Bill Text: FL S0052 | 2023 | Regular Session | Comm Sub
Bill Title: Student Use of Social Media Platforms
Spectrum: Bipartisan Bill
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2023-04-18 - Laid on Table, companion bill(s) passed, see CS/HB 379 (Ch. 2023-36) [S0052 Detail]
Download: Florida-2023-S0052-Comm_Sub.html
Florida Senate - 2023 CS for CS for CS for SB 52
By the Committee on Fiscal Policy; the Appropriations Committee
on Education; the Committee on Education Pre-K -12; and Senators
Burgess, Osgood, Avila, Calatayud, and Garcia
594-03175-23 202352c3
1 A bill to be entitled
2 An act relating to student use of social media
3 platforms; amending s. 1003.42, F.S.; requiring
4 members of the instructional staff of public schools
5 to provide instruction on the social, emotional, and
6 physical effects of social media to students in
7 specified grades; specifying requirements for the
8 instruction; requiring the Department of Education to
9 make social media safety instructional material
10 available online; requiring each district school board
11 to notify parents of the availability of such
12 material; authorizing the department to procure the
13 instructional materials from a vendor or provider;
14 amending s. 1006.07, F.S.; requiring that district
15 school board codes of student conduct include a
16 prohibition against students using wireless
17 communications devices during instructional time and
18 authorization for teachers to withhold a student’s
19 device, with an exception for use at the direction of
20 the teacher; creating s. 1006.1494, F.S.; requiring
21 each school district to prohibit and prevent students
22 from accessing social media platforms through the use
23 of Internet access provided by the school district;
24 providing an exception; authorizing the State Board of
25 Education to adopt rules; providing an effective date.
26
27 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
28
29 Section 1. Paragraph (n) of subsection (2) of section
30 1003.42, Florida Statutes, is amended to read:
31 1003.42 Required instruction.—
32 (2) Members of the instructional staff of the public
33 schools, subject to the rules of the State Board of Education
34 and the district school board, shall teach efficiently and
35 faithfully, using the books and materials required that meet the
36 highest standards for professionalism and historical accuracy,
37 following the prescribed courses of study, and employing
38 approved methods of instruction, the following:
39 (n) Comprehensive age-appropriate and developmentally
40 appropriate K-12 instruction on:
41 1. Health education that addresses concepts of community
42 health, consumer health, environmental health, and family life,
43 including:
44 a. Injury prevention and safety.
45 b. Internet safety.
46 c. Nutrition.
47 d. Personal health.
48 e. Prevention and control of disease.
49 f. Substance use and abuse.
50 g. Prevention of child sexual abuse, exploitation, and
51 human trafficking.
52 2. For students in grades 7 through 12, teen dating
53 violence and abuse. This component must include, but not be
54 limited to, the definition of dating violence and abuse, the
55 warning signs of dating violence and abusive behavior, the
56 characteristics of healthy relationships, measures to prevent
57 and stop dating violence and abuse, and community resources
58 available to victims of dating violence and abuse.
59 3. For students in grades 6 through 12, awareness of the
60 benefits of sexual abstinence as the expected standard and the
61 consequences of teenage pregnancy.
62 4. Life skills that build confidence, support mental and
63 emotional health, and enable students to overcome challenges,
64 including:
65 a. Self-awareness and self-management.
66 b. Responsible decisionmaking.
67 c. Resiliency.
68 d. Relationship skills and conflict resolution.
69 e. Understanding and respecting other viewpoints and
70 backgrounds.
71 f. For grades 9 through 12, developing leadership skills,
72 interpersonal skills, organization skills, and research skills;
73 creating a resume, including a digital resume; exploring career
74 pathways; using state career planning resources; developing and
75 practicing the skills necessary for employment interviews;
76 workplace ethics and workplace law; managing stress and
77 expectations; and self-motivation.
78 5.a. For students in grades 6 through 12, the social,
79 emotional, and physical effects of social media. This component
80 must include, but need not be limited to, the negative effects
81 of social media on mental health, including addiction; the
82 distribution of misinformation on social media; how social media
83 manipulates behavior; the permanency of sharing materials
84 online; how to maintain personal security and identify
85 cyberbullying, predatory behavior, and human trafficking on the
86 Internet; and how to report suspicious behavior encountered on
87 the Internet.
88 b. The Department of Education shall make available online
89 the instructional material being used pursuant to this
90 subparagraph, and each district school board shall notify
91 parents of its availability. The department may procure the
92 instructional material from a vendor or provider.
93
94 Health education and life skills instruction and materials may
95 not contradict the principles enumerated in subsection (3).
96
97 The State Board of Education is encouraged to adopt standards
98 and pursue assessment of the requirements of this subsection.
99 Instructional programming that incorporates the values of the
100 recipients of the Congressional Medal of Honor and that is
101 offered as part of a social studies, English Language Arts, or
102 other schoolwide character building and veteran awareness
103 initiative meets the requirements of paragraph (t).
104 Section 2. Paragraph (f) of subsection (2) of section
105 1006.07, Florida Statutes, is amended to read:
106 1006.07 District school board duties relating to student
107 discipline and school safety.—The district school board shall
108 provide for the proper accounting for all students, for the
109 attendance and control of students at school, and for proper
110 attention to health, safety, and other matters relating to the
111 welfare of students, including:
112 (2) CODE OF STUDENT CONDUCT.—Adopt a code of student
113 conduct for elementary schools and a code of student conduct for
114 middle and high schools and distribute the appropriate code to
115 all teachers, school personnel, students, and parents, at the
116 beginning of every school year. Each code shall be organized and
117 written in language that is understandable to students and
118 parents and shall be discussed at the beginning of every school
119 year in student classes, school advisory council meetings, and
120 parent and teacher association or organization meetings. Each
121 code shall be based on the rules governing student conduct and
122 discipline adopted by the district school board and shall be
123 made available in the student handbook or similar publication.
124 Each code shall include, but is not limited to:
125 (f) Notice that use of a wireless communications device
126 includes the possibility of the imposition of disciplinary
127 action by the school or criminal penalties if the device is used
128 in a criminal act. A student may possess a wireless
129 communications device while the student is on school property or
130 in attendance at a school function. Each district school board
131 shall adopt rules governing the use of a wireless communications
132 device by a student while the student is on school property or
133 in attendance at a school function. A student may not use a
134 wireless communications device during instructional time, except
135 when used solely for educational purposes as directed by his or
136 her teacher. A teacher may withhold a student’s wireless
137 communications device during instructional time.
138 Section 3. Section 1006.1494, Florida Statutes, is created
139 to read:
140 1006.1494 Prohibiting student access to social media
141 platforms.—
142 (1) Each school district shall prohibit and prevent
143 students from accessing social media platforms through the use
144 of Internet access provided by the school district, except when
145 such use is solely for educational purposes as directed by their
146 teacher.
147 (2) The State Board of Education may adopt rules to
148 administer this section.
149 Section 4. This act shall take effect July 1, 2023.
