Phone bans, start times, charter schools, more: New Florida school laws starting July 1
There are more than 130 new laws going into effect in Florida as of July 1. Some of them make some sweeping changes to education in the state that parents and guardians should know about.
The bills that got the most attention were ones that banned or severely restricted phone use in schools and relieved school districts of the new starting school times that were supposed to start with the upcoming school year.
But others addressed school safety and law enforcement, participation in sports, corporal punishment, diabetes awareness and treatment in schools, and some make some big changes to help charter schools.
Here's what's changing in Florida education as of July 1.
In 2023, Florida lawmakers passed a law prohibiting high schools from starting classes before 8:30 a.m. and middle schools before 8 a.m. It was a priority of then-House Speaker Paul Renner, who hoped to improve "academic scores and mental well-being." The law was supposed to take effect in the 2026-2027 school year.
It was well-intentioned, but many school districts reported that making the change could cost the districts big to buy new buses and hire more, already-hard-to-find bus drivers since many bus routes currently complete middle and high school routes before picking up elementary school students. Some districts would have to flip routes, which could leave younger students in rural areas waiting in the dark.
The change could also disrupt the timing of parental and guardian transportation and child care, and cause scheduling issues with students' after-school activities.
SB 296 Middle High School and High School Start Times allows school districts to set their own schedules or keep the ones they have now, provided they submit reports documenting the costs included in moving class times, the efforts they made to do so, and any unintended consequences to the school district, students, and the community.
School start times: Will Florida schools start later in August 2025? See what legal steps will affect times
Education is a massive bill containing a lot of individual measures that didn't pass on their own.
The one that got the most attention was a ban on elementary and middle school students from using wireless devices (phones, tablets, etc) from "bell to bell."
High school students will still be permitted to use their phones outside of class (depending on individual school district rules) and during class if expressly told to by teachers, but the bill also calls for a pilot program in six counties to test banning phone use during the entire school day there as well.
Are phones allowed in Florida schools? Here's what the new law says students can't do
This bill also:
Allows students in marching bands to get physical education or performing arts credit
Requires the Department of Education to develop integrated courses that allow students to earn credit in both career education courses and required classes for high school graduation
Expands eligibility to the Bright Futures Scholarship Program
Moves the Council on the Social Status of Black Men and Boys from the Department of Legal Affairs to Florida Memorial University
Several bills address charter and private schools, easing restrictions or otherwise streamlining processes to create and maintain them.
HB 1105 made some big swings here, including:
Allowing a majority of parents or guardians to decide to convert a public school to a charter one without any input from the school's teachers or administrators
Allowing municipalities to apply to convert existing public schools into job engine charter schools
Requiring school districts to share discretionary surtax revenue with charter schools
Allowing some private schools to build new facilities without seeking rezoning
Education also empowered charter schools. Among other things it:
Allows high-performing charter schools to create their own codes of conduct or adapt them from other schools
Defines what lab schools can spend discretionary funds on
Allows certain charter schools to enroll more students than their charter specifies
Prevents the landlord of a charter school or anyone closely connected with them from being on the governing board
Allows virtual students to participate in an interscholastic athletic team in the school district where they live, and more
: Workforce Education authorizes charter schools to receive funds under the Workforce Development Capitalization Incentive Grant Program and requires school districts and Florida College System institutions to expand money-back guarantee programs to cover six workforce education programs instead of the current three.
For home-schooled students who want to participate on an interscholastic athletic team, HB 248 allows them to try out and play for any public school in the school district whey they live.
Private school students can, too, if the private school doesn't offer the sport they want to play.
Beginning in the 2026-2027 school year, high school student athletes are required to complete at least one standardized electrocardiogram screening under SB 1070, also called the "Second Chance Act," unless they've already received one in the last two years, if a parent or guardian objects in writing for religious grounds, if they have a medical exception, or if the school district can't arrange for ECG screening for less than $50 per student.
The bill requires the FHSAA to prohibit student athletes from participating if they receive an abnormal ECG report. If a student is exempt, the school district can not be held liable for cardiac-related injuries or death from interscholastic athletic participation.
Under : Education in Correctional Facilities for Professional Licensure. the Department of Corrections must ensure that inmates who successfully complete classes required for a license in those professions receive credit toward them.
Early in his new term, President Donald Trump changed the name of the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America. requires the name to be changed in any geographical material in state agencies and in instructional materials or library media adopted or acquired in Florida schools after July 1.
Several bills seek to help students who may need additional assistance for reasons of medical, scholastic or financial issues.
Two different bills tackle diabetes. : Diabetes Management in Schools allows Florida school districts to acquire, maintain, store and administer a supply of undesignated glucagon. : Type 1 Diabetes Early Detection Program requires the Department of Education to work with schools to develop information about Type 1 diabetes and put it on its website by Sept. 29, 2025.
The current law prioritizes children with special needs in certain disadvantaged conditions for eligibility in the School Readiness (SR) program. : School Readiness Program adds children who require additional accommodations beyond those required by the Americans with Disabilities Act, but to qualify they must be validated by a health care professional, a licensed mental health professional, or an educational psychologist.
: Young Adult Housing Support expands housing access and support services for students who are current or former foster youth or experiencing homelessness.
: Education makes a variety of changes, including:
Changes the definition of 'economically disadvantaged' for families seeking School Readiness services to use 'state median income' instead of 'federal poverty level'
Establishes new screening requirements for certain private schools
Expands authority to buy emergency opioid overdose drugs and protects school employees from liability for administering them
Under HB 1255, school districts must get parental consent before using corporal punishment.
Hazardous Walking Conditions requires walkways in hazardous walking conditions for public high school students along limited access facilities such as highways, freeways, ramps, etc.
: School District Reporting Requirements addresses teacher misconduct. Among other things, it:
Requires district school boards to temporarily remove teachers from the classroom within 24 hours of an arrest for a felony or misdemeanor offense when notified by law enforcement or by self-reporting
Expands law enforcement notification requirements to include additional disqualifyingoffenses
Expands self-reporting requirements to include more offenses and requires instructional and administrative personnel to report an arrest within 48 hours
Clarifies that self-reports are not admissions of guilt and cannot be used against the employee in any civil, criminal, administrative, or judicial proceeding
Law enforcement sees some changes in : School Safety. The bill:
Changes school security guard training and certification requirements to align with school guardians, requires they be trained and approved by a sheriff, requires guards in private schools meet the same requirements
Requires employment and disciplinary actions for guards to be reported to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE)
Mandates that security guards submit the results of the required psychological evaluation to the sheriff for review
Allows school districts to use firearm detection dogs for school security
Starts the process for the establishment of a Florida Institute of School Safety
Requires the Department of Education to establish and maintain a centralized system that integrates panic alert systems and digital school maps used by public schools
HB 1105 authorizes a law enforcement officer to arrest a person without a warrant when there is probable cause to believe that the person has trespassed upon school grounds or facilities.
Under : School Social Workers, school social workers will no longer need to meet mastery of "general and subject area knowledge" requirements, only the state licensing.
: Students Enrolled in Dropout Retrieval Programs requires all dropout retrieval programs that help students who have withdrawn from high school to choose between a school improvement rating or a school grade. It also requires that each Virtual Instruction Provider (VIP) receive a school grade or school improvement rating for each school district with which it contracts.
(This story was updated to add new information.)
This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: New Florida laws: Phone ban, schedules, charter school start July 1
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