Florida Senate - 2025 SB 1470 By Senator Burgess 23-01031-25 20251470__ 1 A bill to be entitled 2 An act relating to school safety; amending s. 30.15, 3 F.S.; requiring a sheriff to establish a school 4 guardian program if a school board contracts for the 5 use of security guards; providing that the security 6 agency is responsible for training and screening 7 costs; requiring a sheriff who conducts training for 8 security guards or who waives certain training 9 requirements for a person and makes a certain 10 determination to issue a school security guard 11 certificate; requiring the sheriff to maintain 12 specified documentation; deleting an obsolete 13 requirement for a sheriff to report information 14 relating to school guardians to the Department of Law 15 Enforcement; deleting an obsolete requirement for a 16 school district, charter school, or private school to 17 report information relating to a school guardian to 18 the Department of Law Enforcement; conforming 19 provisions to changes made by the act; amending s. 20 1001.212, F.S; requiring the Office of Safe Schools to 21 create and maintain a list of exceptions to school 22 safety requirements under certain circumstances; 23 deleting a requirement for the office to evaluate the 24 methodology for the safe school allocation; requiring 25 the office to partner with the Florida Association of 26 School Safety Specialists to recommend a structure to 27 provide training and certification for school safety 28 specialists; requiring the office to make specified 29 recommendations to the Governor and the Legislature by 30 a specified date; amending s. 1006.07, F.S.; revising 31 school safety requirements that must be followed by a 32 school district or charter school governing board; 33 defining the term school supervision hours; 34 providing certain exceptions; amending s. 1006.12, 35 F.S.; requiring that a person who serves as a school 36 security guard be approved by the sheriff; providing 37 that the sheriffs approval authorizes the school 38 security guard to work at any school in the county; 39 requiring the Office of Safe Schools to provide to the 40 Department of Law Enforcement certain information 41 relating to a school security guard; amending s. 42 1006.121, F.S.; revising the definition of the term 43 firearm detection canine; providing an effective 44 date. 45 46 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: 47 48 Section 1.Paragraph (k) of subsection (1) of section 49 30.15, Florida Statutes, is amended to read: 50 30.15Powers, duties, and obligations. 51 (1)Sheriffs, in their respective counties, in person or by 52 deputy, shall: 53 (k)Assist district school boards and charter school 54 governing boards in complying with, or private schools in 55 exercising options in, s. 1006.12. A sheriff shall must, at a 56 minimum, provide access to a Chris Hixon, Coach Aaron Feis, and 57 Coach Scott Beigel Guardian Program to aid in the prevention or 58 abatement of active assailant incidents on school premises, as 59 required under this paragraph. Persons certified as school 60 guardians pursuant to this paragraph have no authority to act in 61 any law enforcement capacity except to the extent necessary to 62 prevent or abate an active assailant incident. 63 1.a.If a local school board has voted by a majority to 64 implement a guardian program or has contracted for the use of 65 school security guards to satisfy the requirements of s. 66 1006.12, the sheriff in that county must shall establish a 67 guardian program to provide training for school guardians or 68 school security guards, pursuant to subparagraph 2., to school 69 district, charter school, or private school, or security agency 70 employees, either directly or through a contract with another 71 sheriffs office that has established a guardian program. 72 b.A charter school governing board in a school district 73 that has not voted, or has declined, to implement a guardian 74 program may request the sheriff in the county to establish a 75 guardian program for the purpose of training the charter school 76 employees or school security guards consistent with the 77 requirements of subparagraph 2. If the county sheriff denies the 78 request, the charter school governing board may contract with a 79 sheriff that has established a guardian program to provide such 80 training. The charter school governing board must notify the 81 superintendent and the sheriff in the charter schools county of 82 the contract prior to its execution. The security agency 83 employing a school security guard is responsible for all 84 training and screening-related costs for a school security 85 guard. 