SB 444 — Human Trafficking Awareness

Florida Senate - 2025 CS for SB 444 By Senatorthe AvilaAppropriations 39-01350B-25Committee 2025444__on APre-K bill- to12 beEducation; entitled An act relating to human trafficking awareness;

and Senators Avila, Collins, and Yarborough 602-03440-25 2025444c1 A bill to be entitled An act relating to human trafficking awareness;

requiring publicthe schoolsDepartment to designate a member of theEducation administrative personnel to provideidentify annuala trainingcurriculum regarding human trafficking awarenessawareness; to specified employees;

requiringspecifying employeesrequired whocomponents receiveof such training to submit an acknowledgment to the school;curriculum;

requiringauthorizing schoolsin-person toor keeponline thetraining; acknowledgments filed electronically;

requiring eachpublic schoolschools district to providerequire thethat curriculumcertain forpersonnel suchhave trainingreceived andcertain totraining; submit such curriculum to the Department of Education for approval;

providingrequiring requirementsschool foremployees theto acknowledge completion of training;

amending s.

1002.33, F.S.;

requiring charter schools to comply with requirements for human trafficking awareness training;

1006.481 Human trafficking awareness training.— (1) EachNo publiclater schoolthan December 1, 2025, the Department of Education shall designateidentify a memberfree oftraining thecurriculum administrativeregarding personnelhuman astrafficking definedawareness, inwhich s.must include all of the following:

1012.01(3) to provide annual training regarding human trafficking awareness to instructional personnel as defined in s.

1012.01(2), other administrative personnel, school nurses and school doctors as identified in s.

1012.01(6), and any other personnel deemed by the designated administrative personnel member to have regular contact with students.

Such training must also be provided for new employees in such positions within 90 days after they begin Page 1 of 2 CODING:

Words stricken are deletions;

words underlined are additions.

Florida Senate - 2025 SB 444 39-01350B-25 2025444__ their employment.

Each employee must submit to the school- designated member of the administrative personnel a signed and dated acknowledgment of having received the training.

The school shall keep such acknowledgment filed electronically.

(2) Each school district shall provide to the designated administrative personnel a comprehensive training curriculum for the annual training described in subsection (1).

Such curriculum must be submitted to the Department of Education for approval and must include all of the following:

(c) Guidance concerning the role of employees of the public schoolPage system1 inof reporting3 andCODING: responding to suspected human trafficking.

(d)Words Astricken protocolare fordeletions; reporting suspected human trafficking which must require that suspicion of human trafficking of a child be reported to the Department of Children and Families or the Florida Human Trafficking Hotline at either entity’s designated telephone number.

words underlined are additions.

Florida Senate - 2025 CS for SB 444 602-03440-25 2025444c1 school system in reporting and responding to suspected human trafficking.

(d) A protocol for reporting suspected human trafficking, which must require that suspicion of human trafficking of a child be reported to the Department of Children and Families or the Florida Human Trafficking Hotline at either entity’s designated telephone number.

(2) The training curriculum may be conducted either in- person or online.

(3) Each public school shall require that all instructional personnel under s.

1012.01(2), administrative personnel under s.

1012.01(3)(c), and educational support personnel under s.

1012.01(6) who have contact with students must have received training on human trafficking awareness.

Each employee must submit to the school an acknowledgment of having received the training, which must be retained by the school.

Paragraph (b) of subsection (16) of section 1002.33, Florida Statutes, is amended to read:

1002.33 Charter schools.— (16) EXEMPTION FROM STATUTES.— (b) Additionally, a charter school shall be in compliance with the following statutes:

1.

Section 286.011, relating to public meetings and records, public inspection, and criminal and civil penalties.

2.

Chapter 119, relating to public records.

3.