Florida Rep. Christine Hunschofsky was the mayor of Parkland who responded to the 2018 Valentine’s Day massacre at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School.
Hunschofsky, D-Parkland, was proud to see the unanimous support to move forward with a bill on school safety on Feb. 24, and a bill to further address the mental health of students on March 2.
Legislators expect Gov. Ron DeSantis to sign both bills.
The school safety bill requires the development of a family reunification plan, emergency drills with law enforcement officers, school safety and environmental incident reporting, officers’ mental health crisis intervention training, and staff mental health awareness training certification.
The school safety bill (HB 1421) also extends the MSD Commission’s powers to monitor the implementation of the legislation until July 1, 2026. It also requires the state’s Commissioner of Education to enforce school safety and security compliance.
“The enhancements of this bill through DOE are going to give it the horsepower,” said Wayne Black, a school security consultant.
The mental health of students bill (HB 899) requires charter schools to comply with involuntary examination data reporting requirements, and the Department of Children and Families to use the data in its examinations of minors.
The state law will also require schools to provide information on additional behavioral health services and resources for students and their families. The bill requires each district to hire a mental health coordinator. If approved by DeSantis, the bills take effect in July.
Continue reading...
Hunschofsky, D-Parkland, was proud to see the unanimous support to move forward with a bill on school safety on Feb. 24, and a bill to further address the mental health of students on March 2.
Legislators expect Gov. Ron DeSantis to sign both bills.
The school safety bill requires the development of a family reunification plan, emergency drills with law enforcement officers, school safety and environmental incident reporting, officers’ mental health crisis intervention training, and staff mental health awareness training certification.
The school safety bill (HB 1421) also extends the MSD Commission’s powers to monitor the implementation of the legislation until July 1, 2026. It also requires the state’s Commissioner of Education to enforce school safety and security compliance.
“The enhancements of this bill through DOE are going to give it the horsepower,” said Wayne Black, a school security consultant.
The mental health of students bill (HB 899) requires charter schools to comply with involuntary examination data reporting requirements, and the Department of Children and Families to use the data in its examinations of minors.
The state law will also require schools to provide information on additional behavioral health services and resources for students and their families. The bill requires each district to hire a mental health coordinator. If approved by DeSantis, the bills take effect in July.
Continue reading...