86 c.A private school in a school district that has not 87 voted, or has declined, to implement a guardian program may 88 request that the sheriff in the county of the private school 89 establish a guardian program for the purpose of training private 90 school employees or school security guards. If the county 91 sheriff denies the request, the private school may contract with 92 a sheriff from another county who has established a guardian 93 program under subparagraph 2. to provide such training. The 94 private school must notify the sheriff in the private schools 95 county of the contract with a sheriff from another county before 96 its execution. The private school or security agency is 97 responsible for all training and screening-related costs for a 98 school guardian program. The sheriff providing such training 99 must ensure that any moneys paid by a private school or security 100 agency are not commingled with any funds provided by the state 101 to the sheriff as reimbursement for screening-related and 102 training-related costs of any school district or charter school 103 employee. 104 d.The training program required in sub-subparagraph 2.b. 105 is a standardized statewide curriculum, and each sheriff 106 providing such training shall adhere to the course of 107 instruction specified in that sub-subparagraph. This 108 subparagraph does not prohibit a sheriff from providing 109 additional training. A school guardian or school security guard 110 who has completed the training program required in sub 111 subparagraph 2.b. may not be required to attend another 112 sheriffs training program pursuant to that sub-subparagraph 113 unless there has been at least a 1-year break in his or her 114 appointment as a guardian or employment by a security agency as 115 a school security guard in a school. 116 e.The sheriff conducting the training pursuant to 117 subparagraph 2. for school district and charter school employees 118 will be reimbursed for screening-related and training-related 119 costs and for providing a one-time stipend of $500 to each 120 school guardian who participates in the school guardian program. 121 f.The sheriff may waive the training and screening-related 122 costs for a private school for a school guardian program. Funds 123 provided pursuant to sub-subparagraph e. may not be used to 124 subsidize any costs that have been waived by the sheriff. The 125 sheriff may not waive the training and screening-related costs 126 required to be paid by a security agency for initial training or 127 ongoing training of a school security guard. 128 g.A person who is certified and in good standing under the 129 Florida Criminal Justice Standards and Training Commission, who 130 meets the qualifications established in s. 943.13, and who is 131 otherwise qualified for the position of a school guardian or 132 school security guard may be certified as a school guardian or 133 school security guard by the sheriff without completing the 134 training requirements of sub-subparagraph 2.b. However, a person 135 certified as a school guardian or school security guard under 136 this sub-subparagraph must meet the requirements of sub 137 subparagraphs 2.c.-e. 138 2.A sheriff who establishes a program shall consult with 139 the Department of Law Enforcement on programmatic guiding 140 principles, practices, and resources, and shall certify as 141 school guardians, without the power of arrest, school employees, 142 as specified in s. 1006.12(3), or shall certify as school 143 security guards those persons employed by a security agency who 144 meet the criteria specified in s. 1006.12(4), and who: 145 a.Hold a valid license issued under s. 790.06 or are 146 otherwise eligible to possess or carry a concealed firearm under 147 chapter 790. 148 b.After satisfying the requirements of s. 1006.12(7), 149 complete a 144-hour training program, consisting of 12 hours of 150 training to improve the school guardians knowledge and skills 151 necessary to respond to and de-escalate incidents on school 152 premises and 132 total hours of comprehensive firearm safety and 153 proficiency training conducted by Criminal Justice Standards and 154 Training Commission-certified instructors, which must include: 155 (I)Eighty hours of firearms instruction based on the 156 Criminal Justice Standards and Training Commissions Law 157 Enforcement Academy training model, which must include at least 158 10 percent but no more than 20 percent more rounds fired than 159 associated with academy training. Program participants must 160 achieve an 85 percent pass rate on the firearms training. 161 (II)Sixteen hours of instruction in precision pistol. 162 (III)Eight hours of discretionary shooting instruction 163 using state-of-the-art simulator exercises. 164 (IV)Sixteen hours of instruction in active shooter or 165 assailant scenarios. 166 (V)Eight hours of instruction in defensive tactics. 167 (VI)Four hours of instruction in legal issues. 168 c.Pass a psychological evaluation administered by a 169 psychologist licensed under chapter 490 and designated by the 170 Department of Law Enforcement and submit the results of the 171 evaluation to the sheriffs office. The Department of Law 172 Enforcement is authorized to provide the sheriffs office with 173 mental health and substance abuse data for compliance with this 174 paragraph. 