STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION TAKES BOLD ACTION TO CONTINUE SAFEGUARDING STUDENTS

FDOE Press Office | August 23, 2023

Tallahassee, Fla., August 23, 2023 – Today, the State Board of Education unanimously approved rules to further protect students in Florida schools. These rules implement legislation signed this year by Governor Ron DeSantis to ensure student safety and preserve the innocence of children. The State Board of Education’s actions reinforce Florida’s leadership on the issues of school safety, parent’s rights, and student data privacy.

“Our students are safer due to the vision of Governor DeSantis and the actions taken by the Legislature, which have now been approved by the State Board,” said Commissioner of Education Manny Diaz, Jr. “Florida has continued to lead the way in protecting our students, and I am proud of all the work we are doing on their behalf.”

Specific rules approved today that will further protect students and ensure their continued welfare include:

Standards Relating to Gross Immorality and Moral Turpitude

• Protects children by classifying offenses such as possession of child pornography or admitting a child into an adult live performance as grossly immoral or an act of moral turpitude for the purpose of discipline against a Florida educator’s certificate.

Designation of Restrooms and Changing Facilities in Florida Private Schools and Florida College System Institutions

• Requires restrooms and changing facilities at private schools and Florida College System institutions to be designated for exclusive use by biological males or females, or provide a single-occupant, unisex restroom/changing facility.

School Safety and Threat Management

• Creates the new Florida Harm Prevention and Threat Management Model and establishes protocols related to threat management, a process by which school districts, K-12 schools, charter school governing boards and charter schools identify, assess, manage, and monitor potential and real threats to student safety.

Protecting Student Personal Information

• Requires school districts and charter school governing boards to adopt policies that protect personally identifiable information of students when using required online educational services.

Special Magistrate

• Updates the special magistrate process for unresolved student welfare complaints and outlines a new special magistrate process for school and library materials objections.

The full State Board of Education agenda and supporting materials can be found on the Department of Education’s website at https://www.fldoe.org/policy/state-board-of-edu/meetings/2023.