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Florida’s legislative session begins on March 5, 2019. Your voice is your most powerful tool! PTA encourages you to call or write your elected officials and let them know how you feel about legislation and policies that impact your child’s education.
Sign up for Florida PTA’s Take Action Network to learn more about legislative issues affecting families, schools, and communities and to stay informed on the latest updates from Tallahassee.
Duval County Public Schools Legislative Platform for 2019
Florida PTA’s Legislative Priorities for 2019
Bills to watch:
SB7030 – School Safety and Security aims to arm teachers – opposed by FL PTA
SB190 – Proposes to extend Bright Future Scholarships to Private School Students
School Safety
- School Safety and Security – SB 7030
- PCB by Education
- Requires sheriffs to offer Guardian Program
- Makes Commissioner of Ed oversee implementation of MSD Public Safety Act
- Panic Alarms in public schools – SB 174
- Creates panic alarms in every public elementary, middle, high school
- No House companion yet
- Possession of a Firearm on School Campus – HB 6005 Byrd
- Allows possession of a firearm on school campus including parking lot
- No Senate companion yet
- Licenses to Carry Concealed Weapons & Firearms – HB 6007 Sabatini
- Removes provision prohibiting concealed carry licensees from openly carrying on to college/university campus
- Safety of Religious Institutions – HB 403 Grall
- Authorizes religious institutions to allow concealed weapons or firearms on property even with a school
Guns
- Assault Weapons and Large-Capacity Magazines – HB 455 C. Smith
- Creates ban on military style assault weapons and large-capacity magazines
- SB 466 Farmer
- Pub. Rec./Personal Identifying Information of Assault Weapon or Large-Capacity Magazine Possession Certificate-holder – HB 553 C. Smith
- Makes it illegal to transfer or sell military style assault weapons and large-capacity magazines
- SB 500 Stewart
- Transfer of Firearms – HB 135 Good
- Requires transfers of firearms when neither party is licensed dealer to be conducted through licensed dealer & requires processing by licensed dealer
- Regulation of Concealed Weapons Licenses – SB 108 Book
- Moves concealed weapons licenses from Dept. of Agriculture to FDLE
- Firearms – SB 595 Albritton
- Allows for concealed carry licensees to carry on religious properties including those with schools on their campus
Education
- Apprenticeship Programs – HB 367 Donalds
- Similar to the bill filed last year by Ascencio
- Increases CTE opportunities including Apprenticeship Grant programs
- SB 522 Diaz
- Study of Bible and Religion – HB 195 Daniels
- Requires schools districts to offer as an elective
- Course would include religion, Hebrew Scriptures, & Bible
- No Senate companion yet
Health & Safety
- Use of Wireless Communications Devices while Driving – HB 107 Toledo/Slosbeg
- Creates hands-free driving
- Devices can’t be in hand for any reason
- SB 76 Simpson (incoming President)
- Prohibited Discrimination – HB 485 Webb
- Makes illegal discrimination based on gender & sexual orientation
- Revises Florida’s Civil Rights Act of 1992
- SB 430 Rouson
- Childcare Facilities – SB 94 Stewart
- Requiring vehicles used by childcare facilities used to transport children to be equipped with alarm system to alert driver to inspect vehicle for children prior to exiting the vehicle.
- HB 69 Antone is identical
- Sexual Battery Prosecution Time Limitation – SB 130 Stewart
- Provides exception of general time limitations for prosecution of sexual battery offenses of minors at the time the offense occurred
- HB 395 Eskamani identical
- Improper Restraints – HB 179 Byrd
- Expands list of incidents or injuries that constitute harm to a child to include violations of child restraint and seatbelt requirements
- Requires central abuse hotline to accept out of state calls
- SB 128 Bean
Juvenile Justice
- Youth in Solitary Confinement – SB 110 Thurston
- Creates Youth in Solitary Confinement Reduction Act
- Prohibits from subject youth to solitary confinement except under circumstances
- Requires time in intervals with mental health clinician
- HB 499 Brown
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Proposed Resolution from the Duval County Council PTA
Dear Local Units,
Your DCC PTA Board voted to present local units with the following Resolution On Arming Teachers. We are fulfilling our mission as a child advocacy organization and need your help. Please review the resolution with your general membership and hold a vote. We will then do the same at our April General Meeting (4/24) where you can let your local unit’s voice be heard. If the resolution passes, it will be presented to the DCPS School Board at their May meeting. Please contact us with any questions.
