Bill Text: FL S0982 | 2019 | Regular Session | Introduced
NOTE: There are more recent revisions of this legislation. Read Latest Draft
Bill Title: Human Trafficking Education in Schools
Spectrum: Bipartisan Bill
Status: (Failed) 2019-05-03 - Died in Appropriations [S0982 Detail]
Download: Florida-2019-S0982-Introduced.html
Bill Title: Human Trafficking Education in Schools
Spectrum: Bipartisan Bill
Status: (Failed) 2019-05-03 - Died in Appropriations [S0982 Detail]
Download: Florida-2019-S0982-Introduced.html
Florida Senate - 2019 SB 982 By Senator Thurston 33-00528A-19 2019982__ 1 A bill to be entitled 2 An act relating to human trafficking education in 3 schools; amending s. 1003.42, F.S.; revising the 4 required health education in public schools to include 5 information regarding the dangers and signs of human 6 trafficking; authorizing a student to opt out of a 7 specified portion of the health education under 8 certain circumstances; requiring the Department of 9 Legal Affairs to develop human trafficking awareness 10 campaigns; requiring the department to develop and 11 operate a hotline to receive reports of potential 12 human trafficking activity; requiring the department 13 to provide certain reports to appropriate law 14 enforcement agencies for investigation and 15 disposition; providing an effective date. 16 17 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: 18 19 Section 1. Paragraph (n) of subsection (2) of section 20 1003.42, Florida Statutes, is amended to read: 21 1003.42 Required instruction.— 22 (2) Members of the instructional staff of the public 23 schools, subject to the rules of the State Board of Education 24 and the district school board, shall teach efficiently and 25 faithfully, using the books and materials required that meet the 26 highest standards for professionalism and historical accuracy, 27 following the prescribed courses of study, and employing 28 approved methods of instruction, the following: 29 (n) Comprehensive health education that addresses concepts 30 of community health; consumer health; environmental health; 31 family life, including an awareness of the benefits of sexual 32 abstinence as the expected standard and the consequences of 33 teenage pregnancy; mental and emotional health; injury 34 prevention and safety; Internet safety; the dangers and signs of 35 human trafficking; nutrition; personal health; prevention and 36 control of disease; and substance use and abuse. The health 37 education curriculum for students in grades 7 through 12 shall 38 include a teen dating violence and abuse component that 39 includes, but is not limited to, the definition of dating 40 violence and abuse, the warning signs of dating violence and 41 abusive behavior, the characteristics of healthy relationships, 42 measures to prevent and stop dating violence and abuse, and 43 community resources available to victims of dating violence and 44 abuse. The human trafficking education portion of the health 45 curriculum must include, but is not limited to, information on 46 the warning signs of human trafficking, terms used by 47 traffickers, red flags that would indicate a trafficker’s 48 malicious intent toward a student, websites that are popular 49 with traffickers, and details on how a student may get help. A 50 student may elect to opt out of the instruction of the human 51 trafficking portion of the health education by providing the 52 school with a written note from his or her parent. 53 54 The State Board of Education is encouraged to adopt standards 55 and pursue assessment of the requirements of this subsection. A 56 character development program that incorporates the values of 57 the recipients of the Congressional Medal of Honor and that is 58 offered as part of a social studies, English Language Arts, or 59 other schoolwide character building and veteran awareness 60 initiative meets the requirements of paragraphs (s) and (t). 61 Section 2. Human trafficking awareness campaigns; hotline. 62 The Department of Legal Affairs shall, subject to legislative 63 appropriations: 64 (1) Develop campaigns to increase awareness of human 65 trafficking, particularly among children and other potentially 66 vulnerable populations. Such campaigns may include information 67 concerning approaches used by traffickers, warning signs of 68 trafficking, and inappropriate behaviors that should be 69 reported. 70 (2) Develop and operate a toll-free hotline to receive 71 reports of potential human trafficking incidents. The department 72 shall promptly provide all such reports deemed to be credible to 73 appropriate law enforcement agencies for investigation and 74 disposition. 75 Section 3. This act shall take effect July 1, 2019.