Florida HB 859: Administrative Probation

Bill Text

CS/HB 859 2026

CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
hb859-01-c1
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A bill to be entitled 1
An act relating to exceptional students and video 2
cameras in public schools; amending s. 1003.574, F.S.; 3
deleting references to the Video Cameras in Public 4
School Classrooms Pilot Program; deleting an obsolete 5
definition; requiring a district school board to 6
establish a policy to provide video cameras in self-7
contained classrooms upon the request of a parent; 8
prohibiting a school or school district from 9
concealing the identity of an employee in a video 10
recording; providing that a video recording made 11
available after a request must include accompanying 12
audio; providing an effective date. 13
14
Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: 15
16
Section 1. Section 1003.574, Florida Statutes, is amended 17
to read: 18
1003.574 Video cameras in public school classrooms; pilot 19
program.—Beginning with the 2021-2022 school year, the Video 20
Cameras in Public School Classrooms Pilot Program is created for 21
a period of 3 school years. 22
(1) As used in this section, the term: 23
(a) "Incident" means an event, a circumstance, an act, or 24
an omission that results in the abuse or neglect of a student 25

CS/HB 859 2026

CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
hb859-01-c1
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by: 26
1. An employee of a public school or school district; or 27
2. Another student. 28
(b) "School district" means the Broward County Public 29
Schools. 30
(b)(c) "Self-contained classroom" means a classroom at a 31
public school in which a majority of the students in regular 32
attendance are provided special education services and are 33
assigned to one or more such classrooms for at least 50 percent 34
of the instructional day. 35
(2)(a) Each district school board shall establish a policy 36
to provide video cameras in self-contained classrooms upon the 37
request of a parent under paragraph (b). 38
(b)(a) A school district shall provide a video camera to 39
any school with a self-contained classroom upon the written 40
request of a parent of a student in the classroom. 41
(c)(b) Within 30 days after receipt of the request from a 42
parent, a video camera must shall be operational in each self-43
contained classroom in which the parent's student is in regular 44
attendance for the remainder of the school year, unless the 45
parent withdraws his or her request in writing. 46
(3) If the student who is the subject of the initial 47
request is no longer in attendance in the classroom and a school 48
discontinues operation of a video camera during a school year, 49
no later than the 5th school day before the date the operation 50

CS/HB 859 2026

CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
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of the video camera is discontinued, the school must notify the 51
parents of each student in regular attendance in the classroom 52
that operation of the video camera will cease unless the 53
continued use of the camera is requested by a parent. No later 54
than the 10th school day before the end of each school year, the 55
school must notify the parents of each student in regular 56
attendance in the classroom that operation of the video camera 57
will not continue during the following school year unless a 58
written request is submitted by a parent for the next school 59
year. 60
(4)(a) A video camera placed in a self-contained classroom 61
must be capable of all of the following: 62
1. Monitoring all areas of the self-contained classroom, 63
including, without limitation, any room attached to the self-64
contained classroom which is used for other purposes. 65
2. Recording audio from all areas of the self-contained 66
classroom, including, without limitation, any room attached to 67
the self-contained classroom which is used for other purposes. 68
(b) A video camera placed in a self-contained classroom 69
may not monitor a restroom or any other area in the self-70
contained classroom where a student changes his or her clothes, 71
except for the entryway, exitway, or hallway outside a restroom 72
or other area where a student changes his or her clothes because 73
of the layout of the self-contained classroom. 74
(c) A video camera placed in a self-contained classroom is 75

CS/HB 859 2026

CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
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not required to be in operation when students are not present in 76
the self-contained classroom. 77
(d) If there is an interruption in the operation of the 78
video camera for any reason, an explanation must be submitted in 79
writing to the school principal and the district school board