Bill > H0443

This bill makes several changes to education in Florida: It requires the Department of Education to submit a report every 5 years on child care personnel training and licensing/regulation of child care facilities, including recommendations for improving training availability and quality, eliminating unnecessary regulations, and streamlining inspections. The department must adopt rules and policies based on the report recommendations. It modifies requirements for child care providers to obtain and maintain a Gold Seal Quality Care designation, limiting the criteria to having no more than 3 of the same class II violations within a 2-year period. It expands the list of student populations that charter schools can give enrollment preference to, including children of safe-school officers. It also allows charter schools operated by not-for-profit entities to use unrestricted assets from one charter school to support other charter schools operated by the same not-for-profit entity in the state. It requires sponsors to provide training to charter schools on the systems they will be required to use, and to annually report on the services provided from the administrative fees withheld. It allows private tutoring programs to operate in various facilities without needing special approvals, as long as they meet health, safety, and other applicable requirements. It requires school districts to post instructions on emergency first aid for choking in public school cafeterias. It modifies the Community School Grant Program to prioritize planning grants for districts without existing community school models or to expand from an existing school's feeder pattern. Finally, it increases from 3 to 5 years the maximum duration of an adjunct teaching certificate for a full-time teaching position.

Business and Industry, Education

Choice & Innovation Subcommittee (H), Education & Employment Committee (H)

https://www.flsenate.gov/Session/Bill/2023/443