128+1004.04, F.S.; conforming provisions to changes made 79
129+by the act; amending s. 1007.27, F.S.; authorizing the 80
130+department to join or establish a national consortium 81
131+as an additional alternative method to develop and 82
132+implement advanced placement courses; amending s. 83
133+1008.25, F.S.; requiring certain provisions to be 84
134+defined in state board rules; requiring parents of a 85
135+student who exhibits a substantial deficiency in 86
136+mathematics to be notified in writing of information 87
137+about the student's eligibility for the New Worlds 88
138+Scholarship Accounts and the New Worlds Tutoring 89
139+Program; amending s. 1008.365, F.S.; expanding the 90
140+types of tutoring hours that may be counted toward 91
141+meeting the community service requirements for the 92
142+Bright Futures scholarship to include paid tutoring 93
143+hours; amending s. 1008.366, F.S.; requiring the New 94
144+Worlds Tutoring Program to provide best practice 95
145+guidelines for mathematics tutoring in consultation 96
146+with the Office of Mathematics and Sciences; revising 97
147+the submission date for a specified report relating to 98
148+the New Worlds Tutoring Program; repealing s. 1011.58, 99
149+F.S., relating to procedures for legislative budget 100
150+
151+CS/HB 1255 2025
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158+F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S
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161+
162+requests for the Florida School for Competi tive 101
163+Academics; repealing s. 1011.59, F.S.; relating to 102
164+funds for the Florida School for Competitive 103
165+Academics; amending ss. 1012.07 and 1012.22, F.S.; 104
166+conforming provisions to changes made by the act; 105
167+amending s. 1012.315, F.S.; revising the background 106
168+screening requirements for certain private school 107
169+personnel; providing that certain background screening 108
170+requirements remain in place for a specified period of 109
171+time for certain personnel; amending s. 1012.56, F.S.; 110
172+authorizing individuals to demonstrate mast ery of 111
173+general knowledge, subject area knowledge, or 112
174+professional preparation and education competence by 113
175+providing a school district with documentation of a 114
176+valid certificate issued by the American Board for 115
177+Certification of Teacher Excellence; amending s . 116
178+1012.586, F.S.; amending reading endorsements and 117
179+subject area examinations to address identifications 118
180+of the characteristics of dyscalculia; removing the 119
181+requirement for school districts' reading endorsement 120
182+add-on programs to be resubmitted for approva l by a 121
183+date certain; amending s. 1012.77, F.S.; authorizing 122
184+certain charter school consortia to submit nominees 123
185+for the Teacher of the Year and Ambassador for 124
186+Education; providing effective dates. 125
187+
188+CS/HB 1255 2025
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195+F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S
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197+
198+
199+ 126
200+Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Flori da: 127
201+ 128
202+ Section 1. Paragraphs (d) and (f) of subsection (2) of 129
203+section 11.45, Florida Statutes, are amended to read: 130
204+ 11.45 Definitions; duties; authorities; reports; rules. — 131
205+ (2) DUTIES.—The Auditor General shall: 132
206+ (d) Annually conduct financial audit s of the accounts and 133
207+records of all district school boards in counties with 134
208+populations of less fewer than 150,000, according to the most 135
209+recent federal decennial statewide census , and; the Florida 136
210+School for the Deaf and the Blind ; and the Florida School for 137
211+Competitive Academics . 138
212+ (f) At least every 3 years, conduct operational audits of 139
213+the accounts and records of state agencies, state universities, 140
214+state colleges, district school boards, the Florida Clerks of 141
215+Court Operations Corporation, water manage ment districts, and 142
216+the Florida School for the Deaf and the Blind , and the Florida 143
217+School for Competitive Academics . 144
218+ 145
219+The Auditor General shall perform his or her duties 146
220+independently but under the general policies established by the 147
221+Legislative Auditing C ommittee. This subsection does not limit 148
222+the Auditor General's discretionary authority to conduct other 149
223+audits or engagements of governmental entities as authorized in 150
224+
225+CS/HB 1255 2025
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232+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
233+
234+
235+
236+subsection (3). 151
237+ Section 2. Paragraph (a) of subsection (2) of section 152
238+216.251, Florida Statutes, is amended to read: 153
239+ 216.251 Salary appropriations; limitations. — 154
240+ (2)(a) The salary for each position not specifically 155
241+indicated in the appropriations acts shall be as provided in one 156
242+of the following subparagraphs: 157
243+ 1. Within the classifi cation and pay plans provided for in 158
244+chapter 110. 159
245+ 2. Within the classification and pay plans established by 160
246+the Board of Trustees for the Florida School for the Deaf and 161
247+the Blind of the Department of Education and approved by the 162
248+State Board of Educatio n for academic and academic 163
249+administrative personnel. 164
250+ 3. Within the classification and pay plan approved and 165
251+administered by the Board of Governors or the designee of the 166
252+board for those positions in the State University System. 167
253+ 4. Within the classification and pay plan approved by the 168
254+President of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of 169
255+Representatives, as the case may be, for employees of the 170
256+Legislature. 171
257+ 5. Within the approved classification and pay plan for the 172
258+judicial branch. 173
259+ 6. Within the classification and pay plans established by 174
260+the Board of Trustees for the Florida School for Competitive 175
261+
262+CS/HB 1255 2025
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269+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
270+
271+
272+
273+Academics of the Department of Education and approved by the 176
274+State Board of Education for academic and academic 177
275+administrative personnel. 178
276+ Section 3. Subsection (2) of section 447.203, Florida 179
277+Statutes, is amended to read: 180
278+ 447.203 Definitions. —As used in this part: 181
279+ (2) "Public employer" or "employer" means the state or any 182
280+county, municipality, or special district or any subdivision or 183
281+agency thereof which the commission determines has sufficient 184
282+legal distinctiveness properly to carry out the functions of a 185
283+public employer. With respect to all public employees determined 186
284+by the commission as properly belonging to a statewide 187
285+bargaining unit composed of State Career Service System 188
286+employees or Selected Professional Service employees, the 189
287+Governor is deemed to be the public employer; and the Board of 190
288+Governors of the State University System, or the board's 191
289+designee, is deemed to be the publi c employer with respect to 192
290+all public employees of each constituent state university. The 193
291+board of trustees of a community college is deemed to be the 194
292+public employer with respect to all employees of the community 195
293+college. The district school board is deem ed to be the public 196
294+employer with respect to all employees of the school district. 197
295+The Board of Trustees of the Florida School for the Deaf and the 198
296+Blind is deemed to be the public employer with respect to the 199
297+academic and academic administrative personnel of the Florida 200
298+
299+CS/HB 1255 2025
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306+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
307+
308+
309+
310+School for the Deaf and the Blind. The Board of Trustees of the 201
311+Florida School for Competitive Academics is deemed to be the 202
312+public employer with respect to the academic and academic 203
313+administrative personnel of the Florida School for Compet itive 204
314+Academics. The Governor is deemed to be the public employer with 205
315+respect to all employees in the Correctional Education Program 206
316+of the Department of Corrections established pursuant to s. 207
317+944.801. 208
318+ Section 4. Subsection (7) of section 1000.04, Flo rida 209
319+Statutes, is amended to read: 210
320+ 1000.04 Components for the delivery of public education 211
321+within the Florida Early Learning -20 education system. —Florida's 212
322+Early Learning-20 education system provides for the delivery of 213
323+early learning and public educatio n through publicly supported 214
324+and controlled K-12 schools, Florida College System 215
325+institutions, state universities and other postsecondary 216
326+educational institutions, other educational institutions, and 217
327+other educational services as provided or authorized by the 218
328+Constitution and laws of the state. 219
329+ (7) THE FLORIDA SCHOOL FOR COMPETITIVE ACADEMICS. —The 220
330+Florida School for Competitive Academics is a component of the 221
331+delivery of public education within Florida's Early Learning -20 222
332+education system. 223
333+ Section 5. Section 1000.40, Florida Statutes, is amended 224
334+to read: 225
335+
336+CS/HB 1255 2025
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343+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
344+
345+
346+
347+ 1000.40 Future repeal of the Interstate Compact on 226
348+Educational Opportunity for Military Children. —Sections 1000.36, 227
349+1000.361, 1000.38, and 1000.39 and this section shall stand 228
350+repealed on July 1, 2028 2025, unless reviewed and saved from 229
351+repeal through reenactment by the Legislature. 230
352+ Section 6. Subsection (5) of section 1001.03, Florida 231
353+Statutes, is amended to read: 232
354+ 1001.03 Specific powers of State Board of Education. — 233
355+ (5) IDENTIFICATION OF HIGH-DEMAND CRITICAL TEACHER NEEDS 234
356+SHORTAGE AREAS.—The State Board of Education shall identify 235
357+high-demand critical teacher needs shortage areas pursuant to s. 236
358+1012.07. 237
359+ Section 7. Paragraph (e) of subsection (4) of section 238
360+1001.20, Florida Statutes, is a mended to read: 239
361+ 1001.20 Department under direction of state board. — 240
362+ (4) The Department of Education shall establish the 241
363+following offices within the Office of the Commissioner of 242
364+Education which shall coordinate their activities with all other 243
365+divisions and offices: 244
366+ (e) Office of Inspector General. —Organized using existing 245
367+resources and funds and responsible for promoting 246
368+accountability, efficiency, and effectiveness and detecting 247
369+fraud and abuse within school districts, the Florida School for 248
370+the Deaf and the Blind, the Florida School for Competitive 249
371+Academics, and Florida College System institutions in Florida. 250
372+
373+CS/HB 1255 2025
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380+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
381+
382+
383+
384+If the Commissioner of Education determines that a district 251
385+school board, the Board of Trustees for the Florida School for 252
386+the Deaf and the Blind, the Board of Trustees for the Florida 253
387+School for Competitive Academics, or a Florida College System 254
388+institution board of trustees is unwilling or unable to address 255
389+substantiated allegations made by any person relating to waste, 256
390+fraud, or financial mi smanagement within the school district, 257
391+the Florida School for the Deaf and the Blind, the Florida 258
392+School for Competitive Academics, or the Florida College System 259
393+institution, the office must conduct, coordinate, or request 260
394+investigations into such substan tiated allegations. The office 261
395+shall investigate allegations or reports of possible fraud or 262
396+abuse against a district school board made by any member of the 263
397+Cabinet; the presiding officer of either house of the 264
398+Legislature; a chair of a substantive or appr opriations 265
399+committee with jurisdiction; or a member of the board for which 266
400+an investigation is sought. The office may investigate 267
401+allegations or reports of suspected violations of a student's, 268
402+parent's, or teacher's rights. The office shall have access to 269
403+all information and personnel necessary to perform its duties 270
404+and shall have all of its current powers, duties, and 271
405+responsibilities authorized in s. 20.055. 272
406+ Section 8. Section 1001.325, Florida Statutes, is created 273
407+to read: 274
408+ 1001.325 Prohibited expen ditures.— 275
409+
410+CS/HB 1255 2025
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417+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
418+
419+
420+
421+ (1) A public school, charter school, school district, 276
422+charter school administrator, or direct -support organization may 277
423+not expend any funds, regardless of source, to purchase 278
424+membership in, or goods and services from, any organization that 279
425+discriminates on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, 280
426+disability, or religion. 281
427+ (2) A public school, charter school, school district, 282
428+charter school administrator, or direct -support organization may 283
429+not expend any state or federal funds to prom ote, support, or 284
430+maintain any programs or campus activities that: 285
431+ (a) Violate s. 1000.05; or 286
432+ (b) Advocate, promote, or engage in political or social 287
433+activism, as defined by the State Board of Education. 288
434+ 289
