HB 6037 2025
CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
hb6037-00
Page 1 of 12
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 objections to instructional 2
materials; amending s. 1006.28, F.S.; removing 3
provisions authorizing parents and residents to object 4
to instructional materials; removing requirements for 5
certain meetings of committees related to such 6
objections; removing provisions authorizing the 7
Commissioner of Education to appoint a special 8
magistrate under certain circumstances; removing 9
district school board reporting requirements relating 10
to such objections; amending s. 1014.05, F.S.; 11
conforming provisions to changes made by the act; 12
providing an effective date. 13
14
Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: 15
16
Section 1. Paragraphs (a), (d), and (e) of subsection (2) 17
of section 1006.28, Florida Statutes, are amended to read: 18
1006.28 Duties of district school board, district school 19
superintendent; and school principal regarding K -12 20
instructional materials. — 21
(2) DISTRICT SCHOOL BO ARD.—The district school board has 22
the constitutional duty and responsibility to select and provide 23
adequate instructional materials for all students in accordance 24
with the requirements of this part. The district school board 25
HB 6037 2025
CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
hb6037-00
Page 2 of 12
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
also has the following specifi c duties and responsibilities: 26
(a) Courses of study; adoption. —Adopt courses of study, 27
including instructional materials, for use in the schools of the 28
district. 29
1. Each district school board is responsible for the 30
content of all instructional material s and any other materials 31
used in a classroom, made available in a school or classroom 32
library, or included on a reading list, whether adopted and 33
purchased from the state -adopted instructional materials list, 34
adopted and purchased through a district instr uctional materials 35
program under s. 1006.283, or otherwise purchased or made 36
available. 37
2. Each district school board must adopt a policy 38
regarding an objection by a parent or a resident of the county 39
to the use of a specific material, which clearly desc ribes a 40
process to handle all objections and provides for resolution. 41
The objection form, as prescribed by State Board of Education 42
rule, and the district school board's process must be easy to 43
read and understand and be easily accessible on the homepage o f 44
the school district's website. The objection form must also 45
identify the school district point of contact and contact 46
information for the submission of an objection. The process must 47
provide the parent or resident the opportunity to proffer 48
evidence to the district school board that: 49
a. An instructional material does not meet the criteria of 50
HB 6037 2025
CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
hb6037-00
Page 3 of 12
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
s. 1006.31(2) or s. 1006.40(3)(c) if it was selected for use in 51
a course or otherwise made available to students in the school 52
district but was not subject to the p ublic notice, review, 53
comment, and hearing procedures under s. 1006.283(2)(b)8., 9., 54
and 11. 55
b. Any material used in a classroom, made available in a 56
school or classroom library, or included on a reading list 57
contains content which: 58
(I) Is pornographic or prohibited under s. 847.012; 59
(II) Depicts or describes sexual conduct as defined in s. 60
847.001(19), unless such material is for a course required by s. 61
1003.46 or s. 1003.42(2)(o)1.g. or 3., or identified by State 62
Board of Education rule; 63
(III) Is not suited to student needs and their ability to 64
comprehend the material presented; or 65
(IV) Is inappropriate for the grade level and age group 66
for which the material is used. 67
68
A resident of the county who is not the parent or guardian of a 69
student with access to school district materials may not object 70
to more than one material per month. The State Board of 71
Education may adopt rules to implement this provision. Any 72
material that is subject to an objection on the basis of sub -73
sub-subparagraph b.(I) or sub -sub-subparagraph b.(II) must be 74
removed within 5 school days after receipt of the objection and 75
HB 6037 2025
CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
hb6037-00
Page 4 of 12
F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S
remain unavailable to students of that school until the 76
objection is resolved. Par ents shall have the right to read 77
passages from any material that is subject to an objection. If 78
the school board denies a parent the right to read passages due 79
to content that meets the requirements under sub -sub-80
subparagraph b.(I), the school district sh all discontinue the 81
use of the material in the school district. If the district 82
school board finds that any material meets the requirements 83
under sub-subparagraph a. or that any other material contains 84
prohibited content under sub -sub-subparagraph b.(I), t he school 85
district shall discontinue use of the material. If the district 86
school board finds that any other material contains prohibited 87
content under sub-sub-subparagraphs b.(II) -(IV), the school 88
district shall discontinue use of the material for any grad e 89
level or age group for which such use is inappropriate or 90
unsuitable. 91
2.3. Each district school board must establish a process 92
by which the parent of a public school student or a resident of 93
the county may contest the district school board's adoption o f a 94
specific instructional material. The parent or resident must 95
file a petition, on a form provided by the school board, within 96
30 calendar days after the adoption of the instructional 97
