Read the full stored bill text
Florida Senate
-
2026
SB 1590
By
Senator Jones
34-01586A-26 20261590__
1 A bill to be entitled
2 An act relating to sexual assault education and
3 support; providing a short title; amending s. 1001.42,
4 F.S.; requiring school districts to appoint a
5 districtwide sexual assault response liaison for
6 specified purposes; requiring the Department of Health
7 to administer specified training and materials for the
8 liaisons; creating s. 1003.08, F.S.; establishing the
9 Safe Students and Survivors Grant Program to be
10 administered by the department; providing the purpose
11 of the grant program; providing department, school
12 district, charter school, and private school duties;
13 authorizing the State Board of Education to adopt
14 rules; amending s. 1003.42, F.S.; revising the
15 required health instruction for students in grades 7
16 through 12 to include instruction on sexual assault
17 prevention and consent; providing requirements for the
18 instruction; providing an effective date.
19
20 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
21
22 Section 1.
This act may be cited as the “Safe Students and
23
Survivors Act.”
24 Section 2. Paragraph (o) is added to subsection (4) of
25 section 1001.42, Florida Statutes, to read:
26 1001.42 Powers and duties of district school board.—The
27 district school board, acting as a board, shall exercise all
28 powers and perform all duties listed below:
29 (4) ESTABLISHMENT, ORGANIZATION, AND OPERATION OF SCHOOLS.
30 Adopt and provide for the execution of plans for the
31 establishment, organization, and operation of the schools of the
32 district, including, but not limited to, the following:
33
(o)
Sexual assault response liaison.
—Appoint a districtwide
34
sexual assault response liaison who shall connect students with
35
law enforcement, counseling, and advocacy services in response
36
to a sexual assault. The
Department of Health shall
,
for such
37
liaisons
,
administer training and materials based on
38
recommendations and training guidelines provided by the Florida
39
Council Against Sexual Violence.
40 Section 3. Section 1003.08, Florida Statutes, is created to
41 read:
42
1003.08
Safe Students and Survivors Grant Program.—
43
(1)
Subject to legislative funding, there is established
44
the Safe Students and Survivors Grant Program to be administered
45
by the Department of Education. The program shall provide grants
46
to school districts to partner with local nonprofit
47
organizations and advocacy centers to provide student workshops
48
and instructional personnel training on the prevention of sexual
49
assaults and sexual assault survivor support programs.
50
(2)
The department shall:
51
(a)
Create an application and award criteria.
52
(b)
Establish reporting requirements for school districts
53
and any school that receives public funding in vouchers
which
54
apply for this grant.
55
(c)
Annually provide a report to the President of the
56
Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives on the
57
program.
58
(3)
School districts, charter schools, and private schools
59
shall provide a report to the department, in a format prescribed
60
by the department based upon privacy laws and standards, on the
61
use of a grant award.
62
(4)
The State Board of Education may adopt rules to
63
administer this section.
64 Section 4. Paragraph (o) of subsection (2) of section
65 1003.42, Florida Statutes, is amended to read:
66 1003.42 Required instruction.—
67 (2) Members of the instructional staff of the public
68 schools, subject to the rules of the State Board of Education
69 and the district school board, shall teach efficiently and
70 faithfully, using the books and materials required that meet the
71 highest standards for professionalism and historical accuracy,
72 following the prescribed courses of study, and employing
73 approved methods of instruction, the following:
74 (o) Comprehensive age-appropriate and developmentally
75 appropriate K-12 instruction on:
76 1. Health education that addresses concepts of community
77 health, consumer health, environmental health, and family life,
78 including:
79 a. Injury prevention and safety
;
.
80 b. Internet safety
;
.
81 c. Nutrition
;
.
82 d. Personal health
;
.
83 e. Prevention and control of disease
;
.
84 f. Substance use and abuse
; and
.
85 g. Prevention of child sexual abuse, exploitation, and
86 human trafficking.
87 2. For students in grades 7 through 12, teen dating
88 violence and abuse
, sexual assault prevention, and consent
. This
89 component must include, but not be limited to,
all of the
90
following:
91
a.
The
definitions
definition
of dating violence and abuse
92
and sexual assault, including recognizing abusive behavior.
,
93
b.
The warning signs of dating violence
,
and
abusive
94 behavior
, and sexual assault.
,
95
c.
The characteristics of healthy relationships
.
,
96
d.
Measures to prevent and stop dating violence and abuse
.
,
97
and
98
e.
Community resources available to victims of dating
99 violence
,
and
abuse
, and sexual assault
.
100
f.
Understanding consent.
101
g.
Bystander intervention of sexual assault.
102
h.
How to safely report a sexual assault.
103 3. For students in grades 6 through 12, awareness of the
104 benefits of sexual abstinence as the expected standard and the
105 consequences of teenage pregnancy.
106 4. Life skills that build confidence, support mental and
107 emotional health, and enable students to overcome challenges,
108 including:
109 a. Self-awareness and self-management
;
.
110 b. Responsible decisionmaking
;
.
111 c. Resiliency
;
.
112 d. Relationship skills and conflict resolution
;
.
113 e. Understanding and respecting other viewpoints and
114 backgrounds
; and
.
115 f. For grades 9 through 12, developing leadership skills,
116 interpersonal skills, organization skills, and research skills;
117 creating a résumé, including a digital résumé; exploring career
118 pathways; using state career planning resources; developing and
119 practicing the skills necessary for employment interviews;
120 workplace ethics and workplace law; managing stress and
121 expectations; and self-motivation.
122 5.a. For students in grades 6 through 12, the social,
123 emotional, and physical effects of social media. This component
124 must include, but need not be limited to, the negative effects
125 of social media on mental health, including addiction; the
126 distribution of misinformation on social media; how social media
127 manipulates behavior; the permanency of sharing materials
128 online; how to maintain personal security and identify
129 cyberbullying, predatory behavior, and human trafficking on the
130 Internet; and how to report suspicious behavior encountered on
131 the Internet.
132 b. The Department of Education shall make available online
133 the instructional material being used pursuant to this
134 subparagraph, and each district school board shall notify
135 parents of its availability.
136
137 Health education and life skills instruction and materials may
138 not contradict the principles enumerated in subsection (3).
139
140 The State Board of Education is encouraged to adopt standards
141 and pursue assessment of the requirements of this subsection.
142 Instructional programming that incorporates the values of the
143 recipients of the Congressional Medal of Honor and that is
144 offered as part of a social studies, English Language Arts, or
145 other schoolwide character building and veteran awareness
146 initiative meets the requirements of paragraph (u).
147 Section 5. This act shall take effect July 1, 2026.