Bill Text: FL S0954 | 2015 | Regular Session | Enrolled
Bill Title: Involuntary Examinations of Minors
Spectrum: Bipartisan Bill
Status: (Passed) 2015-05-22 - Chapter No. 2015-67 [S0954 Detail]
Download: Florida-2015-S0954-Enrolled.html
ENROLLED 2015 Legislature CS for SB 954, 1st Engrossed 2015954er 1 2 An act relating to involuntary examinations of minors; 3 amending s. 381.0056, F.S.; revising the definition of 4 the term “emergency health needs”; requiring school 5 health services plans to include notification 6 requirements when a student is removed from school, 7 school transportation, or a school-sponsored activity 8 for involuntary examination; amending s. 394.4599, 9 F.S.; including health care surrogates and proxies as 10 individuals who may act on behalf of an individual 11 involuntarily admitted to a facility; requiring a 12 receiving facility to immediately notify the parent, 13 guardian, caregiver, or guardian advocate of the 14 whereabouts of a minor who is being held for 15 involuntary examination; providing circumstances when 16 notification may be delayed; requiring the receiving 17 facility to make continuous notification attempts; 18 authorizing the receiving facility to seek assistance 19 from law enforcement under certain circumstances; 20 requiring the receiving facility to document 21 notification attempts in the minor’s clinical record; 22 amending ss. 1002.20 and 1002.33, F.S.; requiring 23 public school or charter school principals or their 24 designees to provide notice of the whereabouts of a 25 student removed from school, school transportation, or 26 a school-sponsored activity for involuntary 27 examination; providing conditions for delay in 28 notification; requiring district school boards and 29 charter school governing boards to develop 30 notification policies and procedures; providing an 31 effective date. 32 33 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: 34 35 Section 1. Subsection (2) and paragraph (a) of subsection 36 (4) of section 381.0056, Florida Statutes, are amended to read: 37 381.0056 School health services program.— 38 (2) As used in this section, the term: 39 (a) “Emergency health needs” means onsite evaluation, 40 management, and aid for illness or injury pending the student’s 41 return to the classroom or release to a parent, guardian, 42 designated friend, law enforcement officer, or designated health 43 care provider. 44 (b) “Entity” or “health care entity” means a unit of local 45 government or a political subdivision of the state; a hospital 46 licensed under chapter 395; a health maintenance organization 47 certified under chapter 641; a health insurer authorized under 48 the Florida Insurance Code; a community health center; a migrant 49 health center; a federally qualified health center; an 50 organization that meets the requirements for nonprofit status 51 under s. 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code; a private 52 industry or business; or a philanthropic foundation that agrees 53 to participate in a public-private partnership with a county 54 health department, local school district, or school in the 55 delivery of school health services, and agrees to the terms and 56 conditions for the delivery of such services as required by this 57 section and as documented in the local school health services 58 plan. 59 (c) “Invasive screening” means any screening procedure in 60 which the skin or any body orifice is penetrated. 61 (d) “Physical examination” means a thorough evaluation of 62 the health status of an individual. 63 (e) “School health services plan” means the document that 64 describes the services to be provided, the responsibility for 65 provision of the services, the anticipated expenditures to 66 provide the services, and evidence of cooperative planning by 67 local school districts and county health departments. 68 (f) “Screening” means presumptive identification of unknown 69 or unrecognized diseases or defects by the application of tests 70 that can be given with ease and rapidity to apparently healthy 71 persons. 72 (4)(a) Each county health department shall develop, jointly 73 with the district school board and the local school health 74 advisory committee, a school health services plan.; andThe plan 75 must include, at a minimum, provisions for all of the following: 76 1. Health appraisal; 77 2. Records review; 78 3. Nurse assessment; 79 4. Nutrition assessment; 80 5. A preventive dental program; 81 6. Vision screening; 82 7. Hearing screening; 83 8. Scoliosis screening; 84 9. Growth and development screening; 85 10. Health counseling; 86 11. Referral and followup of suspected or confirmed health 87 problems by the local county health department; 88 12. Meeting emergency health needs in each school; 89 13. County health department personnel to assist school 90 personnel in health education curriculum development; 91 14. Referral of students to