Florida HB 1429: Student Elopement

Bill Text

HB 1429 2023

CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
hb1429-00
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F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S

A bill to be entitled 1
An act relating to student elopement; creating s. 2
1003.211, F.S.; providing definitions; requiring 3
public schools to create a School Staff Assistance for 4
Emergencies (SAFE) Team and a school elopement plan; 5
providing for membership and responsibilities of the 6
team; providing requirements for the plan; requiring 7
the team to create student-specific elopement quick 8
reference guides for certain students; providing 9
requirements for such guides; requiring public schools 10
to annually submit their plans to the district school 11
board; authorizing the State Board of Education to 12
adopt rules; providing an effective date. 13
14
Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: 15
16
Section 1. Section 1003.211, Florida Statutes, is created 17
to read: 18
1003.211 School elopement plans.— 19
(1) For purposes of this section, the term: 20
(a) "Disability" means, for a student in kindergarten 21
through grade 12, autism spectrum disorder, as defined in the 22
Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth 23
Edition, published by the American Psychiatric Association, or 24
an intellectual disability, as defined in s. 393.063. 25

HB 1429 2023

CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
hb1429-00
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F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S

(b) "Elopement" means when a student with disabilities 26
wanders away, walks away, runs away, escapes, or otherwise 27
leaves the supervision of school staff or leaves school grounds 28
unsupervised or unnoticed before the end of his or her scheduled 29
school day. 30
(2) To ensure the safety of students with disabilities at 31
risk of elopement, each public school shall create a School 32
Staff Assistance for Emergencies (SAFE) Team and a school 33
elopement plan. 34
(3) The school principal and assistant principal shall 35
serve on the SAFE Team and the school principal shall appoint at 36
least five other members to serve on the team. The SAFE Team 37
shall: 38
(a) Create and annually update the school elopement plan 39
and respond to all elopements. 40
(b) Provide training to all school personnel to 41
familiarize such personnel with the school elopement plan and 42
all necessary procedures, including, but not limited to, the 43
search grid established pursuant to paragraph (4)(a) and any 44
responsibilities of such personnel if an elopement occurs. 45
(4) In developing the school elopement plan, the SAFE Team 46
must include all of the following: 47
(a) A search grid of the school campus and surrounding 48
areas. The search grid must include all bodies of water, 49
intersections, train tracks and stations, parks, playgrounds, 50

HB 1429 2023

CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
hb1429-00
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F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S

and other features that may present a greater risk for students 51
with disabilities at risk of elopement. 52
(b) Procedures for school personnel to notify school 53
administrators if a student with disabilities elopes and 54
procedures for school personnel to immediately begin searching 55
for such student. Such procedures must specify that upon 56
notification of an elopement, the SAFE Team must notify the 57
school resource officer or school safety officer and local law 58
enforcement. 59
(c) Procedures for a coordinated response to an elopement, 60
including, but not limited to, announcing a Code Gray, which 61
will alert all school personnel to the elopement, and 62
immediately contacting the student's parent. 63
(d) The names, positions, and contact information for all 64
members of the SAFE Team. 65
(e) Other information or procedures that the SAFE Team, 66
district school board, or State Board of Education deems 67
necessary. 68
(5)(a) If a student with disabilities is prone to 69
elopement, the SAFE Team, in coordination with the student's 70
parent, must create a student-specific elopement quick reference 71
guide. Such elopement quick reference guide must include all of 72
the following: 73
1. The student's identifying information. 74
2. A current photograph of the student. 75

HB 1429 2023

CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
hb1429-00
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F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S

3. The student's level of communication. 76
4. A list of the student's interests, behaviors, 77
preferences, and aversions. 78
5. Any health considerations for the student. 79
6. A list of any GPS technology that could be used to help 80
locate the student. 81
7. A list of possible locations where the student may go 82
within the search grid. 83
(b) The SAFE Team must distribute a student's elopement 84
quick reference guide to the student's parent and all relevant