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F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S
A bill to be entitled 1
An act relating to the safety of students; amending s. 2
30.15, F.S.; revising the Chris Hixon, Coach Aaron 3
Feis, and Coach Scott Beigel Guardian Program to 4
include child care facilities; requiring a sheriff to 5
establish a guardian program under certain 6
circumstances; requiring certain security guards to 7
meet specified school guardian training and screening 8
requirements; prohibiting the costs for certain 9
services from exceeding costs established by the 10
Department of Education; authorizing such costs to be 11
adjusted according to the Consumer Price Index; 12
requiring a child care facility or security agency to 13
be responsible for all costs related to the guardian 14
program; authorizing a sheriff to waive such costs for 15
a child care facility; prohibiting a sheriff from 16
waiving costs for initial training of a school 17
security guard; authorizing a sheriff to certify a 18
person as a school security guard if he or she meets 19
specified criteria; revising firearm requirements for 20
school guardians and school security guards; 21
authorizing a sheriff to issue certificates to school 22
security guards who meet specified requirements; 23
requiring a sheriff to maintain specified 24
documentation; requiring a child care facility or 25
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employing security agency to make specified reports; 26
requiring the Department of Law Enforcement to 27
maintain specified records; requiring a sheriff to 28
make specified reports of certain school guardian or 29
school security guard trainings; prohibiting a child 30
care facility from operating a school guardian program 31
under certain circumstances; amending s. 402.305, 32
F.S.; authorizing a child care facility to partner 33
with specified entities to establish or assign safe -34
school officers and participate in the guardian 35
program; requiring a child care facility to pay for 36
the full cost of the guardian program; requiring 37
compliance with specified provisions relating to safe -38
school officers; providing construction; amending s. 39
1006.07, F.S.; requiring specified school safety 40
requirements to be implemented during specified time 41
periods; revising the requirements for certain gates 42
and campus access points to be open or unlocked; 43
providing that certain instructional spaces for career 44
and technical education are exempt from specified 45
requirements under certain circumstances; providing 46
that certain provisions apply to common areas on 47
school campuses; providing exemptions from certain 48
requirements for doors, gates, and campus access 49
points; providing requirements for locked barriers 50
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between classrooms and open school campuses; requiring 51
certain protocols and policies to be provided to 52
substitute teachers; amending s. 1006.12, F.S.; 53
requiring a sheriff to conduct specified training; 54
requiring that certain reports be submitted to a 55
school security guard's employing agency; requiring a 56
sheriff's approval before a school security guard's 57
employment in a county; requiring the Office of Safe 58
Schools to provide specified information to the 59
Department of Law Enforcement; providing an effective 60
date. 61
62
Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Flo rida: 63
64
Section 1. Paragraph (k) of subsection (1) of section 65
30.15, Florida Statutes, is amended to read: 66
30.15 Powers, duties, and obligations. — 67
(1) Sheriffs, in their respective counties, in person or 68
by deputy, shall: 69
(k) Assist district schoo l boards and charter school 70
governing boards in complying with, or private schools or child 71
care facilities, as defined in s. 402.302, in exercising options 72
in, s. 1006.12. A sheriff must, at a minimum, provide access to 73
a Chris Hixon, Coach Aaron Feis, an d Coach Scott Beigel Guardian 74
Program to aid in the prevention or abatement of active 75
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assailant incidents on school premises, as required under this 76
paragraph. Persons certified as school guardians pursuant to 77
this paragraph have no authority to act in any law enforcement 78
capacity except to the extent necessary to prevent or abate an 79
active assailant incident. 80
1.a. If a local school board has voted by a majority to 81
implement a guardian program or has contracted for the use of 82
school security guards to sat isfy the requirements of s. 83
1006.12, the sheriff in that county shall establish a guardian 84
program to provide training for school guardians or school 85
security guards, pursuant to subparagraph 2., to school 86
district, charter school, or private school, child care 87
facility, or security agency employees, either directly or 88
through a contract with another sheriff's office that has 89
established a guardian program. The security agency employing a 90
school security guard is responsible for all training and 91
screening-related costs for a school security guard. 92
b. A charter school governing board in a school district 93
that has not voted, or has declined, to implement a guardian 94
program may request the sheriff in the county to establish a 95