material by the school board. The school board must make the 98
form available to the public and publish the form on the school 99
district's website. The form must be signed by the parent or 100
HB 6037 2025
CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
hb6037-00
Page 5 of 12
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
resident, include the required contact information, and state 101
the objection to the instructional material based on the 102
criteria of s. 1006.3 1(2) or s. 1006.40(3)(c). Within 30 days 103
after the 30-day period has expired, the school board must, for 104
all petitions timely received, conduct at least one open public 105
hearing before an unbiased and qualified hearing officer. The 106
hearing officer may not b e an employee or agent of the school 107
district. The hearing is not subject to the provisions of 108
chapter 120; however, the hearing must provide sufficient 109
procedural protections to allow each petitioner an adequate and 110
fair opportunity to be heard and presen t evidence to the hearing 111
officer. The school board's decision after convening a hearing 112
is final and not subject to further petition or review. 113
3.4. Meetings of committees convened for the purpose of 114
ranking, eliminating, or selecting instructional mate rials for 115
recommendation to the district school board must be noticed and 116
open to the public in accordance with s. 286.011. Any committees 117
convened for such purposes must include parents of students who 118
will have access to such materials. 119
5. Meetings of committees convened for the purpose of 120
resolving an objection by a parent or resident to specific 121
materials must be noticed and open to the public in accordance 122
with s. 286.011. Any committees convened for such purposes must 123
include parents of students who will have access to such 124
materials. 125
HB 6037 2025
CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
hb6037-00
Page 6 of 12
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
6. If a parent disagrees with the determination made by 126
the district school board on the objection to the use of a 127
specific material, a parent may request the Commissioner of 128
Education to appoint a special magistrate who is a member of The 129
Florida Bar in good standing and who has at least 5 years' 130
experience in administrative law. The special magistrate shall 131
determine facts relating to the school district's determination, 132
consider information provided by the parent an d the school 133
district, and render a recommended decision for resolution to 134
the State Board of Education within 30 days after receipt of the 135
request by the parent. The State Board of Education must approve 136
or reject the recommended decision at its next regu larly 137
scheduled meeting that is more than 7 calendar days and no more 138
than 30 days after the date the recommended decision is 139
transmitted. The costs of the special magistrate shall be borne 140
by the school district. The State Board of Education shall adopt 141
rules, including forms, necessary to implement this 142
subparagraph. 143
(d) School library media services; establishment and 144
maintenance.—Establish and maintain a program of school library 145
media services for all public schools in the district, including 146
school library media centers, or school library media centers 147
open to the public, and, in addition such traveling or 148
circulating libraries as may be needed for the proper operation 149
of the district school system. Beginning January 1, 2023, school 150
HB 6037 2025
CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
hb6037-00
Page 7 of 12
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
librarians, media specialists, and other personnel involved in 151
the selection of school district library materials must complete 152
the training program developed pursuant to s. 1006.29(6) before 153
reviewing and selecting age -appropriate materials and library 154
resources. Upon written request, a school district shall provide 155
access to any material or book specified in the request that is 156
maintained in a district school system library and is available 157
for review. 158
1. Each book made available to students through a school 159
district library media center or included in a recommended or 160
assigned school or grade -level reading list must be selected by 161
a school district employee who holds a valid educational media 162
specialist certificate, regardless of whether the book is 163
purchased, donated, or otherwise made available to students. 164
2. Each district school board shall adopt procedures for 165
developing library media center collections and post the 166
procedures on the website for each school within the district. 167
The procedures must: 168
a. Require that book selections meet the criteria in s. 169
1006.40(3)(c). 170
b. Require consultation of reputable, professionally 171
recognized reviewing periodicals and school community 172
stakeholders. 173
c. Provide for library media center collections, including 174
classroom libraries, based on reader interest, support of state 175
HB 6037 2025
CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
hb6037-00
Page 8 of 12
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
academic standards and aligned curriculum, and the academic 176
needs of students and faculty. 177
d. Provide for the regular removal or discontinuance of 178
books based on, at a minimum, physical condition, rate of recent 179
circulation, alignment to state academic standards and relevancy 180
to curriculum, and out-of-date content, and required removal 181
pursuant to subparagraph (a)2 . 182
3. Each elementary school must publish on its website, in 183
a searchable format prescribed by the department, a list of all 184
materials maintained and accessible in the school library media 185