appropriate health treatment, 92 in cooperation with the private health community whenever 93 possible; 94 15. Consultation with a student’s parent or guardian 95 regarding the need for health attention by the family physician, 96 dentist, or other specialist when definitive diagnosis or 97 treatment is indicated; 98 16. Maintenance of records on incidents of health problems, 99 corrective measures taken, and such other information as may be 100 needed to plan and evaluate health programs; except, however, 101 that provisions in the plan for maintenance of health records of 102 individual students must be in accordance with s. 1002.22; 103 17. Health information which will be provided by the school 104 health nurses, when necessary, regarding the placement of 105 students in exceptional student programs and the reevaluation at 106 periodic intervals of students placed in such programs;and107 18. Notification to the local nonpublic schools of the 108 school health services program and the opportunity for 109 representatives of the local nonpublic schools to participate in 110 the development of the cooperative health services plan; and.111 19. Immediate notification to a student’s parent, guardian, 112 or caregiver if the student is removed from school, school 113 transportation, or a school-sponsored activity and taken to a 114 receiving facility for an involuntary examination pursuant to s. 115 394.463, including the requirements established under ss. 116 1002.20(3) and 1002.33(9), as applicable. 117 Section 2. Section 394.4599, Florida Statutes, is amended 118 to read: 119 394.4599 Notice.— 120 (1) VOLUNTARY ADMISSIONPATIENTS.—Notice of an individual’s 121avoluntarypatient’sadmission shallonlybe given only at the 122 request of the individualpatient, except that, in an emergency, 123 notice shall be given as determined by the facility. 124 (2) INVOLUNTARY ADMISSIONPATIENTS.— 125 (a) Whenever notice is required to be given under this 126 part, such notice shall be given to the individualpatientand 127 the individual’spatient’sguardian, guardian advocate, health 128 care surrogate or proxy, attorney, and representative. 129 1. When notice is required to be given to an individuala130patient, it shall be given both orally and in writing, in the 131 language and terminology that the individualpatientcan 132 understand, and, if needed, the facility shall provide an 133 interpreter for the individualpatient. 134 2. Notice to an individual’sa patient’sguardian, guardian 135 advocate, health care surrogate or proxy, attorney, and 136 representative shall be given byUnited States mail and by137registeredor certifiedmail with the date, time, and method of 138 notice delivery documented inreceipts attached tothepatient’s139 clinical record. Hand delivery by a facility employee may be 140 used as an alternative, with the date and time of delivery 141 documented in the clinical record. If notice is given by a state 142 attorney or an attorney for the department, a certificate of 143 service isshall besufficient to document service. 144 (b) A receiving facility shall give prompt notice of the 145 whereabouts of an individuala patientwho is being 146 involuntarily held for examination to the individual’s guardian, 147 guardian advocate, health care surrogate or proxy, attorney or 148 representative, by telephone or in person within 24 hours after 149 the individual’spatient’sarrival at the facility,unless the150patient requests that no notification be made. Contact attempts 151 shall be documented in the individual’spatient’sclinical 152 record and shall begin as soon as reasonably possible after the 153 individual’spatient’sarrival.Notice that a patient is being154admitted as an involuntary patient shall be given to the Florida155local advocacy council no later than the next working day after156the patient is admitted.157 (c)1. A receiving facility shall give notice of the 158 whereabouts of a minor who is being involuntarily held for 159 examination pursuant to s. 394.463 to the minor’s parent, 160 guardian, caregiver, or guardian advocate, in person or by 161 telephone or other form of electronic communication, immediately 162 after the minor’s arrival at the facility. The facility may 163 delay notification for no more than 24 hours after the minor’s 164 arrival if the facility has submitted a report to the central 165 abuse hotline, pursuant to s. 39.201, based upon knowledge or 166 suspicion of abuse, abandonment, or neglect and if the facility 167 deems a delay in notification to be in the minor’s best 168 interest. 