Florida SB 206: Students with Autism Spectrum Disorder

Bill Text

206 
Students with Autism Spectrum Disorder 
2026-01-14T08:23:37Z 
Requiring certain program participants at educator preparation institutes to complete the autism micro-credential; requiring each educator preparation institute to offer training on teaching students with certain disabilities; creating the Autism Educator Loan Forgiveness Program; providing requirements for teachers to receive an annual payment; revising core curricula for teacher preparation programs, etc. 
Committee Substitute 1 
2026 
S 
2026-07-01T00:00:00Z 
GB 
General Bill 
c1 

 Florida Senate - 2026 CS for SB 206 

 By the Committee on Education Pre-K - 12; and Senator Harrell 

 581-01914-26 2026206c1 
 1 A bill to be entitled 
 2 An act relating to students with autism spectrum 
 3 disorder; amending s. 1004.85, F.S.; requiring certain 
 4 program participants at educator preparation 
 5 institutes to complete the autism micro-credential; 
 6 requiring each educator preparation institute to offer 
 7 training on teaching students with certain 
 8 disabilities; creating s. 1009.636, F.S.; providing 
 9 legislative findings; creating the Autism Educator 
 10 Loan Forgiveness Program; providing eligibility 
 11 requirements; providing criteria for loan repayment 
 12 assistance; providing requirements for teachers to 
 13 receive an annual payment; requiring the State Board 
 14 of Education to adopt rules; amending s. 1012.22, 
 15 F.S.; revising salary supplements a district school 
 16 board must provide; revising which district school 
 17 board duties collective bargaining may not preclude; 
 18 amending s. 1012.551, F.S.; revising core curricula 
 19 for teacher preparation programs; requiring a teacher 
 20 preparation program to include the autism micro 
 21 credential; amending s. 1012.552, F.S.; providing that 
 22 the Coaching for Educator Readiness and Teaching 
 23 Certification Program must include completion of the 
 24 autism micro-credential; amending s. 1012.585, F.S.; 
 25 revising requirements for the renewal of a 
 26 professional certificate; amending s. 1012.586, F.S.; 
 27 providing that personnel certified in exceptional 
 28 student education who complete the Autism Spectrum 
 29 Disorder Endorsement are eligible for a stipend; 
 30 amending s. 1012.98, F.S.; requiring a professional 
 31 learning system to provide at least one autism 
 32 specific professional development opportunity; 
 33 providing requirements for the professional 
 34 development; providing an effective date. 
 35 
 36 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: 
 37 
 38 Section 1. Paragraph (b) of subsection (3) of section 
 39 1004.85, Florida Statutes, is amended, and subsection (9) is 
 40 added to that section, to read: 
 41 1004.85 Postsecondary educator preparation institutes.— 
 42 (3) Educator preparation institutes approved pursuant to 
 43 this section may offer competency-based certification programs 
 44 specifically designed for noneducation major baccalaureate 
 45 degree holders to enable program participants to meet the 
 46 educator certification requirements of s. 1012.56. An educator 
 47 preparation institute choosing to offer a competency-based 
 48 certification program pursuant to the provisions of this section 
 49 must implement a program developed by the institute and approved 
 50 by the department for this purpose. Approved programs shall be 
 51 available for use by other approved educator preparation 
 52 institutes. 
 53 (b) Each program participant must: 
 54 1. Meet certification requirements pursuant to s. 
 55 1012.56(1) by obtaining a statement of status of eligibility in 
 56 the certification subject area of the educational plan and meet 
 57 the requirements of s. 1012.56(2)(a)-(f) before participating in 
 58 field experiences. 
 59 2. Demonstrate competency and participate in field 
 60 experiences that are appropriate to his or her educational plan 
 61 prepared under paragraph (a). Beginning with candidates entering 
 62 an educator preparation institute in the 2022-2023 school year, 
 63 a candidate for certification in a coverage area identified 
 64 pursuant to s. 1012.585(3)(f) must successfully complete all 
 65 competencies for a reading endorsement, including completion of 
 66 the endorsement practicum through the candidate’s field 
 67 experience, in order to graduate from the program. 
 68 3. Before completion of the program, fully demonstrate his 
 69 or her ability to teach the subject area for which he or she is 
 70 seeking certification by documenting a positive impact on 
 71 student learning growth in a prekindergarten through grade 12 
 72 setting and, except as provided in s. 1012.56(7)(a)3., achieving 
 73 a passing score on the professional education competency 
 74 examination, the basic skills examination, and the subject area 
 75 examination for the subject area certification which is required 
 76 by state board rule. 
 77 4. For each participant who is c