guardian program for the purpose of training the charter school 96
employees or school security guards consistent with the 97
requirements of subparagraph 2 . If the county sheriff denies the 98
request, the charter school governing board may contract with a 99
sheriff that has established a guardian program to provide such 100
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training. The charter school governing board must notify the 101
superintendent and the sheriff in the charter school's county of 102
the contract prior to its execution. The security agency 103
employing a school security guard is responsible for all 104
training and screening -related costs for a school security 105
guard. 106
c. Beginning January 1, 2026, the costs for services 107
provided in sub-subparagraphs a. and b. may not exceed the costs 108
established by the Department of Education, in consultation wi th 109
the sheriffs. Such established costs may be adjusted annually to 110
reflect changes in the Consumer Price Index compiled by the 111
United States Department of Labor. 112
d.c. A private school or child care facility in a school 113
district that has not voted, or ha s declined, to implement a 114
guardian program may request that the sheriff in the county of 115
the private school or child care facility establish a guardian 116
program for the purpose of training private school employees, 117
child care facility employees, or school security guards. If the 118
county sheriff denies the request, the private school or child 119
care facility may contract with a sheriff from another county 120
who has established a guardian program under subparagraph 2. to 121
provide such training. The private school or child care facility 122
must notify the sheriff in the private school's or child care 123
facility's county of the contract with a sheriff from another 124
county before its execution. The private school , child care 125
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facility, or security agency is responsible for al l training and 126
screening-related costs for a school guardian program. The 127
sheriff providing such training must ensure that any moneys paid 128
by a private school, child care facility, or security agency are 129
not commingled with any funds provided by the state to the 130
sheriff as reimbursement for screening -related and training -131
related costs of any school district or charter school employee. 132
e.d. The training program required in sub -subparagraph 133
2.b. is a standardized statewide curriculum, and each sheriff 134
providing such training shall adhere to the course of 135
instruction specified in that sub -subparagraph. This 136
subparagraph does not prohibit a sheriff from providing 137
additional training. A school guardian or school security guard 138
who has completed the training pro gram required in sub -139
subparagraph 2.b. may not be required to attend another 140
sheriff's training program pursuant to that sub -subparagraph 141
unless there has been at least a 1 -year break in his or her 142
appointment as a guardian or employment by a security agen cy as 143
a school security guard in a school . 144
f.e. The sheriff conducting the training pursuant to 145
subparagraph 2. for school district and charter school employees 146
will be reimbursed for screening -related and training -related 147
costs and for providing a one -time stipend of $500 to each 148
school guardian who participates in the school guardian program. 149
g.f. The sheriff may waive the training and screening -150
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related costs for a private school or child care facility for a 151
school guardian program. Funds provided pur suant to sub-152
subparagraph f. e. may not be used to subsidize any costs that 153
have been waived by the sheriff. The sheriff may not waive the 154
training and screening -related costs required to be paid by a 155
security agency for initial training or ongoing trainin g of a 156
school security guard. 157
h.g. A person who is certified and in good standing under 158
the Florida Criminal Justice Standards and Training Commission, 159
who meets the qualifications established in s. 943.13, and who 160
is otherwise qualified for the position of a school guardian or 161
school security guard may be certified as a school guardian or 162
school security guard by the sheriff without completing the 163
training requirements of sub -subparagraph 2.b. However, a person 164
certified as a school guardian or school security guard under 165
this sub-subparagraph must meet the requirements of sub -166
subparagraphs 2.c.-e. 167
2. A sheriff who establishes a program shall consult with 168
the Department of Law Enforcement on programmatic guiding 169
principles, practices, and resources, and shall certify as 170
school guardians, without the power of arrest, school employees, 171
as specified in s. 1006.12(3), or shall certify as school 172
security guards those persons employed by a security agency who 173
meet the criteria specified in s. 1006.12(4), and who: 174
a. Hold a valid license issued under s. 790.06 or are 175
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otherwise eligible to possess or carry a concealed firearm under 176
chapter 790. 177
b. After satisfying the requirements of s. 1006.12(7), 178
