(1) The Department of Education shall serve as the lead agency for juvenile justice education programs, curriculum, support services, and resources. To this end, the Department of Education and the Department of Juvenile Justice shall each designate a Coordinator for Juvenile Justice Education Programs to serve as the point of contact for resolving issues not addressed by district school boards and to provide each department’s participation in the following activities:(a) Training, collaborating, and coordinating with district school boards, local workforce development boards, educational contract providers, and juvenile justice providers, whether state operated or contracted.
(b) Collecting information on the academic, career and technical education, and transition performance of students in juvenile justice programs and reporting on the results.
(c) Developing academic and career and technical education protocols that provide guidance to district school boards and juvenile justice education providers in all aspects of education programming, including records transfer and transition.
Annually, a cooperative agreement and plan for juvenile justice education service enhancement shall be developed between the Department of Juvenile Justice and the Department of Education and submitted to the Secretary of Juvenile Justice and the Commissioner of Education by June 30. The plan shall include, at a minimum, each agency’s role regarding educational program accountability, technical assistance, training, and coordination of services.
(2) Students participating in Department of Juvenile Justice education programs pursuant to chapter 985 which are sponsored by a community-based agency or are operated or contracted for by the Department of Juvenile Justice shall receive education programs according to rules of the State Board of Education. These students shall be eligible for services afforded to students enrolled in programs pursuant to s. 1003.53 and all corresponding State Board of Education rules. (3) The district school board of the county in which the juvenile justice education prevention, day treatment, or detention program is located shall provide or contract for appropriate educational assessments and an appropriate program of instruction and special education services.(a) All contracts between a district school board desiring to contract directly with juvenile justice education programs to provide academic instruction for students in such programs must be in writing and reviewed by the Department of Juvenile Justice. Unless both parties agree to an extension of time, the district school board and the juvenile justice education program shall negotiate and execute a new or renewal contract within 40 days after the district school board provides the proposal to the juvenile justice education program. The Department of Education shall provide mediation services for any disputes relating to this paragraph.
(b) District school boards shall satisfy invoices issued by juvenile justice education programs within 15 working days after receipt. If a district school board does not timely issue a warrant for payment, it must pay to the juvenile justice education program interest at a rate of 1 percent per month, calculated on a daily basis, on the unpaid balance until such time as a warrant is issued for the invoice and accrued interest amount. The district school board may not delay payment to a juvenile justice education program of any portion of funds owed pending the district’s receipt of local funds.
(c) The district school board shall make provisions for each student to participate in basic career and technical education and exceptional student programs, as appropriate. Students served in Department of Juvenile Justice education programs shall have access to the appropriate courses and instruction to prepare them for the high school equivalency examination. Students participating in high school equivalency examination preparation programs shall be funded at the basic program cost factor for Department of Juvenile Justice programs in the Florida Education Finance Program. Each program shall be conducted according to applicable law providing for the operation of public schools and rules of the State Board of Education. School districts shall provide the high school equivalency examination exit option for all juvenile justice education programs, except for residential programs operated under s. 985.619. (d) The district school board shall select appropriate academic and career assessments to be administered at the time of program entry and exit for the purpose of developing goals for education transition plans, progress monitoring plans, individual education plans, as applicable, and federal reporting, as applicable.
(4) Educational services shall be provided at times of the day most appropriate for the juvenile justice program. School programming in juvenile justice detention, prevention, or day treatment programs shall be made available by the local school district during the juvenile justice school year, as provided in s. 1003.01(14). In addition, students in juvenile justice education programs shall have access to courses offered pursuant to ss. 1002.37, 1002.45, and 1003.498. The Department of Education and the school districts shall adopt policies necessary to provide such access. (5) The educational program shall provide instruction based on each student’s individualized transition plan, assessed educational needs, and the education programs available in the school district in which the student will return. Depending on the student’s needs, educational programming may consist of remedial courses, academic courses required for grade advancement, career and technical education, high school equivalency examination preparation, or exceptional student education curricula and related services which support the transition goals and reentry and which may lead to completion of the requirements for receipt of a high school diploma or its equivalent. Prevention and day treatment juvenile justice education programs, at a minimum, shall provide career readiness and exploration opportunities as well as truancy and dropout prevention intervention services.
