Current through Reg. 50, No. 187; September 24, 2024
(1)
(a) Each year school districts must submit a
Required Instruction Implementation Plan that describes how instruction will be
provided for topics in Section
1003.42(2)(a)-(o) and
(q)-(u), F.S., for the upcoming school
year.
(b) The Implementation Plan
must be submitted electronically to
https://districts.flimadoption.org.
(c) Except for the 2024-25 school year, the
implementation plan is due no later than July 1. For the 2024-25 school year,
the implementation plan is due no later than August 15, 2024.
(2) The implementation plan must
include:
(a) The methods in which instruction
will be delivered for each grade level;
(b) The professional qualifications of the
person delivering instruction; and
(c) A description of the materials and
resources utilized to deliver instruction.
(3) As provided in Section
1003.42(2),
F.S., members of instructional staff in public schools must teach the required
instruction topics efficiently and faithfully, using materials that meet the
highest standards of professionalism and historical accuracy.
(a) Efficient and faithful teaching of the
required topics must be consistent with the state academic standards and the
Benchmarks for Excellent Student Thinking (B.E.S.T.) Standards.
(b) Instruction on the required topics must
be factual and objective, and may not suppress or distort significant
historical events, such as the Holocaust, slavery, the Civil War and
Reconstruction, the civil rights movement and the contributions of women,
African American and Hispanic people to our country, as already provided in
Section 1003.42(2),
F.S. Examples of theories that distort historical events and are inconsistent
with State Board approved standards include the denial or minimization of the
Holocaust, and the teaching of Critical Race Theory, meaning the theory that
racism is not merely the product of prejudice, but that racism is embedded in
American society and its legal systems in order to uphold the supremacy of
white persons. Instruction may not utilize material from the 1619 Project and
may not define American history as something other than the creation of a new
nation based largely on universal principles stated in the Declaration of
Independence. Instruction must include the U.S. Constitution, the Bill of
Rights and subsequent amendments.
(c) Efficient and faithful teaching further
means that any discussion is appropriate for the age and maturity level of the
students, and teachers serve as facilitators for student discussion and do not
share their personal views or attempt to indoctrinate or persuade students to a
particular point of view that is inconsistent with the state academic standards
and the Benchmarks for Excellent Student Thinking (B.E.S.T.)
Standards.
(4) Resiliency
Education: Civic and Character Education and Life Skills Education.
(a) Civic and character education, and life
skills education that builds confidence and supports mental health, are
combined to develop and prepare more resilient students. The purpose of
aligning these two components of statutorily required instruction is to
initiate a first in the nation approach to connecting the concepts of students'
readiness, resiliency and, when necessary, response and recovery.
(b) School districts must annually provide a
minimum of five (5) hours of data-driven instruction to students in grades 6-12
related to civic and character education and life skills education through
resiliency education using the health education standards adopted in Rule
6A-1.09401, F.A.C., Student
Performance Standards. The instruction will advance each year through
developmentally appropriate instruction and skill building and must address, at
a minimum, the following topics:
1. Strategies
specific to demonstrating resiliency through adversity, including the benefits
of service to the community through volunteerism;
2. Strategies to develop healthy
characteristics that reinforce positive core values and foster resiliency such
as:
a. Empathy, perseverance, grit, gratitude
and responsibility;
b. Critical
thinking, problem solving and responsible decision-making;
c. Self-awareness and
self-management;
d. Mentorship and
citizenship; and
e.
Honesty.
3. Recognition
of signs and symptoms of mental health concerns;
4. Promotion of resiliency to empower youth
to persevere and reverse the harmful stigma of mental health by reframing the
approach from mental health education to resiliency education;
5. Strategies to support a peer, friend, or
family member through adversity;
6.
Prevention of suicide;
7.
Prevention of the abuse of and addiction to alcohol, nicotine, and drugs;
and
8. Awareness of local school
and community resources and the process for accessing assistance.
(5) Substance Use and
Abuse Health Education.
(a) School districts
must annually provide instruction to students in grades K-12 related to youth
substance use and abuse health education.
(b) Using the health education standards
adopted in Rule 6A-1.09401, F.A.C., Student
Performance Standards, the instruction for substance use and abuse education
will advance each year through developmentally appropriate instruction and
skill building.
(6) Child
Trafficking Prevention Education.
(a) It is
the intent of the State Board of Education that every school in Florida be a
"Child Trafficking Free Zone."
(b)
School districts must annually provide instruction to students in grades K-12
related to child trafficking prevention and awareness.
(c) Using the health education standards
adopted in Rule 6A-1.09401, F.A.C., Student
Performance Standards, the instruction for child trafficking prevention will
advance each year through developmentally appropriate instruction and skill
building.
(d) Age-appropriate
elements of effective and evidence-based programs and instruction to students
in grades K-12 related to child trafficking prevention and awareness and must
address, at a minimum, the following topics:
1. Recognition of signs of human
trafficking;
2. Awareness of
resources, including national, state and local resources;
3. Prevention of the abuse of and addiction
to alcohol, nicotine, and drugs;
4.
Information on the prevalence, nature, and strategies to reduce the risk of
human trafficking, techniques to set healthy boundaries, and how to safely seek
assistance; and
5. Information on
how social media and mobile device applications are used for human
trafficking.
(e) In order
to assist with instruction, the department will maintain a human trafficking
webpage, located at
http://www.fldoe.org/schools/healthy-schools/human-trafficking.stml,
with information about the education described in this rule; resources on
abuse, including sexual abuse, and human trafficking prevention for
professional learning purposes; and materials for parents, guardians, and other
caretakers of students.
(7) The History of the Holocaust (1933-1945)
and The History of African Americans.
(a) Each
superintendent, or designee, must certify that the requirements of Sections
1003.42(2)(g) and
(h), F.S., have been met. The certification,
Form RI-1, Certifications Required by Section
1003.42, Florida Statutes,
(
http://www.flrules.org/Gateway/reference.asp?No=Ref-16694)
(effective July 2024) is incorporated by reference and may be obtained at
https://districts.flimadoption.org.
(b) This certification must be submitted
electronically to
https://districts.flimadoption.org.
(c) Beginning with the 2024-25 school year,
the certification is due annually by July 1. The certification for the 2023-24
school year is due August 15, 2024.
(8) When a school district's plan for
instruction as set forth in subsection (2) does not meet the requirements of
this rule or Section 1003.42, F.S., school districts must be provided no less
than forty-five (45) days in order to submit revisions to the
department.
(9) Failure to comply
with the requirements of this rule may result in the imposition of sanctions
described in Section 1008.32, F.S.
Rulemaking Authority
1001.02(2)(n),
1003.42(2) FS.
Law Implemented 1003.42
FS.
New 10-24-19, Amended 12-22-20, 7-26-21,
11-23-22.