Florida Senate - 2025 CS for SB 1470 By the Appropriations Committee on Pre-K - 12 Education; and Senator Burgess 602-02770-25 20251470c1 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; prohibiting such costs from exceeding a 8 specified amount; requiring a sheriff who conducts 9 training for security guards or who waives certain 10 training requirements for a person and makes a certain 11 determination to issue a school security guard 12 certificate; requiring the sheriff to maintain 13 specified documentation; deleting an obsolete 14 requirement for a sheriff to report information 15 relating to school guardians to the Department of Law 16 Enforcement; deleting an obsolete requirement for a 17 school district, charter school, or private school to 18 report information relating to a school guardian to 19 the Department of Law Enforcement; conforming 20 provisions to changes made by the act; amending s. 21 1001.212, F.S; requiring the Office of Safe Schools to 22 convene a workgroup of specified entities; requiring 23 the workgroup to make recommendations for the 24 establishment of a Florida Institute of School Safety; 25 requiring the workgroup to submit its findings and 26 recommendations to the Governor and the Legislature by 27 a certain date; deleting a requirement for the office 28 to evaluate the methodology for the safe school 29 allocation; amending s. 1006.07, F.S.; requiring the 30 Department of Education to establish a centralized 31 system to integrate all panic alert systems and 32 digital school maps used by specified entities; 33 providing requirements for the system; revising school 34 safety requirements that must be followed by a school 35 district or charter school governing board; defining 36 the terms exclusive zone, school supervision 37 hours, and nonexclusive zone; providing certain 38 exceptions to the safety requirements; providing 39 applicability; providing an exemption for certain 40 instructional spaces; specifying requirements for 41 common areas; requiring substitute teachers to be 42 provided all school safety protocols and policies; 43 providing an appropriation; amending s. 1006.12, F.S.; 44 requiring that a person who serves as a school 45 security guard be approved by the sheriff; providing 46 that the sheriffs approval authorizes the school 47 security guard to work at any school in the county; 48 requiring the Office of Safe Schools to provide to the 49 Department of Law Enforcement certain information 50 relating to a school security guard; amending s. 51 1006.121, F.S.; revising the definition of the term 52 firearm detection canine; providing an effective 53 date. 54 55 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: 56 57 Section 1.Paragraph (k) of subsection (1) of section 58 30.15, Florida Statutes, is amended to read: 59 30.15Powers, duties, and obligations. 60 (1)Sheriffs, in their respective counties, in person or by 61 deputy, shall: 62 (k)Assist district school boards and charter school 63 governing boards in complying with, or private schools in 64 exercising options in, s. 1006.12. A sheriff shall must, at a 65 minimum, provide access to a Chris Hixon, Coach Aaron Feis, and 66 Coach Scott Beigel Guardian Program to aid in the prevention or 67 abatement of active assailant incidents on school premises, as 68 required under this paragraph. Persons certified as school 69 guardians pursuant to this paragraph have no authority to act in 70 any law enforcement capacity except to the extent necessary to 71 prevent or abate an active assailant incident. 72 1.a.If a local school board has voted by a majority to 73 implement a guardian program or has contracted for the use of 74 school security guards to satisfy the requirements of s. 75 1006.12, the sheriff in that county must shall establish a 76 guardian program to provide training for school guardians or 77 school security guards, pursuant to subparagraph 2., to school 78 district, charter school, or private school, or security agency 79 employees, either directly or through a contract with another 80 sheriffs office that has established a guardian program. 81 b.A charter school governing board in a school district 82 that has not voted, or has declined, to implement a guardian 83 program may request the sheriff in the county to establish a 84 guardian program for the purpose of training the charter school 85 employees or school security guards consistent with the 86 requirements of subparagraph 2. If the county sheriff denies the 87 request, the charter school governing board may contract with a 88 sheriff that has established a guardian program to provide such 89 training. The charter school governing board must notify the 90 superintendent and the sheriff in the charter schools county of 91 the contract prior to its execution. The security agency 92 employing a school security guard is responsible for all 93 training and screening-related costs for a school security 94 guard, but such charges may not exceed the actual cost incurred 95 by the sheriff to provide the training. 