435+Student fees to support student -led organizations are permitted 290
436+notwithstanding any speech or expressive activity by such 291
437+organizations which would otherwise violate this subsection, 292
438+provided that public funds are allocated to student -led 293
439+organizations pursuant to written policies or regulations of the 294
440+school or district in which the student is enrolled, as 295
441+applicable. Use of school or district facilities by student -led 296
442+organizations is permitted notwithstanding any speech or 297
443+expressive activity by such organizations which would otherwise 298
444+violate this subsection, provided that such use is granted to 299
445+student-led organizations pursuant to written policies or 300
446+
447+CS/HB 1255 2025
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454+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
455+
456+
457+
458+regulations of the school or school district, as applicable. 301
459+ (3) Subsection (2) does not prohibit programs, campus 302
460+activities, or functions required for compliance with general or 303
461+federal laws or regulations, for obtaining or retaining 304
462+accreditation, or for continuing to receive state funds with the 305
463+approval of either the State Board of Education or the 306
464+department. 307
465+ (4) The State Board of Education sh all adopt rules to 308
466+implement this section. 309
467+ Section 9. Paragraph (a) of subsection (1) of section 310
468+1001.452, Florida Statutes, is amended to read: 311
469+ 1001.452 District and school advisory councils. — 312
470+ (1) ESTABLISHMENT.— 313
471+ (a) The district school board shall establish an advisory 314
472+council for each school in the district and shall develop 315
473+procedures for the election and appointment of advisory council 316
474+members. Each school advisory council shall include in its name 317
475+the words "school advisory council." The school advisory council 318
476+shall be the sole body responsible for final decisionmaking at 319
477+the school relating to implementation of ss. 1001.42(18) and 320
478+1008.345. A majority of the members of each school advisory 321
479+council must be persons who are not employed by the school 322
480+district. Each advisory council shall be composed of the 323
481+principal and an appropriately balanced number of teachers, 324
482+education support employees, students, parents, and other 325
483+
484+CS/HB 1255 2025
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491+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
492+
493+
494+
495+business and community citizens who are representative of the 326
496+ethnic, racial, and economic community served by the school. 327
497+Career center and high school advisory councils shall include 328
498+students, and middle and junior high school advisory councils 329
499+may include students. School advisory councils of career centers 330
500+and adult education centers are not required to include parents 331
501+as members. Council members representing teachers, education 332
502+support employees, students, and parents shall be elected by 333
503+their respective peer groups at the school in a fair a nd 334
504+equitable manner as follows: 335
505+ 1. Teachers shall be elected by teachers. 336
506+ 2. Education support employees shall be elected by 337
507+education support employees. 338
508+ 3. Students shall be elected by students. 339
509+ 4. Parents shall be elected by parents. 340
510+ 341
511+ The district school board shall establish procedures to be 342
512+used by schools in selecting business and community members 343
513+which that include means of ensuring wide notice of vacancies 344
514+and of taking input on possible members from local business, 345
515+chambers of commerce, co mmunity and civic organizations and 346
516+groups, and the public at large. The district school board shall 347
517+review the membership composition of each advisory council. If 348
518+the district school board determines that the membership elected 349
519+by the school is not repres entative of the ethnic, racial, and 350
520+
521+CS/HB 1255 2025
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528+F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S
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530+
531+
532+economic community served by the school, the district school 351
533+board must shall appoint additional members to achieve proper 352
534+representation. The commissioner shall determine if schools have 353
535+maximized their efforts to inclu de on their advisory councils 354
536+minority persons and persons of lower socioeconomic status. 355
537+Although schools are strongly encouraged to establish school 356
538+advisory councils, the district school board of any school 357
539+district that has a student population of 10,0 00 or less fewer 358
540+may establish a district advisory council which includes at 359
541+least one duly elected teacher from each school in the district. 360
542+For the purposes of school advisory councils and district 361
543+advisory councils, the term "teacher" includes classroom 362
544+teachers, certified student services personnel, and media 363
545+specialists. For purposes of this paragraph, "education support 364
546+employee" means any person employed by a school who is not 365
547+defined as instructional or administrative personnel pursuant to 366
548+s. 1012.01 and whose duties require 20 or more hours in each 367
549+normal working week. 368
550+ Section 10. Paragraph (o) of subsection (3) and paragraph 369
551+(c) of subsection (4) of section 1002.20, Florida Statutes, are 370
552+amended to read: 371
553+ 1002.20 K-12 student and parent rights .—Parents of public 372
554+school students must receive accurate and timely information 373
555+regarding their child's academic progress and must be informed 374
556+of ways they can help their child to succeed in school. K -12 375
557+
558+CS/HB 1255 2025
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565+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
566+
567+
568+
569+students and their parents are afforded numerous st atutory 376
570+rights including, but not limited to, the following: 377
571+ (3) HEALTH ISSUES.— 378
572+ (o) Emergency opioid antagonist Naloxone use and supply.— 379
573+ 1. A public school may purchase a supply of an emergency 380
574+the opioid antagonist approved by the United States Fo od and 381
575+Drug Administration (FDA) naloxone from a wholesale distributor 382
576+as defined in s. 499.003 or may enter into an arrangement with a 383
577+wholesale distributor or manufacturer as defined in s. 499.003 384
578+for an FDA-approved emergency opioid antagonist naloxone at 385
579+fair-market, free, or reduced prices for use in the event that a 386
580+student has an opioid overdose. The FDA-approved emergency 387
581+opioid antagonist naloxone must be maintained in a secure 388
582+location on the public school's premises. 389
583+ 2. A school district employ ee who administers an approved 390
584+emergency opioid antagonist to a student in compliance with ss. 391
585+381.887 and 768.13 is immune from civil liability under s. 392
586+768.13. 393
587+ (4) DISCIPLINE.— 394
588+ (c) Corporal punishment. — 395
589+ 1. In accordance with the provisions of s. 10 03.32, 396
590+corporal punishment of a public school student may only be 397
591+administered by a teacher or school principal within guidelines 398
592+of the school principal and according to district school board 399
593+policy. Another adult must be present and must be informed in 400
594+
595+CS/HB 1255 2025
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602+F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S
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604+
605+
606+the student's presence of the reason for the punishment. Upon 401
607+request, the teacher or school principal must provide the parent 402
608+with a written explanation of the reason for the punishment and 403
609+the name of the other adult who was present. 404
610+ 2. A district schoo l board having a policy authorizing the 405
611+use of corporal punishment as a form of discipline shall include 406
612+in such policy a requirement that a parent provide consent for 407
613+the school to administer corporal punishment. The district 408
614+school board policy may requi re such consent for the school year 409
615+or before each administration. The district school board shall 410
616+review its policy on corporal punishment once every 3 years 411
617+during a district school board meeting held pursuant to s. 412
618+1001.372. The district school board sh all take public testimony 413
619+at the board meeting. If such board meeting is not held in 414
620+accordance with this subparagraph, the portion of the district 415
621+school board's policy authorizing corporal punishment expires. 416
622+ Section 11. Paragraph (b) of subsection ( 16) of section 417
623+1002.33, Florida Statutes, is amended to read: 418
624+ 1002.33 Charter schools. — 419
625+ (16) EXEMPTION FROM STATUTES. — 420
626+ (b) Additionally, a charter school shall be in compliance 421
627+with the following statutes: 422
628+ 1. Section 286.011, relating to public mee tings and 423
629+records, public inspection, and criminal and civil penalties. 424
630+ 2. Chapter 119, relating to public records. 425
631+
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639+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
640+
641+
642+
643+ 3. Section 1003.03, relating to the maximum class size, 426
644+except that the calculation for compliance pursuant to s. 427
645+1003.03 shall be the a verage at the school level. 428
646+ 4. Section 1012.22(1)(c), relating to compensation and 429
647+salary schedules. 430
648+ 5. Section 1012.33(5), relating to workforce reductions. 431
649+ 6. Section 1012.335, relating to contracts with 432
650+instructional personnel hired on or after July 1, 2011. 433
651+ 7. Section 1012.34, relating to the substantive 434
652+requirements for performance evaluations for instructional 435
653+personnel and school administrators. 436
654+ 8. Section 1006.12, relating to safe -school officers. 437
655+ 9. Section 1006.07(7), relating to thr eat management 438
656+teams. 439
657+ 10. Section 1006.07(9), relating to School Environmental 440
658+Safety Incident Reporting. 441
659+ 11. Section 1006.07(10), relating to reporting of 442
660+involuntary examinations. 443
661+ 12. Section 1006.1493, relating to the Florida Safe 444
662+Schools Assessment Tool. 445
663+ 13. Section 1006.07(6)(d), relating to adopting an active 446
664+assailant response plan. 447
665+ 14. Section 943.082(4)(b), relating to the mobile 448
666+suspicious activity reporting tool. 449
667+ 15. Section 1012.584, relating to youth mental health 450
668+
669+CS/HB 1255 2025
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676+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
677+
678+
679+
680+awareness and assistance training. 451
681+ 16. Section 1001.42(4)(f)2., relating to middle school and 452
682+high school start times. A charter school -in-the-workplace is 453
683+exempt from this requirement. 454
684+ 17. Section 1002.20(4)(c), relating to school corporal 455
685+punishment. 456
686+ Section 12. Section 1002.351, Florida Statutes, is 457
687+repealed. 458
688+ Section 13. Subsection (6) of section 1002.394, Florida 459
689+Statutes, is amended to read: 460
690+ 1002.394 The Family Empowerment Scholarship Program. — 461
691+ (6) SCHOLARSHIP PROHIBITIONS. —A student is not eligible 462
692+for a Family Empowerment Scholarship while he or she is: 463
693+ (a) Enrolled full time in a public school, including, but 464
694+not limited to, the Florida School for the Deaf and the Blind, 465
695+the College-Preparatory Boarding Academy, the Florida School for 466
696+Competitive Academics, the Florida Virtual School, the Florida 467
697+Scholars Academy, a developmental research school authorized 468
698+under s. 1002.32, or a charter school authorized under this 469
699+chapter. For purposes of this paragraph, a 3 - or 4-year-old 470
700+child who receives services funded through the Florida Education 471
701+Finance Program is considered to be a student enrolled in a 472
702+public school; 473
703+ (b) Enrolled in a school operating for the purpose of 474
704+providing educational services to youth in a Department of 475
705+
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713+F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S
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715+
716+
717+Juvenile Justice commitment program; 476
718+ (c) Receiving any other educational scholarship pursuant 477
719+to this chapter. However, an eligible public school student 478
720+receiving a scholarship under s. 1002.411 may receive a 479
721+scholarship for transportation pursuant to subparagraph 480
722+(4)(a)2.; 481
723+ (d) Not having regular and direct contact with his or her 482
724+private school teachers pursuant to s. 1002.421(1)(i), unless he 483
725+or she is eligible pursuant to paragraph (3)(b) and enrolled in 484
726+the participating private school's transition -to-work program 485
727+pursuant to subsection (16) or a home education program pursuant 486
728+to s. 1002.41; 487
729+ (e) Participating in a private tutoring program pursuant 488
730+to s. 1002.43 unless he or she is determined eligible pursuant 489
731+to paragraph (3)(b); or 490
732+ (f) Participating in virtual instructio n pursuant to s. 491
733+1002.455 that receives state funding pursuant to the student's 492
734+participation. 493
735+ Section 14. Subsection (4) of section 1002.395, Florida 494
736+Statutes, is amended to read: 495
737+ 1002.395 Florida Tax Credit Scholarship Program. — 496
738+ (4) SCHOLARSHIP PROHIBITIONS.—A student is not eligible 497
739+for a scholarship while he or she is: 498
