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HB 1239 2026
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F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S
A bill to be entitled 1
An act relating to the sexual assault education and 2
support; providing a short title; amending s. 1001.42, 3
F.S.; requiring school districts to appoint a 4
districtwide sexual assault response liaison for 5
specified purposes; requiring the Department of Health 6
to provide training and materials for the liaisons; 7
creating s. 1003.08, F.S.; establishing the Safe 8
Students and Survivors Grant Program to be 9
administered by the department; providing the purpose 10
of the grant program; providing department and school 11
district, charter school, and private school duties; 12
authorizing the State Board of Education to adopt 13
rules; amending s. 1003.42, F.S.; revising the 14
required health instruction for students in grades 7 15
through 12 to include instruction on sexual assault 16
prevention and consent; providing requirements for the 17
instruction; providing an effective date. 18
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Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: 20
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Section 1. This act may be cited as the "Safe Students and 22
Survivors Act." 23
Section 2. Paragraph (o) is added to subsection (4) of 24
section 1001.42, Florida Statutes, to read: 25
HB 1239 2026
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F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S
1001.42 Powers and duties of district school board.—The 26
district school board, acting as a board, shall exercise all 27
powers and perform all duties listed below: 28
(4) ESTABLISHMENT, ORGANIZATION, AND OPERATION OF 29
SCHOOLS.—Adopt and provide for the execution of plans for the 30
establishment, organization, and operation of the schools of the 31
district, including, but not limited to, the following: 32
(o) Sexual assault response liaison.—Shall appoint a 33
districtwide sexual assault response liaison who shall connect 34
students with law enforcement, counseling, and advocacy services 35
in response to a sexual assault. The Department of Health shall 36
administer training and materials based on recommendations and 37
training guidelines provided by the Florida Council Against 38
Sexual Violence for such liaisons. 39
Section 3. Section 1003.08, Florida Statutes, is created 40
to read: 41
1003.08 The Safe Students and Survivors Grant Program.— 42
(1) Subject to legislative funding, there is established 43
the Safe Students and Survivors Grant Program to be administered 44
by the Department of Education. The program shall provide grants 45
to school districts, charter schools, and private schools that 46
receive public funding through a state scholarship program under 47
chapter 1002 to partner with local nonprofit organizations and 48
advocacy centers to provide student workshops and instructional 49
personnel training on the prevention of sexual assaults and 50
HB 1239 2026
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F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S
sexual assault survivor support programs. 51
(2) The department shall: 52
(a) Create an application and award criteria. 53
(b) Establish reporting requirements for school districts, 54
charter schools, and private schools participating in the 55
program. 56
(c) Annually provide a report to the President of the 57
Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives on the 58
program. 59
(3) School districts, charter schools, and private schools 60
shall provide a report to the department, in a format prescribed 61
by the department and consistent with privacy laws and 62
standards, on the use of a grant award. 63
(4) The State Board of Education may adopt rules to 64
administer this section. 65
Section 4. Paragraph (o) of subsection (2) of section 66
1003.42, Florida Statutes, is amended to read: 67
1003.42 Required instruction.— 68
(2) Members of the instructional staff of the public 69
schools, subject to the rules of the State Board of Education 70
and the district school board, shall teach efficiently and 71
faithfully, using the books and materials required that meet the 72
highest standards for professionalism and historical accuracy, 73
following the prescribed courses of study, and employing 74
approved methods of instruction, the following: 75
HB 1239 2026
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F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S
(o) Comprehensive age-appropriate and developmentally 76
appropriate K-12 instruction on: 77
1. Health education that addresses concepts of community 78
health, consumer health, environmental health, and family life, 79
including: 80
a. Injury prevention and safety. 81
b. Internet safety. 82
c. Nutrition. 83
d. Personal health. 84
e. Prevention and control of disease. 85
f. Substance use and abuse. 86
g. Prevention of child sexual abuse, exploitation, and 87
human trafficking. 88
2. For students in grades 7 through 12, teen dating 89
violence and abuse, sexual assault prevention, and consent. This 90
component must include, but not be limited to, all of the 91
following: 92
a. The definitions definition of dating violence and abuse 93
and sexual assault, including recognizing abusive behavior., 94
b. The warning signs of dating violence, and abusive 95
behavior, and sexual assault., 96
c. The characteristics of healthy relationships., 97
d. Measures to prevent and stop dating violence and 98
abuse., and 99
e. Community resources available to victims of dating 100
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F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S
violence, and abuse, and sexual assault. 101
f. Understanding consent. 102
g. Bystander intervention of sexual assault. 103
h. How to safely report a sexual assault. 104
3. For students in grades 6 through 12, awareness of the 105
benefits of sexual abstinence as the expected standard and the 106
consequences of teenage pregnancy. 107
4. Life skills that build confidence, support mental and 108
emotional health, and enable students to overcome challenges, 109
including: 110
a. Self-awareness and self-management. 111
b. Responsible decisionmaking. 112
c. Resiliency. 113
d. Relationship skills and conflict resolution. 114
e. Understanding and respecting other viewpoints and 115
backgrounds. 116
f. For grades 9 through 12, developing leadership skills, 117
interpersonal skills, organization skills, and research skills; 118
creating a résumé, including a digital résumé; exploring career 119
pathways; using state career planning resources; developing and 120
practicing the skills necessary for employment interviews; 121
workplace ethics and workplace law; managing stress and 122
expectations; and self-motivation. 123
5.a. For students in grades 6 through 12, the social, 124
emotional, and physical effects of social media. This component 125
HB 1239 2026
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F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S
must include, but need not be limited to, the negative effects 126
of social media on mental health, including addiction; the 127
distribution of misinformation on social media; how social media 128
manipulates behavior; the permanency of sharing materials 129
online; how to maintain personal security and identify 130
cyberbullying, predatory behavior, and human trafficking on the 131
Internet; and how to report suspicious behavior encountered on 132
the Internet. 133
b. The Department of Education shall make available online 134
the instructional material being used pursuant to this 135
subparagraph, and each district school board shall notify 136
parents of its availability. 137
138
Health education and life skills instruction and materials may 139
not contradict the principles enumerated in subsection (3). 140
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The State Board of Education is encouraged to adopt standards 142
and pursue assessment of the requirements of this subsection. 143
Instructional programming that incorporates the values of the 144
recipients of the Congressional Medal of Honor and that is 145
offered as part of a social studies, English Language Arts, or 146
other schoolwide character building and veteran awareness 147
initiative meets the requirements of paragraph (u). 148
Section 5. This act shall take effect July 1, 2026. 149