96 c.A private school in a school district that has not 97 voted, or has declined, to implement a guardian program may 98 request that the sheriff in the county of the private school 99 establish a guardian program for the purpose of training private 100 school employees or school security guards. If the county 101 sheriff denies the request, the private school may contract with 102 a sheriff from another county who has established a guardian 103 program under subparagraph 2. to provide such training. The 104 private school must notify the sheriff in the private schools 105 county of the contract with a sheriff from another county before 106 its execution. The private school or security agency is 107 responsible for all training and screening-related costs for a 108 school guardian program. The sheriff providing such training 109 must ensure that any moneys paid by a private school or security 110 agency are not commingled with any funds provided by the state 111 to the sheriff as reimbursement for screening-related and 112 training-related costs of any school district or charter school 113 employee. 114 d.The training program required in sub-subparagraph 2.b. 115 is a standardized statewide curriculum, and each sheriff 116 providing such training shall adhere to the course of 117 instruction specified in that sub-subparagraph. This 118 subparagraph does not prohibit a sheriff from providing 119 additional training. A school guardian or school security guard 120 who has completed the training program required in sub 121 subparagraph 2.b. may not be required to attend another 122 sheriffs training program pursuant to that sub-subparagraph 123 unless there has been at least a 1-year break in his or her 124 appointment as a guardian or employment by a security agency as 125 a school security guard in a school. 126 e.The sheriff conducting the training pursuant to 127 subparagraph 2. for school district and charter school employees 128 will be reimbursed for screening-related and training-related 129 costs and for providing a one-time stipend of $500 to each 130 school guardian who participates in the school guardian program. 131 f.The sheriff may waive the training and screening-related 132 costs for a private school for a school guardian program. Funds 133 provided pursuant to sub-subparagraph e. may not be used to 134 subsidize any costs that have been waived by the sheriff. The 135 sheriff may not waive the training and screening-related costs 136 required to be paid by a security agency for initial training or 137 ongoing training of a school security guard. 138 g.A person who is certified and in good standing under the 139 Florida Criminal Justice Standards and Training Commission, who 140 meets the qualifications established in s. 943.13, and who is 141 otherwise qualified for the position of a school guardian or 142 school security guard may be certified as a school guardian or 143 school security guard by the sheriff without completing the 144 training requirements of sub-subparagraph 2.b. However, a person 145 certified as a school guardian or school security guard under 146 this sub-subparagraph must meet the requirements of sub 147 subparagraphs 2.c.-e. 148 2.A sheriff who establishes a program shall consult with 149 the Department of Law Enforcement on programmatic guiding 150 principles, practices, and resources, and shall certify as 151 school guardians, without the power of arrest, school employees, 152 as specified in s. 1006.12(3), or shall certify as school 153 security guards those persons employed by a security agency who 154 meet the criteria specified in s. 1006.12(4), and who: 155 a.Hold a valid license issued under s. 790.06 or are 156 otherwise eligible to possess or carry a concealed firearm under 157 chapter 790. 158 b.After satisfying the requirements of s. 1006.12(7), 159 complete a 144-hour training program, consisting of 12 hours of 160 training to improve the school guardians knowledge and skills 161 necessary to respond to and de-escalate incidents on school 162 premises and 132 total hours of comprehensive firearm safety and 163 proficiency training conducted by Criminal Justice Standards and 164 Training Commission-certified instructors, which must include: 165 (I)Eighty hours of firearms instruction based on the 166 Criminal Justice Standards and Training Commissions Law 167 Enforcement Academy training model, which must include at least 168 10 percent but no more than 20 percent more rounds fired than 169 associated with academy training. Program participants must 170 achieve an 85 percent pass rate on the firearms training. 171 (II)Sixteen hours of instruction in precision pistol. 172 (III)Eight hours of discretionary shooting instruction 173 using state-of-the-art simulator exercises. 174 (IV)Sixteen hours of instruction in active shooter or 175 assailant scenarios. 176 (V)Eight hours of instruction in defensive tactics. 177 (VI)Four hours of instruction in legal issues. 178 c.Pass a psychological evaluation administered by a 179 psychologist licensed under chapter 490 and designated by the 180 Department of Law Enforcement and submit the results of the 181 evaluation to the sheriffs office. The Department of Law 182 Enforcement is authorized to provide the sheriffs office with 183 mental health and substance abuse data for compliance with this 184 paragraph. 185 d.Submit to and pass an initial drug test and subsequent 186 random drug tests in accordance with the requirements of s. 187 112.0455 and the sheriffs office. 