175 d.Submit to and pass an initial drug test and subsequent 176 random drug tests in accordance with the requirements of s. 177 112.0455 and the sheriffs office. 178 e.Successfully complete ongoing training, weapon 179 inspection, and firearm qualification on at least an annual 180 basis. 181 182 The sheriff who conducts the guardian training or waives the 183 training requirements for a person under sub-subparagraph 1.g. 184 shall issue a school guardian certificate to persons who meet 185 the requirements of this section to the satisfaction of the 186 sheriff, and shall maintain documentation of weapon and 187 equipment inspections, as well as the training, certification, 188 inspection, and qualification records of each school guardian 189 certified by the sheriff. A person who is certified under this 190 paragraph may serve as a school guardian under s. 1006.12(3) 191 only if he or she is appointed by the applicable school district 192 superintendent, charter school principal, or private school head 193 of school. A sheriff who conducts the training for a school 194 security guard or waives the training requirements for a person 195 under sub-subparagraph 1.g. and determines that the school 196 security guard has met all the requirements of s. 1006.12(4) 197 shall issue a school security guard certificate to persons who 198 meet the requirements of this section to the satisfaction of the 199 sheriff and shall maintain documentation of weapon and equipment 200 inspections, training, certification, and qualification records 201 for each school security guard certified by the sheriff. 202 3.a.(I)Within 30 days after issuing a school guardian or 203 school security guard certificate, the sheriff who issued the 204 certificate must report to the Department of Law Enforcement the 205 name, date of birth, and certification date of the school 206 guardian or school security guard. 207 (II)By September 1, 2024, each sheriff who issued a school 208 guardian certificate must report to the Department of Law 209 Enforcement the name, date of birth, and certification date of 210 each school guardian who received a certificate from the 211 sheriff. 212 b.(I)By February 1 and September 1 of each school year, 213 each school district, charter school, employing security agency, 214 and private school must report in the manner prescribed to the 215 Department of Law Enforcement the name, date of birth, and 216 appointment date of each person appointed as a school guardian 217 or employed as a school security guard. The school district, 218 charter school, employing security agency, and private school 219 must also report in the manner prescribed to the Department of 220 Law Enforcement the date each school guardian or school security 221 guard separates from his or her appointment as a school guardian 222 or employment as a school security guard in a school. 223 (II)By September 1, 2024, each school district, charter 224 school, and private school must report to the Department of Law 225 Enforcement the name, date of birth, and initial and end-of 226 appointment dates, as applicable, of each person appointed as a 227 school guardian. 228 c.The Department of Law Enforcement shall maintain a list 229 of each person appointed as a school guardian or certified as a 230 school security guard in the state. The list must include the 231 name and certification date of each school guardian and school 232 security guard and the date the person was appointed as a school 233 guardian or certified as a school security guard, including the 234 name of the school district, charter school, or private school 235 in which the school guardian is appointed, or the employing 236 security agency of a school security guard, any information 237 provided pursuant to s. 1006.12(5), and, if applicable, the date 238 such person separated from his or her appointment as a school 239 guardian or the last date a school security guard served in a 240 school as of the last reporting date. The Department of Law 241 Enforcement shall remove from the list any person whose training 242 has expired pursuant to sub-subparagraph 1.d. 243 d.Each sheriff shall must report on a quarterly basis to 244 the Department of Law Enforcement the schedule for upcoming 245 school guardian trainings, to include guardian trainings for 246 school security guards, including the dates of the training, the 247 training locations, a contact person to register for the 248 training, and the class capacity. If no trainings are scheduled, 249 the sheriff is not required to report to the Department of Law 250 Enforcement. The Department of Law Enforcement shall publish on 251 its website a list of the upcoming school guardian trainings. 252 The Department of Law Enforcement shall must update such list 253 quarterly. 