Text of FL H 1355 (2024)

HB 1355 2024 CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions. hb1355-00 Page 1 of 23 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 education; providing a short title; 2 amending s. 1000.05, F.S.; deleting provisions 3 relating to prohibited training or instruction in 4 specified concepts which constitutes discrimination on 5 the basis of race, color, national origin, or sex; 6 repealing s. 1000.071, F.S., relating to personal 7 titles and pronouns; amending s. 1001.42, F.S.; 8 prohibiting school districts from adopting a procedure 9 that compels or authorizes school personnel to share 10 certain information with a parent under certain 11 circumstances; deleting a provision authorizing school 12 districts to adopt procedures that permit school 13 personnel to withhold certain information from a 14 parent under certain circumstances; deleting a 15 prohibition against classroom instruction on sexual 16 orientation and gender identity in specified grades; 17 deleting an exception; deleting a provision requiring 18 student support services to adhere to specified 19 guidelines; amending s. 1001.706, F.S.; deleting a 20 requirement for the Board of Governors to include in 21 its review of state university missions a directive to 22 each university regarding its programs for curricula 23 that violate certain provisions; amending s. 1001.92, 24 F.S.; deleting provisions relating to a state 25 HB 1355 2024 CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions. hb1355-00 Page 2 of 23 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 university losing its eligibility for performance 26 funding if a certain violation is substantiated; 27 amending s. 1003.42, F.S.; requiring instruction in 28 LGBTQ history in public schools; conforming a cross- 29 reference; amending s. 1004.06, F.S.; authorizing and 30 encouraging Florida College System institutions, state 31 universities, and direct-support organizations to 32 develop programs based on diversity, equity, and 33 inclusion principles; authorizing the expenditure of 34 state or federal funds to promote such programs; 35 deleting a prohibition against Florida College System 36 institutions, state universities, and direct-support 37 organizations expending funds on programs or 38 activities that advocate for diversity, equity, and 39 inclusion or that promote or engage in political or 40 social activism; deleting obsolete language; amending 41 s. 1006.28, F.S.; providing that certain provisions 42 relating to district school board duties and materials 43 made available in schools do not apply to classroom 44 libraries; revising requirements for resolving 45 objections to instructional materials; deleting a 46 requirement that any instructional material that is 47 subject to an objection be removed within 5 school 48 days; deleting a requirement that a school board 49 discontinue use of an instructional material if 50 HB 1355 2024 CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions. hb1355-00 Page 3 of 23 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 certain conditions are met; providing that school 51 libraries may provide materials and information 52 presenting all points of view; providing that 53 materials may not be proscribed or removed due to 54 partisan or doctrinal disapproval; amending s. 55 1007.25, F.S.; deleting certain prohibitions for 56 general education courses; providing an effective 57 date. 58 59 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: 60 61 Section 1. This act may be cited as the "Freedom to Learn 62 Act." 63 Section 2. Subsection (4) of section 1000.05, Florida 64 Statutes, is amended to read: 65 1000.05 Discrimination against students and employees in 66 the Florida K-20 public education system prohibited; equality of 67 access required.— 68 (4)(a) It shall constitute discrimination on the basis of 69 race, color, national origin, or sex under this section to 70 subject any student or employee to training or instruction that 71 espouses, promotes, advances, inculcates, or compels such 72 student or employee to believe any of the following concepts: 73 1. Members of one race, color, national origin, or sex are 74 morally superior to members of another race, color, national 75 HB 1355 2024 CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions. hb1355-00 Page 4 of 23 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 origin, or sex. 76 2. A person, by virtue of his or her race, color, national 77 origin, or sex, is inherently racist, sexist, or oppressive, 78 whether consciously or unconsciously. 79 3. A person's moral character or status as either 80 privileged or oppressed is necessarily determined by his or her 81 race, color, national origin, or sex. 82 4. Members of one race, color, national origin, or sex 83 cannot and should not attempt to treat others without respect to 84 race, color, national origin, or sex. 85 5. A person, by virtue of his or her race, color, national 86 origin, or sex, bears responsibility for, or should be 87 discriminated against or receive adverse treatment because of, 88 actions committed in the past by other members of the same race, 89 color, national origin, or sex. 90 6. A person, by virtue of his or her race, color, national 91 origin, or sex, should be discriminated against or receive 92 adverse treatment to achieve diversity, equity, or inclusion. 