740+ (a) Enrolled full time in a public school, including, but 499
741+not limited to, the Florida School for the Deaf and the Blind, 500
742+
743+CS/HB 1255 2025
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745+
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750+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
751+
752+
753+
754+the College-Preparatory Boarding Academy, the Florida School for 501
755+Competitive Academics, the Florida Virtual School, the Florida 502
756+Scholars Academy, a developmental research school authorized 503
757+under s. 1002.32, or a charter school authorized under this 504
758+chapter. For purposes of this paragraph, a 3 - or 4-year-old 505
759+child who receives services funded through the Florida Education 506
760+Finance Program is considered a student enrolled full time in a 507
761+public school; 508
762+ (b) Enrolled in a school operating for the purpose of 509
763+providing educational services to youth in a Department of 510
764+Juvenile Justice commitment program; 511
765+ (c) Receiving any other educational scholarship pursuant 512
766+to this chapter. However, an eligible public school student 513
767+receiving a scholarship under s. 1002.411 may receive a 514
768+scholarship for transportation pursuant to s ubparagraph 515
769+(6)(d)4.; 516
770+ (d) Not having regular and direct contact with his or her 517
771+private school teachers pursuant to s. 1002.421(1)(i) unless he 518
772+or she is enrolled in a personalized education program; 519
773+ (e) Participating in a home education program as defined 520
774+in s. 1002.01(1); 521
775+ (f) Participating in a private tutoring program pursuant 522
776+to s. 1002.43 unless he or she is enrolled in a personalized 523
777+education program; or 524
778+ (g) Participating in virtual instruction pursuant to s. 525
779+
780+CS/HB 1255 2025
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787+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
788+
789+
790+
791+1002.455 that receives state f unding pursuant to the student's 526
792+participation. 527
793+ Section 15. Paragraphs (e), (m), and (p) of subsection (1) 528
794+of section 1002.421, Florida Statutes, are amended to read: 529
795+ 1002.421 State school choice scholarship program 530
796+accountability and oversight. — 531
797+ (1) PRIVATE SCHOOL ELIGIBILITY AND OBLIGATIONS. —A private 532
798+school participating in an educational scholarship program 533
799+established pursuant to this chapter must be a private school as 534
800+defined in s. 1002.01 in this state, be registered, and be in 535
801+compliance with all requirements of this section in addition to 536
802+private school requirements outlined in s. 1002.42, specific 537
803+requirements identified within respective scholarship program 538
804+laws, and other provisions of Florida law that apply to private 539
805+schools, and must: 540
806+ (e) Annually complete and submit to the department a 541
807+notarized scholarship compliance statement certifying that all 542
808+school employees and contracted personnel with direct student 543
809+contact have undergone background screening pursuant to s. 544
810+435.12 and have met the screening standards as provided in s. 545
811+1012.315 s. 435.04. 546
812+ (m) Require each employee and contracted personnel with 547
813+direct student contact, upon employment or engagement to provide 548
814+services, to undergo a state and national background screening 549
815+under s. 1012.315, pursuant to s. 943.0542, by electronically 550
816+
817+CS/HB 1255 2025
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819+
820+
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824+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
825+
826+
827+
828+filing with the Department of Law Enforcement a complete set of 551
829+fingerprints taken by an authorized law enforcement agency or an 552
830+employee of the private school, a school district, or a private 553
831+company who is trained to take fingerprints and deny employment 554
832+to or terminate an employee if he or she fails to meet the 555
833+screening standards under s. 1012.315 s. 435.04. Results of the 556
834+screening shall be provided to the participating private school. 557
835+For purposes of this paragraph: 558
836+ 1. An "employee or contracted personnel with direct 559
837+student contact" means any employee or contracted personnel who 560
838+has unsupervised access to a scholarship student for whom the 561
839+private school is responsible. 562
840+ 2. The costs of fingerprinting and the background check 563
841+shall not be borne by the state. 564
842+ 3. Continued employment of an employee or contracted 565
843+personnel after notification that he or she has failed the 566
844+background screening under this paragraph shall cause a private 567
845+school to be ineligible for participation in a scholarship 568
846+program. 569
847+ 4. An employee or contracted personnel holding a valid 570
848+Florida teaching certificate who has been fingerprinted pursuant 571
849+to s. 1012.32 is not required to comply with the provisions of 572
850+this paragraph. 573
851+ 5. All fingerprints submitted to the Department of Law 574
852+Enforcement as required by this section shall be retained in the 575
853+
854+CS/HB 1255 2025
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861+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
862+
863+
864+
865+Care Provider Background Screening Clearinghouse as provided in 576
866+s. 435.12 by the Department of Law Enforcement in a manner 577
867+provided by rule and entered in the statewide automated 578
868+biometric identification system authorized by s. 943.05(2)(b). 579
869+Such fingerprints shall thereafter be available for all purposes 580
870+and uses authorized for arrest fingerprints entered in the 581
871+statewide automated biometric identification system pursuant to 582
872+s. 943.051. 583
873+ 6. Employees, contracted personnel, owners, and operators 584
874+must be rescreened as required by s. 435.12 The Department of 585
875+Law Enforcement shall search all arrest fingerprints received 586
876+under s. 943.051 against the fingerprints retained in the 587
877+statewide automated biometric identification system under 588
878+subparagraph 5. Any arrest record that is identified with the 589
879+retained fingerprints of a person subject to the background 590
880+screening under this section sha ll be reported to the employing 591
881+school with which the person is affiliated. Each private school 592
882+participating in a scholarship program is required to 593
883+participate in this search process by informing the Department 594
884+of Law Enforcement of any change in the emp loyment or 595
885+contractual status of its personnel whose fingerprints are 596
886+retained under subparagraph 5. The Department of Law Enforcement 597
887+shall adopt a rule setting the amount of the annual fee to be 598
888+imposed upon each private school for performing these searc hes 599
889+and establishing the procedures for the retention of private 600
890+
891+CS/HB 1255 2025
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898+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
899+
900+
901+
902+school employee and contracted personnel fingerprints and the 601
903+dissemination of search results. The fee may be borne by the 602
904+private school or the person fingerprinted . 603
905+ 7. Persons who apply for employment are governed by the 604
906+laws and rules in effect at the time of application for 605
907+employment, provided that the person is continually employed by 606
908+the same school Employees and contracted personnel whose 607
909+fingerprints are not retained by the Departme nt of Law 608
910+Enforcement under subparagraphs 5. and 6. are required to be 609
911+refingerprinted and must meet state and national background 610
912+screening requirements upon reemployment or reengagement to 611
913+provide services in order to comply with the requirements of 612
914+this section. 613
915+ 8. Every 5 years following employment or engagement to 614
916+provide services with a private school, employees or contracted 615
917+personnel required to be screened under this section must meet 616
918+screening standards under s. 435.04, at which time the private 617
919+school shall request the Department of Law Enforcement to 618
920+forward the fingerprints to the Federal Bureau of Investigation 619
921+for national processing. If the fingerprints of employees or 620
922+contracted personnel are not retained by the Department of Law 621
923+Enforcement under subparagraph 5., employees and contracted 622
924+personnel must electronically file a complete set of 623
925+fingerprints with the Department of Law Enforcement. Upon 624
926+submission of fingerprints for this purpose, the private school 625
927+
928+CS/HB 1255 2025
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930+
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935+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
936+
937+
938+
939+shall request that the Departm ent of Law Enforcement forward the 626
940+fingerprints to the Federal Bureau of Investigation for national 627
941+processing, and the fingerprints shall be retained by the 628
942+Department of Law Enforcement under subparagraph 5. 629
943+ (p) Require each owner or operator of the pr ivate school, 630
944+prior to employment or engagement to provide services, to 631
945+undergo level 2 background screening as provided in s. 1012.315 632
946+under chapter 435. For purposes of this paragraph, the term 633
947+"owner or operator" means an owner, operator, superintendent , or 634
948+principal of, or a person with equivalent decisionmaking 635
949+authority over, a private school participating in a scholarship 636
950+program established pursuant to this chapter. The fingerprints 637
951+for the background screening must be electronically submitted to 638
952+the Department of Law Enforcement and may be taken by an 639
953+authorized law enforcement agency or a private company who is 640
954+trained to take fingerprints. However, the complete set of 641
955+fingerprints of an owner or operator may not be taken by the 642
956+owner or operator. The owner or operator shall provide a copy of 643
957+the results of the state and national criminal history check to 644
958+the Department of Education. The cost of the background 645
959+screening may be borne by the owner or operator. 646
960+ 1. Every 5 years following employment o r engagement to 647
961+provide services, each owner or operator must meet level 2 648
962+screening standards as described in s. 435.04, at which time the 649
963+owner or operator shall request the Department of Law 650
964+
965+CS/HB 1255 2025
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967+
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972+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
973+
974+
975+
976+Enforcement to forward the fingerprints to the Federal Bureau of 651
977+Investigation for level 2 screening. If the fingerprints of an 652
978+owner or operator are not retained by the Department of Law 653
979+Enforcement under subparagraph 2., the owner or operator must 654
980+electronically file a complete set of fingerprints with the 655
981+Department of Law Enforcement. Upon submission of fingerprints 656
982+for this purpose, the owner or operator shall request that the 657
983+Department of Law Enforcement forward the fingerprints to the 658
984+Federal Bureau of Investigation for level 2 screening, and the 659
985+fingerprints shall be retained by the Department of Law 660
986+Enforcement under subparagraph 2. 661
987+ 2. Fingerprints submitted to the Department of Law 662
988+Enforcement as required by this paragraph must be retained by 663
989+the Department of Law Enforcement in a manner approved by rule 664
990+and entered in the statewide automated biometric identification 665
991+system authorized by s. 943.05(2)(b). The fingerprints must 666
992+thereafter be available for all purposes and uses authorized for 667
993+arrest fingerprints entered in the statewide automated biometric 668
994+identification system pursuant to s. 943.051. 669
995+ 3. The Department of Law Enforcement shall search all 670
996+arrest fingerprints received under s. 943.051 against the 671
997+fingerprints retained in the statewide automated biometric 672
998+identification system under subparagraph 2. Any arrest record 673
999+that is identified with an owner's or operator's fingerprints 674
1000+must be reported to the owner or operator, who must report to 675
1001+
1002+CS/HB 1255 2025
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1004+
1005+
1006+CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
1007+hb1255-01-c1
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1009+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
1010+
1011+
1012+
1013+the Department of Education. Any costs associated with the 676
1014+search shall be borne by the owner or operator. 677
1015+ 4. An owner or operator who fails the level 2 background 678
1016+screening is not eligible to participate in a scholarship 679
1017+program under this chapter. 680
1018+ 1.5. In addition to the offenses listed in s. 435.04, a 681
1019+person required to undergo background screening pursuant to this 682
1020+part or authorizing statutes may not have an arrest awaiting 683
1021+final disposition for, must not have been found guilty of, or 684
1022+entered a plea of nolo contendere to, regardless of 685
1023+adjudication, and must not have been adjudicated delinquent for, 686
1024+and the record must not have been sealed or expunged for, any of 687
1025+the following offenses or any similar offense of another 688
1026+jurisdiction: 689
1027+ a. Any authorizing statutes, if the offense was a felony. 690
1028+ b. This chapter, if the offense was a felony. 691
1029+ c. Section 409.920, relating to Medicaid provider fraud. 692
