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.