93 7. A person, by virtue of his or her race, color, sex, or 94 national origin, bears personal responsibility for and must feel 95 guilt, anguish, or other forms of psychological distress because 96 of actions, in which the person played no part, committed in the 97 past by other members of the same race, color, national origin, 98 or sex. 99 8. Such virtues as merit, excellence, hard work, fairness, 100 HB 1355 2024 CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions. hb1355-00 Page 5 of 23 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 neutrality, objectivity, and racial colorblindness are racist or 101 sexist, or were created by members of a particular race, color, 102 national origin, or sex to oppress members of another race, 103 color, national origin, or sex. 104 (b) Paragraph (a) may not be construed to prohibit 105 discussion of the concepts listed therein as part of a larger 106 course of training or instruction, provided such training or 107 instruction is given in an objective manner without endorsement 108 of the concepts. 109 Section 3. Section 1000.071, Florida Statutes, is 110 repealed. 111 Section 4. Paragraph (c) of subsection (8) of section 112 1001.42, Florida Statutes, is amended to read: 113 1001.42 Powers and duties of district school board.—The 114 district school board, acting as a board, shall exercise all 115 powers and perform all duties listed below: 116 (8) STUDENT WELFARE.— 117 (c)1. In accordance with the rights of parents enumerated 118 in ss. 1002.20 and 1014.04, adopt procedures for notifying a 119 student's parent if there is a change in the student's services 120 or monitoring related to the student's mental, emotional, or 121 physical health or well-being and the school's ability to 122 provide a safe and supportive learning environment for the 123 student. The procedures must reinforce the fundamental right of 124 parents to make decisions regarding the upbringing and control 125 HB 1355 2024 CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions. hb1355-00 Page 6 of 23 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 of their children by requiring school district personnel to 126 encourage a student to discuss issues relating to his or her 127 well-being with his or her parent or to facilitate discussion of 128 the issue with the parent. The procedures may not prohibit 129 parents from accessing any of their student's education and 130 health records created, maintained, or used by the school 131 district, as required by s. 1002.22(2). 132 2. A school district may not adopt procedures or student 133 support forms that prohibit school district personnel from 134 notifying a parent about his or her student's mental, emotional, 135 or physical health or well-being, or a change in related 136 services or monitoring, or that encourage or have the effect of 137 encouraging a student to withhold from a parent such 138 information. School district personnel may not discourage or 139 prohibit parental notification of and involvement in critical 140 decisions affecting a student's mental, emotional, or physical 141 health or well-being. A school district may not adopt a 142 procedure that compels or authorizes school personnel to provide 143 such information to a parent if a reasonably prudent person 144 would believe that disclosure would result in harm to the 145 student, including, but not limited to, This subparagraph does 146 not prohibit a school district from adopting procedures that 147 permit school personnel to withhold such information from a 148 parent if a reasonably prudent person would believe that 149 disclosure would result in abuse, abandonment, or neglect, as 150 HB 1355 2024 CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions. hb1355-00 Page 7 of 23 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 those terms are defined in s. 39.01. 151 3. Classroom instruction by school personnel or third 152 parties on sexual orientation or gender identity may not occur 153 in prekindergarten through grade 8, except when required by ss. 154 1003.42(2)(n)3. and 1003.46. If such instruction is provided in 155 grades 9 through 12, the instruction must be age-appropriate or 156 developmentally appropriate for students in accordance with 157 state standards. This subparagraph applies to charter schools. 158 4. Student support services training developed or provided 159 by a school district to school district personnel must adhere to 160 student services guidelines, standards, and frameworks 161 established by the Department of Education. 162 5. At the beginning of the school year, each school 163 district shall notify parents of each health care service 164 offered at their student's school and the option to withhold 165 consent or decline any specific service in accordance with s. 166 1014.06. Parental consent to a health care service does not 167 waive the parent's right to access his or her student's 168 educational or health records or to be notified about a change 169 in his or her student's services or monitoring as provided by 170 this paragraph. 