Bill Text: FL S1218 | 2020 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Anti-bullying and Anti-harassment in Schools
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 1-0)
Status: (Failed) 2020-03-14 - Died in Rules [S1218 Detail]
Download: Florida-2020-S1218-Introduced.html
Florida Senate - 2020 SB 1218 By Senator Diaz 36-00873-20 20201218__ 1 A bill to be entitled 2 An act relating to anti-bullying and anti-harassment 3 in schools; amending s. 1002.421, F.S.; expanding the 4 information that private schools participating in an 5 educational scholarship program are required to 6 publish and provide to parents; requiring such private 7 schools to adopt bullying and harassment policies; 8 requiring such schools to report bullying and 9 harassment incidents to the Department of Education; 10 requiring the department to include reported incidents 11 in annual accountability reports; requiring private 12 school principals or their designees to meet and share 13 specified information with students and parents prior 14 to student enrollment in the school; providing an 15 effective date. 16 17 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: 18 19 Section 1. Paragraph (j) of subsection (1) of section 20 1002.421, Florida Statutes, is amended, and paragraphs (r) and 21 (s) are added to that subsection, to read: 22 1002.421 State school choice scholarship program 23 accountability and oversight.— 24 (1) PRIVATE SCHOOL ELIGIBILITY AND OBLIGATIONS.—A private 25 school participating in an educational scholarship program 26 established pursuant to this chapter must be a private school as 27 defined in s. 1002.01(2) in this state, be registered, and be in 28 compliance with all requirements of this section in addition to 29 private school requirements outlined in s. 1002.42, specific 30 requirements identified within respective scholarship program 31 laws, and other provisions of Florida law that apply to private 32 schools, and must: 33 (j) Publish on the school’s website and, orprovide in a 34 written format,information for parents regarding the school, 35 including, but not limited to, programs, services,andthe 36 qualifications of classroom teachers, the code of student 37 conduct, the ethical conduct policies required by paragraph (n), 38 and the bullying and harassment policies required by paragraph 39 (r). 40 (r) Notwithstanding the school’s status as a private 41 school, adopt policies that comply with the bullying and 42 harassment definitions, responsibilities, and protections 43 required pursuant to s. 1006.147. The school shall comply with 44 the incident reporting requirements of s. 1006.147(4)(k) 45 according to procedures specified by the department. Such 46 reporting must be made annually by the department in both the 47 report required pursuant to s. 1006.147(8) and the annual 48 private school accountability report required under subsection 49 (2). 50 (s) Require the school principal or the principal’s 51 designee to meet with any student and his or her parent or 52 guardian before the student’s enrollment to review information 53 about the school, including, but not limited to, the school’s 54 academic programs and services, customized educational programs, 55 code of student conduct, attendance policies, bullying and 56 harassment policies, and ethical conduct policies. 57 58 The department shall suspend the payment of funds to a private 59 school that knowingly fails to comply with this subsection, and 60 shall prohibit the school from enrolling new scholarship 61 students, for 1 fiscal year and until the school complies. If a 62 private school fails to meet the requirements of this subsection 63 or has consecutive years of material exceptions listed in the 64 report required under paragraph (q), the commissioner may 65 determine that the private school is ineligible to participate 66 in a scholarship program. 67 Section 2. This act shall take effect upon becoming a law.