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NOTICE

The School Board of Miami-Dade County, Florida announces the following Board Policy action will be taken at its meeting on:

DECEMBER 15, 2021
1:00 P.M.
School Board Auditorium
1450 N.E. Second Avenue
Miami, Florida 33132

To Amend Board Policy 5410, Student Progression Plan, to amend the Student Progression Plan 2020-2021. Changes to the updated Student Progression Plan 2021-2022 are the result of actions by the Florida Legislature, interpretations or clarifications by the Florida Department of Education of statutes, or Florida State Board of Education rules related to student progression.

Specific Authority: Sections 1001.41(1) and (2); 1001.42 (25); and 1001.43 (10) F.S.
Laws Implemented, Interpreted, or Made Specific: Florida Statutes § 1007.25(4).

To Amend Board Policy 0166, Nonpublic Meetings, to require that no less than two (2) executive sessions must take place, one (1) prior to the starting of bargaining negotiations and one (1) prior to the closing of bargaining negotiations.

Specific Authority: Sections 1001.41 (1), (2), (5), Fla. Stat.
Laws Implemented, Interpreted, or Made Specific: Sections 447.605, 1001.42(5), (12), (24), 1001.43(2), Chapter 1012, Fla. Stat.

To Adopt Board Policy 5780, Parents’ Bill of Rights, to implement the Florida Legislature’s enactment of Section 1014.05, Florida Statutes. Pursuant to s. 1014.05, F.S., the policy provides parents with notice of their right to be involved in and make decisions about the education of their children by outlining various policies, plans, and procedures adopted by the Board. The policy also requires the District’s website, school websites, and Parent Handbook, to contain information for parents to learn about their rights.

Specific Authority: 1001.41 (1), (2), F.S.
Laws Implemented, Interpreted, or Made Specific: 1001.42(17); 1001.43(1), (5), (8); 1014.05, F.S.

To Amend Board Policies 2410, School Health Services Program, 8405, School Safety, 8410, Emergency Management, and 8420.01, Severe Weather Emergency Management as a result of Senate Bill 590, School Safety (2021) and revisions to Florida Administrative Code Rule 6A- 1.0018, School Safety Requirements and Monitoring (July 14, 2021). Amendments to Policy 2410, School Health Services Program, require that: (1) school safety officers must complete mental health crisis intervention training using curriculum developed by a national organization with expertise in mental health crisis intervention to improve officers’ knowledge and skills as first responders to incidents involving students with emotional disturbance or mental illness, including de-escalation skills to ensure student and officer safety; (2) the Superintendent shall annually report to the department the number of involuntary examinations, as defined in s. 394.455, which are initiated at a school, on school transportation, or at a school-sponsored activity; (3) school principals shall make a reasonable attempt to notify a parent of a student before the student is removed from school, school transportation, or a school-sponsored activity to be taken to a receiving facility for an involuntary examination pursuant to F.S. 394.463; it defines reasonable attempt to notify, requires certain minimum actions by the principal, and provides for an exception to avoid jeopardizing the health and safety of the student; and (4) school or law enforcement personnel must make a reasonable attempt to contact a mental health professional prior to initiating an involuntary examination, except where there is an imminent danger to the student or others. The policy also updates the reference to community resources for mental health referrals to children and families. Amendments to Policy 8405, School Safety, include: (1) the Superintendent’s responsibility to develop procedures related to the assignment of safe-school officers at every school facility in the District; training for safe-school officers; and required notifications to the Office of Safe Schools when a safe-school officer discharges a firearm in exercise of his or her duty or is disciplined for misconduct, dismissed, reassigned, moved, placed on administrative leave or reassigned pending investigation; (2) the responsibility of the District’s School Safety Specialist to review District and charter school safety and security policies at least annually; complete required trainings; identify and correct instances of noncompliance with school safety requirements; and provide notice of suspected deficiencies to the Superintendent immediately; (3) requirements related to the composition, training, meeting requirements, and reporting of data by threat assessment teams; (4) the right of parents to access school safety and discipline incidents; (5) that student identification cards issued by the District to students in grades 6 through 12 include the telephone numbers for national or statewide crisis and suicide hotlines and text lines; (6) the right of parents to access SESIR data; (8) the Board’s policies related to zero tolerance for threats; (7) the right of parents to receive timely notification of threats, as determined in coordination with the District’s threat assessment team process, unlawful acts, and significant emergencies, certain arrests of employees, and the requirement for the Superintendent to develop procedures for such notifications, as required by the statutory revisions; and (8) charter schools responsibilities for school safety requirements. The amendments to Policies 8410, Emergency Management, and 8420.01, Severe Weather Emergency Management, cross-reference the right of parents to receive timely notification of threats, unlawful acts, and significant emergencies, and the requirement for procedures for such notifications. The amendments to Policy 8410 also include requirements for an active assailant response plan.

Specific Authority: Sections 1001.41 (1), (2), (5), Fla. Stat.
Laws Implemented, Interpreted, or Made Specific: Sections 1001.43(1), (11), 381.0056(4)(a)(19), 1002.20(3), (25), 1002.33(9)(q), (r), 1006.07(4), (10), 1006.12(2)(c), 1011.62(16), Fla. Stat.; Fla. Admin. Code r. 6A-1.0018.

To Amend Board Policies 2417, Human Growth and Development Curriculum, 2510, Instructional Materials, and 2540, Instructional Use of Audiovisual Materials, to conform to the Florida Legislature’s enactment of HB 545 (2021), which amended Sections 1002.20, 1003.42, and 1006.40, Florida Statutes, as well as to District practices. The proposed amendments to Policy 2417, Human Growth and Development Curriculum, align the title of the policy to the statutes; clarify that reproductive health and disease education must be delivered to secondary students; clarify the process for parents to request an exemption from the lessons dealing with reproductive health and disease education; and specify that the instructional materials used to teach reproductive health and disease education must be annually approved by the Board in an open, noticed public meeting. The amendments to Policies 2510, Instructional Materials, and 2540, Instructional Use of Audiovisual Materials, are proposed to ensure that the requirements are cross-referenced.