171 4.6. Before administering a student well-being 172 questionnaire or health screening form to a student in 173 kindergarten through grade 3, the school district must provide 174 the questionnaire or health screening form to the parent and 175 HB 1355 2024 CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions. hb1355-00 Page 8 of 23 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 obtain the permission of the parent. 176 5.7. Each school district shall adopt procedures for a 177 parent to notify the principal, or his or her designee, 178 regarding concerns under this paragraph at his or her student's 179 school and the process for resolving those concerns within 7 180 calendar days after notification by the parent. 181 a. At a minimum, the procedures must require that within 182 30 days after notification by the parent that the concern 183 remains unresolved, the school district must either resolve the 184 concern or provide a statement of the reasons for not resolving 185 the concern. 186 b. If a concern is not resolved by the school district, a 187 parent may: 188 (I) Request the Commissioner of Education to appoint a 189 special magistrate who is a member of The Florida Bar in good 190 standing and who has at least 5 years' experience in 191 administrative law. The special magistrate shall determine facts 192 relating to the dispute over the school district procedure or 193 practice, consider information provided by the school district, 194 and render a recommended decision for resolution to the State 195 Board of Education within 30 days after receipt of the request 196 by the parent. The State Board of Education must approve or 197 reject the recommended decision at its next regularly scheduled 198 meeting that is more than 7 calendar days and no more than 30 199 days after the date the recommended decision is transmitted. The 200 HB 1355 2024 CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions. hb1355-00 Page 9 of 23 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 costs of the special magistrate shall be borne by the school 201 district. The State Board of Education shall adopt rules, 202 including forms, necessary to implement this subparagraph. 203 (II) Bring an action against the school district to obtain 204 a declaratory judgment that the school district procedure or 205 practice violates this paragraph and seek injunctive relief. A 206 court may award damages and shall award reasonable attorney fees 207 and court costs to a parent who receives declaratory or 208 injunctive relief. 209 c. Each school district shall adopt and post on its 210 website policies to notify parents of the procedures required 211 under this subparagraph. 212 d. Nothing contained in this subparagraph shall be 213 construed to abridge or alter rights of action or remedies in 214 equity already existing under the common law or general law. 215 Section 5. Paragraph (a) of subsection (5) of section 216 1001.706, Florida Statutes, is amended to read: 217 1001.706 Powers and duties of the Board of Governors.— 218 (5) POWERS AND DUTIES RELATING TO ACCOUNTABILITY.— 219 (a) The Legislature intends that the Board of Governors 220 shall align the missions of each constituent university with the 221 academic success of its students; the existing and emerging 222 economic development needs of the state; the national reputation 223 of its faculty and its academic and research programs; the 224 quantity of externally generated research, patents, and 225 HB 1355 2024 CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions. hb1355-00 Page 10 of 23 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 licenses; and the strategic and accountability plans required in 226 paragraphs (b) and (c). The Board of Governors shall 227 periodically review the mission of each constituent university 228 and make updates or revisions as needed. Upon completion of a 229 review of the mission, the board shall review existing academic 230 programs for alignment with the mission. The board shall include 231 in its review a directive to each constituent university 232 regarding its programs for any curriculum that violates s. 233 1000.05 or that is based on theories that systemic racism, 234 sexism, oppression, and privilege are inherent in the 235 institutions of the United States and were created to maintain 236 social, political, and economic inequities. The mission 237 alignment and strategic plan must consider peer institutions at 238 the constituent universities. The mission alignment and 239 strategic plan must acknowledge that universities that have a 240 national and international impact have the greatest capacity to 241 promote the state's economic development through: new 242 discoveries, patents, licenses, and technologies that generate 243 state businesses of global importance; research achievements 244 through external grants and contracts that are comparable