Orange County Public Schools

Overview

The second of six scheduled legislative committee weeks concluded on Friday, October 15.  The third legislative committee week begins Oct. 18. The 2022 Florida Legislative Session formally begins January 11, 2022, and ends March 11, 2022. To date, more than 500 bills have already been filed for the upcoming Session, including dozens of education-related bills (see Bill Activity below).

Committee Activity

The following legislative committees held meetings this week on education-related matters:

House: Education and Employment Committee

• Presentation by the Florida Department of Education on the Development and Implementation of Individualized Education Programs.
• View a video recording of the Committee meeting.

House Secondary Education & Career Development Subcommittee 

• Presentation and panel discussion on Florida’s registered apprenticeship and pre-apprenticeship training programs.
• View a video recording of the Subcommittee meeting.

House: Early Learning & Elementary Education Subcommittee

• Presentation by the Florida Department of Education on the implementation of HB 419 (2021), Early Learning and Early Grade Success.
• View a video recording of the Subcommittee meeting.

House: PreK-12 Appropriations Subcommittee

• Fiscal issue updates by the Department of Education on: (1) Implementation of HB 419 (2021), Relating to Early Learning and Early Grade Success and (2) Implementation of CS/HB 7011 (2021), Relating to Student Literacy.
• View a video recording of the Subcommittee meeting.

Bill Activity

Below are education-related bills filed since the previous Legislative Update that may advance through the legislative process in the coming weeks.

HB 225: Charter School Charters (Hawkins)

• Revises provisions relating to consolidation of multiple charter into single charter, renewals, nonrenewals, and terminations of charters.

HB 229/SB 400: Guidance Services on Academic and Career Planning (Arrington/Bracy)

• Requires students & parents be informed of certain acceleration, academic, & career planning options; requires personalized academic & career plan be developed in consultation with certified school counselor for certain students; requires certain information to be included in such plan.

HB 235/SB 390: Restraint of Students with Disabilities in Public Schools (Plasencia/Book)

• Prohibits school personnel from using mechanical restraint on students with disabilities.

HB 243: Exemption from Taxation for Educational Properties (Roth)

• Exempts from taxation property used by educational institutions that hold leasehold interests exceeding specified number of years.

HB 281/SB 490: Instruction in the History of Asian Americans & Pacific Islanders (Eskamani/Stewart)

• Requires history of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders to be included in specified instruction.

SB 452: Public Health (Perry)

• Prohibiting district school boards from adopting, implementing, or enforcing a policy, a rule, a code of conduct, or an order requiring the wearing of a face covering, etc.

SB 480: Required Instruction in Public Schools (Burgess)

• Requiring members of the instructional staff of public schools to provide instruction on social media literacy; defining the term “social media”; requiring district school boards to make social media literacy instructional material available online, etc.

SB 488: Education Recovery Scholarship Accounts (Brodeur)

• Establishing education recovery scholarship accounts; providing the purpose of the accounts; specifying eligibility requirements; providing requirements for parent and student participation; specifying Department of Education scholarship obligations; specifying school district scholarship obligations; providing for funding and payment of scholarships;

SB 506: Hope Scholarship Program (Diaz)

• Revising the purpose of the Hope Scholarship Program; expanding eligibility to students who attends a school overseen by a district school board that is subject to ongoing action initiated by the State Board of Education