summary
Introduced
12/23/2025
12/23/2025
In Committee
01/07/2026
01/07/2026
Crossed Over
Passed
Dead
Introduced Session
2026 Regular Session
Bill Summary
An act relating to freedom of speech and religious expression in public schools; amending s. 1002.206, F.S.; revising a short title; prohibiting a school district from discriminating against students or school personnel on the basis of political or ideological viewpoints or expression; requiring a school district to treat a student’s voluntary expression of political or ideological viewpoints on permissible subjects in the same manner as any other viewpoint; authorizing students to express political or ideological beliefs in coursework, artwork, and other specified assignments; prohibiting penalty or reward for such expression in coursework, artwork, or other specified assignments; authorizing a student to wear clothing, accessories, and jewelry displaying political or ideological messages or symbols; authorizing a student to engage in or organize political or ideological activities or expression; authorizing a student to organize political or ideological groups, clubs, and other gatherings; prohibiting a school district from discriminating against a student club or group for specified reasons; requiring that a school district provide political or ideological groups with equal access to school facilities; authorizing political or ideological groups to advertise or announce meetings in the same manner and to the same extent as other groups; requiring that the Department of Education develop and publish a model policy regarding a limited public forum and political or ideological expression; providing construction; creating a private cause of action for persons and student clubs or groups harmed by specified violations; providing for specified awards to such persons and clubs or groups; authorizing such persons and clubs or groups to use specified violations as a defense or counterclaim under certain circumstances; providing applicability; requiring that such actions be brought within a specified period of time; providing that the state waives specified immunity; providing that school district has liability under certain circumstances; providing severability; providing an effective date.
AI Summary
This bill amends Florida's existing law on religious expression in public schools to expand protections for students' political, religious, and ideological speech and activities. The bill prohibits school districts from discriminating against students or school personnel based on their political, religious, or ideological viewpoints, and requires schools to treat such expressions equally to other viewpoints. Students are now explicitly authorized to express their beliefs through coursework, artwork, clothing, accessories, and organized clubs or groups, without facing academic penalties or discrimination. The bill creates a "limited public forum" for student speech, mandates that the Department of Education develop a model policy for voluntary expression, and establishes a private right of action for students or student groups who believe their speech rights have been violated. If successful in a lawsuit, plaintiffs can receive between $15,000 and $25,000 in statutory punitive damages. The bill does include some limitations, such as not protecting speech that would be considered unprotected under the First Amendment, severely disruptive speech, or speech that effectively denies other students equal educational access. The law is set to take effect on July 1, 2026, and includes a severability clause to ensure that if any part of the law is found invalid, the rest of the law can still be enforced.
Sponsors (1)
Last Action
Introduced (on 01/13/2026)
Official Document
bill text
bill summary
Loading...
bill summary
Loading...
bill summary
| Document Type | Source Location |
|---|---|
| State Bill Page | https://www.flsenate.gov/Session/Bill/2026/1006 |
| BillText | https://www.flsenate.gov/Session/Bill/2026/1006/BillText/Filed/HTML |
Loading...