complete a 144-hour training program, consisting of 12 hours of 179
training to improve the school guardian's knowledge and skills 180
necessary to respond to and de -escalate incidents on school 181
premises and 132 total hours of comprehensive firearm safety and 182
proficiency training conducted by Criminal Justice Standards and 183
Training Commission-certified instructors, which must include: 184
(I) Eighty hours of firearms inst ruction based on the 185
Criminal Justice Standards and Training Commission's Law 186
Enforcement Academy training model, which must include at least 187
10 percent but no more than 20 percent more rounds fired than 188
associated with academy training. Program participan ts must 189
achieve an 85 percent pass rate on the firearms training. 190
(II) Sixteen hours of instruction in precision pistol. 191
(III) Eight hours of discretionary shooting instruction 192
using state-of-the-art simulator exercises. 193
(IV) Sixteen hours of instruc tion in active shooter or 194
assailant scenarios. 195
(V) Eight hours of instruction in defensive tactics. 196
(VI) Four hours of instruction in legal issues. 197
c. Pass a psychological evaluation administered by a 198
psychologist licensed under chapter 490 and desig nated by the 199
Department of Law Enforcement and submit the results of the 200
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evaluation to the sheriff's office. The Department of Law 201
Enforcement is authorized to provide the sheriff's office with 202
mental health and substance abuse data for compliance with thi s 203
paragraph. 204
d. Submit to and pass an initial drug test and subsequent 205
random drug tests in accordance with the requirements of s. 206
112.0455 and the sheriff's office. 207
e. Successfully complete ongoing training, weapon 208
inspection, and firearm qualificatio n on at least an annual 209
basis. 210
211
The sheriff who conducts the guardian training or waives the 212
training requirements for a person under sub -subparagraph 1.h. 213
1.g. shall issue a school guardian certificate to persons who 214
meet the requirements of this section to the satisfaction of the 215
sheriff, and shall maintain documentation of weapon and 216
equipment inspections, as well as the training, certification, 217
inspection, and qualification records of each school guardian 218
certified by the sheriff. A person who is certif ied under this 219
paragraph may serve as a school guardian under s. 1006.12(3) 220
only if he or she is appointed by the applicable school district 221
superintendent, charter school principal, or private school head 222
of school, or child care facility owner . A sheriff who conducts 223
the training for a school security guard or waives the training 224
requirements for a person under sub -subparagraph 1.h. and 225
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determines that the school security guard has met all the 226
requirements of s. 1006.12(4) shall issue a school security 227
guard certificate to persons who meet the requirements of this 228
section to the satisfaction of the sheriff and shall maintain 229
documentation of weapon and equipment inspections, training, 230
certification, and qualification records for each school 231
security guard certified by the sheriff. 232
3.a.(I) Within 30 days after issuing a school guardian or 233
school security guard certificate, the sheriff who issued the 234
certificate must report to the Department of Law Enforcement the 235
name, date of birth, and certification date of the school 236
guardian or school security guard . 237
(II) By September 1, 2024, each sheriff who issued a 238
school guardian certificate must report to the Department of Law 239
Enforcement the name, date of birth, and certification date of 240
each school guardian wh o received a certificate from the 241
sheriff. 242
b.(I) By February 1 and September 1 of each school year, 243
each school district, charter school, and private school, child 244
care facility, and employing security agency must report in the 245
manner prescribed to the Department of Law Enforcement the name, 246
date of birth, and appointment date of each person appointed as 247
a school guardian or employed as a school security guard . The 248
school district, charter school, and private school, child care 249
facility, and employing sec urity agency must also report in the 250
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manner prescribed to the Department of Law Enforcement the date 251
each school guardian or school security guard separates from his 252
or her appointment as a school guardian or employment as a 253
school security guard in a scho ol. 254
(II) By September 1, 2024, each school district, charter 255
school, and private school must report to the Department of Law 256
Enforcement the name, date of birth, and initial and end -of-257
appointment dates, as applicable, of each person appointed as a 258
school guardian. 259
c. The Department of Law Enforcement shall maintain a list 260
of each person appointed as a school guardian or certified as a 261
school security guard in the state. The list must include the 262
name and certification date of each school guardian and school 263
security guard and the date the person was appointed as a school 264
guardian or certified as a school security guard , including the 265
