Florida SB 72: Civil Liability for Damages Relating to COVID-19

Bill Text

72 
Individual Education Plans 
2025-09-24T04:36:33Z 
Requiring a school district to complete an evaluation to determine if a student is eligible for an individualized education plan (IEP) within a specified timeframe; providing that a parent or guardian has the right to request provider logs or notes within a specified timeframe; requiring each school district to provide an individualized orientation to each parent or guardian of a student newly identified to be eligible for exceptional student education services, etc. 
Original Filed Version 
2026 
S 
2026-07-01T00:00:00Z 
GB 
General Bill 
__ 

 Florida Senate - 2026 SB 72 

 By Senator Harrell 

 31-00334-26 202672__ 
 1 A bill to be entitled 
 2 An act relating to individual education plans; 
 3 amending s. 1003.5716, F.S.; requiring a school 
 4 district to complete an evaluation to determine if a 
 5 student is eligible for an individualized education 
 6 plan (IEP) within a specified timeframe; requiring an 
 7 IEP team meeting to be convened within a specified 
 8 timeframe; requiring a school district to take 
 9 specified actions if a related service identified in a 
 10 student’s IEP is not provided; providing that a parent 
 11 or guardian has the right to request provider logs or 
 12 notes within a specified timeframe; requiring the 
 13 school district to inform parents of such right; 
 14 creating s. 1003.5718, F.S.; requiring each school 
 15 district to provide an individualized orientation to 
 16 each parent or guardian of a student newly identified 
 17 to be eligible for exceptional student education 
 18 services; providing requirements for the orientation; 
 19 requiring the school district to obtain a signed 
 20 acknowledgement from each parent or guardian; 
 21 requiring that annual refresher orientations be 
 22 offered and documented; requiring that certain 
 23 information be retained in a student’s education 
 24 records; providing an effective date. 
 25 
 26 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: 
 27 
 28 Section 1. Subsection (5) is added to section 1003.5716, 
 29 Florida Statutes, to read: 
 30 1003.5716 Transition to postsecondary education and career 
 31 opportunities.—All students with disabilities who are 3 years of 
 32 age to 21 years of age have the right to a free, appropriate 
 33 public education. As used in this section, the term “IEP” means 
 34 individual education plan. 
 35 (5)(a) Within 60 calendar days after receiving parental 
 36 consent, a school district must complete an initial evaluation 
 37 to determine whether a student is eligible for an IEP. The 
 38 school district must convene an IEP team meeting within 30 
 39 calendar days after eligibility is determined. 
 40 (b) If a related service identified in a student’s IEP is 
 41 not provided as scheduled, the school district must notify the 
 42 parent or guardian in writing within 5 school days, explain the 
 43 reason the service was not provided, and provide a written plan 
 44 for make-up services. 
 45 (c) A parent or guardian has the right to access, upon 
 46 request, all service provider logs or progress notes within 15 
 47 school days after such service is provided. The school district 
 48 must inform parents of this right at each IEP meeting. 
 49 Section 2. Section 1003.5718, Florida Statutes, is created 
 50 to read: 
 51 1003.5718 Parental education, enforcement, and IEP 
 52 transition requirements.— 
 53 (1) Each school district shall provide an individualized 
 54 orientation to the parent or guardian of a student newly 
 55 identified to be eligible for exceptional student education 
 56 services. The orientation must include all of the following: 
 57 (a) An overview of procedural safeguards. 
 58 (b) Parental rights and responsibilities. 
 59 (c) Instructions on accessing and reviewing service logs. 
 60 (d) Instructions on filing complaints with the Department 
 61 of Education. 
 62 (2) The school district must obtain a signed acknowledgment 
 63 from the parent or guardian confirming receipt of the 
 64 orientation in a format the parent understands. Annual refresher 
 65 orientations must be offered and documented. All acknowledgment 
 66 forms must be retained in the student’s education records. 
 67 Section 3. This act shall take effect July 1, 2026.