S 182

ENROLLED
2026 Legislature  CS for CS for SB 182, 1st Engrossed
  2026182er
1
2An act relating to education; amending s. 1002.33,
3F.S.; providing that students may not be dismissed
4from certain charter schools based on academic
5performance; amending s. 1002.395, F.S.; adding a
6condition for Florida Tax Credit (FTC) scholarship
7reimbursements; requiring that certain FTC scholarship
8funds revert to the organization; amending s. 1002.42,
9F.S.; providing that certain private schools are
10considered a permitted use in certain zoning
11districts; authorizing certain private schools to
12operate in facilities that meet specified
13requirements; providing exceptions; requiring certain
14private schools operating in such facilities to meet
15specified Florida Fire Prevention Code standards;
16providing that completion of a specified evaluation
17system with certain ratings by specified persons
18constitutes evidence of compliance with the Florida
19Fire Prevention Code for such private schools;
20authorizing the State Fire Marshal to adopt rules;
21amending s. 1003.42, F.S.; requiring students in
22specified grades to receive instruction in cursive
23writing; providing requirements for such instruction;
24requiring students to demonstrate proficiency in
25cursive writing by the end of a specified grade;
26defining the term “proficiency in cursive writing”;
27amending s. 1003.44, F.S.; requiring, subject to
28legislative appropriation, each district school board
29to adopt rules to require the display of portraits of
30George Washington and Abraham Lincoln at each public
31school in the district; requiring the Department of
32Education to select the portraits and make them
33available to each school district; creating s.
341012.988, F.S.; establishing the School Teacher
35Training and Mentoring Program within the Department
36of Education; providing the purpose of the program;
37authorizing school districts and charter schools to
38place certain classroom teachers as teacher mentors in
39specified schools for specified purposes; providing
40requirements for teacher mentors and mentees;
41authorizing teacher mentors to receive a stipend;
42providing the time period for each mentor and mentee
43relationship through the program; providing
44limitations on the number of mentees teacher mentors
45may work with; providing department and teacher mentor
46responsibilities; authorizing the State Board of
47Education to adopt rules; amending s. 1011.62, F.S.;
48authorizing specified funds to be used for the School
49Teacher Training and Mentoring Program; providing an
50effective date.
51
52Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
53
54Section 1. Paragraph (e) of subsection (10) of section
551002.33, Florida Statutes, is amended to read:
561002.33 Charter schools.—
57(10) ELIGIBLE STUDENTS.—
58(e) A charter school may limit the enrollment process only
59to target the following student populations:
601. Students within specific age groups or grade levels.
612. Students considered at risk of dropping out of school or
62academic failure. Such students shall include exceptional
63education students.
643. Students enrolling in a charter school-in-the-workplace
65or charter school-in-a-municipality established pursuant to
66subsection (15).
674. Students residing within a reasonable distance of the
68charter school, as described in paragraph (20)(c). Such students
69shall be subject to a random lottery and to the racial/ethnic
70balance provisions described in subparagraph (7)(a)8. or any
71federal provisions that require a school to achieve a
72racial/ethnic balance reflective of the community it serves or
73within the racial/ethnic range of other nearby public schools.
745. Students who meet reasonable academic, artistic, or
75other eligibility standards established by the charter school
76and included in the charter school application and charter or,
77in the case of existing charter schools, standards that are
78consistent with the school’s mission and purpose. Such standards
79shall be in accordance with current state law and practice in
80public schools and may not discriminate against otherwise
81qualified individuals. A school that limits enrollment for such
82purposes must place a student on a progress monitoring plan for
83at least one semester before dismissing such student from the
84school. A student may not be dismissed based on academic
85performance while a school is implementing a school improvement
86plan pursuant to paragraph (9)(n) or corrective action plan
87pursuant to s. 1002.345.
886. Students articulating from one charter school to another
89pursuant to an articulation agreement between the charter
90schools that has been approved by the sponsor.
917. Students living in a development, or students whose
92parent or legal guardian maintains a physical or permanent
93employment presence within the development, in which a
94developer, including any affiliated business entity or
95charitable foundation, contributes to the formation,
96acquisition, construction, or operation of one or more charter
97schools or charter school facilities and related property in an
98amount equal to or having a total appraised value of at least $5
99million to be used as charter schools to mitigate the
100educational impact created by the development of new residential
101dwelling units. Students living in the development are entitled
102to 50 percent of the student stations in the charter schools.