188 e.Successfully complete ongoing training, weapon 189 inspection, and firearm qualification on at least an annual 190 basis. 191 192 The sheriff who conducts the guardian training or waives the 193 training requirements for a person under sub-subparagraph 1.g. 194 shall issue a school guardian certificate to persons who meet 195 the requirements of this section to the satisfaction of the 196 sheriff, and shall maintain documentation of weapon and 197 equipment inspections, as well as the training, certification, 198 inspection, and qualification records of each school guardian 199 certified by the sheriff. A person who is certified under this 200 paragraph may serve as a school guardian under s. 1006.12(3) 201 only if he or she is appointed by the applicable school district 202 superintendent, charter school principal, or private school head 203 of school. A sheriff who conducts the training for a school 204 security guard or waives the training requirements for a person 205 under sub-subparagraph 1.g. and determines that the school 206 security guard has met all the requirements of s. 1006.12(4) 207 shall issue a school security guard certificate to persons who 208 meet the requirements of this section to the satisfaction of the 209 sheriff and shall maintain documentation of weapon and equipment 210 inspections, training, certification, and qualification records 211 for each school security guard certified by the sheriff. 212 3.a.(I)Within 30 days after issuing a school guardian or 213 school security guard certificate, the sheriff who issued the 214 certificate must report to the Department of Law Enforcement the 215 name, date of birth, and certification date of the school 216 guardian or school security guard. 217 (II)By September 1, 2024, each sheriff who issued a school 218 guardian certificate must report to the Department of Law 219 Enforcement the name, date of birth, and certification date of 220 each school guardian who received a certificate from the 221 sheriff. 222 b.(I)By February 1 and September 1 of each school year, 223 each school district, charter school, employing security agency, 224 and private school must report in the manner prescribed to the 225 Department of Law Enforcement the name, date of birth, and 226 appointment date of each person appointed as a school guardian 227 or employed as a school security guard. The school district, 228 charter school, employing security agency, and private school 229 must also report in the manner prescribed to the Department of 230 Law Enforcement the date each school guardian or school security 231 guard separates from his or her appointment as a school guardian 232 or employment as a school security guard in a school. 233 (II)By September 1, 2024, each school district, charter 234 school, and private school must report to the Department of Law 235 Enforcement the name, date of birth, and initial and end-of 236 appointment dates, as applicable, of each person appointed as a 237 school guardian. 238 c.The Department of Law Enforcement shall maintain a list 239 of each person appointed as a school guardian or certified as a 240 school security guard in the state. The list must include the 241 name and certification date of each school guardian and school 242 security guard and the date the person was appointed as a school 243 guardian or certified as a school security guard, including the 244 name of the school district, charter school, or private school 245 in which the school guardian is appointed, or the employing 246 security agency of a school security guard, any information 247 provided pursuant to s. 1006.12(5), and, if applicable, the date 248 such person separated from his or her appointment as a school 249 guardian or the last date a school security guard served in a 250 school as of the last reporting date. The Department of Law 251 Enforcement shall remove from the list any person whose training 252 has expired pursuant to sub-subparagraph 1.d. 253 d.Each sheriff shall must report on a quarterly basis to 254 the Department of Law Enforcement the schedule for upcoming 255 school guardian trainings, to include guardian trainings for 256 school security guards, including the dates of the training, the 257 training locations, a contact person to register for the 258 training, and the class capacity. If no trainings are scheduled, 259 the sheriff is not required to report to the Department of Law 260 Enforcement. The Department of Law Enforcement shall publish on 261 its website a list of the upcoming school guardian trainings. 262 The Department of Law Enforcement shall must update such list 263 quarterly. 264 e.A sheriff who fails to report the information required 265 by this subparagraph may not receive reimbursement from the 266 Department of Education for school guardian trainings. Upon the 267 submission of the required information, a sheriff is deemed 268 eligible for such funding and is authorized to continue to 269 receive reimbursement for school guardian training. 270 f.A school district, charter school, or private school, or 271 employing security agency that fails to report the information 272 required by this subparagraph is prohibited from operating may 273 not operate a school guardian program or employing school 274 security guards in for the following school year, unless the 275 missing school district, charter school, or private school has 276 submitted the required information is provided. 