1030+ d. Section 409.9201, relating to Medicaid fraud. 693
1031+ e. Section 741.28, relating to domestic violence. 694
1032+ f. Section 817.034, relating to fraudulent acts through 695
1033+mail, wire, radio, electromagnetic, photoelectronic, or 696
1034+photooptical systems. 697
1035+ g. Section 817.234, relating to false and fraudulent 698
1036+insurance claims. 699
1037+ h. Section 817.505, relating to patient brokering. 700
1038+
1039+CS/HB 1255 2025
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1041+
1042+
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1046+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
1047+
1048+
1049+
1050+ i. Section 817.568, relating to criminal use of personal 701
1051+identification information. 702
1052+ j. Section 817.60, relating to obtaining a credit card 703
1053+through fraudulent means. 704
1054+ k. Section 817.61, relating to fraudulent use of credit 705
1055+cards, if the offense was a felony. 706
1056+ l. Section 831.01, relating to forgery. 707
1057+ m. Section 831.02, relating to uttering forged 708
1058+instruments. 709
1059+ n. Section 831.07, relating to forging bank bills, checks, 710
1060+drafts, or promissory notes. 711
1061+ o. Section 831.09, relating to uttering forged bank bills, 712
1062+checks, drafts, or promissory notes. 713
1063+ p. Section 831.30, relating to fraud in obtaining 714
1064+medicinal drugs. 715
1065+ q. Section 831.31, relating to the sale, manufacture, 716
1066+delivery, or possession with the intent to sell, manufacture, or 717
1067+deliver any counterfeit controlled substance, if the offense was 718
1068+a felony. 719
1069+ 2.6. At least 30 calendar days before a transfer of 720
1070+ownership of a private school, the owner or operator shall 721
1071+notify the parent of each scholarship student. 722
1072+ 3.7. The owner or operator of a private school that has 723
1073+been deemed ineligible to participate in a scholarship program 724
1074+pursuant to this chapter may not transfer ownership or 725
1075+
1076+CS/HB 1255 2025
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1078+
1079+
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1083+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
1084+
1085+
1086+
1087+management authority of the school to a relative in order to 726
1088+participate in a scholarship program as the same school or a new 727
1089+school. For purposes of this subparagraph, the term "relative" 728
1090+means father, mother, son, daughter, gran dfather, grandmother, 729
1091+brother, sister, uncle, aunt, cousin, nephew, niece, husband, 730
1092+wife, father-in-law, mother-in-law, son-in-law, daughter-in-law, 731
1093+brother-in-law, sister-in-law, stepfather, stepmother, stepson, 732
1094+stepdaughter, stepbrother, stepsister, half brother, or half 733
1095+sister. 734
1096+ 735
1097+The department shall suspend the payment of funds to a private 736
1098+school that knowingly fails to comply with this subsection, and 737
1099+shall prohibit the school from enrolling new scholarship 738
1100+students, for 1 fiscal year and until the sch ool complies. If a 739
1101+private school fails to meet the requirements of this subsection 740
1102+or has consecutive years of material exceptions listed in the 741
1103+report required under paragraph (q), the commissioner may 742
1104+determine that the private school is ineligible to p articipate 743
1105+in a scholarship program. 744
1106+ Section 16. Subsection (4) of section 1002.71, Florida 745
1107+Statutes, is amended to read: 746
1108+ 1002.71 Funding; financial and attendance reporting. — 747
1109+ (4) Notwithstanding s. 1002.53(3) and subsection (2): 748
1110+ (a) A child who, for any of the prekindergarten programs 749
1111+listed in s. 1002.53(3), has not completed any of the 750
1112+
1113+CS/HB 1255 2025
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1120+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
1121+
1122+
1123+
1124+prekindergarten programs listed in s. 1002.53(3) more than 70 751
1125+percent of the hours authorized to be reported for funding under 752
1126+subsection (2), or has not expende d more than 70 percent of the 753
1127+funds authorized for the child under s. 1002.66, may withdraw 754
1128+from the program for good cause and reenroll in one of the 755
1129+programs. The total funding for a child who reenrolls in one of 756
1130+the programs for good cause may not exceed one full -time 757
1131+equivalent student. Funding for a child who withdraws and 758
1132+reenrolls in one of the programs for good cause must shall be 759
1133+issued in accordance with the department's uniform attendance 760
1134+policy adopted pursuant to paragraph (6)(d). 761
1135+ (b) A child who has not substantially completed any of the 762
1136+prekindergarten programs liste d in s. 1002.53(3) may withdraw 763
1137+from the program due to an extreme hardship that is beyond the 764
1138+child's or parent's control, reenroll in one of the summer 765
1139+programs, and be reported for funding purposes as a full -time 766
1140+equivalent student in the summer program for which the child is 767
1141+reenrolled. 768
1142+ 769
1143+A child may reenroll only once in a prekindergarten program 770
1144+under this section. A child who reenrolls in a prekindergarten 771
1145+program under this subsection may not subsequently withdraw from 772
1146+the program and reenroll, unles s the child is granted a good 773
1147+cause exemption under this subsection. The department shall 774
1148+establish criteria specifying whether a good cause exists for a 775
1149+
1150+CS/HB 1255 2025
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1157+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
1158+
1159+
1160+
1161+child to withdraw from a program under paragraph (a) , whether a 776
1162+child has substantially completed a pr ogram under paragraph (b), 777
1163+and whether an extreme hardship exists which is beyond the 778
1164+child's or parent's control under paragraph (b). 779
1165+ Section 17. Subsection (2) of section 1003.05, Florida 780
1166+Statutes, is amended to read: 781
1167+ 1003.05 Assistance to transiti oning students from military 782
1168+families.— 783
1169+ (2) The Department of Education shall facilitate the 784
1170+development and implementation of memoranda of agreement between 785
1171+school districts and military installations which address 786
1172+strategies for assisting students who are the children of active 787
1173+duty military personnel in the transition to Florida schools. 788
1174+ (a) The strategies developed by the department must 789
1175+include the development and implementation of a training module 790
1176+relating to facilitating and expediting the trans fer of a K-12 791
1177+student's education records from an out -of-state school. 792
1178+ (b) The department shall provide the training module 793
1179+required under paragraph (a) to each district school board to 794
1180+provide to each public and charter K -12 school within its 795
1181+district. The district school board shall make the training 796
1182+available to employees who work directly with military students 797
1183+and families. 798
1184+ Section 18. Subsection (3) of section 1003.41, Florida 799
1185+Statutes, is amended to read: 800
1186+
1187+CS/HB 1255 2025
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1189+
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1194+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
1195+
1196+
1197+
1198+ 1003.41 State academic standards. — 801
1199+ (3) The Commissioner of Education shall, as deemed 802
1200+necessary, develop and submit proposed revisions to the 803
1201+standards for review and comment by Florida educators, school 804
1202+administrators, representatives of the Florida College System 805
1203+institutions and state u niversities who have expertise in the 806
1204+content knowledge and skills necessary to prepare a student for 807
1205+postsecondary education and careers, a representative from the 808
1206+Department of Commerce, business and industry leaders for in -809
1207+demand careers, and the public . The commissioner, after 810
1208+considering reviews and comments, shall submit the proposed 811
1209+revisions to the State Board of Education for adoption. New and 812
1210+revised standards documents submitted for approval to the state 813
1211+board must consist only of academic standa rds and benchmarks. 814
1212+The commissioner shall revise all currently approved standards 815
1213+documents based on the requirements of this subsection and 816
1214+submit all revised standards documents to the state board for 817
1215+approval no later than July 1, 2026. 818
1216+ Section 19. Paragraph (o) of subsection (2) of section 819
1217+1003.42, Florida Statutes, is amended to read: 820
1218+ 1003.42 Required instruction. — 821
1219+ (2) Members of the instructional staff of the public 822
1220+schools, subject to the rules of the State Board of Education 823
1221+and the district school board, shall teach efficiently and 824
1222+faithfully, using the books and materials required that meet the 825
1223+
1224+CS/HB 1255 2025
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1226+
1227+
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1231+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
1232+
1233+
1234+
1235+highest standards for professionalism and historical accuracy, 826
1236+following the prescribed courses of study, and employing 827
1237+approved methods of instruc tion, the following: 828
1238+ (o) Comprehensive age -appropriate and developmentally 829
1239+appropriate K-12 instruction on: 830
1240+ 1. Health education that addresses concepts of community 831
1241+health, consumer health, environmental health, and family life, 832
1242+including: 833
1243+ a. Injury prevention and safety. 834
1244+ b. Internet safety. 835
1245+ c. Nutrition. 836
1246+ d. Personal health. 837
1247+ e. Prevention and control of disease. 838
1248+ f. Substance use and abuse. 839
1249+ g. Prevention of child sexual abuse, exploitation, and 840
1250+human trafficking. 841
1251+ h. Human embryologic deve lopment. 842
1252+ 2. For students in grades 7 through 12, teen dating 843
1253+violence and abuse. This component must include, but not be 844
1254+limited to, the definition of dating violence and abuse, the 845
1255+warning signs of dating violence and abusive behavior, the 846
1256+characteristics of healthy relationships, measures to prevent 847
1257+and stop dating violence and abuse, and community resources 848
1258+available to victims of dating violence and abuse. 849
1259+ 3. For students in grades 6 through 12, awareness of the 850
1260+
1261+CS/HB 1255 2025
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1263+
1264+
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1268+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
1269+
1270+
1271+
1272+benefits of sexual abstinence as the expected standard and the 851
1273+consequences of teenage pregnancy. 852
1274+ 4. Life skills that build confidence, support mental and 853
1275+emotional health, and enable students to overcome challenges, 854
1276+including: 855
1277+ a. Self-awareness and self-management. 856
1278+ b. Responsible deci sionmaking. 857
1279+ c. Resiliency. 858
1280+ d. Relationship skills and conflict resolution. 859
1281+ e. Understanding and respecting other viewpoints and 860
1282+backgrounds. 861
1283+ f. For grades 9 through 12, developing leadership skills, 862
1284+interpersonal skills, organization skills, and re search skills; 863
1285+creating a résumé, including a digital résumé; exploring career 864
1286+pathways; using state career planning resources; developing and 865
1287+practicing the skills necessary for employment interviews; 866
1288+workplace ethics and workplace law; managing stress an d 867
1289+expectations; and self -motivation. 868
1290+ 5.a. For students in grades 6 through 12, the social, 869
1291+emotional, and physical effects of social media. This component 870
1292+must include, but need not be limited to, the negative effects 871
1293+of social media on mental health, in cluding addiction; the 872
1294+distribution of misinformation on social media; how social media 873
1295+manipulates behavior; the permanency of sharing materials 874
1296+online; how to maintain personal security and identify 875
1297+
1298+CS/HB 1255 2025
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1300+
1301+
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1305+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
1306+
1307+
1308+
1309+cyberbullying, predatory behavior, and human traffickin g on the 876
1310+Internet; and how to report suspicious behavior encountered on 877
1311+the Internet. 878
1312+ b. The Department of Education shall make available online 879
1313+the instructional material being used pursuant to this 880
1314+subparagraph, and each district school board shall not ify 881
1315+parents of its availability. 882
1316+ 6.a. For students in grades 6 through 12, health education 883
1317+addressing human embryologic development must include: 884
1318+ (I) A high-definition ultrasound video, at least 1 minute 885
1319+in duration, showing the development of the heart and other 886
1320+organs and movement of the limbs and head; and 887
1321+ (II) A high-quality, computer-generated rendering, 888
1322+animation, video, or other multimedia, at least 3 minutes in 889
1323+duration, showing and describing the process of fertilization 890
1324+and various stages of human development inside the uterus, 891
1325+noting significant markers in cell growth and organ development 892
1326+by week from conception until birth. 893
1327+ b. The State Board of Education shall adopt rules to 894
1328+implement this subparagraph. 895
1329+ 896
1330+Health education and life sk ills instruction and materials may 897
1331+not contradict the principles enumerated in subsection (3). 898
1332+ 899
