The Florida House unanimously passed two pieces of legislation to support student learning.
House Bill 949, sponsored by Rep. Demi Busatta, will expand Florida’s current phone-free instructional time policy, requiring all schools to go phone-free for the full school day. This will allow students to learn in an environment that’s free from digital distractions. The legislation includes exceptions for students with Individualized Learning Plans, 504 Plans and documented medical needs.
House Bill 1309, sponsored by Rep. John Snyder, will improve literacy outcomes in Florida by expanding professional learning supports for school districts and instructional personnel in grades 4-12, including at career and technical education centers. The legislation will strengthen district reading instructional plans by requiring that they prioritize the assignment of high-quality teachers in grades K-2 and strategically deploy reading coaches. The reading instructional plans must also include evidence-based reading interventions for students with reading deficiencies.
Read our statements on HB 949 and HB 1309.
House Bill 1255, sponsored by Rep. Dana Trabulsy, includes several Department of Education priorities. In its final committee stop before the House Floor, the legislation was amended to include an FFF priority to increase and standardize the type and amount of math content educator preparation programs must provide to teacher candidates and ensure instruction at the elementary level is appropriately covering core math content areas.
In addition to this amendment, the language also expands financial literacy requirements in Florida schools to teach students about the costs of post-secondary education and create a path for a mathematics endorsement pathway, beginning in the 2027-2028 school year.
The Senate Higher Education Appropriations Committee unanimously approved Senate Bill 742, sponsored by Sen. Corey Simon, which will allow charter schools to apply for startup or expansion grant funds for workforce education programs and expand and improve the state’s existing money-back guarantee program for graduates of the Florida College System who cannot find gainful employment in their program of study upon graduation.
The House version of the legislation passed the House earlier this session.
Each session, the legislature packages together disparate education issues into a single legislative vehicle. This year’s omnibus packages are beginning to come together, although the issues included in each chamber’s legislation are vastly different.
House Bill 1267, sponsored by Rep. Demi Busatta, now contains language that:
Senate Bill 1702, sponsored by Sen. Danny Burgess, now contains language that:
Each bill will be debated on their respective chamber floor this next week. The Florida Legislature is scheduled to adjourn on May 2.