to 245 nationally recognized and ranked universities; the creation of a 246 resource rich academic environment that attracts high-technology 247 business and venture capital to the state; and this generation's 248 finest minds focusing on solving the state's economic, social, 249 environmental, and legal problems in the areas of life sciences, 250 HB 1355 2024 CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions. hb1355-00 Page 11 of 23 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 water, sustainability, energy, and health care. A nationally 251 recognized and ranked university that has a global perspective 252 and impact must be afforded the opportunity to enable and 253 protect the university's competitiveness on the global stage in 254 fair competition with other institutions of other states in the 255 highest Carnegie Classification. 256 Section 6. Subsection (5) of section 1001.92, Florida 257 Statutes, is amended to read: 258 1001.92 State University System Performance-Based 259 Incentive.— 260 (5) Notwithstanding any other provision of this section, 261 if any institution is found to have a substantiated violation of 262 s. 1000.05(4)(a), the institution shall be ineligible to receive 263 performance funding during the next fiscal year following the 264 year in which the violation is substantiated. Substantiated 265 findings are those as determined by a court of law, a standing 266 committee of the Legislature, or the Board of Governors. 267 Section 7. Paragraph (g) of subsection (2) of section 268 1003.42, Florida Statutes, is amended, and paragraph (v) is 269 added to that subsection, to read: 270 1003.42 Required instruction.— 271 (2) Members of the instructional staff of the public 272 schools, subject to the rules of the State Board of Education 273 and the district school board, shall teach efficiently and 274 faithfully, using the books and materials required that meet the 275 HB 1355 2024 CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions. hb1355-00 Page 12 of 23 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 highest standards for professionalism and historical accuracy, 276 following the prescribed courses of study, and employing 277 approved methods of instruction, the following: 278 (g)1. The history of the Holocaust (1933-1945), the 279 systematic, planned annihilation of European Jews and other 280 groups by Nazi Germany, a watershed event in the history of 281 humanity, to be taught in a manner that leads to an 282 investigation of human behavior, an understanding of the 283 ramifications of prejudice, racism, and stereotyping, and an 284 examination of what it means to be a responsible and respectful 285 person, for the purposes of encouraging tolerance of diversity 286 in a pluralistic society and for nurturing and protecting 287 democratic values and institutions, including the policy, 288 definition, and historical and current examples of anti- 289 Semitism, as described in s. 1000.05(7) s. 1000.05(8), and the 290 prevention of anti-Semitism. Each school district must annually 291 certify and provide evidence to the department, in a manner 292 prescribed by the department, that the requirements of this 293 paragraph are met. The department shall prepare and offer 294 standards and curriculum for the instruction required by this 295 paragraph and may seek input from the Commissioner of 296 Education's Task Force on Holocaust Education or from any state 297 or nationally recognized Holocaust educational organizations. 298 The department may contract with any state or nationally 299 recognized Holocaust educational organizations to develop 300 HB 1355 2024 CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions. hb1355-00 Page 13 of 23 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 training for instructional personnel and grade-appropriate 301 classroom resources to support the developed curriculum. 302 2. The second week in November shall be designated as 303 "Holocaust Education Week" in this state in recognition that 304 November is the anniversary of Kristallnacht, widely recognized 305 as a precipitating event that led to the Holocaust. 306 (v) The study of LGBTQ history in Florida and the LGBTQ 307 community's contributions to the United States, which may 308 include important United States Supreme Court cases, such as 309 Obergefell v. Hodges and Windsor v. United States; the Florida 310 Legislative Investigation Committee; and the tragedy at Pulse 311 Nightclub. 312 313 The State Board of Education is encouraged to adopt standards 314 and pursue assessment of the requirements of this subsection. 315 Instructional programming that incorporates the values of the 316 recipients of the Congressional Medal of Honor and that is 317 offered as part of a social studies, English Language Arts, or 318 other schoolwide character building and veteran awareness 319 initiative meets the requirements of paragraph (u). 320 Section 8. Subsection (4) of section 1004.06, Florida 321 Statutes, is renumbered as subsection (3), and subsections (2) 322 and (3) of that section are amended to read: 323 1004.06 Prohibited expenditures.