1333+The State Board of Education is encouraged to adopt standards 900
1334+
1335+CS/HB 1255 2025
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1337+
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1342+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
1343+
1344+
1345+
1346+and pursue assessment of the requirements of this subsection. 901
1347+Instructional programming that incor porates the values of the 902
1348+recipients of the Congressional Medal of Honor and that is 903
1349+offered as part of a social studies, English Language Arts, or 904
1350+other schoolwide character building and veteran awareness 905
1351+initiative meets the requirements of paragraph (u) . 906
1352+ Section 20. Paragraph (a) of subsection (2) and subsection 907
1353+(3) of section 1003.4201, Florida Statutes, are amended to read: 908
1354+ 1003.4201 Comprehensive system of reading instruction. —909
1355+Each school district must implement a system of comprehensive 910
1356+reading instruction for students enrolled in prekindergarten 911
1357+through grade 12 and certain students who exhibit a substantial 912
1358+deficiency in early literacy. 913
1359+ (2)(a) Components of the reading instruction plan may 914
1360+include the following: 915
1361+ 1. Additional time per day of evidence-based intensive 916
1362+reading instruction for kindergarten through grade 12 students, 917
1363+which may be delivered during or outside of the regular school 918
1364+day. 919
1365+ 2. Highly qualified reading coaches, who must be endorsed 920
1366+in reading, to specifically support classroom teachers in making 921
1367+instructional decisions based on progress monitoring data 922
1368+collected pursuant to s. 1008.25(9) and improve classroom 923
1369+teacher delivery of effective reading instruction, reading 924
1370+intervention, and reading in the content areas based on student 925
1371+
1372+CS/HB 1255 2025
1373+
1374+
1375+
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1379+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
1380+
1381+
1382+
1383+need. 926
1384+ 3. Professional learning to help instructional personnel 927
1385+and certified prekindergarten teachers funded in the Florida 928
1386+Education Finance Program earn a certification, a credential, an 929
1387+endorsement, or an advanced degree in scientifically researched 930
1388+and evidence-based reading instruction. 931
1389+ 4. Summer reading camps, using only classroom teachers or 932
1390+other district personnel who possess a micro -credential as 933
1391+specified in s. 1003.485 or are certified or endorsed in reading 934
1392+consistent with s. 10 08.25(8)(b)3., for all students in 935
1393+kindergarten through grade 5 exhibiting a reading deficiency as 936
1394+determined by district and state assessments. 937
1395+ 5. Intensive reading interventions that must be delivered 938
1396+by instructional personnel who possess a micro -credential as 939
1397+provided in s. 1003.485 or are certified or endorsed in reading 940
1398+as provided in s. 1012.586 and must incorporate evidence -based 941
1399+strategies identified by the Just Read, Florida! Office pursuant 942
1400+to s. 1001.215(7). Instructional personnel who possess a micro-943
1401+credential as specified in s. 1003.485 and are delivering 944
1402+intensive reading interventions must be supervised by an 945
1403+individual certified or endorsed in reading. For the purposes of 946
1404+this subsection, the term "supervised" means the ability to 947
1405+communicate by way of telecommunication with or physical 948
1406+presence of the certified or endorsed personnel for consultation 949
1407+and direction of the actions of the personnel with the micro -950
1408+
1409+CS/HB 1255 2025
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1416+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
1417+
1418+
1419+
1420+credential. Incentives for instructional personnel and certified 951
1421+prekindergarten teachers funded in the Florida Education Finance 952
1422+Program who possess a reading certification or endorsement as 953
1423+specified in s. 1012.586 or micro-credential as specified in s. 954
1424+1003.485 and provide educational support to improve student 955
1425+literacy. 956
1426+ 6. Tutoring in reading. 957
1427+ 7. A description of how the district prioritizes the 958
1428+assignment of highly effective teachers, as identified in s. 959
1429+1012.34(2)(e), to students in kindergarten to grade 2. 960
1430+ (3) Each school district shall submit its approved reading 961
1431+instruction plan, including approved reading instruction plans 962
1432+for each charter school in the district, to the Department of 963
1433+Education for approval by August 1 of each fiscal year. 964
1434+ Section 21. Section 1003.4202, Florida Statutes, is 965
1435+created to read: 966
1436+ 1003.4202 Comprehensive system of mathematics 967
1437+instruction.—Each school district must implement a system of 968
1438+comprehensive mathematics instruction for students enrolled in 969
1439+prekindergarten through grade 12 and certain students who 970
1440+exhibit a substantial deficiency in early mathematics skills 971
1441+under s. 1008.25(6). 972
1442+ (1) As part of the reading instruction plan required under 973
1443+s. 1003.4201, each school district shall include a detailed 974
1444+mathematics instruction plan that outlines the components of the 975
1445+
1446+CS/HB 1255 2025
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1448+
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1453+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
1454+
1455+
1456+
1457+district's comprehensive system of mathematics instruction. 976
1458+ (2) Components of the mathematics instruction plan may 977
1459+include the following: 978
1460+ (a) Additional time per day of evidence -based intensive 979
1461+mathematics instruction for students in kindergarten through 980
1462+grade 12, which may b e delivered during or outside of the 981
1463+regular school day. 982
1464+ (b) Highly qualified mathematics coaches who hold either a 983
1465+grades 5 through 9 mathematics certification or a grades 6 984
1466+through 12 mathematics certification and have 3 consecutive 985
1467+years of a highly effective district evaluation, pursuant to s. 986
1468+1012.34, to specifically support classroom teachers in making 987
1469+instructional decisions based on progress monitoring data 988
1470+collected pursuant to s. 1008.25(9) and improve classroom 989
1471+teacher delivery of effective mat hematics instruction and 990
1472+mathematics intervention. 991
1473+ (c) Tutoring in mathematics. 992
1474+ (3) For purposes of this section, the term "evidence -993
1475+based" means demonstrating a statistically significant effect on 994
1476+improving student outcomes or other relevant outcomes as 995
1477+provided in 20 U.S.C. s. 8101(21)(A)(i) . 996
1478+ Section 22. Paragraph (h) of subsection (3) of section 997
1479+1003.4282, Florida Statutes, is amended to read: 998
1480+ 1003.4282 Requirements for a standard high school 999
1481+diploma.— 1000
1482+
1483+CS/HB 1255 2025
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1485+
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1490+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
1491+
1492+
1493+
1494+ (3) STANDARD HIGH SCHOOL DIPLOMA; COURSE AND ASSESSMENT 1001
1495+REQUIREMENTS.— 1002
1496+ (h) One-half credit in personal financial literacy. —1003
1497+Beginning with students entering grade 9 in the 2023 -2024 school 1004
1498+year, each student must earn one -half credit in personal 1005
1499+financial literacy and money management. This instruction must 1006
1500+include discussion of or instruction in all of the following: 1007
1501+ 1. Types of bank accounts offered, opening and managing a 1008
1502+bank account, and assessing the quality of a depository 1009
1503+institution's services. 1010
1504+ 2. Balancing a checkbook. 1011
1505+ 3. Basic principles of money management, such as spending, 1012
1506+credit, credit scores, and managing debt, including retail and 1013
1507+credit card debt. 1014
1508+ 4. Completing a loan application. 1015
1509+ 5. Receiving an inheritance and related implications. 1016
1510+ 6. Basic principles of person al insurance policies. 1017
1511+ 7. Computing federal income taxes. 1018
1512+ 8. Local tax assessments. 1019
1513+ 9. Computing interest rates by various mechanisms. 1020
1514+ 10. Simple contracts. 1021
1515+ 11. Contesting an incorrect billing statement. 1022
1516+ 12. Types of savings and investments. 1023
1517+ 13. State and federal laws concerning finance. 1024
1518+ 14. Costs of postsecondary education, including the cost 1025
1519+
1520+CS/HB 1255 2025
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1522+
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1527+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
1528+
1529+
1530+
1531+of attendance, completion of the Free Application for Federal 1026
1532+Student Aid, scholarships and grants, and student loans. 1027
1533+ Section 23. Paragraph (a) o f subsection (4) of section 1028
1534+1004.04, Florida Statutes, is amended to read: 1029
1535+ 1004.04 Public accountability and state approval for 1030
1536+teacher preparation programs. — 1031
1537+ (4) CONTINUED PROGRAM APPROVAL. —Continued approval of a 1032
1538+teacher preparation program shall be based upon evidence that 1033
1539+the program continues to implement the requirements for initial 1034
1540+approval and upon significant, objective, and quantifiable 1035
1541+measures of the program and the performance of the program 1036
1542+completers. 1037
1543+ (a) The criteria for continued appr oval must include each 1038
1544+of the following: 1039
1545+ 1. Candidate readiness based on passage rates on educator 1040
1546+certification examinations under s. 1012.56, as applicable. 1041
1547+ 2. Evidence of performance in each of the following areas: 1042
1548+ a. Performance of students in pr ekindergarten through 1043
1549+grade 12 who are assigned to in -field program completers on 1044
1550+statewide assessments using the results of the student learning 1045
1551+growth formula adopted under s. 1012.34. 1046
1552+ b. Results of program completers' annual evaluations in 1047
1553+accordance with the timeline as set forth in s. 1012.34. 1048
1554+ c. Workforce contributions, including placement of program 1049
1555+completers in instructional positions in Florida public and 1050
1556+
1557+CS/HB 1255 2025
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1559+
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1564+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
1565+
1566+
1567+
1568+private schools, with additional weight given to production of 1051
1569+program completers in stat ewide high-demand critical teacher 1052
1570+needs shortage areas as identified in s. 1012.07. 1053
1571+ 3. Results of the program completers' survey measuring 1054
1572+their satisfaction with preparation for the realities of the 1055
1573+classroom. 1056
1574+ 4. Results of the employers' survey measuring satisfaction 1057
1575+with the program and the program's responsiveness to local 1058
1576+school districts. 1059
1577+ Section 24. Effective upon this act becoming a law, 1060
1578+paragraph (b) of subsection (1) of section 1007.27, Florida 1061
1579+Statutes, is amended, and paragraph (d) is added to subsection 1062
1580+(2) of that section, to read: 1063
1581+ 1007.27 Articulated acceleration mechanisms. — 1064
1582+ (1) 1065
1583+ (b) The State Board of Education and the Board of 1066
1584+Governors shall identify Florida College System institutions and 1067
1585+state universities or a national consortium to develop courses 1068
1586+that align with s. 1007.25 for students in secondary education 1069
1587+and provide the training required under s. 1007.35(6). 1070
1588+ (2) 1071
1589+ (d) The department may join or establish a national 1072
1590+consortium as an alternative method to develop an d implement 1073
1591+advanced courses that align with s. 1007.25. 1074
1592+ Section 25. Paragraphs (a) and (c) of subsection (6) of 1075
1593+
1594+CS/HB 1255 2025
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1601+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
1602+
1603+
1604+
1605+section 1008.25, Florida Statutes, are amended to read: 1076
1606+ 1008.25 Public school student progression; student 1077
1607+support; coordinated screening and progress monitoring; 1078
1608+reporting requirements. — 1079
1609+ (6) MATHEMATICS DEFICIENCY AND PARENTAL NOTIFICATION. — 1080
1610+ (a) Any student in a Voluntary Prekindergarten Education 1081
1611+Program provided by a public school who exhibits a substantial 1082
1612+deficiency in early mathem atics skills and any student in 1083
1613+kindergarten through grade 4 who exhibits a substantial 1084
1614+deficiency in mathematics or the characteristics of dyscalculia 1085
1615+based upon screening, diagnostic, progress monitoring, or 1086
1616+assessment data; statewide assessments; or tea cher observations 1087
1617+must: 1088
1618+ 1. Immediately following the identification of the 1089
1619+mathematics deficiency, be provided systematic and explicit 1090
1620+mathematics instruction to address his or her specific 1091
1621+deficiencies through either: 1092
1622+ a. Daily targeted small group mat hematics intervention 1093
1623+based on student need; or 1094
1624+ b. Supplemental, evidence -based mathematics interventions 1095
1625+before or after school, or both, delivered by a highly qualified 1096
1626+teacher of mathematics or a trained tutor , as defined by the 1097
1627+State Board of Educati on. 1098
1628+ 2. The performance of a student receiving mathematics 1099
1629+instruction under subparagraph 1. must be monitored, and 1100
1630+
1631+CS/HB 1255 2025
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1639+
1640+
1641+
1642+instruction must be adjusted based on the student's need. 1101