Melissa Daniel, DCC PTA
advocacy@dccpta.org
RESOLUTION
Whereas the Student Code of Conduct prohibits weapons on school property and teachers should set the example, and
Whereas teachers are not trained to be law enforcement officers and do not have the time or resources to obtain proper training, and
Whereas it would be extremely difficult for law enforcement officers to determine who was legally armed during a crisis, and
Whereas the responsibility of teachers should be to protect those students in their classrooms, not to get involved in a shooting incident, and
Whereas the Duval County School Board does not favor arming school personnel, and
Whereas the Sheriff of Duval County does not favor arming school personnel, and
Whereas the Mayor of Duval County does not favor arming school personnel, and
Whereas the Governor of Florida does not favor arming school personnel, and
Whereas other security measures such as keeping exterior building doors locked and keeping classroom doors locked while classes are in session should be implemented, and
Whereas teachers carrying guns could be overpowered by a student or a group of students, and the weapons could fall into the wrong hands, be it therefore..
Resolved that the Duval County Council of PTAs supports the employment of armed School Resource Officers (SROs) as the only armed personnel to aid in the safety of our students.
Legislative Udate:
Now that HB7055, commonly known as the “bullying bill,” has passed the House, it has moved to the Senate, where it will be heard in the Education Committee this Tuesday, February 20th at 11:00am. Under a “strike-all” amendment that Senator Hukill filed, the content of the bill has changed to eliminate some House provisions and to reflect Senate positions on a number of issues. Still included in the bill, however, is the Hope Scholarship, which will allow children who have been subjected to a classmate’s verbal or physical abuse to attend a different public or private school at state expense.
The Hope Scholarship has two major flaws. First, it does nothing to address the behavior of offenders, thus leaving them in place to victimize other students. Second, it diverts the tax dollars we pay when we buy a new or used car from the state treasury to private schools, without taking into account the ability of the victim’s parents to finance a private education on their own, the academic performance of the private school, or its policies regarding incidents of physical or verbal abuse.
Florida PTA opposes the expansion of school choice without full accountability, and the diversion of tax dollars away from general revenues, where they can be used to address the needs of all Floridians. At a time when we have been made newly aware of gaps in our ability to protect our students and our schools, and of our obligations towards teachers and other school personnel, three of whom have just laid down their lives, we must insist that our precious dollars be spent where it counts the most.
Please email your legislator today and tell them to provide real, common-sense solutions to the problems of bullying and other abusive behavior. Tell them as well to exercise sound fiscal judgment, and to allocate our tax dollars in support of all of our students, their teachers, and their schools. To do otherwise would mean that the lessons we have learned these past few days have been wasted on us.
Click the link below to log in and send your message:
https://www.votervoice.net/BroadcastLinks/6eLILRl0cP2Y703n9QvfqQ
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DCCPTA will present a Lunch & Learn on human trafficking following our General Meeting on Tuesday, January 30th at 11:30 a.m. in the Cline Auditorium.
Human trafficking happens close to home…Florida continues to be 3rd in the nation in calls to the National Human Trafficking Hotline. According to a study of U.S. Department of Justice the average age that a trafficked victim is first used for commercial sex is 12-14. Children are particularly vulnerable to human traffickers. Please join us to learn more about this important human rights issue.
Please RSVP if you plan on joining us. Lunch will be provided based on RSVPs.
Please select a valid form
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Join the Jacksonville Public Education Fund at a public forum on December 4 to discuss improvements to public education. Parents/caregivers and middle/high school students will have a great opportunity to give their ideas about how we can improve public education.
HOUSE BILL 7069: WHAT’S IN IT, WHAT IT MEANS FOR PUBLIC EDUCATION, WHAT YOU CAN DO ABOUT IT
The Duval County Public School Board has voted to join a proposed lawsuit that will challenge the constitutionality of a controversial education law the Florida Legislature passed this spring. Are you wondering what all of the fuss is about?
Florida PTA has provided a concise and informative summary of HB 7069, outlining the damaging aspects of this law to the public education system and where the State Legislature is mandating that your Duval County tax revenue be spent. We urge all Duval residents to take the time to familiarize themselves with this issue and contact your lawmakers to let you opinion be heard.