103The students who are eligible for enrollment are subject to a
104random lottery, the racial/ethnic balance provisions, or any
105federal provisions, as described in subparagraph 4. The
106remainder of the student stations must be filled in accordance
107with subparagraph 4.
1088. Students whose parent or legal guardian is employed
109within a reasonable distance of the charter school, as described
110in paragraph (20)(c). The students who are eligible for
111enrollment are subject to a random lottery.
112Section 2. Paragraphs (g) and (h) of subsection (11) of
113section 1002.395, Florida Statutes, are amended to read:
1141002.395 Florida Tax Credit Scholarship Program.—
115(11) SCHOLARSHIP AMOUNT AND PAYMENT.—
116(g) Reimbursements for program expenditures may continue
117until the account balance is expended or the scholarship account
118is closed remaining funds have reverted to the state.
119(h)1. A student’s scholarship account must be closed and
120any remaining funds must shall revert to the organization state
121after:
122a.1. Denial or revocation of program eligibility by the
123commissioner for fraud or abuse, including, but not limited to,
124the student or student’s parent accepting any payment, refund,
125or rebate, in any manner, from a provider of any services
126received pursuant to paragraph (6)(d);
127b.2. Two consecutive fiscal years in which an account has
128been inactive; or
129c.3. The student remains unenrolled in an eligible private
130school for 30 days while receiving a scholarship that requires
131full-time enrollment.
1322. All funds that revert to the organization must be
133separately accounted for and used to fund scholarships in the
134fiscal year the reversion occurs. Any funds remaining at the end
135of the fiscal year may be carried forward to the following
136fiscal year and must be fully expended for annual or partial
137year scholarships in the following fiscal year.
1383. By July 1 of each year, an organization must report to
139the Department of Education the total number of scholarship
140accounts that were closed during the prior fiscal year and the
141amount of funds that reverted to the organization.
142Section 3. Subsection (19) of section 1002.42, Florida
143Statutes, is amended to read:
1441002.42 Private schools.—
145(19) FACILITIES AND LAND USE.—
146(a) A private school may use facilities on property owned
147or leased by a library, community service organization, museum,
148performing arts venue, theater, cinema, or church facility under
149s. 170.201, which is or was actively used as such within 5 years
150of any executed agreement with a private school to use the
151facilities; any facility or land owned by a Florida College
152System institution or university; any similar public
153institutional facilities; and any facility recently used to
154house a school or child care facility licensed under s. 402.305,
155under any such facility’s preexisting zoning and land use
156designations without rezoning or obtaining a special exception
157or a land use change, and without complying with any mitigation
158requirements or conditions. The facility must be located on
159property used solely for purposes described in this paragraph,
160and must meet applicable state and local health, safety, and
161welfare laws, codes, and rules, including firesafety and
162building safety.
163(b) A private school may use facilities on property
164purchased from a library, community service organization,
165museum, performing arts venue, theater, cinema, or church
166facility under s. 170.201, which is actively or was actively
167used as such within 5 years of any executed agreement with a
168private school to purchase the facilities; any facility or land
169owned by a Florida College System institution or university; any
170similar public institutional facilities; and any facility
171recently used to house a school or child care facility licensed
172under s. 402.305, under any such facility’s preexisting zoning
173and land use designations without obtaining a special exception,
174rezoning, or a land use change, and without complying with any
175mitigation requirements or conditions. The facility must be
176located on property used solely for purposes described in this
177paragraph, and must meet applicable state and local health,
178safety, and welfare laws, codes, and rules, including firesafety
179and building safety.
180(c) A private school located in a county with four
181incorporated municipalities may construct new facilities, which
182may be temporary or permanent, on property purchased from or
183owned or leased by a library, community service organization,
184museum, performing arts venue, theater, cinema, or church under
185s. 170.201, which is or was actively used as such within 5 years
186of any executed agreement with a private school; any land owned
187by a Florida College System institution or state university; and
188any land recently used to house a school or child care facility
189licensed under s. 402.305, under its preexisting zoning and land
190use designations without rezoning or obtaining a special
191exception or a land use change, and without complying with any
192mitigation requirements or conditions. Any new facility must be
193located on property used solely for purposes described in this
194paragraph, and must meet applicable state and local health,
195safety, and welfare laws, codes, and rules, including firesafety
196and building safety.