1643+ 3. The department shall provide a list of state examined 1102
1644+and approved mathemati cs intervention programs, curricula, and 1103
1645+high-quality supplemental materials that may be used to improve 1104
1646+a student's mathematics deficiencies. In addition, the 1105
1647+department shall work, at a minimum, with the Florida Center for 1106
1648+Mathematics and Science Educati on Research established in s. 1107
1649+1004.86 to disseminate information to school districts and 1108
1650+teachers on effective evidence -based explicit mathematics 1109
1651+instructional practices, strategies, and interventions. 1110
1652+ 4. A school may not wait for a student to receive a 1111
1653+failing grade at the end of a grading period or wait until a 1112
1654+plan under paragraph (4)(b) is developed to identify the student 1113
1655+as having a substantial mathematics deficiency and initiate 1114
1656+intensive mathematics interventions. In addition, a school may 1115
1657+not wait until an evaluation conducted pursuant to s. 1003.57 is 1116
1658+completed to provide appropriate, evidence -based interventions 1117
1659+for a student whose parent submits documentation from a 1118
1660+professional licensed under chapter 490 which demonstrates that 1119
1661+the student has been diagnosed with dyscalculia. Such 1120
1662+interventions must be initiated upon receipt of the 1121
1663+documentation and based on the student's specific areas of 1122
1664+difficulty as identified by the licensed professional. 1123
1665+ 5. The mathematics proficiency of a student rece iving 1124
1666+additional mathematics supports must be monitored and the 1125
1667+
1668+CS/HB 1255 2025
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1676+
1677+
1678+
1679+intensive interventions must continue until the student 1126
1680+demonstrates grade level proficiency in a manner determined by 1127
1681+the district, which may include achieving a Level 3 on the 1128
1682+statewide, standardized Mathematics assessment. The State Board 1129
1683+of Education shall identify by rule guidelines for determining 1130
1684+whether a student in a Voluntary Prekindergarten Education 1131
1685+Program has a deficiency in early mathematics skills or a 1132
1686+student in kindergarten th rough grade 4 has a substantial 1133
1687+deficiency in mathematics. 1134
1688+ 1135
1689+For the purposes of this subsection, a Voluntary Prekindergarten 1136
1690+Education Program student is deemed to exhibit a substantial 1137
1691+deficiency in mathematics skills based upon the results of the 1138
1692+midyear or final administration of the coordinated screening and 1139
1693+progress monitoring under subsection (9). 1140
1694+ (c) The parent of a student who exhibits a substantial 1141
1695+deficiency in mathematics, as described in paragraph (a), must 1142
1696+be immediately notified in writing o f the following: 1143
1697+ 1. That his or her child has been identified as having a 1144
1698+substantial deficiency in mathematics, including a description 1145
1699+and explanation, in terms understandable to the parent, of the 1146
1700+exact nature of the student's difficulty in learning a nd lack of 1147
1701+achievement in mathematics. 1148
1702+ 2. A description of the current services that are provided 1149
1703+to the child. 1150
1704+
1705+CS/HB 1255 2025
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1714+
1715+
1716+ 3. A description of the proposed intensive interventions 1151
1717+and supports that will be provided to the child that are 1152
1718+designed to remediate the identified area of mathematics 1153
1719+deficiency. 1154
1720+ 4. Strategies, including multisensory strategies and 1155
1721+programming, through a home -based plan the parent can use in 1156
1722+helping his or her child succeed in mathematics. The home -based 1157
1723+plan must provide access to the r esources identified in 1158
1724+paragraph (d). 1159
1725+ 5. Information about the student's eligibility for the New 1160
1726+Worlds Scholarship Accounts under s. 1002.411 and the school 1161
1727+district's tutoring services provided by the New Worlds Tutoring 1162
1728+Program under s. 1008.366. 1163
1729+ 1164
1730+After the initial notification, the school shall apprise the 1165
1731+parent at least monthly of the student's progress in response to 1166
1732+the intensive interventions and supports. Such communications 1167
1733+must be in writing and must explain any additional interventions 1168
1734+or supports that will be implemented to accelerate the student's 1169
1735+progress if the interventions and supports already being 1170
1736+implemented have not resulted in improvement. Upon the request 1171
1737+of the parent, the teacher or school administrator shall meet to 1172
1738+discuss the student's progress. The parent may request more 1173
1739+frequent notification of the student's progress, more frequent 1174
1740+interventions or supports, and earlier implementation of the 1175
1741+
1742+CS/HB 1255 2025
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1750+
1751+
1752+
1753+additional interventions or supports described in the initial 1176
1754+notification. 1177
1755+ Section 26. Subsection (8) of section 1008.365, Florida 1178
1756+Statutes, is amended to read: 1179
1757+ 1008.365 Reading Achievement Initiative for Scholastic 1180
1758+Excellence Act.— 1181
1759+ (8) As part of the RAISE Program, the department shall 1182
1760+establish a tutoring program and develop tr aining in effective 1183
1761+reading tutoring practices and content, based on evidence -based 1184
1762+practices grounded in the science of reading and aligned to the 1185
1763+English Language Arts standards under s. 1003.41, which prepares 1186
1764+eligible high school students to tutor stud ents in kindergarten 1187
1765+through grade 3 in schools identified under this section, 1188
1766+instilling in those students a love of reading and improving 1189
1767+their literacy skills. 1190
1768+ (a) To be eligible to participate in the tutoring program, 1191
1769+a high school student must be a rising junior or senior who has 1192
1770+a cumulative grade point average of 3.0 or higher, has no 1193
1771+history of out-of-school suspensions or expulsions, is on track 1194
1772+to complete all core course requirements to graduate, and has 1195
1773+written recommendations from at least tw o of his or her present 1196
1774+or former high school teachers of record or extracurricular 1197
1775+activity sponsors. 1198
1776+ (b) School districts that wish to participate in the 1199
1777+tutoring program must recruit, train, and deploy eligible high 1200
1778+
1779+CS/HB 1255 2025
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1787+
1788+
1789+
1790+school students using the materials developed under this 1201
1791+section. Tutoring must occur during or after the school day on 1202
1792+school district property in the presence and under the 1203
1793+supervision of instructional personnel who are school district 1204
1794+employees. A parent must give written permission for his or her 1205
1795+child to receive tutoring through the program. 1206
1796+ (c) Tutoring may be part of a service -learning course 1207
1797+adopted pursuant to s. 1003.497. Students may earn up to three 1208
1798+elective credits for high school graduation based on the 1209
1799+verified number of hou rs the student spends tutoring under the 1210
1800+program. The hours of volunteer service must be documented in 1211
1801+writing, and the document must be signed by the student, the 1212
1802+student's parent or guardian, and an administrator or designee 1213
1803+of the school in which the tu toring occurred. The Unpaid hours 1214
1804+that a high school student devotes to tutoring may be counted 1215
1805+toward meeting community service requirements for high school 1216
1806+graduation and community service requirements for participation 1217
1807+in the Florida Bright Futures Scho larship Program as provided in 1218
1808+s. 1003.497(3)(b). The department shall designate a high school 1219
1809+student who provides at least 75 verified hours of tutoring 1220
1810+under the program as a New Worlds Scholar and award the student 1221
1811+with a pin indicating such designatio n. 1222
1812+ (d) School districts participating in the tutoring program 1223
1813+may provide a stipend to instructional personnel and high school 1224
1814+students serving as tutors for after -school tutoring. 1225
1815+
1816+CS/HB 1255 2025
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1818+
1819+
1820+CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
1821+hb1255-01-c1
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1823+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
1824+
1825+
1826+
1827+ Section 27. Paragraph (b) of subsection (1) and subsection 1226
1828+(2) of section 1008.366, Florida Statutes, are amended to read: 1227
1829+ 1008.366 The New Worlds Tutoring Program. — 1228
1830+ (1) The New Worlds Tutoring Program is created to support 1229
1831+school districts and schools in improving student achievement in 1230
1832+reading and mathematics by: 1231
1833+ (b) Providing best practice guidelines for mathematics 1232
1834+tutoring in alignment with Florida's Benchmarks for Excellent 1233
1835+Student Thinking (B.E.S.T.) Standards for mathematics in 1234
1836+consultation with the Office of Mathematics and Sciences . 1235
1837+ (2) Annually, by August 31 July 1, the administrator of 1236
1838+the New Worlds Tutoring Program shall provide to the President 1237
1839+of the Senate, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, and 1238
1840+the Commissioner of Education a report summarizing school 1239
1841+district use of program funds and stude nt academic outcomes as a 1240
1842+result of the additional literacy or mathematics support 1241
1843+provided under this section. 1242
1844+ Section 28. Sections 1011.58 and 1011.59, Florida 1243
1845+Statutes, are repealed. 1244
1846+ Section 29. Section 1012.07, Florida Statutes, is amended 1245
1847+to read: 1246
1848+ 1012.07 Identification of high-demand critical teacher 1247
1849+needs shortage areas.— 1248
1850+ The term "high-demand critical teacher needs shortage area" 1249
1851+means high-need content areas and high -priority location areas 1250
1852+
1853+CS/HB 1255 2025
1854+
1855+
1856+
1857+CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
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1860+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
1861+
1862+
1863+
1864+identified by the State Board of Education. The State Board of 1251
1865+Education shall adopt rules pursuant to ss. 120.536(1) and 1252
1866+120.54 necessary to annually identify high-demand critical 1253
1867+teacher needs shortage areas. The state board must consider 1254
1868+current and emerging educational requirements and workforce 1255
1869+demands in determining high-demand critical teacher needs 1256
1870+shortage areas. School grade levels may also be designated 1257
1871+critical teacher shortage areas. Individual dis trict school 1258
1872+boards may identify and submit other high-demand critical 1259
1873+teacher needs shortage areas. Such submissions must be aligned 1260
1874+to current and emerging educational requirements and workforce 1261
1875+demands in order to be approved by the State Board of Educa tion. 1262
1876+High-priority location areas must be in high -density, low-1263
1877+economic urban schools; low -density, low-economic rural schools; 1264
1878+and schools that earned a grade of "F" or three consecutive 1265
1879+grades of "D" pursuant to s. 1008.34. The State Board of 1266
1880+Education shall develop strategies to address high-demand 1267
1881+critical teacher needs shortage areas. 1268
1882+ Section 30. Paragraph (c) of subsection (1) of section 1269
1883+1012.22, Florida Statutes, is amended to read: 1270
1884+ 1012.22 Public school personnel; powers and duties of the 1271
1885+district school board.—The district school board shall: 1272
1886+ (1) Designate positions to be filled, prescribe 1273
1887+qualifications for those positions, and provide for the 1274
1888+appointment, compensation, promotion, suspension, and dismissal 1275
1889+
1890+CS/HB 1255 2025
1891+
1892+
1893+
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1897+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
1898+
1899+
1900+
1901+of employees as follows, subject to the requirements of this 1276
1902+chapter: 1277
1903+ (c) Compensation and salary schedules. — 1278
1904+ 1. Definitions.—As used in this paragraph: 1279
1905+ a. "Adjustment" means an addition to the base salary 1280
1906+schedule that is not a bonus and becomes part of the employee's 1281
1907+permanent base salary and shall be considered compensation under 1282
1908+s. 121.021(22). 1283
1909+ b. "Grandfathered salary schedule" means the salary 1284
1910+schedule or schedules adopted by a district school board before 1285
1911+July 1, 2014, pursuant to subparagraph 4. 1286
1912+ c. "Instructional personne l" means instructional personnel 1287
1913+as defined in s. 1012.01(2)(a) -(d), excluding substitute 1288
1914+teachers. 1289
1915+ d. "Performance salary schedule" means the salary schedule 1290
1916+or schedules adopted by a district school board pursuant to 1291
1917+subparagraph 5. 1292
1918+ e. "Salary schedule" means the schedule or schedules used 1293
1919+to provide the base salary for district school board personnel. 1294
1920+ f. "School administrator" means a school administrator as 1295
1921+defined in s. 1012.01(3)(c). 1296
1922+ g. "Supplement" means an annual addition to the base 1297
1923+salary for the term of the negotiated supplement as long as the 1298
1924+employee continues his or her employment for the purpose of the 1299
1925+supplement. A supplement does not become part of the employee's 1300
1926+
1927+CS/HB 1255 2025
