FSBA Legislative Update Week of Febuary 2-6, 2026 | Session Week 4
We’re about halfway through the scheduled legislative session. How are you feeling? The most consequential developments from this week center on school board transparency and governance, school district property inventories, education omnibus legislation, public employee labor relations, and teacher compensation.
Bill-related news
Here are just a few of the key bills working their way through session; please remember that the tracker below has the full scope of bills we’re actively tracking.
Passed and Sent to Senate:
- HB 127 (Cursive Writing) – Requires cursive instruction and proficiency by a specified grade. Passed House unanimously (111-0).
- HB 453 (High School Diploma Requirements) – Allows marching band to satisfy PE and performing arts requirements; Special Olympics participation for PE credit. Passed House unanimously (111-0).
- HB 583 (Religious Expression Constitutional Amendment) – Proposes constitutional protection for religious expression in schools. Passed House 93-17.
Moving Through Multiple Committees:
- HB 615 (Individual Education Plans) – Strengthens IEP requirements, including parental access to service logs, standardized logs, and mandatory orientation for parents of newly eligible ESE students. Passed Education Administration 15-0, moving to final committee.
- HB 423 (Student Elopement) – Requires public schools to establish SAFE Teams and elopement plans for students with disabilities. Passed 15-0.
- HB 1253/SB 178 (Coach Assistance to Student Athletes) – Authorizes head coaches to use personal funds for student welfare (food, transportation, recovery) with reporting requirements. Both passed unanimously.
School Facilities/Charter Schools:
- HB 1147/SB 824 (Unimproved Property Inventory) – Requires annual inventory of unimproved district property to be published online by DOE. Both versions advancing. Remember that this bill was originally very expansive; among its provisions was the requirement to award charter schools the vacant land held by the district. While the current bill has lost that provision, it is important to note that it is likely coming back again in the future with the data that they collect on unused land.
- HB 833 (Private School Facilities) – Allows certain private schools to operate as a permitted use in specific zoning districts and in facilities meeting modified standards under the Florida Fire Prevention Code, rather than requiring full compliance with traditional educational facility requirements. Passed Education Administration 13-3. Passed Education Administration 13-3.
Governance:
- HB 1073 (School Districts – Koster) – Grants board members specified rights regarding documents and budget; requires full line-item budgets online; prohibits mandatory NDAs for employees. Passed Education & Employment 17-0, on 2nd reading. It is the companion to Senator Leek’s SB 1620; SB 1620 is expected to be heard next week.
There are many, many bills that we are tracking. In fact, as of Week 4, the Legislature has filed 783 general House bills, 49 local House bills, and 18 joint resolutions. The Senate has filed 803 general bills and 12 joint resolutions. If your head isn’t spinning yet, you haven’t spent enough time with the bills! Thank you all for everything you do, I am hopeful that we can accomplish more with what time remains to us this session.
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.
Joe McGehee
Director of Advocacy and Legislative Services
850-933-1103 | mcgehee@fsba.org