277 g.By March 1 and October 1 of each school year, the 278 Department of Law Enforcement shall notify the Department of 279 Education of any sheriff, school district, charter school, or 280 private school that has not complied with the reporting 281 requirements of this subparagraph. 282 h.The Department of Law Enforcement may adopt rules to 283 implement the requirements of this subparagraph, including 284 requiring additional reporting information only as necessary to 285 uniquely identify each school guardian and school security guard 286 reported. 287 Section 2.Paragraphs (a), (b), and (c) of subsection (11) 288 and subsection (17) of section 1001.212, Florida Statutes, are 289 amended to read: 290 1001.212Office of Safe Schools.There is created in the 291 Department of Education the Office of Safe Schools. The office 292 is fully accountable to the Commissioner of Education. The 293 office shall serve as a central repository for best practices, 294 training standards, and compliance oversight in all matters 295 regarding school safety and security, including prevention 296 efforts, intervention efforts, and emergency preparedness 297 planning. The office shall: 298 (11)Develop a statewide behavioral threat management 299 operational process, a Florida-specific behavioral threat 300 assessment instrument, and a threat management portal. 301 (a)1.By December 1, 2023, The office shall maintain the 302 develop a statewide behavioral threat management operational 303 process to guide school districts, schools, charter school 304 governing boards, and charter schools through the threat 305 management process. The process must be designed to identify, 306 assess, manage, and monitor potential and real threats to 307 schools. This process must include, but is not limited to: 308 a.The establishment and duties of threat management teams. 309 b.Defining behavioral risks and threats. 310 c.The use of the Florida-specific behavioral threat 311 assessment instrument developed pursuant to paragraph (b) to 312 evaluate the behavior of students who may pose a threat to the 313 school, school staff, or other students and to coordinate 314 intervention and services for such students. 315 d.Upon the availability of the threat management portal 316 developed pursuant to paragraph (c), the use, authorized user 317 criteria, and access specifications of the portal. 318 e.Procedures for the implementation of interventions, 319 school support, and community services. 320 f.Guidelines for appropriate law enforcement intervention. 321 g.Procedures for risk management. 322 h.Procedures for disciplinary actions. 323 i.Mechanisms for continued monitoring of potential and 324 real threats. 325 j.Procedures for referrals to mental health services 326 identified by the school district or charter school governing 327 board pursuant to s. 1012.584(4). 328 k.Procedures and requirements necessary for the creation 329 of a threat assessment report, all corresponding documentation, 330 and any other information required by the Florida-specific 331 behavioral threat assessment instrument under paragraph (b). 332 2.Upon availability, Each school district, school, charter 333 school governing board, and charter school shall must use the 334 statewide behavioral threat management operational process. 335 3.The office shall provide training to all school 336 districts, schools, charter school governing boards, and charter 337 schools on the statewide behavioral threat management 338 operational process. 339 4.The office shall coordinate the ongoing development, 340 implementation, and operation of the statewide behavioral threat 341 management operational process. 342 (b)1.By August 1, 2023, The office shall maintain the 343 develop a Florida-specific behavioral threat assessment 344 instrument for school districts, schools, charter school 345 governing boards, and charter schools to use to evaluate the 346 behavior of students who may pose a threat to the school, school 347 staff, or students and to coordinate intervention and services 348 for such students. The Florida-specific behavioral threat 349 assessment instrument must include, but is not limited to: 350 a.An assessment of the threat, which includes an 351 assessment of the student, family, and school and social 352 dynamics. 353 b.An evaluation to determine whether a threat exists and 354 if so, the type of threat. 355 c.The response to a threat, which includes the school 356 response, the role of law enforcement agencies in the response, 357 and the response by mental health providers. 358 d.Ongoing monitoring to assess implementation of threat 359 management and safety strategies. 360 e.Ongoing monitoring to evaluate interventions and support 361 provided to the students. 362 f.A standardized threat assessment report, which must 363 include, but need not be limited to, all documentation 364 associated with the evaluation, intervention, management, and 365 any ongoing monitoring of the threat. 