— 324 (2) A Florida College System institution, state 325 HB 1355 2024 CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions. hb1355-00 Page 14 of 23 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 university, Florida College System institution direct-support 326 organization, or state university direct-support organization 327 may, and is encouraged to, develop programs and campus 328 activities anchored in the principles of diversity, equity, and 329 inclusion. Programs and courses may not expend any state or 330 federal funds to promote, support, or maintain any such programs 331 or campus activities that: 332 (a) Violate s. 1000.05; or 333 (b) Advocate for diversity, equity, and inclusion, or 334 promote or engage in political or social activism, as defined by 335 rules of the State Board of Education and regulations of the 336 Board of Governors. 337 338 Student fees to support student-led organizations are permitted 339 notwithstanding any speech or expressive activity by such 340 organizations which would otherwise violate this subsection, 341 provided that the public funds must be allocated to student-led 342 organizations pursuant to written policies or regulations of 343 each Florida College System institution or state university, as 344 applicable. Use of institution facilities by student-led 345 organizations is permitted notwithstanding any speech or 346 expressive activity by such organizations which would otherwise 347 violate this subsection, provided that such use must be granted 348 to student-led organizations pursuant to written policies or 349 regulations of each Florida College System institution or state 350 HB 1355 2024 CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions. hb1355-00 Page 15 of 23 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 university, as applicable. 351 (3) Subsection (2) does not prohibit programs, campus 352 activities, or functions required for compliance with general or 353 federal laws or regulations; for obtaining or retaining 354 institutional or discipline-specific accreditation with the 355 approval of either the State Board of Education or the Board of 356 Governors; or for access programs for military veterans, Pell 357 Grant recipients, first generation college students, 358 nontraditional students, "2+2" transfer students from the 359 Florida College System, students from low-income families, or 360 students with unique abilities. 361 Section 9. Paragraphs (a) and (d) of subsection (2) of 362 section 1006.28, Florida Statutes, are amended to read: 363 1006.28 Duties of district school board, district school 364 superintendent; and school principal regarding K-12 365 instructional materials.— 366 (2) DISTRICT SCHOOL BOARD.—The district school board has 367 the constitutional duty and responsibility to select and provide 368 adequate instructional materials for all students in accordance 369 with the requirements of this part. The district school board 370 also has the following specific duties and responsibilities: 371 (a) Courses of study; adoption.—Adopt courses of study, 372 including instructional materials, for use in the schools of the 373 district. 374 1. Each district school board is responsible for the 375 HB 1355 2024 CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions. hb1355-00 Page 16 of 23 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 content of all instructional materials and any other materials 376 used in a classroom, made available in a school or classroom 377 library, or included on a reading list, whether adopted and 378 purchased from the state-adopted instructional materials list, 379 adopted and purchased through a district instructional materials 380 program under s. 1006.283, or otherwise purchased or made 381 available. 382 2. Each district school board must adopt a policy 383 regarding an objection by a parent or a resident of the county 384 to the use of a specific material, which clearly describes a 385 process to handle all objections and provides for resolution. 386 The objection form, as prescribed by State Board of Education 387 rule, and the district school board's process must be easy to 388 read and understand and be easily accessible on the homepage of 389 the school district's website. The objection form must also 390 identify the school district point of contact and contact 391 information for the submission of an objection. The process must 392 provide the parent or resident the opportunity to proffer 393 evidence to the district school board that: 394 a. An instructional material does not meet the criteria of 395 s. 1006.31(2) or s. 1006.40(3)(d) if it was selected for use in 396 a course or otherwise made available to students in the school 397 district but was not subject to the public notice, review, 398 comment, and hearing procedures under s. 1006.283(2)(b)8., 9., 399 and 11. 