name of the school district, charter school, or private school, 266
or child care facility in which the school guardian is 267
appointed, or the employing security agency of a school security 268
guard, any information provided pursuant to s. 1006.12(5), and, 269
if applicable, the date such person separated from his or her 270
appointment as a school guardian or the last date a school 271
security guard served in a school as of the last reporting date . 272
The Department of Law Enforcement shall remove from the list any 273
person whose training has expired pursuant to sub -subparagraph 274
1.e. 1.d. 275
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d. Each sheriff must report on a quarterly basis to the 276
Department of Law Enforcement the schedule for upcoming school 277
guardian or school security guard trainings, including the dates 278
of the training, the training locations, a contact person to 279
register for the training, and the class capacity. If no 280
trainings are scheduled, the sheriff is not required to report 281
to the Department of Law Enforcement. The Department of Law 282
Enforcement shall publish on its website a list of the upcoming 283
school guardian trainings. The Department of Law Enforcement 284
must update such list quarterly. 285
e. A sheriff who fails to report the information required 286
by this subparagraph may not receive reimbursement from the 287
Department of Education for school guardian trainings. Upon the 288
submission of the required information, a sheriff is deemed 289
eligible for such funding and is authorized to continue to 290
receive reimbursement for school guardian training. 291
f. A school district, charter school, or private school, 292
child care facility, or employing security agency that fails to 293
report the information required by this subparagraph is 294
prohibited from operating may not operate a school guardian 295
program or employing school security guards in for the following 296
school year, unless the missing school district, charter school, 297
or private school has submitted the required information is 298
provided. 299
g. By March 1 and October 1 of each school year, the 300
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Department of Law Enforcement shall notify the Department of 301
Education of any sheriff, school district, charter school, or 302
private school, or child care facility that has not complied 303
with the reporting requirements of this subparagraph. 304
h. The Department of Law Enforcement may adopt rules to 305
implement the requirements of this subparagraph, including 306
requiring additional reporting information only as necessary to 307
uniquely identify each school guardian and school security guard 308
reported. 309
Section 2. Subsection (20) is added to section 402.305, 310
Florida Statutes, to read: 311
402.305 Licensing standards; child care facilities. — 312
(20) SAFE SCHOOL OFFICERS. — 313
(a) A child care facility may partner with a law 314
enforcement agency or a security agency to establish or assign 315
one or more safe-school officers established in s. 1006.12(1) -316
(4). The child care facility is responsible for the full cost of 317
implementing any such o ption, which includes all training costs 318
under the Chris Hixon, Coach Aaron Feis, and Coach Scott Beigel 319
Guardian Program under s. 30.15(1)(k). 320
(b) A child care facility that establishes a safe -school 321
officer must comply with the requirements of s. 1006. 12. 322
References to a school district, district school board, or 323
district school superintendent in s. 1006.12(1) -(5) shall also 324
mean an owner of a child care facility. References to a school 325
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district employee in s. 1006.12(3) shall also mean child care 326
personnel. 327
Section 3. Paragraph (f) of subsection (6) of section 328
1006.07 is amended, and paragraph (h) is added to that 329
subsection, to read: 330
1006.07 District school board duties relating to student 331
discipline and school safety. —The district school board shall 332
provide for the proper accounting for all students, for the 333
attendance and control of students at school, and for proper 334
attention to health, safety, and other matters relating to the 335
welfare of students, including: 336
(6) SAFETY AND SECURITY BEST PRA CTICES.—Each district 337
school superintendent shall establish policies and procedures 338
for the prevention of violence on school grounds, including the 339
assessment of and intervention with individuals whose behavior 340
poses a threat to the safety of the school co mmunity. 341
(f) School safety requirements. —By August 1, 2024, Each 342
school district and charter school governing board shall comply 343
with the following school safety requirements , which, 344
notwithstanding any other requirements under this paragraph, 345
must be enforced, at a minimum, from 30 minutes before the 346
school start time until 30 minutes after the end of the school 347
day: 348
1. All gates or other access points that restrict ingress 349
to or egress from a school campus shall remain closed and locked 350
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when students are on campus. A gate or other campus access point 351
may not be open or unlocked, regardless of whether it is during 352
