Title XLVIII, Early Learning-20 Education Code

The State Board of Education shall adopt rules under ss. 120.536(1) and 120.54 to administer the provisions of this part conferring duties upon the department.History.—s. 1, ch. 2004-484; s. 458, ch. 2011-142; s. 79, ch. 2012-96; s. 16, ch. 2013-252; s. 47, ch. 2021-10.

Consistent with the requirements of 45 C.F.R. parts 98 and 99 and as used in this part, the term:(1) “At-risk child” means:(a) A child from a family under investigation by the Department of Children and Families or a designated sheriff’s office for child abuse, neglect, abandonme…

(1) For purposes of administration of the Child Care and Development Block Grant Trust Fund, pursuant to 45 C.F.R. parts 98 and 99, the department is designated as the lead agency and must comply with lead agency responsibilities pursuant to federal law. The department may apply …

The Florida Child Care Fund is established to support early learning and child care needs of Florida families.(1) A Department of Education direct-support organization established pursuant to s. 1001.24 shall administer the fund.(2)(a) Any bequests, gifts, grants, and donations m…

(1) Thirty or fewer early learning coalitions are established and shall maintain direct enhancement services at the local level and provide access to such services in all 67 counties. Two or more early learning coalitions may join for purposes of planning and implementing a schoo…

Each early learning coalition shall:(1) Administer and implement a local comprehensive program of school readiness program services in accordance with this part and the rules adopted by the department, which enhances the cognitive, social, and physical development of children to …

(1) The department shall adopt rules prescribing the standardized format and required content of school readiness program plans as necessary for a coalition or other qualified entity to administer the school readiness program as provided in this part.(2) Each early learning coali…

The education component of the school readiness program should be developmentally appropriate and based on research, involve the parent as the child’s first teacher, serve as a preventive measure for children at risk of future school failure, and enhance the educational readiness…

(1) Each early learning coalition shall give priority for participation in the school readiness program as follows:(a) Priority shall be given first to a child younger than 13 years of age from a family that includes a parent who is receiving temporary cash assistance under chapt…

(1) To be eligible to deliver the school readiness program, a school readiness program provider must:(a) Be a child care facility licensed under s. 402.305, a family child care home licensed or registered under s. 402.313, a large family child care home licensed under s. 402.3131…

(1) DETERMINATION OF EARLY LEARNING COALITION SCHOOL READINESS PROGRAM FUNDING.—Funding for the school readiness program shall be used by the early learning coalitions in accordance with this part and the General Appropriations Act.(a) School readiness program allocation.—If the …

The school readiness program market rate schedule shall be implemented as follows:(1) The department shall establish procedures for the adoption of a market rate schedule. The schedule must include, at a minimum, county-by-county rates and the market rate, to include the minimum …

(1) As used in this subsection, the term “fraud” means an intentional deception, omission, or misrepresentation made by a person with knowledge that the deception, omission, or misrepresentation may result in unauthorized benefit to that person or another person, or any aiding an…

(1) As a part of the school readiness program, the department shall establish a statewide child care resource and referral network that is unbiased and provides referrals to families for child care and information on available community resources. Preference shall be given to usi…

(1) The department may authorize an early learning coalition to establish school readiness program transportation services for children at risk of abuse or neglect who are participating in the school readiness program, pursuant to chapter 427. The early learning coalitions may co…

The School Readiness Plus Program is created within the Department of Education to support the continued school readiness and child care needs of working families with children. The program is contingent upon a legislative appropriation and is provided on a first-come, first-serv…

(1)(a) There is established within the Department of Education the Gold Seal Quality Care Program.(b) A child care facility, large family child care home, or family child care home that is accredited by an accrediting association approved by the Department of Education under subs…

(1) The department may contract for the administration of the Teacher Education and Compensation Helps (TEACH) Scholarship Program, which provides educational scholarships to caregivers and administrators of early childhood programs, 1family child care homes, and large family chi…

(1) Contingent upon specific appropriation, the department shall establish a program to award collaboration grants to assist local agencies in securing Early Head Start programs through Early Head Start program federal grants. The collaboration grants shall provide the required m…

(1) The individual records of children enrolled in the school readiness program provided under this part, held by an early learning coalition or the department, are confidential and exempt from s. 119.07(1) and s. 24(a), Art. I of the State Constitution. For purposes of this sect…

(1) The department shall:(a) Develop early learning professional learning training and course standards to be utilized for school readiness program providers.(b) Identify both formal and informal early learning career pathways with stackable credentials and certifications that al…

As used in this chapter, the term:(1) “Alternative measures for students with special needs” or “special programs” means measures designed to meet the special needs of a student that cannot be met by regular school curricula.(2) “Career education” means education that provides in…