366 2.A report, all corresponding documentation, and any other 367 information required by the instrument in the threat management 368 portal under paragraph (c) is an education record and may not be 369 retained, maintained, or transferred, except in accordance with 370 State Board of Education rule. 371 3.Upon availability, Each school district, school, charter 372 school governing board, and charter school shall must use the 373 Florida-specific behavioral threat assessment instrument. 374 4.The office shall provide training for members of threat 375 management teams established under s. 1006.07(7) and for all 376 school districts and charter school governing boards regarding 377 the use of the Florida-specific behavioral threat assessment 378 instrument. 379 (c)1.By August 1, 2025, the office shall develop, host, 380 maintain, and administer a threat management portal that will 381 digitize the Florida-specific behavioral threat assessment 382 instrument for use by each school district, school, charter 383 school governing board, and charter school. The portal will also 384 facilitate the electronic threat assessment reporting and 385 documentation as required by the Florida-specific behavioral 386 threat assessment instrument to evaluate the behavior of 387 students who may pose a threat to the school, school staff, or 388 students and to coordinate intervention and services for such 389 students. The portal may not provide the office with access to 390 the portal unless authorized in accordance with State Board of 391 Education rule. The portal must include, but need not be limited 392 to, the following functionalities: 393 a.Workflow processes that align with the statewide 394 behavioral threat management operational process. 395 b.Direct data entry and file uploading as required by the 396 Florida-specific behavioral threat assessment instrument. 397 c.The ability to create a threat assessment report as 398 required by the Florida-specific behavioral threat assessment 399 instrument. 400 d.The ability of authorized personnel to add to or update 401 a threat assessment report, all corresponding documentation, or 402 any other information required by the Florida-specific 403 behavioral threat assessment instrument. 404 e.The ability to create and remove connections between 405 education records in the portal and authorized personnel. 406 f.The ability to grant access to and securely transfer any 407 education records in the portal to other schools or charter 408 schools in the district. 409 g.The ability to grant access to and securely transfer any 410 education records in the portal to schools and charter schools 411 not in the originating district. 412 h.The ability to retain, maintain, and transfer education 413 records in the portal in accordance with State Board of 414 Education rule. 415 i.The ability to restrict access to, entry of, 416 modification of, and transfer of education records in the portal 417 to a school district, school, charter school governing board, or 418 charter school and authorized personnel as specified by the 419 statewide behavioral threat management operational process. 420 j.The ability to designate school district or charter 421 school governing board system administrators who may grant 422 access to authorized school district and charter school 423 governing board personnel and school and charter school system 424 administrators. 425 k.The ability to designate school or charter school system 426 administrators who may grant access to authorized school or 427 charter school personnel. 428 l.The ability to notify the offices system administrators 429 and school district or charter school governing board system 430 administrators of attempts to access any education records by 431 unauthorized personnel. 432 2.Upon availability, each school district, school, charter 433 school governing board, and charter school shall use the portal. 434 3.A threat assessment report, including, but not limited 435 to, all corresponding documentation, and any other information 436 required by the Florida-specific behavioral threat assessment 437 instrument which is maintained in the portal, is an education 438 record and may not be retained, maintained, or transferred, 439 except in accordance with State Board of Education rule. 440 4.The office and the office system administrators may not 441 have access to a threat assessment report, all corresponding 442 documentation, and any other information required by the 443 Florida-specific behavioral threat assessment instrument which 444 is maintained in the portal, except in accordance with State 445 Board of Education rule. 446 5.A school district or charter school governing board may 447 not have access to the education records in the portal, except 448 in accordance with State Board of Education rule. 449 6.The parent of a student may access his or her students 450 education records in the portal in accordance with State Board 451 of Education rule, but may not have access to the portal. 452 7.The office shall develop and implement a quarterly 453 portal access review audit process. 454 8.Upon availability, each school district, school, charter 455 school governing board, and charter school shall comply with the 456 quarterly portal access review audit process developed by the 457 office. 458 9.By August 1, 2025, and annually thereafter, the office 459 shall provide role-based training to all authorized school 460 district, school, charter school governing board, and charter 461 school personnel. 