(6) Participation in the program by students of compulsory school-attendance age as provided for in s. 1003.21 shall be mandatory. All students of noncompulsory school-attendance age who have not received a high school diploma or its equivalent shall participate in the educational program, unless the student files a formal declaration of his or her intent to terminate school enrollment as described in s. 1003.21 and is afforded the opportunity to take the high school equivalency examination and attain a Florida high school diploma before release from a juvenile justice education program. A student who has received a high school diploma or its equivalent and is not employed shall participate in workforce development or Florida College System institution or university courses while in the program, subject to available funding. (7) An individualized progress monitoring plan shall be developed for all students upon entry in a juvenile justice education program and upon reentry in the school district. These plans shall address academic, literacy, and career and technical skills and shall include provisions for intensive remedial instruction in the areas of weakness.
(8) Each district school board shall maintain an academic record for each student enrolled in a juvenile justice education program as prescribed by s. 1003.51. Such record shall delineate each course completed by the student according to procedures in the State Course Code Directory. The district school board shall include a copy of a student’s academic record in the discharge packet when the student exits the program. (9) Each district school board shall make provisions for high school level students to earn credits toward high school graduation while in juvenile justice detention, prevention, or day treatment programs. Provisions must be made for the transfer of credits and partial credits earned.
(10) School districts and juvenile justice education providers shall develop individualized transition plans during the course of a student’s stay in a juvenile justice education program to coordinate academic, career and technical, and secondary and postsecondary services that assist the student in successful community reintegration upon release. Development of the transition plan shall be a collaboration of the personnel in the juvenile justice education program, reentry personnel, personnel from the school district where the student will return, the student, the student’s family, and the Department of Juvenile Justice.(a) Transition planning must begin upon a student’s placement in the program. The transition plan must include, at a minimum:1. Services and interventions that address the student’s assessed educational needs and postrelease education plans.
2. Services to be provided during the program stay and services to be implemented upon release, including, but not limited to, continuing education in secondary school, career and technical education, postsecondary education, or employment, based on the student’s needs.
3. Specific monitoring responsibilities to determine whether the individualized transition plan is being implemented and the student is provided access to support services that will sustain the student’s success by individuals who are responsible for the reintegration and coordination of these activities.
(b) For the purpose of transition planning and reentry services, representatives from the school district and the one-stop center where the student will return shall participate as members of the local Department of Juvenile Justice reentry teams. The school district, upon return of a student from a juvenile justice education program, must consider the individual needs and circumstances of the student and the transition plan recommendations when reenrolling a student in a public school. A local school district may not maintain a standardized policy for all students returning from a juvenile justice program but place students based on their needs and their performance in the juvenile justice education program, including any virtual education options.
(c) The Department of Education and the Department of Juvenile Justice shall provide oversight and guidance to school districts, education providers, and reentry personnel on how to implement effective educational transition planning and services.
(11) The district school board shall recruit and train teachers who are qualified in educating students in juvenile justice programs. Students in juvenile justice programs shall be provided a wide range of education programs and opportunities, including instructional materials, technology, instructional support, and resources commensurate with resources provided to students in public schools, including instructional materials and access to technology. If the district school board operates a juvenile justice education program at a juvenile justice facility, the district school board, in consultation with the director of the juvenile justice facility, shall select the instructional personnel assigned to that program. The Secretary of Juvenile Justice or the director of a juvenile justice program may request that the performance of a teacher assigned by the district to a juvenile justice education program be reviewed by the district and that the teacher be reassigned based upon an evaluation conducted pursuant to s. 1012.34 or for inappropriate behavior. Juvenile justice education programs shall have access to the substitute teacher pool used by the district school board. (12) District school boards may contract with a private provider for the provision of education programs to students placed in juvenile justice detention, prevention, or day treatment programs with the Department of Juvenile Justice and shall generate local, state, and federal funding, including funding through the Florida Education Finance Program for such students. The district school board’s planning and budgeting process shall include the needs of Department of Juvenile Justice education programs in the district school board’s plan for expenditures for state categorical and federal funds.
