TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WDNews) – Florida public schools with policies allowing corporal punishment will now be required to obtain parental consent before administering it, under new legislation signed into law.
HB1255 directs district school boards to include a consent requirement in their corporal punishment policies, either for the entire school year or before each incident. Policies must be reviewed every three years during a public school board meeting, with testimony allowed from the public.
If the review is not conducted as required, the policy’s corporal punishment provision will expire. Under existing rules, corporal punishment in Florida schools can only be administered by a teacher or principal, with another adult present and informed of the reason in the student’s presence.
Parents may request a written explanation of the incident. Charter schools are also required to comply with the corporal punishment provisions.