462 10.Any individual who accesses, uses, or releases any 463 education record contained in the portal for a purpose not 464 specifically authorized by law commits a noncriminal infraction, 465 punishable by a fine not exceeding $2,000. 466 (17)Convene a workgroup of stakeholders, including, but 467 not limited to, postsecondary institutions, law enforcement, 468 fire and EMS, emergency management, school facilities staff, 469 school safety specialists, school administrators, 470 superintendents, school-based mental health professionals, and 471 threat management practitioners. The workgroup shall make 472 recommendations for the establishment of a Florida Institute of 473 School Safey, including programs and functions to enhance school 474 safety. The workgroup shall submit the findings and 475 recommendations to the Governor, the President of the Senate, 476 and the Speaker of the House of Representatives no later than 477 January 1, 2026 By December 1, 2024, evaluate the methodology 478 for the safe schools allocation in s. 1011.62(12) and, if 479 necessary, make recommendations for an alternate methodology to 480 distribute the remaining balance of the safe schools allocation 481 as indicated in s. 1011.62(12). 482 Section 3.Paragraph (f) of subsection (6) of section 483 1006.07, Florida Statutes, is amended, paragraph (h) is added to 484 that subsection, and paragraphs (f) and (g) are added to 485 subsection (4) of that section, to read: 486 1006.07District school board duties relating to student 487 discipline and school safety.The district school board shall 488 provide for the proper accounting for all students, for the 489 attendance and control of students at school, and for proper 490 attention to health, safety, and other matters relating to the 491 welfare of students, including: 492 (4)EMERGENCY DRILLS; EMERGENCY PROCEDURES. 493 (f)The Department of Education shall establish a 494 centralized system to integrate all panic alert systems and 495 digital school maps used by public schools, charter schools, and 496 other educational institutions. The system must: 497 1.Receive and process alerts from department-approved 498 panic alert systems. 499 2.Integrate digital maps to provide real-time situational 500 awareness to law enforcement and emergency responders. 501 3.Store and provide access to historical alert data for 502 authorized state agencies. 503 (g)Each public and charter school shall connect its panic 504 alert system to the centralized system. Panic alert systems must 505 be interoperable with the centralized system to ensure seamless 506 communication with law enforcement and emergency responders. 507 Digital maps required under s. 1013.13 must also be integrated 508 into the system to support emergency response. 509 (6)SAFETY AND SECURITY BEST PRACTICES.Each district 510 school superintendent shall establish policies and procedures 511 for the prevention of violence on school grounds, including the 512 assessment of and intervention with individuals whose behavior 513 poses a threat to the safety of the school community. 514 (f)School safety requirements.By August 1, 2024, Each 515 school district and charter school governing board shall comply 516 with the following school safety requirements: 517 1.All gates or other access points that restrict ingress 518 to or egress from the exclusive zone of a school campus shall 519 remain closed and locked during school supervision hours. For 520 the purposes of this section, the term exclusive zone means 521 the area within a gate or door allowing access to the interior 522 perimeter of a school campus beyond a single point of entry. The 523 term school supervision hours means the hours of the school 524 day plus the reasonable time immediately before and after school 525 during which student supervision is available per school 526 district policy when students are on campus. A gate or other 527 campus access point to the exclusive zone may only not be open 528 or unlocked during school supervision hours if one of the 529 following conditions is met, regardless of whether it is during 530 normal school hours, unless: 531 a.It is attended or actively staffed by a person when 532 students are on campus; 533 b.The use complies is in accordance with a shared use 534 agreement pursuant to s. 1013.101; 535 c.Another closed and locked gate or access point separates 536 the open or unlocked gate from areas occupied by students; or 537 d.c.The school safety specialist, or his or her designee, 538 has documented in the Florida Safe Schools Assessment Tool 539 portal maintained by the Office of Safe Schools that the gate or 540 other access point is not subject to this requirement based upon 541 other safety measures at the school. The office may conduct a 542 compliance visit pursuant to s. 1001.212(14) to review if such 543 determination is appropriate. 544 545 This subparagraph does not apply to the nonexclusive zone of a 546 school campus. The term nonexclusive zone means the area 547 outside of the exclusive zone but contained on school property. 