Florida Senate - 2024 CS for SB 786
By the Committee on Education Pre-K -12; and Senator Powell
581-02967-24 2024786c1
1 A bill to be entitled
2 An act relating to the Youth Conflict Resolution and
3 Peer Mediation Pilot Program; creating the Youth
4 Conflict Resolution and Peer Mediation Pilot Program,
5 subject to legislative appropriation; providing the
6 purpose of the pilot program; providing for an
7 application process for participation in the pilot
8 program; requiring the Commissioner of Education to
9 select a certain number of middle or high schools to
10 participate in the pilot program; requiring the
11 commissioner to select a conflict resolution
12 curriculum for use in the program; requiring the
13 commissioner to select a nonprofit organization to
14 implement the pilot program; providing participating
15 middle or high schools and the nonprofit organization
16 responsibilities; requiring the nonprofit organization
17 to provide a report to the Governor, the Legislature,
18 and the Department of Education; providing
19 requirements for the report; authorizing the State
20 Board of Education to adopt rules to administer the
21 pilot program; providing an effective date.
22
23 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
24
25 Section 1. Youth Conflict Resolution and Peer Mediation Pilot
26 Program.—Beginning with the 2025-2026 school year and subject to
27 legislative appropriation, the Youth Conflict Resolution and
28 Peer Mediation Pilot Program is created for a period of 1 school
29 year. The purpose of the program is to reduce juvenile violence
30 by equipping students with essential skills for peaceful
31 conflict resolution through the use of a conflict resolution
32 curriculum selected by the Commissioner of Education.
33 (1)(a) Middle and high schools within this state shall
34 apply to the Department of Education, in a format and by a date
35 prescribed by the department, to participate in the program.
36 (b) The commissioner shall select five middle or high
37 schools to participate in the program. To the extent possible,
38 the commissioner shall select schools with a high rate of
39 juvenile violence.
40 (c) The commissioner shall select a conflict resolution
41 curriculum for use in the pilot program.
42 (d) The commissioner shall select a nonprofit organization
43 capable of working with the department and participating schools
44 to oversee the pilot program’s implementation and to analyze the
45 data resulting from the pilot program.
46 (2) A participating middle or high school shall:
47 (a) Implement the curriculum selected by the commissioner,
48 focusing on skill-building without undermining the school’s
49 existing disciplinary framework to provide students with
50 conflict resolution skills pertinent to their daily interactions
51 and overall community health.
52 (b) Provide data and information requested by the selected
53 nonprofit organization.
54 (c) Complete the pre-program and post-program survey
55 created by the selected nonprofit organization.
56 (3) The selected nonprofit organization shall:
57 (a) Oversee implementation of the pilot program.
58 (b) Provide guidance to participating middle or high
59 schools on implementing the conflict resolution curriculum into
60 each such school’s existing curriculum.
61 (c) Collect relevant data and information relating to the
62 rates of juvenile violence in selected schools before the pilot
63 program and the rates of such violence after implementation of
64 the pilot program.
65 (d) Provide periodic updates to the department on the
66 implementation of the pilot program.
67 (e) Create a pre-program and post-program survey that must
68 be completed by school administrators and teachers at
69 participating schools.
70 (4) Upon completion of the pilot program, the selected
71 nonprofit organization shall provide a report to the Governor,
72 the President of the Senate, the Speaker of the House of
73 Representatives, and the department, which must include:
74 (a) The number of students enrolled at participating
75 schools.
76 (b) The rates of juvenile violence in participating schools
77 before the pilot program.
78 (c) The rates of juvenile violence in participating schools
79 after implementation of the pilot program.
80 (d) The findings of the pre-program and post-program
81 survey.
82 (e) Recommendations for the inclusion of the curriculum of
83 middle schools across the state.
84 (5) The State Board of Education may adopt rules to
85 administer the pilot program.
86 Section 2. This act shall take effect July 1, 2024.