254 e.A sheriff who fails to report the information required 255 by this subparagraph may not receive reimbursement from the 256 Department of Education for school guardian trainings. Upon the 257 submission of the required information, a sheriff is deemed 258 eligible for such funding and is authorized to continue to 259 receive reimbursement for school guardian training. 260 f.A school district, charter school, or private school, or 261 employing security agency that fails to report the information 262 required by this subparagraph is prohibited from operating may 263 not operate a school guardian program or employing school 264 security guards in for the following school year, unless the 265 missing school district, charter school, or private school has 266 submitted the required information is provided. 267 g.By March 1 and October 1 of each school year, the 268 Department of Law Enforcement shall notify the Department of 269 Education of any sheriff, school district, charter school, or 270 private school that has not complied with the reporting 271 requirements of this subparagraph. 272 h.The Department of Law Enforcement may adopt rules to 273 implement the requirements of this subparagraph, including 274 requiring additional reporting information only as necessary to 275 uniquely identify each school guardian and school security guard 276 reported. 277 Section 2.Paragraphs (a), (b), and (c) of subsection (11) 278 and subsection (17) of section 1001.212, Florida Statutes, are 279 amended, and subsection (18) is added to that section, to read: 280 1001.212Office of Safe Schools.There is created in the 281 Department of Education the Office of Safe Schools. The office 282 is fully accountable to the Commissioner of Education. The 283 office shall serve as a central repository for best practices, 284 training standards, and compliance oversight in all matters 285 regarding school safety and security, including prevention 286 efforts, intervention efforts, and emergency preparedness 287 planning. The office shall: 288 (11)Develop a statewide behavioral threat management 289 operational process, a Florida-specific behavioral threat 290 assessment instrument, and a threat management portal. 291 (a)1.By December 1, 2023, The office shall maintain the 292 develop a statewide behavioral threat management operational 293 process to guide school districts, schools, charter school 294 governing boards, and charter schools through the threat 295 management process. The process must be designed to identify, 296 assess, manage, and monitor potential and real threats to 297 schools. This process must include, but is not limited to: 298 a.The establishment and duties of threat management teams. 299 b.Defining behavioral risks and threats. 300 c.The use of the Florida-specific behavioral threat 301 assessment instrument developed pursuant to paragraph (b) to 302 evaluate the behavior of students who may pose a threat to the 303 school, school staff, or other students and to coordinate 304 intervention and services for such students. 305 d.Upon the availability of the threat management portal 306 developed pursuant to paragraph (c), the use, authorized user 307 criteria, and access specifications of the portal. 308 e.Procedures for the implementation of interventions, 309 school support, and community services. 310 f.Guidelines for appropriate law enforcement intervention. 311 g.Procedures for risk management. 312 h.Procedures for disciplinary actions. 313 i.Mechanisms for continued monitoring of potential and 314 real threats. 315 j.Procedures for referrals to mental health services 316 identified by the school district or charter school governing 317 board pursuant to s. 1012.584(4). 318 k.Procedures and requirements necessary for the creation 319 of a threat assessment report, all corresponding documentation, 320 and any other information required by the Florida-specific 321 behavioral threat assessment instrument under paragraph (b). 322 2.Upon availability, Each school district, school, charter 323 school governing board, and charter school shall must use the 324 statewide behavioral threat management operational process. 325 3.The office shall provide training to all school 326 districts, schools, charter school governing boards, and charter 327 schools on the statewide behavioral threat management 328 operational process. 329 4.The office shall coordinate the ongoing development, 330 implementation, and operation of the statewide behavioral threat 331 management operational process. 332 (b)1.By August 1, 2023, The office shall maintain the 333 develop a Florida-specific behavioral threat assessment 334 instrument for school districts, schools, charter school 335 governing boards, and charter schools to use to evaluate the 336 behavior of students who may pose a threat to the school, school 337 staff, or students and to coordinate intervention and services 338 for such students. The Florida-specific behavioral threat 339 assessment instrument must include, but is not limited to: 340 a.An assessment of the threat, which includes an 341 assessment of the student, family, and school and social 342 dynamics. 