548 Nonexclusive zones may include, but are not limited to, such 549 spaces as parking lots, athletic fields and stadiums, mechanical 550 buildings, playgrounds, bus ramps, agricultural spaces, and 551 other areas that do not give direct, unimpeded access to the 552 exclusive zone. 553 2.a.During school supervision hours, all school classrooms 554 and other instructional spaces must be locked to prevent ingress 555 when occupied by students, except between class periods when 556 students are moving between classrooms or other instructional 557 spaces. If a classroom or other instructional space door must be 558 left unlocked or open for any other reason other than between 559 class periods when students are moving between classrooms or 560 other instructional spaces, the door must be actively staffed by 561 a person standing or seated at the door. 562 b.Instructional spaces for career and technical education 563 which are designed as open areas for which compliance with the 564 requirements of sub-subparagraph a. affects the health and 565 safety of students may be exempted from compliance with that 566 sub-subparagraph by the school safety specialist. For such a 567 space to be exempt, the school safety specialist, or his or her 568 designee, must document in the Florida Safe Schools Assessment 569 Tool portal maintained by the Office of Safe Schools that the 570 instructional space is exempt from these requirements due to 571 negative impacts to student health and safety and the presence 572 of other safety measures at the school which prevent egress from 573 the instructional space to hallways or other classrooms or 574 instructional spaces. 575 c.Common areas on a school campus, including, but not 576 limited to, cafeterias, auditoriums, and media centers, which 577 are used for instructional time or student testing must meet the 578 requirements of sub-subparagraph a. only when such areas are 579 being used for instructional time or student testing. 580 3.For schools that do not have a secure exclusive zone, 581 all campus access doors, gates, and other access points that 582 allow ingress to or egress from a school building shall remain 583 closed and locked during school supervision hours at all times 584 to prevent unauthorized access, except when: 585 a.ingress, unless A person is actively entering or exiting 586 the door, gate, or other access point; 587 b.The door, gate, or access point is actively staffed by 588 school personnel to prevent unauthorized entry; or 589 c.The school safety specialist, or his or her designee, 590 has documented in the Florida Safe Schools Assessment Tool 591 portal maintained by the Office of Safe Schools that the open 592 and unlocked door, gate, or other access point is not subject to 593 this requirement based upon other safety measures at the school. 594 The office may conduct a compliance visit pursuant to s. 595 1001.212(14) to review if such determination is appropriate. All 596 campus access doors, gates, and other access points may be 597 electronically or manually controlled by school personnel to 598 allow access by authorized visitors, students, and school 599 personnel. 600 4.All school classrooms and other instructional spaces 601 must clearly and conspicuously mark the safest areas in each 602 classroom or other instructional space where students must 603 shelter in place during an emergency. Students must be notified 604 of these safe areas within the first 10 days of the school year. 605 If it is not feasible to clearly and conspicuously mark the 606 safest areas in a classroom or other instructional space, the 607 school safety specialist, or his or her designee, must document 608 such determination in the Florida Safe Schools Assessment Tool 609 portal maintained by the Office of Safe Schools, identifying 610 where affected students must shelter in place. The office shall 611 assist the school safety specialist with compliance during the 612 inspection required under s. 1001.212(14). 613 614 Persons who are aware of a violation of this paragraph must 615 report the violation to the school principal. The school 616 principal must report the violation to the school safety 617 specialist no later than the next business day after receiving 618 such report. If the person who violated this paragraph is the 619 school principal or charter school administrator, the report 620 must be made directly to the district school superintendent or 621 charter school governing board, as applicable. 622 (h)Provision of school safety protocols and policies.Each 623 substitute teacher must be provided with all school safety 624 protocols and policies before beginning his or her first day of 625 substitute teaching at a school. 626 Section 4.For the 2025-2026 fiscal year, the sum of 627 $450,000 in recurring funds from the General Revenue Fund is 628 appropriated to the Department of Education to implement the 629 requirements under s. 1006.07(4)(f) and (g), Florida Statutes, 630 as amended by this act. 631 Section 5.Subsections (4) and (5) of section 1006.12, 632 Florida Statutes, are amended to read: 633 1006.12Safe-school officers at each public school.For the 634 protection and safety of school personnel, property, students, 635 and visitors, each district school board and school district 636 superintendent shall partner with law enforcement agencies or 637 security agencies to establish or assign one or more safe-school 638 officers at each school facility within the district, including 639 charter schools. A district school board shall must collaborate 640 with charter school governing boards to facilitate charter 641 school access to all safe-school officer options available under 642 this section. The school district may implement any combination 643 of the options in subsections (1)-(4) to best meet the needs of 644 the school district and charter schools. 