As provided in part II of chapter 1001, district school boards are constitutionally and statutorily charged with the operation and control of public K-12 education within their school districts. The district school boards must establish, organize, and operate their public K-12 sc…

(1) CLASS SIZE MAXIMUMS.—Each year, on or before the October student membership survey, the following class size maximums shall be satisfied:(a) The maximum number of students assigned to each teacher who is teaching core-curricula courses in public school classrooms for prekinde…

A public school, including a charter school, school district, charter school administrator, or direct-support organization for any such school or school district, may not expend any state or federal funds to promote, support, or maintain any programs or campus activities that:(1)…

(1) Each public K-12 student must remain in attendance throughout the school year, unless excused by the school for illness or other good cause, and must comply fully with the school’s code of conduct.(2) The parent of each public K-12 student must cooperate with the authority of…

(1) The Legislature finds that school-aged dependents of military personnel, otherwise known as military students, are faced with numerous transitions during their formative years and that moves during the high school years provide special challenges to learning and future achiev…

(1) As used in this section, the term “military student” means a student who is:(a) Enrolled in a school district, charter school, or any school or educational institution participating in an educational choice scholarship program established pursuant to chapter 1002; and(b) A de…

(1)(a) The Department of Education shall establish the Purple Star School District Program. At a minimum, the program must require a participating school district to:1. Have at least 75 percent of the schools within the district be designated as Purple Star Campuses under s. 1003…

(1) As used in this section, the term “multiple birth siblings” means twins, triplets, quadruplets, or other siblings resulting from a multiple birth.(2)(a) The parent of multiple birth siblings who are assigned to the same grade level and school may request in writing that the s…

Beginning with the 2024-2025 school year, the Year-round School Pilot Program is created for a period of 4 school years. The purpose of the program is for the Department of Education to assist school districts in establishing a year-round school program within at least one elemen…

(1)(a)1. All children who have attained the age of 6 years or who will have attained the age of 6 years by February 1 of any school year or who are older than 6 years of age but who have not attained the age of 16 years, except as otherwise provided, are required to attend school…

(1) Each district school board and the governing authority of each private school shall require that each child who is entitled to admittance to kindergarten, or is entitled to any other initial entrance into a public or private school in this state, present a certification of a …

(1) For the purposes of this section, the term “water safety” means age-appropriate education intended to promote safety in, on, and around bodies of water and reduce the risk of injury or drowning.(2) Beginning with the 2022-2023 school year, each public school shall provide, to…

(1) The attendance of all public K-12 school students shall be checked each school day in the manner prescribed by rules of the State Board of Education and recorded in the teacher’s register or by some approved system of recording attendance. Students may be counted in attendanc…

Each parent of a child within the compulsory attendance age is responsible for the child’s school attendance as required by law. The absence of a student from school is prima facie evidence of a violation of this section; however, criminal prosecution under this chapter may not b…

(1) Each principal shall maintain a permanent cumulative record for each student enrolled in a public K-12 school. Such record shall be maintained in the form, and contain all data, prescribed by rule by the State Board of Education. The cumulative record is confidential and exem…

The Legislature finds that poor academic performance is associated with nonattendance and that school districts must take an active role in promoting and enforcing attendance as a means of improving student performance. It is the policy of the state that each district school supe…

The court procedure and penalties for the enforcement of the provisions of this part, relating to compulsory school attendance, shall be as follows:(1) COURT JURISDICTION.—The circuit court has original and exclusive jurisdiction of all proceedings against, or prosecutions of, st…

(1) If, during the activities designed to remedy truant behavior as described in s. 1003.27, the parent of the student who is the subject of such activities transfers the student to another school district in this state in an attempt to circumvent the remedial procedures which ha…

If a court takes action that directly involves a student’s school, including, but not limited to, an order that a student attend school, attend school with his or her parent, perform at grade level, or perform community service hours at the school, the office of the clerk of the …

(1) Subject to law and rules of the State Board of Education and of the district school board, each student enrolled in a school shall:(a) During the time she or he is being transported to or from school at public expense;(b) During the time she or he is attending school;(c) Duri…

Each school district board shall establish a transfer process for a parent to request his or her child be transferred to another classroom teacher. This section does not give a parent the right to choose a specific classroom teacher. A school must approve or deny the transfer wit…

Subject to law and to the rules of the district school board, each teacher or other member of the staff of any school shall have such authority for the control and discipline of students as may be assigned to him or her by the principal or the principal’s designated representativ…

(1) Each district school board shall establish and publish policies requiring the content and regular issuance of student report cards for all elementary school, middle school, and high school students. These report cards must clearly depict and grade:(a) The student’s academic p…

(1) The state academic standards establish the core content of the curricula to be taught in the state and specify the core content knowledge and skills that K-12 public school students are expected to acquire. Standards must be rigorous and relevant and provide for the logical, …