400 HB 1355 2024 CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions. hb1355-00 Page 17 of 23 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 b. Any material used in a classroom, made available in a 401 school or classroom library, or included on a reading list 402 contains content which: 403 (I) Is pornographic or prohibited under s. 847.012; 404 (II) Depicts or describes sexual conduct as defined in s. 405 847.001(19), unless such material is for a course required by s. 406 1003.46, s. 1003.42(2)(n)1.g., or s. 1003.42(2)(n)3., or 407 identified by State Board of Education rule; 408 (III) Is not suited to student needs and their ability to 409 comprehend the material presented; or 410 (III)(IV) Is inappropriate for the grade level and age 411 group for which the material is used. 412 413 Any material that is subject to an objection on the basis of 414 sub-sub-subparagraph b.(I) or sub-sub-subparagraph b.(II) must 415 be removed within 5 school days of receipt of the objection and 416 remain unavailable to students of that school until the 417 objection is resolved. Parents shall have the right to read 418 passages from any material that is subject to an objection. If 419 the school board denies a parent the right to read passages due 420 to content that meets the requirements under sub-sub- 421 subparagraph b.(I), the school district shall discontinue the 422 use of the material. If the district school board finds that any 423 material meets the requirements under sub-subparagraph a. or 424 that any other material contains prohibited content under sub- 425 HB 1355 2024 CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions. hb1355-00 Page 18 of 23 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 sub-subparagraph b.(I), the school district shall discontinue 426 use of the material. If the district school board finds that any 427 other material contains prohibited content under sub-sub- 428 subparagraphs b.(II)-(IV), the school district shall discontinue 429 use of the material for any grade level or age group for which 430 such use is inappropriate or unsuitable. 431 3. Each district school board must establish a process by 432 which the parent of a public school student or a resident of the 433 county may contest the district school board's adoption of a 434 specific instructional material. The parent or resident must 435 file a petition, on a form provided by the school board, within 436 30 calendar days after the adoption of the instructional 437 material by the school board. The school board must make the 438 form available to the public and publish the form on the school 439 district's website. The form must be signed by the parent or 440 resident, include the required contact information, and state 441 the objection to the instructional material based on the 442 criteria of s. 1006.31(2) or s. 1006.40(3)(d). Within 30 days 443 after the 30-day period has expired, the school board must, for 444 all petitions timely received, conduct at least one open public 445 hearing before an unbiased and qualified hearing officer. The 446 hearing officer may not be an employee or agent of the school 447 district. The hearing is not subject to the provisions of 448 chapter 120; however, the hearing must provide sufficient 449 procedural protections to allow each petitioner an adequate and 450 HB 1355 2024 CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions. hb1355-00 Page 19 of 23 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 fair opportunity to be heard and present evidence to the hearing 451 officer. The school board's decision after convening a hearing 452 is final and not subject to further petition or review. 453 4. Meetings of committees convened for the purpose of 454 ranking, eliminating, or selecting instructional materials for 455 recommendation to the district school board must be noticed and 456 open to the public in accordance with s. 286.011. Any committees 457 convened for such purposes must include parents of students who 458 will have access to such materials. 459 5. Meetings of committees convened for the purpose of 460 resolving an objection by a parent or resident to specific 461 materials must be noticed and open to the public in accordance 462 with s. 286.011. Any committees convened for such purposes must 463 include parents of students who will have access to such 464 materials. 465 6. If a parent disagrees with the determination made by 466 the district school board on the objection to the use of a 467 specific material, a parent may request the Commissioner of 468 Education to appoint a special magistrate who is a member of The 469 Florida Bar in good standing and who has at least 5 years' 470 experience in administrative law. The special magistrate shall 471 determine facts relating to the school district's determination, 472 consider information provided by the parent and the school 473 district, and render a recommended decision for resolution to 474 the State Board of Education within 30 days after receipt of the 475 HB 1355 2024 CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions. hb1355-00 Page 20 of 23 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 request by the parent. The State Board of Education must approve 476 or reject the recommended decision at its next regularly 477 scheduled meeting that is more than 7 calendar days and no more 478 than 30 days after the date the recommended decision is 479 transmitted. The costs of the special magistrate shall be borne 480 by the school district. The State Board of Education shall adopt 481 rules, including forms, necessary to implement this 482 subparagraph. 