Florida’s new education laws carry less impact than in past years

With little of the attention he’s given to other legislation this year, Gov. Ron DeSantis on Thursday quietly signed two bills touted for removing “onerous” bureaucracy and red tape from public education.

The measures (SB 7002 and 7004) ended some reporting requirements for school districts but didn’t go as far as some advocates had hoped. Provisions to scale back high-stakes testing, for example, were stripped from the bills before they landed on the governor’s desk.

Still, the intent of the proposals — to ease state regulations on schools — filtered through to the other education-related initiatives that also made their way through the session.

“I would say overall the spirit of deregulation … really shaped the tone and tenor of K-12 education policy — what passed and didn’t pass this legislative session,” lobbyist Megan Fay of Capital City Consulting told the Pinellas County School Board recently.

Compared to the previous five legislative sessions, she said, “the number of bills we’ve had that impact K-12 education, I’d say this is probably an all-time low, and the number of new mandates is certainly, I’d say other than school safety … is almost at zero.”

DeSantis on Tuesday signed the school safety bill (HB 1473), aimed at increasing protections from intruders, among other things. The measure gained attention for its requirement that all school doors, gates and entries must be locked whenever they are not staffed.

That provision riled many school leaders, who raised concerns about the logistics of making it happen, especially when outside organizations use campuses for nonschool activities. Lawmakers added language exempting those times when buildings are used by others.

Another bill adding a new mandate (SB 1264) requires schools to teach the history of communism. DeSantis signed that legislation with great fanfare in April.

Outside of those two items, the session’s impact on school districts was “very light,” said Danielle Thomas, the lead lobbyist for the Florida School Boards Association.

As an example, she noted that a bill allowing religious chaplains to provide counseling in public schools is voluntary. School boards “can choose not to do anything about that,” Thomas said, adding that, so far, only Miami-Dade County school officials have indicated they would act on it.

Other new bills, however, are having some impact on schools.

One measure the governor signed in April (HB 1285) is winning praise from school officials for limitations it placed on school book challenges by nonparents, Thomas said.

A measure on teacher training (HB 1291), which DeSantis approved a week ago, forbids preparation programs from including “identity politics” in their lessons. Another bill (HB 1361) that DeSantis signed Thursday provides grants and assistance to schools as they seek appropriate uses of artificial intelligence.

That law has the potential to transform public education in Florida, said Citrus County School Board chairperson Thomas Kennedy, the immediate past president of the Florida School Boards Association. It also provides more opportunities for prekindergarten students to get scholarships for early literacy and math programs.

School choice got another boost as DeSantis signed legislation Thursday (HB 1403) expanding eligibility for state vouchers and education savings accounts. The new law also set revised deadlines for getting voucher money to families and schools after complaints about delayed payments in the fall.

The bill originally contained restrictions on how families can use the money, but lawmakers removed those after homeschool families balked.

DeSantis also signed legislation (SB 7032) Thursday creating a new program for high school dropouts to earn a diploma and workforce credentials.

The key education-related legislation that still awaits the governor’s action is the budget. District officials have said they are holding off on many spending decisions for the coming year while vetoes remain a possibility.

Meanwhile, several are looking ahead to the next session, with hopes that the deregulation mentality holds.

“We’re being told it’s not a one and done,” said Thomas, the school boards lobbyist. She expressed hope that the provisions to scale back testing will return in 2025.

Jeffrey S. Solochek is an education reporter covering K-12 education policy and schools. Reach him at jsolochek@tampabay.com.

Florida’s new education laws carry less impact than in past years (tampabay.com)