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1929+
1930+
1931+CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
1932+hb1255-01-c1
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1934+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
1935+
1936+
1937+
1938+continuing base salary but shall be considered compensation 1301
1939+under s. 121.021(22). 1302
1940+ 2. Cost-of-living adjustment.—A district school board may 1303
1941+provide a cost-of-living salary adjustment if the adjustment: 1304
1942+ a. Does not discriminate among comparable classes of 1305
1943+employees based upon the salary schedule under which they are 1306
1944+compensated. 1307
1945+ b. Does not exceed 50 percent of the annual adjustment 1308
1946+provided to instructional personnel rated as effective. 1309
1947+ 3. Advanced degrees. —A district school board may use 1310
1948+advanced degrees in setting a salary schedule for instructional 1311
1949+personnel or school administrators if the advanced degree is 1312
1950+held in the individual's area of certification. 1313
1951+ 4. Grandfathered salary schedule. — 1314
1952+ a. The district school board shall adopt a salary schedule 1315
1953+or salary schedules to be used as the basis for paying all 1316
1954+school employees hired before July 1, 2014. Instructional 1317
1955+personnel on annual contract as of July 1, 2014, shall be placed 1318
1956+on the performance salary schedule adopted under subparagraph 5. 1319
1957+Instructional personnel on continuing contract or professional 1320
1958+service contract may opt into the performance salary schedule if 1321
1959+the employee relinquishes such contract and agrees to be 1322
1960+employed on an annual contract under s. 1012.335. Such an 1323
1961+employee shall be placed on the performance salary schedule and 1324
1962+may not return to continuing contract or professional service 1325
1963+
1964+CS/HB 1255 2025
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1966+
1967+
1968+CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
1969+hb1255-01-c1
1970+Page 54 of 68
1971+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
1972+
1973+
1974+
1975+contract status. Any employee who opts into the performance 1326
1976+salary schedule may not return to the grandfathered salary 1327
1977+schedule. 1328
1978+ b. In determining the grandfathered salary schedule for 1329
1979+instructional personnel, a district school board must base a 1330
1980+portion of each employee's compensation upon performance 1331
1981+demonstrated under s. 1012.34 and shall provide differentiated 1332
1982+pay for both instructional personnel and school administrators 1333
1983+based upon district-determined factors, including, but not 1334
1984+limited to, additional responsibilities, school demographics, 1335
1985+high-demand teacher needs critical shortage areas, and level of 1336
1986+job performance difficulties. 1337
1987+ 5. Performance salary schedule. —By July 1, 2014, the 1338
1988+district school board s hall adopt a performance salary schedule 1339
1989+that provides annual salary adjustments for instructional 1340
1990+personnel and school administrators based upon performance 1341
1991+determined under s. 1012.34. Employees hired on or after July 1, 1342
1992+2014, or employees who choose to move from the grandfathered 1343
1993+salary schedule to the performance salary schedule shall be 1344
1994+compensated pursuant to the performance salary schedule once 1345
1995+they have received the appropriate performance evaluation for 1346
1996+this purpose. 1347
1997+ a. Base salary.—The base salary shall be established as 1348
1998+follows: 1349
1999+ (I) The base salary for instructional personnel or school 1350
2000+
2001+CS/HB 1255 2025
2002+
2003+
2004+
2005+CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
2006+hb1255-01-c1
2007+Page 55 of 68
2008+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
2009+
2010+
2011+
2012+administrators who opt into the performance salary schedule 1351
2013+shall be the salary paid in the prior year, including 1352
2014+adjustments only. 1353
2015+ (II) Instructional personn el or school administrators new 1354
2016+to the district, returning to the district after a break in 1355
2017+service without an authorized leave of absence, or appointed for 1356
2018+the first time to a position in the district in the capacity of 1357
2019+instructional personnel or school a dministrator shall be placed 1358
2020+on the performance salary schedule. 1359
2021+ b. Salary adjustments. —Salary adjustments for highly 1360
2022+effective or effective performance shall be established as 1361
2023+follows: 1362
2024+ (I) The annual salary adjustment under the performance 1363
2025+salary schedule for an employee rated as highly effective must 1364
2026+be at least 25 percent greater than the highest annual salary 1365
2027+adjustment available to an employee of the same classification 1366
2028+through any other salary schedule adopted by the district. 1367
2029+ (II) The annual salary adjustment under the performance 1368
2030+salary schedule for an employee rated as effective must be equal 1369
2031+to at least 50 percent and no more than 75 percent of the annual 1370
2032+adjustment provided for a highly effective employee of the same 1371
2033+classification. 1372
2034+ (III) A salary schedule shall not provide an annual salary 1373
2035+adjustment for an employee who receives a rating other than 1374
2036+highly effective or effective for the year. 1375
2037+
2038+CS/HB 1255 2025
2039+
2040+
2041+
2042+CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
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2045+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
2046+
2047+
2048+
2049+ c. Salary supplements. —In addition to the salary 1376
2050+adjustments, each district school board shall pr ovide for salary 1377
2051+supplements for activities that must include, but are not 1378
2052+limited to: 1379
2053+ (I) Assignment to a Title I eligible school. 1380
2054+ (II) Assignment to a school that earned a grade of "F" or 1381
2055+three consecutive grades of "D" pursuant to s. 1008.34 such th at 1382
2056+the supplement remains in force for at least 1 year following 1383
2057+improved performance in that school. 1384
2058+ (III) Certification and teaching in high-demand critical 1385
2059+teacher needs shortage areas. Statewide high-demand critical 1386
2060+teacher needs shortage areas shall be identified by the State 1387
2061+Board of Education under s. 1012.07. However, the district 1388
2062+school board may identify other areas of high-demand needs 1389
2063+critical shortage within the school district for purposes of 1390
2064+this sub-sub-subparagraph and may remove areas id entified by the 1391
2065+state board which do not apply within the school district. 1392
2066+ (IV) Assignment of additional academic responsibilities. 1393
2067+ 1394
2068+If budget constraints in any given year limit a district school 1395
2069+board's ability to fully fund all adopted salary schedule s, the 1396
2070+performance salary schedule shall not be reduced on the basis of 1397
2071+total cost or the value of individual awards in a manner that is 1398
2072+proportionally greater than reductions to any other salary 1399
2073+schedules adopted by the district. Any compensation for 1400
2074+
2075+CS/HB 1255 2025
2076+
2077+
2078+
2079+CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
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2082+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
2083+
2084+
2085+
2086+longevity of service awarded to instructional personnel who are 1401
2087+on any other salary schedule must be included in calculating the 1402
2088+salary adjustments required by sub -subparagraph b. 1403
2089+ Section 31. Section 1012.315, Florida Statutes, is amended 1404
2090+to read: 1405
2091+ 1012.315 Screening standards. — 1406
2092+ (1) A person is ineligible for educator certification or 1407
2093+employment in any position that requires direct contact with 1408
2094+students in a district school system, a charter school, or a 1409
2095+private school that participates in a state schola rship program 1410
2096+under chapter 1002, which includes being an owner or operator of 1411
2097+a private school that participates in a scholarship program 1412
2098+under chapter 1002, if the person: 1413
2099+ (a)(1) Is on the disqualification list maintained by the 1414
2100+department under s. 100 1.10(4)(b); 1415
2101+ (b)(2) Is registered as a sex offender as described in 42 1416
2102+U.S.C. s. 9858f(c)(1)(C); 1417
2103+ (c)(3) Is ineligible based on a security background 1418
2104+investigation under s. 435.04(2). Beginning January 1, 2025, or 1419
2105+a later date as determined by the Agency for Health Care 1420
2106+Administration, The Agency for Health Care Administration shall 1421
2107+determine the eligibility of employees in any position that 1422
2108+requires direct contact with students in a district school 1423
2109+system, a charter school, or a private school that parti cipates 1424
2110+in a state scholarship program under chapter 1002; 1425
2111+
2112+CS/HB 1255 2025
2113+
2114+
2115+
2116+CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
2117+hb1255-01-c1
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2119+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
2120+
2121+
2122+
2123+ (d)(4) Would be ineligible for an exemption under s. 1426
2124+435.07(4)(c); or 1427
2125+ (e)(5) Has been convicted or found guilty of, has had 1428
2126+adjudication withheld for, or has pled guilty or nolo contendere 1429
2127+to: 1430
2128+ 1.(a) Any criminal act committed in another state or under 1431
2129+federal law which, if committed in this state, constitutes a 1432
2130+disqualifying offense under s. 435.04(2). 1433
2131+ 2.(b) Any delinquent act committed in this state or any 1434
2132+delinquent or criminal act committ ed in another state or under 1435
2133+federal law which, if committed in this state, qualifies an 1436
2134+individual for inclusion on the Registered Juvenile Sex Offender 1437
2135+List under s. 943.0435(1)(h)1.d. 1438
2136+ (2) Persons who apply for certification or employment are 1439
2137+governed by the law and rules in effect at the time of 1440
2138+application for issuance of the initial certificate or 1441
2139+employment, provided that continuity of certificates or 1442
2140+employment is maintained. 1443
2141+ Section 32. Subsections (3), (5), and (6) of section 1444
2142+1012.56, Florida Statutes, are amended to read: 1445
2143+ 1012.56 Educator certification requirements. — 1446
2144+ (3) MASTERY OF GENERAL KNOWLEDGE. —Acceptable means of 1447
2145+demonstrating mastery of general knowledge are: 1448
2146+ (a) Achievement of passing scores on the general knowledge 1449
2147+examination required by state board rule; 1450
2148+
2149+CS/HB 1255 2025
2150+
2151+
2152+
2153+CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
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2156+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
2157+
2158+
2159+
2160+ (b) Documentation of a valid professional standard 1451
2161+teaching certificate issued by another state; 1452
2162+ (c) Documentation of a valid certificate issued by the 1453
2163+National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS), the 1454
2164+American Board for Certification of Teacher Excellence (ABCTE), 1455
2165+or a national educator credentialing board approved by the State 1456
2166+Board of Education; 1457
2167+ (d) Documentation of two semesters of successful, full -1458
2168+time or part-time teaching in a Florida College System 1459
2169+institution, state university, or private college or university 1460
2170+that awards an associate or higher degree and is an accredited 1461
2171+institution or an institution of higher education identified by 1462
2172+the Department of Education as having a quality program; 1463
2173+ (e) Achievement of passing scores, identified in state 1464
2174+board rule, on national or international examinations that test 1465
2175+comparable content and relevant standards in verbal, analytical 1466
2176+writing, and quantitative reasoning skills, including, but not 1467
2177+limited to, the verbal, analytical writing, and quantitative 1468
2178+reasoning portions of the Graduate Record Examination and the 1469
2179+SAT, ACT, and Classic Learning Test. Passing scores identified 1470
2180+in state board rule must be at approximately the same level of 1471
2181+rigor as is required to pass the general knowledge examinations; 1472
2182+or 1473
2183+ (f) Documentation of receipt of a master's or higher 1474
2184+degree from an accredited postsecondary educational institution 1475
2185+
2186+CS/HB 1255 2025
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2188+
2189+
2190+CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
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2193+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
2194+
2195+
2196+
2197+that the Department of Education has identified as having a 1476
2198+quality program resulting in a b accalaureate degree or higher. 1477
2199+ 1478
2200+A school district that employs an individual who does not 1479
2201+achieve passing scores on any subtest of the general knowledge 1480
2202+examination must provide information regarding the availability 1481
2203+of state-level and district-level supports and instruction to 1482
2204+assist him or her in achieving a passing score. Such information 1483
2205+must include, but need not be limited to, state -level test 1484
2206+information guides, school district test preparation resources, 1485
2207+and preparation courses offered by state univ ersities and 1486
2208+Florida College System institutions. The requirement of mastery 1487
2209+of general knowledge must shall be waived for an individual who 1488
2210+has been provided 3 years of supports and instruction and who 1489
