Florida Senate - 2023                                      SB 52
       
       
        
       By Senator Burgess
       
       
       
       
       
       23-00194A-23                                            202352__
    1                        A bill to be entitled                      
    2         An act relating to required instruction in public
    3         schools; amending s. 1003.42, F.S.; requiring members
    4         of the instructional staff of public schools to
    5         provide instruction on social media safety; defining
    6         the term “social media”; requiring the Department of
    7         Education to make social media safety instructional
    8         material available online; requiring district school
    9         boards to notify parents of the availability of the
   10         instructional material; providing an effective date.
   11          
   12  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
   13  
   14         Section 1. Paragraph (u) is added to subsection (2) of
   15  section 1003.42, Florida Statutes, to read:
   16         1003.42 Required instruction.—
   17         (2) Members of the instructional staff of the public
   18  schools, subject to the rules of the State Board of Education
   19  and the district school board, shall teach efficiently and
   20  faithfully, using the books and materials required that meet the
   21  highest standards for professionalism and historical accuracy,
   22  following the prescribed courses of study, and employing
   23  approved methods of instruction, the following:
   24         (u) Social media safety. For purposes of this paragraph,
   25  the term “social media” means a form of interactive electronic
   26  communication through an Internet website or application by
   27  which a user creates a service-specific identifying user profile
   28  to connect with other users of the Internet website or
   29  application for the purpose of communicating and sharing
   30  information, ideas, news, stories, opinions, images, videos, and
   31  other content. The Department of Education shall make social
   32  media safety instructional material available online and
   33  district school boards shall notify parents of the material’s
   34  online availability.
   35  
   36  The State Board of Education is encouraged to adopt standards
   37  and pursue assessment of the requirements of this subsection.
   38  Instructional programming that incorporates the values of the
   39  recipients of the Congressional Medal of Honor and that is
   40  offered as part of a social studies, English Language Arts, or
   41  other schoolwide character building and veteran awareness
   42  initiative meets the requirements of paragraph (t).
   43         Section 2. This act shall take effect July 1, 2023.