Latest news with #HB1255
Yahoo
03-06-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Local students help pass more legislation in Tallahassee
The Brief Students from Hillsborough County are helping pass more legislation in Tallahassee. The "Ought to be a Law" program is sponsored by Hillsborough County Public Schools and the Florida legislature. The students say the program gives them a voice and an opportunity to advocate for their own educational experiences. TALLAHASSEE - Students from Hillsborough County are helping pass more legislation in Tallahassee. The "Ought to be a Law" program has been in Hillsborough County Schools since 2004. On Monday, Rep. Susan Valdes announced the passage of two Florida House bills that were crafted with the help of students from Hillsborough County high schools. What they're saying "You can simulate civics all day, but putting kids in a position where they can live civics, they can learn how to address their local representatives, they can find out that these representatives are people who are interested in the things that they see as important and are willing to listen," Tony Pirotta, the project coordinator of Ought to be a Law and a teacher at Sumner High School said. Valdes says HB 1105 and HB 1255 were signed into law last week. She says HB 1255 includes proposed legislation from other bills. "Students from Jefferson High School created the language in House Bill 1261, which requires the mandatory financial literacy course to cover post-secondary expenses, like how to apply for the FAFSA," Valdes said. The students said they shared input about issues they noticed with their peers firsthand. "There are so many kids that we know that don't even know what a tax is," Genesis Salcedo Lima, a student at Jefferson High School said. "They don't even know what a tariff is. They don't know these simple economic things." PREVIOUS: Hillsborough students help propose legislation to help kids abused in foster care Big picture view The students say the program gives them a voice and an opportunity to advocate for their own educational experiences. "We think it's very important for these students to gain this education before they graduate high school, because it's the only way we can ensure that they will make it and be successful and are able to sit in these important seats as they grow older," Laraina Fernandez, a student at Jefferson High School said. Valdes says the new law addresses a plethora of education matters, including opportunities for children of military members. "We said, 'What issues in our community are we facing? How are these military students struggling?' And as we hear stories from kids who don't share the same backgrounds as us, I'm not a military student, none of our team members are military students, but we see that these children have these problems," Kaitlyn Chin, a student at Sumner High School said. The students said this program opened their eyes to different issues happening within their communities. "It inspires me to continue doing that and helping my peers know that they're not going unheard and that their worries and concerns are actually being listened to," Yeny Espino Vasquez, a student at Sumner High School, said. Valdes says the high school students were heavily involved in coming up with the legislation and moving it forward. "Students from Sumner High School created language for Senate Bill 1528 and their amended language saves the Interstate Compact on Educational Opportunity for Military Children from repeal," Valdes said. The students visited Tallahassee with lawmakers to gain hands-on experience and learn how the legislative process works. "It's different than just filling out a worksheet on how a bill gets turned into a law," Grace Siderio, a student at Sumner High School said. "I actually sat there, and we watched the press conferences, and we watched the meetings, and we got to go up there and testify on the floor." Valdes says HB 1105 also addresses a number of matters, including requiring the Department of Education to implement a workforce credential for students with autism or on a modified curriculum. She says it also removes the certificate of completion that is given to students in place of a diploma. She says the certificate is a "phony diploma" that acknowledges a student's completion of school in the public school district, but it's not equivalent to a diploma. "This particular certificate does not allow the students to even go to the military, go to trade school, go into college, even apply for the FAFSA," Valdes said. Valdes says the encompassing pieces of legislation steer away from a one-size-fits-all education model. "We're learning how to be able to cater to children," Valdes said. "How to be able to educate children and meet them where they are." The "Ought to be a Law" program is sponsored by Hillsborough County Public Schools and the Florida legislature. CLICK HERE:>>>Follow FOX 13 on YouTube The Source Information for this story was gathered by FOX 13's Kylie Jones. STAY CONNECTED WITH FOX 13 TAMPA: Download the FOX Local app for your smart TV Download FOX Local mobile app: Apple | Android Download the FOX 13 News app for breaking news alerts, latest headlines Download the SkyTower Radar app Sign up for FOX 13's daily newsletter
Yahoo