center or a classroom library or required as part of a school or 186
grade-level reading list. 187
4. Each district school board shall adopt and publish on 188
its website the process for a parent to limit his or her 189
student's access to materials in the school or classroom 190
library. 191
(e) Public participation. —Publish on its website, in a 192
searchable format prescribed by the department, a list of all 193
instructional materials , including those used to provide 194
instruction required by s. 1003.42. Each district school board 195
must: 196
1. Provide access to all materials, excluding teacher 197
editions, in accordance with s. 1006.283(2)(b)8.a. before the 198
district school board takes any off icial action on such 199
materials. This process must include reasonable safeguards 200
HB 6037 2025
CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
hb6037-00
Page 9 of 12
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
against the unauthorized use, reproduction, and distribution of 201
instructional materials considered for adoption. 202
2. Select, approve, adopt, or purchase all materials as a 203
separate line item on the agenda and provide a reasonable 204
opportunity for public comment. The use of materials described 205
in this paragraph may not be selected, approved, or adopted as 206
part of a consent agenda. 207
3. Annually, beginning June 30, 2023, submit to the 208
Commissioner of Education a report that identifies: 209
a. Each material for which the school district received an 210
objection pursuant to subparagraph (a)2., including the grade 211
level and course the material was used in, for the school year 212
and the specific objections thereto. 213
b. Each material that was removed or discontinued. 214
c. Each material that was not removed or discontinued and 215
the rationale for not removing or discontinuing the material. 216
217
The department shall publish and regularly update a list of 218
materials that were removed or discontinued, sorted by grade 219
level, as a result of an objection and disseminate the list to 220
school districts for consideration in their selection 221
procedures. 222
Section 2. Paragraphs (d) through (f) of subsection (1) of 223
section 1014.05, Florida Statutes, are renumbered as paragraphs 224
(c) through (e), and present paragraphs (c) and (f) of that 225
HB 6037 2025
CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
hb6037-00
Page 10 of 12
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
subsection are amended to read: 226
1014.05 School district notifications on parental rights. — 227
(1) Each district school board shall , in consultation with 228
parents, teachers, and administrators, develop and adopt a 229
policy to promote parental involvement in the public school 230
system. Such policy must include: 231
(c) Procedures, pursuant to s. 1006.28(2)(a)2., for a 232
parent to object to inst ructional materials and other materials 233
used in the classroom. Such objections may be based on beliefs 234
regarding morality, sex, and religion or the belief that such 235
materials are harmful. For purposes of this section, the term 236
"instructional materials" has the same meaning as in s. 237
1006.29(2) and may include other materials used in the 238
classroom, including workbooks and worksheets, handouts, 239
software, applications, and any digital media made available to 240
students. 241
(e)(f) Procedures for a parent to learn a bout parental 242
rights and responsibilities under general law, including all of 243
the following: 244
1. Pursuant to s. 1002.20(3)(d), the right to opt his or 245
her minor child out of any portion of the school district's 246
comprehensive health education required under s. 1003.42(2)(o) 247
that relates to sex education instruction in acquired immune 248
deficiency syndrome education or any instruction regarding 249
sexuality. 250
HB 6037 2025
CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
hb6037-00
Page 11 of 12
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
2. A plan to disseminate information, pursuant to s. 251
1002.20(6), about school choice options, includ ing open 252
enrollment. 253
3. In accordance with s. 1002.20(3)(b), the right of a 254
parent to exempt his or her minor child from immunizations. 255
4. In accordance with s. 1008.22, the right of a parent to 256
review statewide, standardized assessment results. 257
5. In accordance with s. 1003.57, the right of a parent to 258
enroll his or her minor child in gifted or special education 259
programs. 260
6. In accordance with s. 1006.28(2)(a)1., the right of a 261
parent to inspect school district instructional materials. 262
6.7. In accordance with s. 1008.25, the right of a parent 263
to access information relating to the school district's policies 264
for promotion or retention, including high school graduation 265
requirements. 266
7.8. In accordance with s. 1002.20(14), the right of a 267
parent to receive a school report card and be informed of his or 268
her minor child's attendance requirements. 269
8.9. In accordance with s. 1002.23, the right of a parent 270
to access information relating to the state public education 271
system, state standards, report card r equirements, attendance 272
requirements, and instructional materials requirements. 273
9.10. In accordance with s. 1002.23(4), the right of a 274
parent to participate in parent -teacher associations and 275
HB 6037 2025
CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
hb6037-00
Page 12 of 12
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
organizations that are sanctioned by a district school board o r 276
the Department of Education. 277
10.11. In accordance with s. 1002.222(1)(a), the right of 278
a parent to opt out of any district -level data collection 279
relating to his or her minor child not required by law. 280
Section 3. This act shall take effect July 1, 2025. 281