645 (4)SCHOOL SECURITY GUARD.A school district, or charter 646 school governing board, or private school, as authorized under 647 s. 1002.42(20), may contract with a security agency as defined 648 in s. 493.6101(18) to employ as a school security guard an 649 individual who holds a Class D and Class G license pursuant 650 to chapter 493, provided the following training and contractual 651 conditions are met: 652 (a)An individual who serves as a school security guard, 653 for purposes of satisfying the requirements of this section, 654 must: 655 1.Demonstrate completion of 144 hours of required training 656 conducted by a sheriff pursuant to s. 30.15(1)(k)2. 657 2.Pass a psychological evaluation administered by a 658 psychologist licensed under chapter 490 and designated by the 659 Department of Law Enforcement and submit the results of the 660 evaluation to the sheriffs office and, school district, or 661 charter school governing board, private school, or employing 662 security agency as applicable. The Department of Law Enforcement 663 is authorized to provide the sheriffs office, school district, 664 or charter school governing board, private school, or employing 665 security agency with mental health and substance abuse data for 666 compliance with this paragraph. 667 3.Submit to and pass an initial drug test and subsequent 668 random drug tests in accordance with the requirements of s. 669 112.0455 and the sheriffs office, school district, or charter 670 school governing board, private school, or employing security 671 agency, as applicable. 672 4.Be approved to work as a school security guard by the 673 sheriff of each county in which the school security guard will 674 be assigned to a school before commencing work at any school in 675 that county. The sheriffs approval authorizes the security 676 agency to assign the school security guard to any school in the 677 county, and the sheriffs approval is not limited to any 678 particular school. 679 5.Successfully complete ongoing training, weapon 680 inspection, and firearm qualification conducted by a sheriff 681 pursuant to s. 30.15(1)(k)2.e. on at least an annual basis and 682 provide documentation to the sheriffs office, school district, 683 or charter school governing board, private school, or employing 684 security agency as applicable. 685 (b)The contract between a security agency and a school 686 district, private school, or a charter school governing board 687 regarding requirements applicable to school security guards 688 serving in the capacity of a safe-school officer for purposes of 689 satisfying the requirements of this section must shall define 690 the entity or entities responsible for training and the 691 responsibilities for maintaining records relating to training, 692 inspection, and firearm qualification. 693 (c)School security guards serving in the capacity of a 694 safe-school officer pursuant to this subsection are in support 695 of school-sanctioned activities for purposes of s. 790.115, and 696 must aid in the prevention or abatement of active assailant 697 incidents on school premises. 698 (d)The Office of Safe Schools shall provide the Department 699 of Law Enforcement any information related to a school security 700 guard that it receives pursuant to subsection (5). 701 (5)Notification.The district school superintendent or 702 charter school administrator, private school administrator, or a 703 respective designee, shall notify the county sheriff and the 704 Office of Safe Schools immediately after, but no later than 72 705 hours after: 706 (a)A safe-school officer is dismissed for misconduct or is 707 otherwise disciplined. 708 (b) A safe-school officer discharges his or her firearm in 709 the exercise of the safe-school officers duties, other than for 710 training purposes. 711 712 If a district school board, through its adopted policies, 713 procedures, or actions, denies a charter school access to any 714 safe-school officer options pursuant to this section, the school 715 district must assign a school resource officer or school safety 716 officer to the charter school. Under such circumstances, the 717 charter schools share of the costs of the school resource 718 officer or school safety officer may not exceed the safe school 719 allocation funds provided to the charter school pursuant to s. 720 1011.62(12) and shall be retained by the school district. 721 Section 6.Subsection (2) of section 1006.121, Florida 722 Statutes, is amended to read: 723 1006.121Florida Safe Schools Canine Program. 724 (2)DEFINITION.As used in this section, the term firearm 725 detection canine means any canine that is owned or the service 726 of which is employed by a law enforcement agency or school 727 district for use by a sworn law enforcement officer in K-12 728 schools for the primary purpose of aiding in the detection of 729 firearms and ammunition. 730 Section 7.This act shall take effect July 1, 2025.