197(d) A private school enrolling 150 or fewer students, or
198located within the unincorporated area of a county as defined in
199s. 125.011, shall be considered a permitted use and occupancy in
200a commercial or mixed-use zoning district within a county or
201municipality without rezoning or obtaining a special exception
202or a land use change, and without complying with any mitigation
203requirements, conditions, performance standards, ordinances,
204rules, codes, or policies, except that a county or municipality
205may require proportionate mitigation measures necessary to
206mitigate vehicular traffic and pedestrian safety.
2071. The vehicular traffic and pedestrian safety mitigation
208measures required by a county or municipality pursuant to this
209subsection shall be limited to those impacts reasonably and
210directly attributable to the operation of the private school at
211the site and shall be no greater in cost or scope than what is
212required of all other uses, education or otherwise, within the
213same zoning district.
2142. The private school subject to vehicular traffic and
215pedestrian safety mitigation measures may, in lieu of complying
216with such mitigation measures, provide a traffic study that
217demonstrates the school will not have disproportionate impact on
218vehicular traffic or pedestrian safety compared to other
219allowable uses within the same zoning district.
220(e) Notwithstanding any other provision of law, a private
221school enrolling 150 or fewer students may operate in a facility
222that is an existing assembly, day care, mercantile, or business
223occupancy, as defined in the Florida Fire Prevention Code. A
224private school operating in such a facility must meet the
225standards for existing educational occupancy requirements under
226the Florida Fire Prevention Code, adopted by the State Fire
227Marshal. Completion of the fire safety evaluation system for
228educational occupancies in the National Fire Protection
229Association, Life Safety Code, NFPA 101A: Guide on Alternative
230Approaches to Life Safety, adopted by the State Fire Marshal, by
231a registered design professional licensed under chapter 471 or
232chapter 481, with a determination of achieving at a minimum an
233“at least equivalent” conclusion, is considered evidence of
234compliance with the Florida Fire Prevention Code. The State Fire
235Marshal may adopt rules to implement this paragraph.
236Section 4. Paragraph (w) is added to subsection (2) of
237section 1003.42, Florida Statutes, to read:
2381003.42 Required instruction.—
239(2) Members of the instructional staff of the public
240schools, subject to the rules of the State Board of Education
241and the district school board, shall teach efficiently and
242faithfully, using the books and materials required that meet the
243highest standards for professionalism and historical accuracy,
244following the prescribed courses of study, and employing
245approved methods of instruction, the following:
246(w)1. For students in grades 3 through 5, the study of
247cursive writing and the development of the skills necessary for
248legible cursive writing, including:
249a. Letter formation.
250b. Proper spacing and alignment.
251c. Practice in writing complete words and sentences in
252cursive.
2532. By the end of grade 5, each student must demonstrate
254proficiency in cursive writing. For purposes of this
255subparagraph, the term “proficiency in cursive writing” means
256all of the following:
257a. The ability to write uppercase and lowercase letters of
258the alphabet in cursive writing.
259b. Writing words and sentences in cursive legibly and
260maintaining proper spacing and alignment.
261c. The ability to read and apply cursive writing in a
262manner that supports literacy development, including writing
263essays and assignments in cursive writing in accordance with
264state academic standards.
265
266The State Board of Education is encouraged to adopt standards
267and pursue assessment of the requirements of this subsection.
268Instructional programming that incorporates the values of the
269recipients of the Congressional Medal of Honor and that is
270offered as part of a social studies, English Language Arts, or
271other schoolwide character building and veteran awareness
272initiative meets the requirements of paragraph (u).
273Section 5. Subsection (4) of section 1003.44, Florida
274Statutes, is amended to read:
2751003.44 Patriotic programs; rules.—
276(4) Each district school board shall adopt rules to
277require:, in all of the schools of the district and in each
278building used by the district school board,
279(a) The display of the state motto, “In God We Trust,”
280designated under s. 15.0301, in a conspicuous place at each
281public school in the district and in each building used by the
282district school board.
