Bill > H1279

Introduced Session

An act relating to education; creating s. 413.0114, F.S.; requiring entities that offer fee-based services to individuals who are blind or visually impaired to disclose in writing whether the services may be obtained elsewhere at no cost; specifying requirements for the disclosure; providing penalties for violations; authorizing the State Board of Education to adopt rules; amending s. 413.208, F.S.; requiring certain service providers to apply to, rather than register with, the Division of Vocational Rehabilitation; requiring the division to establish minimum qualifications for service providers; requiring the division to establish an annual application period; authorizing the division to approve or deny any service provider application; providing that, as of a specified date, only certain service providers may participate in the vocational rehabilitation program; requiring the division to develop and make publicly available a certain annual report; requiring service providers to meet certain standards to maintain approved status; requiring that the rates for vocational rehabilitation services meet certain criteria; amending s. 491.005, F.S.; revising the date for a requirement to obtain a license as a hb1279 -03-er2026 Legislature marriage and family therapist; amending s. 1001.42, F.S.; revising public information requirements relating to virtual instruction options; removing certain schools from specified contract restrictions; revising the conditions considered an educational emergency; revising virtual instruction requirements; amending s. 1001.92, F.S.; revising certain performance-based metrics; amending s. 1002.20, F.S.; authorizing a student to carry a United States Food and Drug Administration-approved epinephrine delivery device; making conforming changes; amending s. 1002.42, F.S.; authorizing private schools to purchase a supply of Food and Drug Administration-approved epinephrine delivery devices, rather than epinephrine auto-injectors; making conforming changes; amending s. 1002.421, F.S.; revising circumstances under which regular and direct contact with teachers is satisfied for certain scholarship students; amending s. 1002.68, F.S.; deleting obsolete provisions relating to calculation of kindergarten readiness rates; revising cross-references and program accountability provisions for the Voluntary Prekindergarten Education Program; amending s. 1002.945, F.S.; requiring the Department of Children and Families to determine whether a child care provider is the primary cause of certain class I hb1279 -03-er2026 Legislature violations; deleting an exception; amending s. 1003.4203, F.S.; requiring that the Department of Education make CAPE Digital Tool certificates available to middle grades students; limiting the number of such certificates a middle grades student may earn each school year; amending s. 1003.4282, F.S.; providing that completion of 2 years of marching band satisfies specified credit requirements; authorizing a dance techniques course to satisfy specified graduation credit requirements; revising requirements for mathematics pathways established by a Department of Education workgroup; requiring the department to develop identified mathematics pathways and applied algebra courses by specified dates; requiring the department to collaborate with the Board of Governors of the State University System to ensure the courses are accepted as mathematics credits for state university admissions; amending s. 1003.437, F.S.; requiring the State Board of Education to establish a uniform weighted grading system for specified courses and articulated acceleration mechanisms; requiring district school boards to use the system for a specified purpose; amending s. 1003.5716, F.S.; requiring school districts to provide notice and a make-up plan when a related service in a hb1279 -03-er2026 Legislature student's individual education program is not provided as scheduled; authorizing parents or guardians to access certain service logs and progress notes within a specified timeframe; amending s. 1004.343, F.S.; revising the date the University of South Florida Trafficking in Persons - Risk to Resilience Lab must begin submitting a specified report relating to human trafficking; requiring consultation with the Department of Law Enforcement in the submission of such report; extending the date of the scheduled repeal of the Statewide Data Repository for Anonymous Human Trafficking Data; amending s. 1004.39, F.S.; revising provisions relating to the College of Law at Florida International University; deleting a specified association from certain provisions; amending s. 1004.40, F.S.; revising provisions relating to the College of Law at Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University; deleting a specified association from certain provisions; amending s. 1005.06, F.S.; revising the list of institutions that are not under the jurisdiction of the Commission for Independent Education; amending s. 1006.12, F.S.; revising requirements for safe-school officers; authorizing charter schools to implement safe-school officer options notwithstanding certain local ordinances or hb1279 -03-er2026 Legislature development orders; amending s. 1007.25, F.S.; revising the timeframe for Florida College System institutions and state universities to submit comments in response to a specified notice of intent; amending s. 1007.271, F.S.; revising the list of postsecondary institutions that are eligible to participate in a dual enrollment program; amending s. 1008.2125, F.S.; conforming a cross-reference; amending s. 1008.25, F.S.; requiring specified parent resources to include information about eligibility for the New Worlds Reading Initiative; revising the score threshold for Voluntary Prekindergarten Education Program summer bridge eligibility; requiring certain monthly written communications to include specified eligibility information; conforming a cross-reference; amending s. 1008.47, F.S.; revising the timeframe for a public postsecondary institution to seek and obtain accreditation; amending s. 1009.21, F.S.; providing that a person may not lose his or her resident status for tuition purposes due to his or her parent serving outside this state in certain capacities; amending s. 1009.25, F.S.; revising the requirements for a student to meet the definition of "homeless children and youths"; providing that certain distance learning students are ineligible for specified fee exemptions; hb1279 -03-er2026 Legislature amending s. 1009.893, F.S.; authorizing a student to defer an award under the Benacquisto Scholarship Program; amending s. 1009.983, F.S.; authorizing a specified designee with certain credentials to serve as director of the direct-support organization for the Florida Prepaid College Foundation, Inc.; amending s. 1009.986, F.S.; revising the membership of the board of directors of Florida ABLE, Inc.; amending s. 1011.62, F.S.; revising the academic acceleration options supplement in the Florida Education Finance Program to include a method for calculating additional full-time equivalent membership based on a specified course and test score; requiring school districts to allocate at least a specified percentage of certain funds for a certain purpose; providing specified bonuses; amending s. 1011.69, F.S.; revising a category of Title I funds that a school district may withhold; authorizing a school district to reserve funds for certain STEM-related educational services; providing an effective date.

AI Summary

Committee Categories

Jennifer Kincart Jonsson (R)*,  Anne Gerwig (R),  Berny Jacques (R),  Kim Kendall (R),  Kiyan Michael (R),  Danny Nix (R),  Jason Shoaf (R),  Dana Trabulsy (R),  Taylor Yarkosky (R), 

Other Sponsors (2)

Ordered engrossed, then enrolled (on 03/13/2026)

Official Document