FSBA Legislative Update Week of March 2-6, 2026 | Session Week 8
Bills That Have Passed Both Chambers (Enrolled/Going to Governor)
- HB 0453 / SB 0556 — High School Diploma Requirement. Marching band (2 years) can satisfy both PE and performing arts credits. Students with disabilities may use Special Olympics participation to meet the PE requirement. Passed 36-0 in Senate; enrolled.
- HB 0561 / SB 1718 — Educator Preparation and Certification. Revises temporary certification criteria and reinstatement of subject area coverages; requires the Florida Center for Teaching Excellence to collaborate with the David C. Anchin Center. Passed 37-0 in Senate; enrolled.
- HB 1201 / SB 0186 — Student Health and Safety (Epilepsy). Updates seizure action plan requirements and training obligations for school employees. Training validity extended to 5 years. Passed 37-0 in Senate; enrolled.
- HB 0851 / SB 0206 — Professional Learning / Autism. Requires professional learning systems to provide at least one autism-specific opportunity annually. Passed 35-0 in Senate; going to House in returning messages.
Bills That Have Passed One Chamber and Are Moving in the Other
- HB 1503 — Computer Science Education and Certification (Passed Senate 33-0 today, 3/6). Requires AI instruction in high school computer science courses; creates separate computer science subject area coverages for K–12. Directly affects teacher certification and curriculum planning.
- SB 1340 — Coordinated Screening and Progress Monitoring (Passed Senate 34-0 today, 3/6). Adds requirements for districts when a student exhibits characteristics of dyslexia or dyscalculia, including mandatory further screening under certain circumstances. Adds district obligations in the ESE/student services space.
- HB 0615 — Individual Education Plans (Passed House 112-0; now in Senate). Significant IEP overhaul: parents gain right to access service logs within set timeframes; requires individualized orientations for newly identified ESE students; requires signed acknowledgment from parents; mandates standardized service logs. High administrative impact for districts.
- HB 0423 — Student Elopement (Passed House 106-0; now in Senate). Requires every public school to create a SAFE Team and a school elopement plan. Operational mandate for schools serving students with disabilities.
- HB 0753 / SB 1036 — School Counselors (Passed House 103-0; Senate placed on Special Order 3/6). Ties school counselor evaluations to specific professional standards; exempts counselor candidates from certain certification requirements while allowing districts to impose their own conditions. HR and evaluation policy impact.
Bills Still Moving Through Committees
- SB 1620 / HB 1073 — School Board Governance (Senate placed on Special Order 3/9). Provides individual board members with new rights to access district documents and budget information; prohibits requiring employees to sign NDAs or confidentiality agreements; requires full line-item budgets posted publicly.
- HB 1071 — Education Omnibus (Trabulsy) (In Senate Rules) A sweeping omnibus covering K–12 expenditures, charter schools, lab schools, epinephrine, VPK, school readiness, instructional materials, educator certifications, and SREF. Compared to SB 7036. Monitor closely — scope is very broad.
- SB 7036 — Education Omnibus (Senate PreK-12 Committee) (On Senate Calendar, 2nd reading). The Senate’s companion omnibus. Includes rulemaking exemptions for school boards, marching band diploma credits, agriculture instruction, and more. Compared to HB 1071.
- SB 0896 / HB 0757 — School Safety (Senate placed on Special Order 3/10). Expands guardian programs to postsecondary institutions; creates a new criminal offense for discharging a weapon within 1,000 feet of a school. Safety policy and potential fiscal impact for districts.
- SB 1296 — Public Employees Relations Commission (Amended on Senate floor; heading to 3rd reading 3/6). Significant collective bargaining changes: redefines financial urgency to include legislative salary appropriations directed to local governments; modifies election and decertification procedures. Direct impact on district labor relations.
Other Bills to Watch
- HB 0833 — Private School Facilities: Designates certain private schools as permitted uses in zoning districts statewide. Passed House 85-22 (the only significant “no” vote in this report). Potential land use tension with district facility planning.
- SB 0824 / HB 1147 — Unimproved Real Property Inventory: Requires annual district submission to DOE of unimproved property inventories. New reporting obligation; connects to Schools of Hope co-location context.
- SB 1646 — Educational Facilities: Revises the formula for remodeling/renovation/maintenance funding; requires prioritization for unsafe conditions. Facilities and capital outlay implications.Here you will find the weekly education reports, bill tracker, this week’s schedule, and a property tax report. Additionally, you may find recordings of the committee meetings and floor sessions here. As always, if you have any questions, comments, concerns, or you just feel the need to discuss how these proposed changes may impact your district, please do not hesitate to text, email, or call anytime.
Joe McGehee, Director of Advocacy and Legislative Services
850-933-1103 | mcgehee@fsba.org