343 b.An evaluation to determine whether a threat exists and 344 if so, the type of threat. 345 c.The response to a threat, which includes the school 346 response, the role of law enforcement agencies in the response, 347 and the response by mental health providers. 348 d.Ongoing monitoring to assess implementation of threat 349 management and safety strategies. 350 e.Ongoing monitoring to evaluate interventions and support 351 provided to the students. 352 f.A standardized threat assessment report, which must 353 include, but need not be limited to, all documentation 354 associated with the evaluation, intervention, management, and 355 any ongoing monitoring of the threat. 356 2.A report, all corresponding documentation, and any other 357 information required by the instrument in the threat management 358 portal under paragraph (c) is an education record and may not be 359 retained, maintained, or transferred, except in accordance with 360 State Board of Education rule. 361 3.Upon availability, Each school district, school, charter 362 school governing board, and charter school shall must use the 363 Florida-specific behavioral threat assessment instrument. 364 4.The office shall provide training for members of threat 365 management teams established under s. 1006.07(7) and for all 366 school districts and charter school governing boards regarding 367 the use of the Florida-specific behavioral threat assessment 368 instrument. 369 (c)1.By August 1, 2025, the office shall develop, host, 370 maintain, and administer a threat management portal that will 371 digitize the Florida-specific behavioral threat assessment 372 instrument for use by each school district, school, charter 373 school governing board, and charter school. The portal will also 374 facilitate the electronic threat assessment reporting and 375 documentation as required by the Florida-specific behavioral 376 threat assessment instrument to evaluate the behavior of 377 students who may pose a threat to the school, school staff, or 378 students and to coordinate intervention and services for such 379 students. The portal may not provide the office with access to 380 the portal unless authorized in accordance with State Board of 381 Education rule. The portal must include, but need not be limited 382 to, the following functionalities: 383 a.Workflow processes that align with the statewide 384 behavioral threat management operational process. 385 b.Direct data entry and file uploading as required by the 386 Florida-specific behavioral threat assessment instrument. 387 c.The ability to create a threat assessment report as 388 required by the Florida-specific behavioral threat assessment 389 instrument. 390 d.The ability of authorized personnel to add to or update 391 a threat assessment report, all corresponding documentation, or 392 any other information required by the Florida-specific 393 behavioral threat assessment instrument. 394 e.The ability to create and remove connections between 395 education records in the portal and authorized personnel. 396 f.The ability to grant access to and securely transfer any 397 education records in the portal to other schools or charter 398 schools in the district. 399 g.The ability to grant access to and securely transfer any 400 education records in the portal to schools and charter schools 401 not in the originating district. 402 h.The ability to retain, maintain, and transfer education 403 records in the portal in accordance with State Board of 404 Education rule. 405 i.The ability to restrict access to, entry of, 406 modification of, and transfer of education records in the portal 407 to a school district, school, charter school governing board, or 408 charter school and authorized personnel as specified by the 409 statewide behavioral threat management operational process. 410 j.The ability to designate school district or charter 411 school governing board system administrators who may grant 412 access to authorized school district and charter school 413 governing board personnel and school and charter school system 414 administrators. 415 k.The ability to designate school or charter school system 416 administrators who may grant access to authorized school or 417 charter school personnel. 418 l.The ability to notify the offices system administrators 419 and school district or charter school governing board system 420 administrators of attempts to access any education records by 421 unauthorized personnel. 422 2.Upon availability, each school district, school, charter 423 school governing board, and charter school shall use the portal. 