483 (d) School library media services; establishment and 484 maintenance.—Establish and maintain a program of school library 485 media services for all public schools in the district, including 486 school library media centers, or school library media centers 487 open to the public, and, in addition such traveling or 488 circulating libraries as may be needed for the proper operation 489 of the district school system. Beginning January 1, 2023, school 490 librarians, media specialists, and other personnel involved in 491 the selection of school district library materials must complete 492 the training program developed pursuant to s. 1006.29(6) before 493 reviewing and selecting age-appropriate materials and library 494 resources. Upon written request, a school district shall provide 495 access to any material or book specified in the request that is 496 maintained in a district school system library and is available 497 for review. 498 1. Each book made available to students through a school 499 district library media center or included in a recommended or 500 HB 1355 2024 CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions. hb1355-00 Page 21 of 23 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 assigned school or grade-level reading list must be selected by 501 a school district employee who holds a valid educational media 502 specialist certificate, regardless of whether the book is 503 purchased, donated, or otherwise made available to students. 504 2. Each district school board shall adopt procedures for 505 developing library media center collections and post the 506 procedures on the website for each school within the district. 507 School libraries may provide materials and information 508 presenting all points of view on current and historical issues. 509 Materials may not be proscribed or removed because of partisan 510 or doctrinal disapproval. The procedures must: 511 a. Require that book selections meet the criteria in s. 512 1006.40(3)(d). 513 b. Require consultation of reputable, professionally 514 recognized reviewing periodicals and school community 515 stakeholders. 516 c. Provide for library media center collections, including 517 classroom libraries, based on reader interest, support of state 518 academic standards and aligned curriculum, and the academic 519 needs of students and faculty. 520 d. Provide for the regular removal or discontinuance of 521 books based on, at a minimum, physical condition, rate of recent 522 circulation, alignment to state academic standards and relevancy 523 to curriculum, out-of-date content, and required removal 524 pursuant to subparagraph (a)2. 525 HB 1355 2024 CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions. hb1355-00 Page 22 of 23 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 3. Each elementary school must publish on its website, in 526 a searchable format prescribed by the department, a list of all 527 materials maintained and accessible in the school library media 528 center or a classroom library or required as part of a school or 529 grade-level reading list. 530 4. Each district school board shall adopt and publish on 531 its website the process for a parent to limit his or her 532 student's access to materials in the school or classroom 533 library. 534 Section 10. Paragraph (c) of subsection (3) of section 535 1007.25, Florida Statutes, is amended to read: 536 1007.25 General education courses; common prerequisites; 537 other degree requirements.— 538 (3) The chair of the State Board of Education and the 539 chair of the Board of Governors, or their designees, shall 540 jointly appoint faculty committees to review and recommend to 541 the Articulation Coordinating Committee for approval by the 542 State Board of Education and the Board of Governors statewide 543 general education core course options for inclusion in the 544 statewide course numbering system established under s. 1007.24. 545 Faculty committees shall, by July 1, 2024, and by July 1 every 4 546 years thereafter, review and submit recommendations to the 547 Articulation Coordinating Committee and the commissioner for the 548 removal, alignment, realignment, or addition of general 549 education core courses that satisfy the requirements of this 550 HB 1355 2024 CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions. hb1355-00 Page 23 of 23 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. 551 (c) General education core courses may not distort 552 significant historical events or include a curriculum that 553 teaches identity politics, violates s. 1000.05, or is based on 554 theories that systemic racism, sexism, oppression, and privilege 555 are inherent in the institutions of the United States and were 556 created to maintain social, political, and economic inequities. 557 Section 11. This act shall take effect July 1, 2024. 558