Tallahassee, FL — March 13, 2026 — The 2026 Florida legislative session ended without a budget as the House and Senate spending plans remained roughly $1.4 billion apart on the last day of the 60-day regular session. Lawmakers are expected to return to Tallahassee for a budget-focused special session in mid-April. Meanwhile, the House and Senate did agree on several education-related bills. Those bills (listed below) are Enrolled — which means they are on their way to the governor’s desk for his approval or veto. If signed by the governor, the bills will become law in July 2026.
SB 178 – Athletics in Public K-12 SchoolsÂ
Athletics in Public K-12 Schools; Requiring the Florida High School Athletic Association to adopt bylaws authorizing a head coach to support the welfare of a student by using personal funds to provide certain effects to the student; requiring the head coach to report such use of personal funds to the association; providing that such use of personal funds is presumed not to be an impermissible benefit, etc.
SB 182 – School Teacher Training and Mentoring ProgramÂ
Establishes the School Teacher Training and Mentoring Program within the Department of Education; providing the purpose of the program; authorizing school districts and charter schools to place certain classroom teachers as teacher mentors in specified schools for specified purposes; providing requirements for teacher mentors and mentees; authorizing teacher mentors to receive a stipend, etc.; allows small private schools (under 150 students) to operate in commercial spaces; requires patriotic portraits in classrooms.
HB 453 – Requirements for a Standard High School Diploma Â
Requirements for a Standard High School Diploma: Provides that completion of 2 years of marching band satisfies both physical education & performing arts requirements for a standard high school diploma & that students with disabilities may participate in Special Olympics to meet the physical education requirement for a standard high school diploma.
HB 561 – Educator Preparation and CertificationÂ
Educator Preparation and Certification: Revises provisions relating to educator preparation institutes, award of temporary educator certifications, & reinstatement & renewal of professional educator certificates; & revises requirements for the Florida Center for Teaching Excellence.
HB 753 – School Counselors Â
School Counselors: Requires evaluation criteria for certified school counselors to be based on specified standards; provides that persons seeking employment as school counselors are exempt from specified educator certification requirements; & provides that school districts may require such persons to meet certain requirements as a condition of employment.
HB 757 – School Safety Â
Requires sheriffs to assist public postsecondary educational institutions in implementing guardian programs under certain provisions; authorizes public postsecondary educational institutions to participate in the school guardian program; requires a sheriff to establish a guardian training program or contract with certain other sheriff’s offices to do so in certain circumstances; creates the offense of discharging a weapon or firearm within 1,000 feet of a school; provides that a person arrested for certain offenses must be held in custody until brought before the court for admittance to bail; ranks an offense created by the act on the offense severity ranking chart of the Criminal Punishment Code; authorizes the State Board of Education and the Board of Governors to adopt rules and regulations, respectively, etc.
SB 824 – School District Unimproved Real Property Â
School District Unimproved Real Property; Requiring school districts to annually submit complete inventories of unimproved real property owned by the district to the Department of Education; requiring the department to compile and publish such data in a statewide report, etc.
HB 851 – Professional Learning for Instructional and School Administrative Personnel Â
Professional Learning for Instructional and School Administrative Personnel: Requires certain professional learning systems to provide at least one autism-specific professional learning opportunity.
HB 1069 – Background Screenings Â
Revises definition of term “athletic coach”; provides that independent sanctioning authority is deemed to be qualified entity for purpose of participating in Care Provider Background Screening Clearinghouse; requires qualified entities to designate user administrator for specified purpose; prohibits certain persons from denying or failing to acknowledge certain criminal history records that have been expunged or sealed; requires FDLE to disclose sealed criminal history records.
SB 1070 –Electrocardiograms for Student Athletes, also known as the Second Chance ActÂ
Requires incoming 9th-grade student-athletes and 10th-12th graders new to high school sports to pass an electrocardiogram (ECG/EKG) before participating in any FHSAA-sanctioned athletic events.
HB 1073 – School Districts Â
Providing members of a district school board with specified rights; requiring that certain documents from district school board meetings be kept as public records; defining the term “good cause”; providing that a school district employee may not be required or incentivized to sign a nondisclosure agreement or confidentiality agreement; prohibiting a school district from imposing certain conditions on employment, etc.
HB 1201 — Epilepsy Training
House Bill 1201 clarifies that charter schools are also required to provide epilepsy and seizure disorder care and training, not just public schools. The bill also clarifies that any school employee whose duties include regular contact with a student who has a seizure/epilepsy disorder on file by an ISAP must complete training in the care for such students
HB 1279 – EducationÂ
Revises provisions relating to vocational rehabilitation services, dual enrollment, FCS institutions, state universities, & career centers.
HB 4027 – Hillsborough County Public SchoolsÂ
Provides for an elected superintendent of schools; requires a referendum.
The FCSA advocacy team, led by Ralph Arza, met with legislators to ensure our members’ needs were top of mind. Â For more information about the bill listed here or the advocacy team’s efforts, please contact an FCSA team member.