02-06-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Florida corporal punishment law passes; parental consent now required
Under a new law signed by Gov. DeSantis last week, Florida parents will now have to opt in to corporal punishment at the state's public schools. The law requires parents to consent either at the beginning of each school year or before the punishment is administered. School districts will have to review their policies every three years. The law was the result of a four-year push by a group of University of Florida students who were bothered by a story in Lee County, when a student was hit without the parents' consent. They initially wanted to ban corporal punishment statewide, at least for disabled children, but were forced to compromise when more conservative communities pushed back. 'You might be able to say… if you got something onto the floor of the legislature, everyone would vote for it, it would pass. But that's just not how it works in reality, right?' Graham Bernstein, the now-former leader of the Florida Student Policy Forum, said. Bernstein continues, 'I think it's one of the best lessons I've probably ever had to learn… You can't just imprint your perspective onto other people. You have to try to work with them in good faith.' Rising sophomore and incoming president Jacob Kaplan said the work involved a lot of email sending and meetings in Tallahassee to vouch for the bill, titled HB 1255. He agreed with Bernstein's assessment. 'Without that compromise and without that communication, we have a great idea, but nothing actually would come of it,' he said. 'That's the most important thing for me to remember going forward.' Kaplan said the group was turning to other ideas, but didn't tip his hand. Given that the latest effort took Bernstein's entire college career to pass, he said he didn't anticipate adding a second law to his future resume so soon. 'There's definitely a high bar after this year,' Kaplan said. Under a new law signed by Gov. DeSantis last week, Florida parents will now have to opt in to corporal punishment at the state's public schools. Click here to download our free news, weather and smart TV apps. And click here to stream Channel 9 Eyewitness News live.
Yahoo
05-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Last-second bartering yielded two education omnibus bills
Sneads High School is in Jackson County in the Panhandle. (Photo by Jay Waagmeester/Florida Phoenix) Two bills contained the bulk of education policy that passed through both legislative chambers, negotiated until the final hours of the scheduled regular session on Friday. Lawmakers couldn't agree to lift the secrecy of university presidential searches, lift labor restrictions for minors, or to implement a full ban on cellphones in high schools, although they did find common ground on requiring parental consent for corporal punishment. HB 1255 and HB 1105 served as the main vehicles for education policy, combining several shorter proposals from throughout the session. Florida made headlines as the first state to ban cellphone use during instructional time in 2023. The Legislature extended that policy this session, banning cellphone use for elementary and middle school students from the beginning of the school day to the end. Lawmakers approved a state pilot study in six counties to evaluate a bell-to-bell ban in high schools. Pending the governor's signature, students would no longer be allowed to earn certificates of completion. These state certificates are for students who earn the credits to graduate but too low a grade point average or fail required math and reading assessments. Lawmakers applauded junking these certificates through legislation filed by Rep. Susan Valdes for raising the bar for student achievement. The certificate of completion is less prestigious than a diploma and can carry little, if any, weight in landing a student a job, lawmakers said. Students with autism may have a better chance to secure work if the governor signs the bill, too. HB 1105 would create a workforce credential for students with autism to prove to employers they are proficient in certain skills, particularly workplace safety. 'Persons with autism are on time, they have a great work ethic, and they can perform work requirements proficiently, especially repetitive skills,' Sen. Don Gaetz said in February. 'There's a place for employees with autism in the workforce in productive jobs, but a major stumbling block is safety.' The program would task the Department of Education to create badges, which would be verified by special education staff, to document a student's abilities. HB 1105, which passed the Senate 26-5 and the House 85-14, would also allow students who participate in two years of marching band to count them toward the one-credit physical education requirement. Existing law allows two full seasons of varsity or junior varsity sports to count toward the physical education requirement. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX Lawmakers agreed to require parental consent for corporal punishment, a practice that some lawmakers said they were not aware still existed in Florida but, during the 2023-2024 school year, 17 school districts reported 516 instances of corporal punishment, according to Department of Education data. Principals are responsible for developing corporal punishment policy. State law does require that more than one adult be present when corporal punishment is being inflicted. HB 1255 would allow law enforcement officers to arrest someone for trespassing on a school bus, a measure aiming to protect not just students but bus drivers, too. Democrats often pushed back against GOP bills addressing how charter schools function, leading to some of the most heated debates of the legislative session. In the final packages were provisions lowering the threshold needed to turn a low-performing traditional public school into a 'job-engine' charter school — one meant to attract jobs to a community— and another that includes charter schools as recipients of local government infrastructure surtaxes. Existing law requires more than 50% of teachers and parents both to vote to convert a traditional public school into a job-engine charter school. The Legislature voted, over Democrats' protests, to eliminate the need teacher approval and rely on parent approval instead. The legislation renames Hillsborough Community College as Hillsborough College; requires high schoolers to learn about the costs of postsecondary education and how to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, plus how to apply for scholarships, grants, and student loans; and makes charter school teachers eligible for teacher of the year awards, a proposal Gov. Ron DeSantis made. HB 1225 would have lifted several state laws protecting minors in the workplace. That bill passed the House but died in the Senate after it received just one committee hearing. SB 1692 would have revised the state definition of material that can be considered harmful to minors. Its companion HB 1539 passed the House but, like lifting labor restrictions, made little progress in the Senate. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Yahoo
27-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Florida could make schools show fetal-development video backed by anti-abortion group
ORLANDO, Fla. — Florida schools could be required to show students detailed videos of human fetal development under legislation filed this week that mirrors bills backed by an anti-abortion group and adopted in recent years in North Dakota and Tennessee. Rep. Dana Trabulsy, R-Fort Pierce, who chairs the Florida House education committee, filed HB 1255 late Wednesday afternoon. The multi-pronged education bill includes a requirement to show students in grades 6 through 12 a 'high-definition ultrasound video, at least one minute in duration' and a three-minute computer-generated video 'showing and describing the process of fertilization and various stages of human development inside the uterus.' North Dakota and Tennessee passed similar laws requiring schools to show a fetal-development video by Live Action, an anti-abortion group. The video, titled 'Baby Olivia', is a three-minute, computer-generated video that shows and describes the process of fertilization and the various stages of human development inside the uterus — echoing the language in HB 1255. 'If young people see the beauty of these beginnings, then hopefully they'll think twice before running to the abortion clinic,' said Sen. Janne Myrdal, a North Dakota Republican who helped introduce that state's bill, in an interview with The Associated Press in 2023. Live Action gained notoriety in the late 2000s for secretly recording abortion clinics and posting its 'investigations' to social media, where the organization has now amassed millions of followers across several platforms. The organization has called for outlawing abortions. Trabulsy did not immediately respond to a request for comment Thursday morning. Rep. Anna Eskamani, D-Orlando, said the bill was 'anti-abortion propaganda' being snuck into sweeping education legislation. 'It's just sick,' she said. Eskamani said Florida is missing the mark on sex education in public schools and heading further in the wrong direction with Trabulsy's bill. 'This video is not scientific. It is from an anti abortion organization,' Eskamani said. 'This is clearly an attempt to continue to push an anti-abortion agenda onto our children — where I thought the legislature didn't want to indoctrinate kids.' Citing a new state law, Florida education officials last year told school districts they could not teach students about contraception or other sex-related topics and must 'emphasize abstinence' in any sex education lessons. A bill similar to Trabulsy's failed in Arkansas — like Florida, a GOP-run state — this week when the 'Baby Olivia Act' failed to get enough votes in committee, according to the Arkansas Advocate. The Florida Legislature, which starts its new session Tuesday, is dominated by Republicans who enacted a strict six-week ban that, with some exceptions, limits most abortions. But some lawmakers could vote against the bill, Eskamani said, if 'voters hold them accountable.' In November, 57% of Floridians voted to protect abortion rights until viability, or about 24 weeks of pregnancy. Amendment 4, however, needed 60% of the vote to become law, and so failed to pass. 'Pushing anti-abortion propaganda onto our children is not something that the people of this state want to see,' she said. --------