normal school hours, unless: 353
a. Attended or actively staffed by a person when students 354
are on campus; 355
b. The use is in accordance with a shared use agreement 356
pursuant to s. 1013.101; or 357
c. Another closed or locked gate or access point separates 358
the open or unlocked gate from areas occupied by students; or 359
d.c. The school safety specialist, or his or her designee, 360
has documented in the F lorida Safe Schools Assessment Tool 361
portal maintained by the Office of Safe Schools that the gate or 362
other access point is not subject to this requirement based upon 363
other safety measures at the school. The office may conduct a 364
compliance visit pursuant to s. 1001.212(14) to review if such 365
determination is appropriate. 366
2.a. All school classrooms and other instructional spaces 367
must be locked to prevent ingress when occupied by students, 368
except between class periods when students are moving between 369
classrooms or other instructional spaces. If a classroom or 370
other instructional space door must be left unlocked or open for 371
any reason other than between class periods when students are 372
moving between classrooms or other instructional spaces, the 373
door must be actively staffed by a person standing or seated at 374
the door. 375
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b. Instructional spaces for career and technical education 376
which are designed as open areas for which compliance with the 377
requirements of sub-subparagraph a. affects the health and 378
safety of students may be exempted from compliance with that 379
sub-subparagraph by the school safety specialist. To be exempt, 380
the school safety specialist, or his or her designee, must 381
document in the Florida Safe Schools Assessment Tool portal 382
maintained by the Office of Safe Schools that the instructional 383
space is exempt from these requirements due to negative impacts 384
to student health and safety and the presence of other safety 385
measures at the school that prevent egress from the 386
instructional space to hallways or other classrooms or 387
instructional spaces. 388
c. Common areas on a school campus, including, but not 389
limited to, cafeterias, auditoriums, and media centers, which 390
are used for instructional time or student testing must meet the 391
requirements of sub-subparagraph a. only when such areas are 392
being used for instructional time or student testing. 393
3. All campus access doors, gates, and other access points 394
that allow ingress to or egress from a school building shall 395
remain closed and locked at all times to prevent ingres s, 396
unless: 397
a. A person is actively entering or exiting the door, 398
gate, or other access point ; 399
b. The door, gate, or access point is actively staffed by 400
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school personnel to prevent unauthorized entry; or 401
c. The school safety specialist, or his or her designee, 402
has documented in the Florida Safe Schools Assessment Tool 403
portal maintained by the Office of Safe Schools that the open 404
and unlocked door, gate, or other access point is not subject to 405
this requirement based upon other safety measures at the sc hool. 406
There must be at least one locked barrier between classrooms and 407
instructional spaces and open school campus. 408
409
The office may conduct a compliance visit pursuant to s. 410
1001.212(14) to review if such determination is appropriate. All 411
campus access doors, gates, and other access points may be 412
electronically or manually controlled by school personnel to 413
allow access by authorized visitors, students, and school 414
personnel. 415
4. All school classrooms and other instructional spaces 416
must clearly and conspicuo usly mark the safest areas in each 417
classroom or other instructional space where students must 418
shelter in place during an emergency. Students must be notified 419
of these safe areas within the first 10 days of the school year. 420
If it is not feasible to clearly and conspicuously mark the 421
safest areas in a classroom or other instructional space, the 422
school safety specialist, or his or her designee, must document 423
such determination in the Florida Safe Schools Assessment Tool 424
portal maintained by the Office of Safe Schools, identifying 425
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where affected students must shelter in place. The office shall 426
assist the school safety specialist with compliance during the 427
inspection required under s. 1001.212(14). 428
429
Persons who are aware of a violation of this paragraph must 430
report the violation to the school principal. The school 431
principal must report the violation to the school safety 432
specialist no later than the next business day after receiving 433
such report. If the person who violated this paragraph is the 434
school principal or c harter school administrator, the report 435
must be made directly to the district school superintendent or 436
charter school governing board, as applicable. 437
(h) Provision of school safety protocols and policies. —438
Each substitute teacher must be provided all scho ol safety 439
protocols and policies before beginning his or her first day of 440
substitute teaching at a school. 441
Section 4. Subsections (4) and (5) of section 1006.12, 442