424 3.A threat assessment report, including, but not limited 425 to, all corresponding documentation, and any other information 426 required by the Florida-specific behavioral threat assessment 427 instrument which is maintained in the portal, is an education 428 record and may not be retained, maintained, or transferred, 429 except in accordance with State Board of Education rule. 430 4.The office and the office system administrators may not 431 have access to a threat assessment report, all corresponding 432 documentation, and any other information required by the 433 Florida-specific behavioral threat assessment instrument which 434 is maintained in the portal, except in accordance with State 435 Board of Education rule. 436 5.A school district or charter school governing board may 437 not have access to the education records in the portal, except 438 in accordance with State Board of Education rule. 439 6.The parent of a student may access his or her students 440 education records in the portal in accordance with State Board 441 of Education rule, but may not have access to the portal. 442 7.The office shall develop and implement a quarterly 443 portal access review audit process. 444 8.Upon availability, each school district, school, charter 445 school governing board, and charter school shall comply with the 446 quarterly portal access review audit process developed by the 447 office. 448 9.By August 1, 2025, and annually thereafter, the office 449 shall provide role-based training to all authorized school 450 district, school, charter school governing board, and charter 451 school personnel. 452 10.Any individual who accesses, uses, or releases any 453 education record contained in the portal for a purpose not 454 specifically authorized by law commits a noncriminal infraction, 455 punishable by a fine not exceeding $2,000. 456 (17)By August 1, 2025, create and maintain a list of 457 exceptions, with examples, to the requirements of s. 458 1006.07(6)(f)1., 2., and 3. for special circumstances and 459 conditions in which a school is not able to safely or reasonably 460 comply with the requirements for locked doors, gates, and access 461 points included therein By December 1, 2024, evaluate the 462 methodology for the safe schools allocation in s. 1011.62(12) 463 and, if necessary, make recommendations for an alternate 464 methodology to distribute the remaining balance of the safe 465 schools allocation as indicated in s. 1011.62(12). 466 (18)In partnership with the Florida Association of School 467 Safety Specialists, recommend a structure to provide initial and 468 advanced training and certification for school safety 469 specialists, develop additional professional learning 470 opportunities, identify research and best practices in school 471 safety, administer school safety grants, and provide policy 472 recommendations to improve school safety requirements. Such 473 recommendations must be submitted to the Governor, the President 474 of the Senate, and the Speaker of the House of Representatives 475 no later than September 1, 2025. 476 Section 3.Paragraph (f) of subsection (6) of section 477 1006.07, Florida Statutes, is amended to read: 478 1006.07District school board duties relating to student 479 discipline and school safety.The district school board shall 480 provide for the proper accounting for all students, for the 481 attendance and control of students at school, and for proper 482 attention to health, safety, and other matters relating to the 483 welfare of students, including: 484 (6)SAFETY AND SECURITY BEST PRACTICES.Each district 485 school superintendent shall establish policies and procedures 486 for the prevention of violence on school grounds, including the 487 assessment of and intervention with individuals whose behavior 488 poses a threat to the safety of the school community. 489 (f)School safety requirements.By August 1, 2024, Each 490 school district and charter school governing board shall comply 491 with the following school safety requirements: 492 1.All gates or other access points that restrict ingress 493 to or egress from a school campus shall remain closed and locked 494 when students are on campus during school supervision hours. For 495 the purposes of this section, school supervision hours means 496 the hours of the school day plus the reasonable time immediately 497 before and after school during which student supervision is 498 available per school district policy. A gate or other campus 499 access point may only not be open or unlocked during school 500 supervision hours if one of the following conditions is met, 501 regardless of whether it is during normal school hours, unless: 502 a.It is attended or actively staffed by a person when 503 students are on campus; 504 b.The use complies is in accordance with a shared use 505 agreement pursuant to s. 1013.101; 506 c.Another closed and locked gate or access point separates 507 the open or unlocked gate from areas occupied by students; or 508 d.c.The school safety specialist, or his or her designee, 509 has documented in the Florida Safe Schools Assessment Tool 510 portal maintained by the Office of Safe Schools that the gate or 511 other access point is exempt from not subject to this 512 requirement based upon other safety measures in place at the 513 school or an exception recognized by the office pursuant to s. 514 1001.212(17). The office may conduct a compliance visit pursuant 515 to s. 1001.212(14) to review if such determination is 516 appropriate. 