283(b) Subject to legislative appropriation, the display of
284portraits of George Washington and Abraham Lincoln in a
285conspicuous place at each public school in the district. The
286Department of Education shall select the portraits and make them
287available to each school district.
288Section 6. Section 1012.988, Florida Statutes, is created
289to read:
2901012.988 School Teacher Training and Mentoring Program.—
291(1) The School Teacher Training and Mentoring Program is
292established within the Department of Education. The purpose of
293the program is to increase the effectiveness and involvement of
294classroom teachers and improve student achievement, classroom
295management, and excellence in the state’s public schools.
296(2)(a) School districts and charter schools may place
297retired classroom teachers or current classroom teachers in
298schools earning a grade of “D” or “F” to act as teacher mentors
299to:
3001. New classroom teachers;
3012. Classroom teachers who are rated as needs improvement,
302developing, or unsatisfactory on the prior year’s performance
303evaluation under s. 1012.34; or
3043. Classroom teachers identified by the school
305administrator as struggling with behavior management within the
306classroom.
307(b) Each teacher mentor selected by the school district,
308charter school, or charter management organization must have:
3091. At least 3 years of teaching experience in
310prekindergarten through grade 12.
3112. Earned a highly effective rating on his or her most
312recent performance evaluation under s. 1012.34.
313(c) Each teacher mentor may receive a stipend of up to
314$3,000.
315(d) Each mentor and mentee relationship through the program
316shall be for one grading period.
317(e)1. A retired classroom teacher serving as a teacher
318mentor may not have more than five mentees at a time.
3192. A classroom teacher serving as a teacher mentor may not
320have more than one mentee at a time.
321(3) The Department of Education shall establish program
322standards and a standard contract template for the teacher
323mentor and mentee which outlines the responsibilities of each
324person and establishes the framework and goals of the program.
325(4) Each teacher mentor must:
326(a) Present significant historical events with accuracy and
327integrity, grounded in verifiable evidence and scholarly rigor.
328(b) If a curriculum is used, use a curriculum that affirms
329the principles of fairness and equal opportunity reflected in
330the Florida Educational Equity Act and encourages respectful
331dialogue across diverse perspectives.
332(c) Maintain confidentiality, unless prohibited by law.
333(d) Not have a personal agenda other than assisting his or
334her mentee in developing and reaching the mentee’s goals.
335(e) Help his or her mentee in developing skills and
336expertise, including drawing upon the teacher mentor’s own
337personal experiences.
338(5) The State Board of Education may adopt rules to
339administer this section.
340Section 7. Paragraph (a) of subsection (7) of section
3411011.62, Florida Statutes, is amended to read:
3421011.62 Funds for operation of schools.—If the annual
343allocation from the Florida Education Finance Program to each
344district for operation of schools is not determined in the
345annual appropriations act or the substantive bill implementing
346the annual appropriations act, it shall be determined as
347follows:
348(7) EDUCATIONAL ENRICHMENT ALLOCATION.—
349(a) The educational enrichment allocation is created to
350assist school districts in providing educational enrichment
351activities and services that support and increase the academic
352achievement of students in grades kindergarten through 12.
353Educational enrichment activities and services may be provided
354in a manner and at any time during or beyond the regular 180-day
355term identified by the school district as being the most
356effective and efficient way to best help the student progress
357from grade to grade and graduate from high school. Funds from
358the educational enrichment allocation may be used for the School
359Teacher Training and Mentoring Program under s. 1012.988 if
360funds are available. For fiscal year 2023-2024, the educational
361enrichment allocation shall consist of a base amount as
362specified in the General Appropriations Act. Beginning in fiscal
363year 2024-2025, the educational enrichment allocation shall
364consist of the base amount that includes a workload adjustment
365based on changes in the unweighted full-time equivalent
366membership. Beginning in fiscal year 2025-2026, and each year
367thereafter, the statewide average base amount as specified in
368the General Appropriations Act shall be used for any new
369educational entity funded in the Florida Education Finance
370Program.
371Section 8. This act shall take effect July 1, 2026.