SB 1618 Florida Senate · 2025 Regular Session

Education

Summary

Education; Deleting the Florida School for Competitive Academics from the list of entities subject to certain audit requirements; authorizing the Office of Program Policy Analysis and Government Accountability to develop contracts or agreements with institutions in the State University System for a specified purpose; requiring the department to take into account underrepresented groups in administering the apprenticeship training program, rather than minority and gender diversity; changing the term “gender” to “sex”; deleting a provision requiring the Commissioner of Education to determine whether school districts have maximized efforts to include minority persons and persons of lower socioeconomic status on their school advisory councils, etc.

Issues: ✓ Education

Bill status in committee 1 of 4 stages cleared

Introduction

Mar 2025

Committee Review

Floor Vote

Governor

Introduced Mar 4, 2025 Last action Apr 30, 2025

Maddy AI version diff · 2 comparisons

What changed between versions

S 1618 c1 → S 1618 c2 · 13 edits

MAJOR

SB 1618 was amended to expand its scope beyond pre-K-12 education to include broader education provisions, modify several existing statutes, and remove the Florida School for Competitive Academics from various audit, classification, and oversight requirements. The bill also introduces new provisions related to apprenticeship programs, student-led organizations, and educational equity initiatives.

Scope change

The bill's scope expanded from primarily pre-K-12 education to include postsecondary education provisions, apprenticeship programs, and broader educational equity measures. Several sections were added or modified to address college and university systems, financial aid, and institutional governance.

ELIGIBILITY

Removed the Florida School for Competitive Academics from audit requirements, classification/pay plans, public employer definitions, and Inspector General oversight duties.

Changed language regarding underrepresented groups in apprenticeship programs from 'minority and gender diversity' to 'underrepresented groups' and changed 'gender' to 'sex' in multiple sections.

Renamed Hillsborough Community College to Hillsborough College in the Florida College System.

Expanded the Florida Partnership for Underrepresented Student Achievement to focus on all underrepresented students regardless of minority status.

REQUIREMENT

Added prohibition on public schools and charter schools using funds to purchase membership in or services from organizations that discriminate based on race, color, national origin, sex, disability, or religion.

Created new section 1001.68 authorizing Florida College System institutions with 5,000 or fewer full-time equivalent students to form regional consortium service organizations.

Renamed the Florida Educational Equity Act to the Florida Educational Equality Act and expanded requirements for public schools to increase participation of underrepresented students regardless of minority status.

Added new section 1001.325 prohibiting public schools and charter schools from using funds to support programs that violate anti-discrimination laws or engage in political/social activism.

Added Classic Learning Test scores as an option for preeminent state research university program standards alongside SAT and ACT scores.

Added requirements for financial literacy instruction in high school graduation requirements.

Modified emergency opioid antagonist provisions to allow schools to purchase various FDA-approved opioids antagonists, not just naloxone.

Repealed section 1008.2125 relating to the Council for Early Grade Success.

Modified the Florida Partnership for Minority and Underrepresented Student Achievement to remove focus on minority status and expand to all underrepresented students.

S 1618 Filed → S 1618 c1 · 8 edits

MODERATE

This bill removes the Florida School for Competitive Academics from various state oversight, audit, and funding requirements, while simultaneously adding new restrictions on public school spending for discriminatory organizations and prohibiting certain political or social activism programs. The legislation also introduces new requirements for parental consent before corporal punishment, expands financial literacy education, and modifies educator certification standards to include alternative pathways like the ABCTE certification.

Scope change

The bill significantly narrows the scope of state oversight by removing the Florida School for Competitive Academics from audit requirements, public employer definitions, and various scholarship prohibitions that previously applied to it.

OVERSIGHT

Removed the Florida School for Competitive Academics from annual and operational audit requirements, removing it from the definition of a public employer, and deleting it from the components of Florida's Early Learning-20 education system.

Repealed sections relating to legislative budget requests and funds for the Florida School for Competitive Academics.

REQUIREMENT

Prohibited public schools, charter schools, and school districts from using funds to purchase membership in or services from organizations that discriminate based on race, color, national origin, sex, disability, or religion.

Prohibited public schools and charter schools from using state or federal funds to promote, support, or maintain programs that violate s. 1000.05 or advocate political or social activism as defined by the State Board of Education.

Added a requirement that district school board policies authorizing corporal punishment must include parental consent before administration, with consent required either for the school year or before each administration.

Added one-half credit requirement in personal financial literacy and money management for students entering grade 9 in the 2023-2024 school year.

Added requirements for intensive reading interventions to be supervised by individuals certified or endorsed in reading, with a specific definition of supervision including telecommunication or in-person consultation.

ELIGIBILITY

Added the American Board for Certification of Teacher Excellence (ABCTE) as an acceptable means of demonstrating mastery of general knowledge for educator certification.

Floor votes

How they voted

No floor votes recorded yet.

Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions

Key actions

Committee

Apr 10, 2025

Upper · Passed

Pending reference review -under Rule 4.7(2) - (Committee Substitute)

upper

Apr 3, 2025

Upper · Passed

On Committee agenda-- Fiscal Policy, 04/08/25, 2:00 pm, 412 Knott Building

upper

Mar 27, 2025

Upper · Passed

Pending reference review under Rule 4.7(2) - (Committee Substitute)

upper

Mar 24, 2025

Upper · Passed

CS by Appropriations Committee on Pre-K - 12 Education; YEAS 8 NAYS 0

upper

Mar 19, 2025

Upper · Passed

On Committee agenda-- Appropriations Committee on Pre-K - 12 Education, 03/24/25, 1:30 pm, 37 Senate Building

upper

Mar 12, 2025

Upper · Passed

Now in Appropriations Committee on Pre-K - 12 Education

upper

Mar 11, 2025

Upper · Passed

Favorable by Education Pre-K - 12; YEAS 9 NAYS 0

upper

Mar 6, 2025

Upper · Passed

On Committee agenda-- Education Pre-K - 12, 03/11/25, 4:00 pm, 412 Knott Building

upper

Mar 4, 2025

Introduced

upper

Feb 28, 2025

Committee

Referred to Education Pre-K - 12; Appropriations Committee on Pre-K - 12 Education; Fiscal Policy

upper

1 primary · 0 co-sponsors