169 2. The receiving facility shall attempt to notify the 170 minor’s parent, guardian, caregiver, or guardian advocate until 171 the receiving facility receives confirmation from the parent, 172 guardian, caregiver, or guardian advocate, verbally, by 173 telephone or other form of electronic communication, or by 174 recorded message, that notification has been received. Attempts 175 to notify the parent, guardian, caregiver, or guardian advocate 176 must be repeated at least once every hour during the first 12 177 hours after the minor’s arrival and once every 24 hours 178 thereafter and must continue until such confirmation is 179 received, unless the minor is released at the end of the 72-hour 180 examination period, or until a petition for involuntary 181 placement is filed with the court pursuant to s. 394.463(2)(i). 182 The receiving facility may seek assistance from a law 183 enforcement agency to notify the minor’s parent, guardian, 184 caregiver, or guardian advocate if the facility has not received 185 within the first 24 hours after the minor’s arrival a 186 confirmation by the parent, guardian, caregiver, or guardian 187 advocate that notification has been received. The receiving 188 facility must document notification attempts in the minor’s 189 clinical record. 190 (d)(c)The written notice of the filing of the petition for 191 involuntary placement of an individual being held must contain 192 the following: 193 1. Notice that the petition has been filed with the circuit 194 court in the county in which the individualpatientis 195 hospitalized and the address of such court. 196 2. Notice that the office of the public defender has been 197 appointed to represent the individualpatientin the proceeding, 198 if the individualpatientis not otherwise represented by 199 counsel. 200 3. The date, time, and place of the hearing and the name of 201 each examining expert and every other person expected to testify 202 in support of continued detention. 203 4. Notice that the individualpatient, the individual’s 204patient’sguardian, guardian advocate, health care surrogate or 205 proxy, or representative, or the administrator may apply for a 206 change of venue for the convenience of the parties or witnesses 207 or because of the condition of the individualpatient. 208 5. Notice that the individualpatientis entitled to an 209 independent expert examination and, if the individualpatient210 cannot afford such an examination, that the court will provide 211 for one. 212 (e)(d)A treatment facility shall provide notice of an 213 individual’sa patient’sinvoluntary admission on the next 214 regular working day after the individual’spatient’sarrival at 215 the facility. 216 (f)(e)When an individualapatientis to be transferred 217 from one facility to another, notice shall be given by the 218 facility where the individualpatientis located beforeprior to219 the transfer. 220 Section 3. Paragraph (l) is added to subsection (3) of 221 section 1002.20, Florida Statutes, to read: 222 1002.20 K-12 student and parent rights.—Parents of public 223 school students must receive accurate and timely information 224 regarding their child’s academic progress and must be informed 225 of ways they can help their child to succeed in school. K-12 226 students and their parents are afforded numerous statutory 227 rights including, but not limited to, the following: 228 (3) HEALTH ISSUES.— 229 (l) Notification of involuntary examinations.—The public 230 school principal or the principal’s designee shall immediately 231 notify the parent of a student who is removed from school, 232 school transportation, or a school-sponsored activity and taken 233 to a receiving facility for an involuntary examination pursuant 234 to s. 394.463. The principal or the principal’s designee may 235 delay notification for no more than 24 hours after the student 236 is removed if the principal or designee deems the delay to be in 237 the student’s best interest and if a report has been submitted 238 to the central abuse hotline, pursuant to s. 39.201, based upon 239 knowledge or suspicion of abuse, abandonment, or neglect. Each 240 district school board shall develop a policy and procedures for 241 notification under this paragraph. 242 Section 4. Paragraph (q) is added to subsection (9) of 243 section 1002.33, Florida Statutes, to read: 244 1002.33 Charter schools.— 245 (9) CHARTER SCHOOL REQUIREMENTS.— 246 (q) The charter school principal or the principal’s 247 designee shall immediately notify the parent of a student who is 248 removed from school, school transportation, or a school 249 sponsored activity and taken to a receiving facility for an 250 involuntary examination pursuant to s. 394.463. The principal or 251 the principal’s designee may delay notification for no more than 252 24 hours after the student is removed if the principal or 253 designee deems the delay to be in the student’s best interest 254 and if a report has been submitted to the central abuse hotline, 255 pursuant to s. 39.201, based upon knowledge or suspicion of 256 abuse, abandonment, or neglect. Each charter school governing 257 board shall develop a policy and procedures for notification 258 under this paragraph. 259 Section 5. This act shall take effect July 1, 2015.