517 2.During school supervision hours, all school classrooms 518 and other instructional spaces must be locked to prevent ingress 519 when occupied by students, except between class periods when 520 students are moving between classrooms or other instructional 521 spaces, unless the school safety specialist, or his or her 522 designee, has documented in the Florida Safe Schools Assessment 523 Tool portal maintained by the Office of Safe Schools that the 524 open and unlocked door, gate, or other access point is not 525 subject to this requirement based upon an exception recognized 526 by the office pursuant to s. 1001.212(17). If a classroom or 527 other instructional space door must be left unlocked or open for 528 any other reason other than between class periods when students 529 are moving between classrooms or other instructional spaces, the 530 door must be actively staffed by a person standing or seated at 531 the door. The office may conduct a compliance visit pursuant to 532 s. 1001.212(14) to review if a documented exception is 533 appropriate. 534 3.Unless another closed and locked door, gate, or access 535 point prevents access to a specific school buildings entry, all 536 campus access doors, gates, and other access points that allow 537 ingress to or egress from a school building shall remain closed 538 and locked during school supervision hours at all times to 539 prevent unauthorized access, except when: ingress, unless 540 a.A person is actively entering or exiting the door, gate, 541 or other access point; 542 b.The door, gate, or access point is actively staffed by 543 school personnel to prevent unauthorized entry; or 544 c.The school safety specialist, or his or her designee, 545 has documented in the Florida Safe Schools Assessment Tool 546 portal maintained by the Office of Safe Schools that the open 547 and unlocked door, gate, or other access point is not subject to 548 this requirement based upon other safety measures at the school 549 or an exception recognized by the office pursuant to s. 550 1001.212(17). The office may conduct a compliance visit pursuant 551 to s. 1001.212(14) to review if such determination is 552 appropriate. All campus access doors, gates, and other access 553 points may be electronically or manually controlled by school 554 personnel to allow access by authorized visitors, students, and 555 school personnel. 556 4.All school classrooms and other instructional spaces 557 must clearly and conspicuously mark the safest areas in each 558 classroom or other instructional space where students must 559 shelter in place during an emergency. Students must be notified 560 of these safe areas within the first 10 days of the school year. 561 If it is not feasible to clearly and conspicuously mark the 562 safest areas in a classroom or other instructional space, the 563 school safety specialist, or his or her designee, must document 564 such determination in the Florida Safe Schools Assessment Tool 565 portal maintained by the Office of Safe Schools, identifying 566 where affected students must shelter in place. The office shall 567 assist the school safety specialist with compliance during the 568 inspection required under s. 1001.212(14). 569 570 Persons who are aware of a violation of this paragraph must 571 report the violation to the school principal. The school 572 principal must report the violation to the school safety 573 specialist no later than the next business day after receiving 574 such report. If the person who violated this paragraph is the 575 school principal or charter school administrator, the report 576 must be made directly to the district school superintendent or 577 charter school governing board, as applicable. 578 Section 4.Subsections (4) and (5) of section 1006.12, 579 Florida Statutes, are amended to read: 580 1006.12Safe-school officers at each public school.For the 581 protection and safety of school personnel, property, students, 582 and visitors, each district school board and school district 583 superintendent shall partner with law enforcement agencies or 584 security agencies to establish or assign one or more safe-school 585 officers at each school facility within the district, including 586 charter schools. A district school board shall must collaborate 587 with charter school governing boards to facilitate charter 588 school access to all safe-school officer options available under 589 this section. The school district may implement any combination 590 of the options in subsections (1)-(4) to best meet the needs of 591 the school district and charter schools. 