Bill Text: FL S1054 | 2017 | Regular Session | Introduced


Bill Title: Florida Community Task Force on Student Behavior and Discipline

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)

Status: (Failed) 2017-05-05 - Died in Education [S1054 Detail]

Download: Florida-2017-S1054-Introduced.html
       Florida Senate - 2017                                    SB 1054
       
       
        
       By Senator Powell
       
       
       
       
       
       30-01327-17                                           20171054__
    1                        A bill to be entitled                      
    2         An act relating to the Florida Community Task Force on
    3         Student Behavior and Discipline; creating s. 1006.093,
    4         F.S.; creating the Florida Community Task Force on
    5         Student Behavior and Discipline within the Department
    6         of Education; providing for the membership, duties,
    7         and meeting requirements of the task force; requiring
    8         the task force to hold its first meeting by a
    9         specified date; requiring the department to provide
   10         administrative support to the task force; requiring an
   11         annual report to the Legislature and the State Board
   12         of Education; providing for expiration of the task
   13         force; providing an effective date.
   14          
   15  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
   16  
   17         Section 1. Section 1006.093, Florida Statutes, is created
   18  to read:
   19         1006.093 Florida Community Task Force on Student Behavior
   20  and Discipline.—
   21         (1) The Florida Community Task Force on Student Behavior
   22  and Discipline, a task force as defined in s. 20.03, is created
   23  within the Department of Education to provide advice and
   24  guidance regarding best practices for public school staff and
   25  school districts in adopting and implementing each school’s
   26  student behavior and discipline master plan.
   27         (2) The task force shall consist of the following members:
   28         (a) The Commissioner of Education or his or her designee.
   29         (b) Three members appointed by the Florida Association of
   30  School Administrators. The appointees must include a principal
   31  or an assistant principal from the elementary, middle, and high
   32  school levels.
   33         (c) Four members appointed by the Florida Association of
   34  District School Superintendents. The appointees must include a
   35  school superintendent, a child welfare officer, a safe and drug
   36  free schools coordinator, and a director of special education.
   37         (d) Four members appointed by the Florida Developmental
   38  Disabilities Council, Inc. The appointees must include three
   39  members who are the parent of a child who presents challenging
   40  behavior, two of whom are the parent of a child with
   41  exceptionalities other than gifted and talented.
   42         (e) One member appointed by the Florida School Boards
   43  Association.
   44         (f) One member appointed by the Council of Juvenile and
   45  Family Court Judges.
   46         (g) One member appointed by the Department of Juvenile
   47  Justice.
   48         (h) Six members appointed by the Florida Education
   49  Association. The appointees must include two elementary
   50  classroom teachers, two middle school classroom teachers, and
   51  two high school classroom teachers.
   52         (i) One member appointed by the Florida division of the
   53  Southern Poverty Law Center.
   54         (j) One member appointed by the Florida School Counselor
   55  Association.
   56         (k) One member appointed by the Florida Parent Teacher
   57  Association.
   58         (3) The task force shall have the following duties:
   59         (a) Review suspension and expulsion data from school
   60  districts in this state for children in prekindergarten through
   61  grade 12 from the 2010 through 2015 school years.
   62         (b) Identify the incidence, frequency, and reasons a
   63  student faces suspension or expulsion and any alternative
   64  placements a student receives, reported by school district,
   65  grade, and student demographic data.
   66         (c) Review school district disciplinary policies for
   67  students in kindergarten through grade 12 and compare a school
   68  district’s policies to its incidence of suspensions and
   69  expulsions.
   70         (d) Review the elements of preprofessional training and
   71  professional development for teachers and other school staff and
   72  identify any effective elements for managing student behavior
   73  and promoting student engagement in learning.
   74         (e) Recommend the best practices and evidence of effective
   75  techniques for managing student behavior and promoting student
   76  engagement in learning.
   77         (f) Review current programs, including the student uniform
   78  policy and positive behavior interventions and supports, for
   79  evidence of effectiveness in reducing disciplinary incidents and
   80  improving student behavior.
   81         (g) Review state-sponsored student behavior programs,
   82  staffing in guidance and counseling, and access to mental health
   83  and social services as they relate to student discipline.
   84         (h) Identify any resources available to assist school staff
   85  in meeting the needs of students.
   86         (i) Recommend policies to facilitate the reengagement of
   87  students who received out-of-school suspension, who were
   88  expelled, or who are returning from an alternative school
   89  setting.
   90         (j) Conduct public hearings to obtain testimony from
   91  teachers, school staff, mental health professionals, juvenile
   92  justice authorities, child services professionals, civil rights
   93  groups, and any individual or organization with information or
   94  expertise relevant to the task force’s study.
   95         (4) The task force shall elect a chair from among its
   96  members.
   97         (5) The task force shall meet at least three times
   98  annually, and the first meeting must be held by September 1,
   99  2017. Meetings shall be called by the chair, who shall set the
  100  agenda.
  101         (6) The Department of Education shall provide
  102  administrative support to the task force.
  103         (7) The task force shall annually submit a written report
  104  to the chairs of the substantive committees in both houses of
  105  the Legislature and the State Board of Education regarding its
  106  findings and recommendations for implementing school master
  107  plans to improve student behavior and discipline.
  108         (8) This section expires July 1, 2020.
  109         Section 2. This act shall take effect July 1, 2017.

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