Florida Statutes, are amended to read: 443
1006.12 Safe-school officers at each public schoo l.—For 444
the protection and safety of school personnel, property, 445
students, and visitors, each district school board and school 446
district superintendent shall partner with law enforcement 447
agencies or security agencies to establish or assign one or more 448
safe-school officers at each school facility within the 449
district, including charter schools. A district school board 450
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must collaborate with charter school governing boards to 451
facilitate charter school access to all safe -school officer 452
options available under this section. The school district may 453
implement any combination of the options in subsections (1) -(4) 454
to best meet the needs of the school district and charter 455
schools. 456
(4) SCHOOL SECURITY GUARD. —A school district or charter 457
school governing board may contra ct with a security agency as 458
defined in s. 493.6101(18) to employ as a school security guard 459
an individual who holds a Class "D" and Class "G" license 460
pursuant to chapter 493, provided the following training and 461
contractual conditions are met: 462
(a) An individual who serves as a school security guard, 463
for purposes of satisfying the requirements of this section, 464
must: 465
1. Demonstrate completion of 144 hours of required 466
training conducted by a sheriff pursuant to s. 30.15(1)(k)2. 467
2. Pass a psychological ev aluation administered by a 468
psychologist licensed under chapter 490 and designated by the 469
Department of Law Enforcement and submit the results of the 470
evaluation to the sheriff's office , and school district, or 471
charter school governing board, or employing security agency, as 472
applicable. The Department of Law Enforcement is authorized to 473
provide the sheriff's office, school district, or charter school 474
governing board, or employing security agency with mental health 475
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and substance abuse data for compliance with this paragraph. 476
3. Submit to and pass an initial drug test and subsequent 477
random drug tests in accordance with the requirements of s. 478
112.0455 and the sheriff's office, school district, or charter 479
school governing board, or employing security agency, as 480
applicable. 481
4. Be approved to work as a school security guard by the 482
sheriff of each county in which the school security guard will 483
be assigned to a school before commencing work at any school in 484
that county. The sheriff's approval authorizes the security 485
agency to assign the school security guard to any school in the 486
county, and the sheriff's approval is not limited to any 487
particular school. 488
5.4. Successfully complete ongoing training, weapon 489
inspection, and firearm qualification conducted by a sheriff 490
pursuant to s. 30.15(1)(k)2.e. on at least an annual basis and 491
provide documentation to the sheriff's office, school district, 492
or charter school governing board, or employing security agency, 493
as applicable. 494
(b) The contract between a security a gency and a school 495
district or a charter school governing board regarding 496
requirements applicable to school security guards serving in the 497
capacity of a safe-school officer for purposes of satisfying the 498
requirements of this section shall define the entity or entities 499
responsible for training and the responsibilities for 500
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maintaining records relating to training, inspection, and 501
firearm qualification. 502
(c) School security guards serving in the capacity of a 503
safe-school officer pursuant to this subsection ar e in support 504
of school-sanctioned activities for purposes of s. 790.115, and 505
must aid in the prevention or abatement of active assailant 506
incidents on school premises. 507
(d) The Office of Safe Schools shall provide the 508
Department of Law Enforcement any info rmation related to a 509
school security guard that the office receives pursuant to 510
subsection (5). 511
(5) NOTIFICATION.—The district school superintendent or 512
charter school administrator, or a respective designee , shall 513
notify the county sheriff and the Office of Safe Schools 514
immediately after, but no later than 72 hours after: 515
(a) A safe-school officer is dismissed for misconduct or 516
is otherwise disciplined. 517
(b) A safe-school officer discharges his or her firearm in 518
the exercise of the safe -school officer's duties, other than for 519
training purposes. 520
521
If a district school board, through its adopted policies, 522
procedures, or actions, denies a charter school access to any 523
safe-school officer options pursuant to this section, the school 524
district must assign a sch ool resource officer or school safety 525
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officer to the charter school. Under such circumstances, the 526
charter school's share of the costs of the school resource 527
officer or school safety officer may not exceed the safe school 528
allocation funds provided to the c harter school pursuant to s. 529
1011.62(12) and shall be retained by the school district. 530
Section 5. This act shall take effect July 1, 2025. 531