(1) DEFINITIONS.—

(a) As used in this section, the term:

1. “Adequate instructional materials” means a sufficient number of student or site licenses or sets of materials that are available in bound, unbound, kit, or package form and may consist of hardbacked or softbacked textbooks, electronic content, consumables, learning laboratories, manipulatives, electronic media, and computer courseware or software that serve as the basis for instruction for each student in the core subject areas of mathematics, language arts, social studies, science, reading, and literature.

2. “Instructional materials” has the same meaning as in s. 1006.29(2).

(b) As used in this section and s. 1006.283, the term “resident” means a person who has maintained his or her residence in this state for the preceding year, has purchased a home that is occupied by him or her as his or her residence, or has established a domicile in this state pursuant to s. 222.17.

(c) As used in this section and ss. 1006.283, 1006.32, 1006.35, 1006.37, 1006.38, 1006.40, and 1006.42, the term “purchase” includes purchase, lease, license, and acquire.

(2) DISTRICT SCHOOL BOARD.—The district school board has the constitutional duty and responsibility to select and provide adequate instructional materials for all students in accordance with the requirements of this part. The district school board also has the following specific duties and responsibilities:

(a) Courses of study; adoption.—Adopt courses of study, including instructional materials, for use in the schools of the district.

1. Each district school board is responsible for the content of all instructional materials and any other materials used in a classroom, made available in a school library, or included on a reading list, whether adopted and purchased from the state-adopted instructional materials list, adopted and purchased through a district instructional materials program under s. 1006.283, or otherwise purchased or made available. Each district school board shall maintain on its website a current list of instructional materials, by grade level, purchased by the district.

2. Each district school board must adopt a policy regarding an objection by a parent or a resident of the county to the use of a specific instructional material, which clearly describes a process to handle all objections and provides for resolution. The process must provide the parent or resident the opportunity to proffer evidence to the district school board that:

a. An instructional material does not meet the criteria of s. 1006.31(2) or s. 1006.40(3)(d) if it was selected for use in a course or otherwise made available to students in the school district but was not subject to the public notice, review, comment, and hearing procedures under s. 1006.283(2)(b)8., 9., and 11.

b. Any material used in a classroom, made available in a school library, or included on a reading list contains content that is pornographic or prohibited under s. 847.012, is not suited to student needs and their ability to comprehend the material presented, or is inappropriate for the grade level and age group for which the material is used.

If the district school board finds that an instructional material does not meet the criteria under sub-subparagraph a. or that any other material contains prohibited content under sub-subparagraph b., the school district shall discontinue use of the material for any grade level or age group for which such use is inappropriate or unsuitable.

3. Each district school board must establish a process by which the parent of a public school student or a resident of the county may contest the district school board’s adoption of a specific instructional material. The parent or resident must file a petition, on a form provided by the school board, within 30 calendar days after the adoption of the material by the school board. The school board must make the form available to the public and publish the form on the school district’s website. The form must be signed by the parent or resident, include the required contact information, and state the objection to the instructional material based on the criteria of s. 1006.31(2) or s. 1006.40(3)(d). Within 30 days after the 30-day period has expired, the school board must, for all petitions timely received, conduct at least one open public hearing before an unbiased and qualified hearing officer. The hearing officer may not be an employee or agent of the school district. The hearing is not subject to the provisions of chapter 120; however, the hearing must provide sufficient procedural protections to allow each petitioner an adequate and fair opportunity to be heard and present evidence to the hearing officer.

The school board’s decision after convening a hearing is final and not subject to further petition or review.

(b) Instructional materials.—Provide for proper requisitioning, distribution, accounting, storage, care, and use of all instructional materials and furnish such other instructional materials as may be needed. Instructional materials used must be consistent with the district goals and objectives and the course descriptions established in rule of the State Board of Education, as well as with the applicable Next Generation Sunshine State Standards provided for in s. 1003.41.

(c) Other instructional materials.—Provide such other teaching accessories and aids as are needed for the school district’s educational program.

(d) School library media services; establishment and maintenance.—Establish and maintain a program of school library media services for all public schools in the district, including school library media centers, or school library media centers open to the public, and, in addition such traveling or circulating libraries as may be needed for the proper operation of the district school system. Upon written request, a school district shall provide access to any material or book specified in the request that is maintained in a district school system library and is available for review.

(3) DISTRICT SCHOOL SUPERINTENDENT.—

(a) The district school superintendent has the duty to recommend such plans for improving, providing, distributing, accounting for, and caring for instructional materials and other instructional aids as will result in general improvement of the district school system, as prescribed in this part, in accordance with adopted district school board rules prescribing the duties and responsibilities of the district school superintendent regarding the requisition, purchase, receipt, storage, distribution, use, conservation, records, and reports of, and management practices and property accountability concerning, instructional materials, and providing for an evaluation of any instructional materials to be requisitioned that have not been used previously in the district’s schools. The district school superintendent must keep adequate records and accounts for all financial transactions for funds collected pursuant to subsection (4).

(b) Each district school superintendent shall notify the department by April 1 of each year the state-adopted instructional materials that will be requisitioned for use in his or her school district. The notification shall include a district school board plan for instructional materials use to assist in determining if adequate instructional materials have been requisitioned.

(4) SCHOOL PRINCIPAL.—The school principal has the following duties for the management and care of instructional materials at the school:

(a) Proper use of instructional materials.—The principal shall assure that instructional materials are used to provide instruction to students enrolled at the grade level or levels for which the materials are designed, pursuant to adopted district school board rule. The school principal shall communicate to parents the manner in which instructional materials are used to implement the curricular objectives of the school.

(b) Money collected for lost or damaged instructional materials; enforcement.—The school principal shall collect from each student or the student’s parent the purchase price of any instructional material the student has lost, destroyed, or unnecessarily damaged and to report and transmit the money collected to the district school superintendent. The failure to collect such sum upon reasonable effort by the school principal may result in the suspension of the student from participation in extracurricular activities or satisfaction of the debt by the student through community service activities at the school site as determined by the school principal, pursuant to policies adopted by district school board rule.

(c) Sale of instructional materials.—The school principal, upon request of the parent of a student in the school, shall sell to the parent any instructional materials used in the school. All such sales shall be made pursuant to rule adopted by the district school board, and the principal shall annually provide information to parents that they may purchase instructional materials and how to purchase the materials.

(d) Disposition of funds.—All money collected from the sale, exchange, loss, or damage of instructional materials shall be transmitted to the district school superintendent to be deposited in the district school board fund and added to the district appropriation for instructional materials.

(e) Accounting for instructional materials.—Principals shall see that all instructional materials are fully and properly accounted for as prescribed by adopted rules of the district school board.

History.—s. 303, ch. 2002-387; s. 18, ch. 2009-59; s. 1, ch. 2009-222; s. 17, ch. 2010-154; s. 18, ch. 2011-55; s. 1, ch. 2013-237; s. 1, ch. 2014-15; s. 60, ch. 2014-39; s. 2, ch. 2017-177.