(13)(a) Eligible students enrolled in juvenile justice detention, prevention, or day treatment education programs shall be funded the same as students enrolled in traditional public schools funded in the Florida Education Finance Program and as specified in s. 1011.62 and the General Appropriations Act. (b) Juvenile justice education programs to receive the appropriate FEFP funding for Department of Juvenile Justice education programs shall include those operated through a contract with the Department of Juvenile Justice.
(c) Consistent with the rules of the State Board of Education, district school boards shall request an alternative FTE survey for Department of Juvenile Justice education programs experiencing fluctuations in student enrollment.
(d) FTE count periods shall be prescribed in rules of the State Board of Education and shall be the same for programs of the Department of Juvenile Justice as for other public school programs. The summer school period for students in Department of Juvenile Justice education programs shall begin on the day immediately following the end of the regular school year and end on the day immediately preceding the subsequent regular school year. Students shall be funded for no more than 25 hours per week of direct instruction.
(e) Each juvenile justice education program must receive all federal funds for which the program is eligible.
(14) Each district school board shall negotiate a cooperative agreement with the Department of Juvenile Justice on the delivery of educational services to students in juvenile justice detention, prevention, or day treatment programs under the jurisdiction of the Department of Juvenile Justice. Such agreement must include, but is not limited to:(a) Roles and responsibilities of each agency, including the roles and responsibilities of contract providers.
(b) Administrative issues including procedures for sharing information.
(c) Allocation of resources including maximization of local, state, and federal funding.
(d) Procedures for educational evaluation for educational exceptionalities and special needs.
(e) Curriculum and delivery of instruction.
(f) Classroom management procedures and attendance policies.
(g) Procedures for provision of qualified instructional personnel, whether supplied by the district school board or provided under contract by the provider, and for performance of duties while in a juvenile justice setting.
(h) Provisions for improving skills in teaching and working with students referred to juvenile justice education programs.
(i) Transition plans for students moving into and out of juvenile justice education programs.
(j) Procedures and timelines for the timely documentation of credits earned and transfer of student records.
(k) Methods and procedures for dispute resolution.
(l) Provisions for ensuring the safety of education personnel and support for the agreed-upon education program.
(m) Strategies for correcting any deficiencies found through the alternative school improvement rating and student performance measures.
(n) Career and academic assessments selected by the district pursuant to paragraph (3)(d).
(15) Nothing in this section or in a cooperative agreement requires the district school board to provide more services than can be supported by the funds generated by students in the juvenile justice programs.
(16) The district school board shall not be charged any rent, maintenance, utilities, or overhead on such facilities. Maintenance, repairs, and remodeling of existing detention facilities shall be provided by the Department of Juvenile Justice.
(17) When additional facilities are required for juvenile justice detention, prevention, or day treatment programs, the district school board and the Department of Juvenile Justice shall agree on the appropriate site based on the instructional needs of the students. When the most appropriate site for instruction is on district school board property, a special capital outlay request shall be made by the commissioner in accordance with s. 1013.60. When the most appropriate site is on state property, state capital outlay funds shall be requested by the Department of Juvenile Justice provided by s. 216.043 and shall be submitted as specified by s. 216.023. Any instructional facility to be built on state property shall have educational specifications jointly developed by the district school board and the Department of Juvenile Justice and approved by the Department of Education. The size of space and occupant design capacity criteria as provided by State Board of Education rules shall be used for remodeling or new construction whether facilities are provided on state property or district school board property. (18) The parent of an exceptional student shall have the due process rights provided for in this chapter.
(19) The State Board of Education shall adopt rules necessary to implement this section. Such rules must require the minimum amount of paperwork and reporting.