2211+has been rated effective or highly effective under s. 1012.34 1490
2212+for each of the last 3 years. 1491
2213+ (5) MASTERY OF SUBJECT AREA KNOWLEDGE. —Acceptable means of 1492
2214+demonstrating mastery of subject area knowledge are: 1493
2215+ (a) For a subject requiring only a baccalaureate degree 1494
2216+for which a Florida subject area examination has been developed, 1495
2217+achievement of a passing score on the Florida -developed subject 1496
2218+area examination specified in state board rule; 1497
2219+ (b) For a subject for which a Florida subject area 1498
2220+examination has not been developed, achievement of a passing 1499
2221+score on a standardized examination specified in state board 1500
2222+
2223+CS/HB 1255 2025
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2225+
2226+
2227+CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
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2230+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
2231+
2232+
2233+
2234+rule, including, but not limited to, passing scores on both the 1501
2235+oral proficiency and written proficiency examinations 1502
2236+administered by the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign 1503
2237+Languages; 1504
2238+ (c) For a subject for which a Florida subject area 1505
2239+examination has not been developed or a standardized examination 1506
2240+has not been specified in state board rule, completion of the 1507
2241+subject area specialization requirements specified in state 1508
2242+board rule and verification of the attainment of the essential 1509
2243+subject matter competencies by the district school 1510
2244+superintendent of the employing school district or chief 1511
2245+administrative officer of the employing state -supported or 1512
2246+private school; 1513
2247+ (d) For a subject requiring a master 's or higher degree, 1514
2248+completion of the subject area specialization requirements 1515
2249+specified in state board rule and achievement of a passing score 1516
2250+on the Florida-developed subject area examination or a 1517
2251+standardized examination that is directly related to the subject 1518
2252+specified in state board rule; 1519
2253+ (e) Documentation of a valid professional standard 1520
2254+teaching certificate issued by another state; 1521
2255+ (f) Documentation of a valid certificate issued by the 1522
2256+NBPTS, the ABCTE, National Board for Professional Teaching 1523
2257+Standards or a national educator credentialing board approved by 1524
2258+the State Board of Education; 1525
2259+
2260+CS/HB 1255 2025
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2262+
2263+
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2267+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
2268+
2269+
2270+
2271+ (g) Documentation of successful completion of a United 1526
2272+States Defense Language Institute Foreign Language Center 1527
2273+program; 1528
2274+ (h) Documentation of a passing score on the Defense 1529
2275+Language Proficiency Test (DLPT); or 1530
2276+ (i) For a subject requiring only a baccalaureate degree 1531
2277+for which a Florida subject area examination has been developed, 1532
2278+documentation of receipt of a master's or higher degree from an 1533
2279+accredited postsecondary educational institution that the 1534
2280+Department of Education has identified as having a quality 1535
2281+program resulting in a baccalaureate degree or higher in the 1536
2282+certificate subject area as identified by state board rule. 1537
2283+ 1538
2284+School districts are encouraged t o provide mechanisms for middle 1539
2285+grades teachers holding only a K -6 teaching certificate to 1540
2286+obtain a subject area coverage for middle grades through 1541
2287+postsecondary coursework or district add -on certification. 1542
2288+ (6) MASTERY OF PROFESSIONAL PREPARATION AND EDU CATION 1543
2289+COMPETENCE.—Acceptable means of demonstrating mastery of 1544
2290+professional preparation and education competence are: 1545
2291+ (a) Successful completion of an approved teacher 1546
2292+preparation program at a postsecondary educational institution 1547
2293+within this state and a chievement of a passing score on the 1548
2294+professional education competency examination required by state 1549
2295+board rule; 1550
2296+
2297+CS/HB 1255 2025
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2299+
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2304+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
2305+
2306+
2307+
2308+ (b) Successful completion of a teacher preparation program 1551
2309+at a postsecondary educational institution outside Florida and 1552
2310+achievement of a passing score on the professional education 1553
2311+competency examination required by state board rule; 1554
2312+ (c) Documentation of a valid professional standard 1555
2313+teaching certificate issued by another state; 1556
2314+ (d) Documentation of a valid certificate issued by the 1557
2315+NBPTS, the ABCTE, National Board for Professional Teaching 1558
2316+Standards or a national educator credentialing board approved by 1559
2317+the State Board of Education; 1560
2318+ (e) Documentation of two semesters of successful, full -1561
2319+time or part-time teaching in a Florida Colle ge System 1562
2320+institution, state university, or private college or university 1563
2321+that awards an associate or higher degree and is an accredited 1564
2322+institution or an institution of higher education identified by 1565
2323+the Department of Education as having a quality program and 1566
2324+achievement of a passing score on the professional education 1567
2325+competency examination required by state board rule; 1568
2326+ (f) Successful completion of professional preparation 1569
2327+courses as specified in state board rule, successful completion 1570
2328+of a professional education competence program pursuant to 1571
2329+subsection (9), and documentation of 3 years of being rated 1572
2330+effective or highly effective under s. 1012.34 while holding a 1573
2331+temporary certificate; 1574
2332+ (g) Successful completion of a professional learning 1575
2333+
2334+CS/HB 1255 2025
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2336+
2337+
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2341+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
2342+
2343+
2344+
2345+certification program, outlined in subsection (8); or 1576
2346+ (h) Successful completion of a competency -based 1577
2347+certification program pursuant to s. 1004.85 and achievement of 1578
2348+a passing score on the professional education competency 1579
2349+examination required by rule of the State Bo ard of Education. 1580
2350+ 1581
2351+The State Board of Education shall adopt rules to implement this 1582
2352+subsection, including rules to approve specific teacher 1583
2353+preparation programs that are not identified in this subsection 1584
2354+which may be used to meet requirements for mastery o f 1585
2355+professional preparation and education competence. 1586
2356+ Section 33. Paragraph (b) of subsection (2) of section 1587
2357+1012.586, Florida Statutes, is amended to read: 1588
2358+ 1012.586 Additions or changes to certificates; duplicate 1589
2359+certificates; reading endorsement pat hways.— 1590
2360+ (2) 1591
2361+ (b) As part of adopting a pathway pursuant to paragraph 1592
2362+(a), the department shall review the competencies for the 1593
2363+reading endorsement and subject area examinations for educator 1594
2364+certificates identified pursuant to s. 1012.585(3)(f) for 1595
2365+alignment with evidence-based instructional and intervention 1596
2366+strategies rooted in the science of reading and identified 1597
2367+pursuant to s. 1001.215(7) and recommend changes to the State 1598
2368+Board of Education. Recommended changes must address 1599
2369+identification of the chara cteristics of conditions such as 1600
2370+
2371+CS/HB 1255 2025
2372+
2373+
2374+
2375+CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
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2377+Page 65 of 68
2378+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
2379+
2380+
2381+
2382+dyslexia or dyscalculia, implementation of evidence -based 1601
2383+classroom instruction and interventions, including evidence -1602
2384+based reading or mathematics instruction and interventions 1603
2385+specifically for students with characteristics of dyslexia or 1604
2386+dyscalculia, and effective progress monitoring. By July 1, 2023, 1605
2387+each school district reading endorsement add -on program must be 1606
2388+resubmitted for approval by the department consistent with this 1607
2389+paragraph. 1608
2390+ Section 34. Section 1012.77, Flo rida Statutes, is amended 1609
2391+to read: 1610
2392+ 1012.77 Christa McAuliffe Ambassador for Education 1611
2393+Program.— 1612
2394+ (1) The Legislature recognizes that Florida continues to 1613
2395+face teacher shortages and that fewer young people consider 1614
2396+teaching as a career. It is the intent of the Legislature to 1615
2397+promote the positive and rewarding aspects of being a teacher, 1616
2398+to encourage more individuals to become teachers, and to provide 1617
2399+annual sabbatical support for outstanding Florida teachers to 1618
2400+serve as goodwill ambassadors for education. The Legislature 1619
2401+further wishes to honor the memory of Christa McAuliffe, who 1620
2402+epitomized the challenge and inspiration that teaching can be. 1621
2403+ (2) The Christa McAuliffe Ambassador for Education Program 1622
2404+is established to provide salary, travel, and other re lated 1623
2405+expenses annually for an outstanding Florida teacher to promote 1624
2406+the positive aspects of teaching as a career. The goals of the 1625
2407+
2408+CS/HB 1255 2025
2409+
2410+
2411+
2412+CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
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2415+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
2416+
2417+
2418+
2419+program are to: 1626
2420+ (a) Enhance the stature of teachers and the teaching 1627
2421+profession. 1628
2422+ (b) Promote the importance of quality education and 1629
2423+teaching for our future. 1630
2424+ (c) Inspire and attract talented people to become 1631
2425+teachers. 1632
2426+ (d) Provide information regarding Florida's scholarship 1633
2427+and loan programs related to teaching. 1634
2428+ (e) Promote the teaching profession within community and 1635
2429+business groups. 1636
2430+ (f) Provide information to retired military personnel and 1637
2431+other individuals who might consider teaching as a second 1638
2432+career. 1639
2433+ (g) Work with and represent the Department of Education, 1640
2434+as needed. 1641
2435+ (h) Work with and encourage the efforts of school and 1642
2436+district teachers of the year. 1643
2437+ (i) Support the activities of the Florida Future Educator 1644
2438+of America Program. 1645
2439+ (j) Represent Florida teachers at business, trade, 1646
2440+education, and other conferences and meetings. 1647
2441+ (k) Promote the teaching prof ession in other ways related 1648
2442+to the teaching responsibilities, background experiences, and 1649
2443+aspirations of the Ambassador for Education. 1650
2444+
2445+CS/HB 1255 2025
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2447+
2448+
2449+CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
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2452+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
2453+
2454+
2455+
2456+ (3) The Teacher of the Year shall serve as the Ambassador 1651
2457+for Education. If the Teacher of the Year is unable to serve as 1652
2458+the Ambassador for Education, the first runner -up shall serve in 1653
2459+his or her place. The Department of Education shall establish 1654
2460+application and selection procedures for determining an annual 1655
2461+teacher of the year. Applications and selection criteria shall 1656
2462+be developed and distributed annually by the Department of 1657
2463+Education to all eligible entities identified in subsection (4) 1658
2464+school districts. The Commissioner of Education shall establish 1659
2465+a selection committee which assures representation from teacher 1660
2466+organizations, administrators, and parents to select the Teacher 1661
2467+of the Year and Ambassador for Education from among the district 1662
2468+teachers of the year. 1663
2469+ (4) Eligible entities to submit to the Department of 1664
2470+Education a nominee for the Teacher of the Year and A mbassador 1665
2471+for Education are: 1666
2472+ (a) Florida school districts, including lab schools as 1667
2473+defined in s. 1002.32. 1668
2474+ (b) Charter school consortia with at least 30 member 1669
2475+schools and an approved professional learning system on file 1670
2476+with the department. 1671
2477+ (5)(a)(4)(a) The Commissioner of Education shall pay an 1672
2478+annual salary, fringe benefits, travel costs, and other costs 1673
2479+associated with administering the program. 1674
2480+ (b) The Ambassador for Education shall serve for 1 year, 1675
2481+
2482+CS/HB 1255 2025
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2484+
2485+
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2489+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
2490+
2491+
2492+
2493+from July 1 to June 30, and shall be assu red of returning to his 1676
2494+or her teaching position upon completion of the program. The 1677
2495+ambassador will not have a break in creditable or continuous 1678
2496+service or employment for the period of time in which he or she 1679
2497+participates in the program. 1680
2498+ Section 35. Except as otherwise expressly provided in this 1681
2499+act and except for this section, which shall take effect upon 1682
2500+this act becoming a law, this act shall take effect July 1, 1683
2501+2025. 1684