Specific Authority: Sections 1001.41 (1), (2), (5), Fla. Stat.
Laws Implemented, Interpreted, or Made Specific: Sections 1001.42(9), (17), 1001.43(3), 1002.20(3)(d), 1003.42(1)(b), (3), 1006.40(4)(b), Fla. Stat.

To Amend Board Policies 8141, Mandatory Reporting of Misconduct by Employees, 1030, Superintendent of Schools, 1120, Employment of Administrators, 1121.01, Employment Standards and Fingerprinting, 1139, Educator Misconduct, and 1150, Resignations, and corresponding Board Policies: 3120, 3121.01, 3139, 3150, 4120, 4121.01, and 4150, as a result of House Bill 131, Educator Conduct (2021) and revisions to Florida Administrative Code Rule 6A- 1.0017, School Environmental Safety Incident Reporting (SESIR) (August 23, 2021). Amendments to Policy 8141, Mandatory Reporting of Misconduct by Employees, reestablish the duty for all employees, with the addition of school support employees, to report alleged misconduct by any other employee that affects the health, safety, or welfare of a student, including misconduct that involves engaging in or soliciting sexual, romantic, or lewd conduct with a student. The revisions include: procedures for reporting and require the Superintendent to report to law enforcement misconduct by any employee that would result in disqualification from educator certification or employment; the requirement that a complete investigation be conducted, regardless of whether the person resigned or was terminated before the conclusion of the investigation; notifications and reporting to the Florida Department of Education and law enforcement by the Superintendent; the requirement for affidavits of separation due to a report of sexual misconduct with a student; financial penalties for transmittal of false or incorrect reports and/or failure to act; and a prohibition on employment in any position that requires direct contact with students if the employees or personnel are ineligible for such employment under F.S. 1012.315 or have been terminated or resigned in lieu of termination for sexual misconduct with a student. The amendments to Policy 1030, Superintendent of Schools, 1120, Employment of Administrators, and 1150, Resignations conform to Policy 8141. The amendments to Policy 1121.01, Employment Standards and Fingerprinting, require: employment history checks of each candidate’s previous employer(s); review of each affidavit of separation from previous employers, or in cases where the Superintendent is unable to contact a previous employer, documentation of efforts to contact; and screening of instructional personnel and school administrators through the use of educator screening tools and documentation of the findings. The amendments to Policy 1139, Educator Misconduct, require that, within 24 hours after notification to the Superintendent or governing board chair of a charter school by a law enforcement agency that an employee has been arrested for a felony or misdemeanor involving the abuse of a minor child or the sale or possession of a controlled substance, the school principal or designee shall notify parents of enrolled students who had direct contact with the employee and include, at a minimum, the name and specific charges against the employee. If the amendments to Policies 1120, 1121.01, 1139, and 1150 receive final approval, identical policy amendments will be made to the following corresponding Board Policies: 3120, 3121.01, 3139, 3150, 4120, 4121.01, and 4150.

Specific Authority: Sections 1001.41 (1), (2), (5), Fla. Stat.
Laws Implemented, Interpreted, or Made Specific: Sections 1001.42(6), (7), 1001.51(12)(b), 1002.33(12)(g), 1006.061, 1012.27(6), 1012.31(2), 1012.315, 1012.796(1)(d), 1012.797 Fla. Stat.; Fla. Admin. Code r. 6A-1.0017.

To Amend Board Policies Policy 1120.11, Preference for Veterans in Employment, and corresponding policies 3120.11 and 4120.11, a result of Senate Bill 922, Veterans’ Preference in Employment (2021). Amendments to Policy 1120.11, Preference for Veterans in Employment, clarify that for all positions in which the appointment or employment of persons is subject to written examination, veterans’ preference points must be added to the earned ratings of a person if the person has obtained a qualifying score on the written examination for the position. The revisions also include the requirement that the District develop and implement a written veterans’ recruitment plan that establishes annual goals for ensuring the full use of veterans in the Board’s workforce. It specifies that the veterans’ recruitment plan must be designed to meet the established goals and that all job announcements must contain a notice of veterans’ preference in accordance with F.S. 295.065. If the amendments to Policy 1120.11 receive final approval, identical policy amendments will be made to the following corresponding Board Policies: 3120.11 and 4120.11.

Specific Authority: Sections 1001.41 (1), (2), (5), Fla. Stat.
Laws Implemented, Interpreted, or Made Specific: Sections 295.07, 295.08, 295.065, 295.085, 1001.42(5), 1001.43(11); Fla. Stat.; Fla. Admin. Code r. 55A-7.010.

If requested, a Hearing will be held during the December 15, 2021 School Board meeting. Persons requesting such a hearing must submit a written request to the Superintendent of Schools, Room 912, same address as above, by November 17, 2021. The policy will be effective upon filing with The School Board of Miami-Dade County, Florida on December 15, 2021. A person wishing to appeal any decision made by The School Board of Miami-Dade County, Florida, with respect to any action on this policy should ensure the preparation of a verbatim record of the proceedings, including the testimony and evidence upon which the appeal is to be based. Copies of the policy and the notice of intended action are available to the public for inspection and copying at cost in the Citizen Information Center, Room 102, 1450 N.E. Second Avenue, Miami, Florida.

Alberto M. Carvalho
Superintendent of Schools
10/25 21-72/0000559039M