592 (4)SCHOOL SECURITY GUARD.A school district, or charter 593 school governing board, or private school, as authorized under 594 s. 1002.42(20), may contract with a security agency as defined 595 in s. 493.6101(18) to employ as a school security guard an 596 individual who holds a Class D and Class G license pursuant 597 to chapter 493, provided the following training and contractual 598 conditions are met: 599 (a)An individual who serves as a school security guard, 600 for purposes of satisfying the requirements of this section, 601 must: 602 1.Demonstrate completion of 144 hours of required training 603 conducted by a sheriff pursuant to s. 30.15(1)(k)2. 604 2.Pass a psychological evaluation administered by a 605 psychologist licensed under chapter 490 and designated by the 606 Department of Law Enforcement and submit the results of the 607 evaluation to the sheriffs office and, school district, or 608 charter school governing board, private school, or employing 609 security agency as applicable. The Department of Law Enforcement 610 is authorized to provide the sheriffs office, school district, 611 or charter school governing board, private school, or employing 612 security agency with mental health and substance abuse data for 613 compliance with this paragraph. 614 3.Submit to and pass an initial drug test and subsequent 615 random drug tests in accordance with the requirements of s. 616 112.0455 and the sheriffs office, school district, or charter 617 school governing board, private school, or employing security 618 agency, as applicable. 619 4.Be approved to work as a school security guard by the 620 sheriff of each county in which the school security guard will 621 be assigned to a school before commencing work at any school in 622 that county. The sheriffs approval authorizes the security 623 agency to assign the school security guard to any school in the 624 county, and the sheriffs approval is not limited to any 625 particular school. 626 5.Successfully complete ongoing training, weapon 627 inspection, and firearm qualification conducted by a sheriff 628 pursuant to s. 30.15(1)(k)2.e. on at least an annual basis and 629 provide documentation to the sheriffs office, school district, 630 or charter school governing board, private school, or employing 631 security agency as applicable. 632 (b)The contract between a security agency and a school 633 district, private school, or a charter school governing board 634 regarding requirements applicable to school security guards 635 serving in the capacity of a safe-school officer for purposes of 636 satisfying the requirements of this section must shall define 637 the entity or entities responsible for training and the 638 responsibilities for maintaining records relating to training, 639 inspection, and firearm qualification. 640 (c)School security guards serving in the capacity of a 641 safe-school officer pursuant to this subsection are in support 642 of school-sanctioned activities for purposes of s. 790.115, and 643 must aid in the prevention or abatement of active assailant 644 incidents on school premises. 645 (d)The Office of Safe Schools shall provide the Department 646 of Law Enforcement any information related to a school security 647 guard that it receives pursuant to subsection (5). 648 (5)Notification.The district school superintendent or 649 charter school administrator, private school administrator, or a 650 respective designee, shall notify the county sheriff and the 651 Office of Safe Schools immediately after, but no later than 72 652 hours after: 653 (a)A safe-school officer is dismissed for misconduct or is 654 otherwise disciplined. 655 (b) A safe-school officer discharges his or her firearm in 656 the exercise of the safe-school officers duties, other than for 657 training purposes. 658 659 If a district school board, through its adopted policies, 660 procedures, or actions, denies a charter school access to any 661 safe-school officer options pursuant to this section, the school 662 district must assign a school resource officer or school safety 663 officer to the charter school. Under such circumstances, the 664 charter schools share of the costs of the school resource 665 officer or school safety officer may not exceed the safe school 666 allocation funds provided to the charter school pursuant to s. 667 1011.62(12) and shall be retained by the school district. 668 Section 5.Subsection (2) of section 1006.121, Florida 669 Statutes, is amended to read: 670 1006.121Florida Safe Schools Canine Program. 671 (2)DEFINITION.As used in this section, the term firearm 672 detection canine means any canine that is owned or the service 673 of which is employed by a law enforcement agency or school 674 district for use by a sworn law enforcement officer in K-12 675 schools for the primary purpose of aiding in the detection of 676 firearms and ammunition. 677 Section 6.This act shall take effect July 1, 2025.