PRESENTING AT

HEALTHY SCHOOLS SUMMER ACADEMY

LaTasha Green-CobbVice President for Membership Development

Adapted from the Health & Wellness Legislative Briefing by Graham Rabinowitsch, VP for Educational Development

OUR VISION AND MISSION

Florida PTA believes in free, high-quality, and fair education for all children.

Florida PTA Vision Make every child’s potential a reality Florida PTA Mission Powerful voice for all childrenRelevant resource for families and communities, andStrong advocate for the education and well-being of every child 

OUR PURPOSES

Florida PTA Purposes

To promote the welfare of children & youth in the home, school, community, & place of worship

To raise the standard of home-life

To secure laws for the care & protection of children & youth

To bring into closer relation the home & the school, that parents & teachers may cooperate intelligently in the education of children & youth

To develop, between educators & the general public, such united efforts as will secure for all children & youth the highest advantages in physical, mental, social & spiritual education

POSITION STATEMENTS

CHILDREN’S MENTAL HEALTH (1992) (2012)

The Florida PTA urges the Legislature to fully fund a statewide comprehensive system of children’s substance abuse and mental health services that must include:

a. prevention programs which serve children in preschool programs and earlier;

b. in-school student assistance programs to provide short-term intervention;

c. access to individual, family and group counseling in convenient settings and times;

d. intensive home-based services which address the needs of families in their natural environment; and

e. residential treatment, including crisis stabilization, inpatient facilities, therapeutic group and foster homes and post-treatment services.

CLINIC ATTENDANTS (1991) (2012)REGISTERED NURSES FOR SCHOOLS (2001) (2012)The Florida PTA supports the full funding through public funds of a paid, trained clinic attendant or health aide in each public elementary school during student hours

The Florida PTA encourage and support complete funding to supply a registered professional nurse to every 1,500 Florida public school students, a trained school health aide in every Florida public school, and to include future allocation formulas to increase nursing staff to keep pace with student enrollment.

DAILY RECESS (2004)

The Florida PTA urges the school districts to require daily recess (defined as supervised, active, unstructured play) with adequate equipment and adequate supervision of at least 20 consecutive minutes for all elementary children

DISTRACTED DRIVING (2012)

PTA supports the adoption and enforcement of laws that restrict the manipulation of handheld and portable communication devices while driving. In addition, PTA and its constituent associations shall collaborate with school districts, the state and federal departments of education, the state and federal departments of transportation and other organizations to promote education and awareness of the dangers and consequences of distracted driving. PTA also urges their members, adults and students, to refrain from distracted driving and serve as a positive example for the safety of our youth.

HAZARDOUS WALKING CONDITIONS (2000) (2012)

We must work to eliminate hazardous conditions that threaten the health or safety of pupils who walk or are transported to their schools, including every reasonable safeguard for the students waiting, boarding and leaving school buses

MEASLES, MUMPS, & RUBELLA VACCINATIONS (NATIONAL PTA) Resolved, That the National PTA urge its constituent bodies to inform parents of the necessity for measles, mumps and rubella vaccinations and where necessary, provide the information to help families to obtain vaccinations locally for all children and youth; and be it further

Resolved, That the National PTA and the State PTAs continue to seek legislation that would require all children and youth receive the necessary measles, mumps and rubella vaccinations; and be it further

Resolved, That the National PTA and State PTAs continue to seek funding to enable public health agencies to provide low-cost or free measles, mumps and rubella vaccinations; and be it further 

Resolved, That the National PTA urge its constituent bodies to insist that school districts comply with the law requiring measles, mumps and rubella vaccinations.

RESPONSE TO SEXUAL HARASSMENT & SEXUAL VIOLENCE IN SCHOOLS (2014)Florida PTA urges and supports compliance with Title IX provisions concerning sexual harassment and sexual violence in schools. In addition, Florida PTA and constituent associations shall encourage and collaborate with school administrations and community partners to present awareness and prevention programs that address sexual harassment and sexual violence in schools, including the responsibilities of school districts and the rights of sexual violence and sexual harassment victims under Title IX.

SUPPORT OF HEALTH AND WELLNESS TO REDUCE CHILDHOOD OBESITY POLICY (2013)The Florida PTA will encourage members to participate in their local school Health and Wellness committees to assist in the development and implementation of district and local School Wellness Policies; and The Florida PTA will promote and encourage the use of healthy fundraisers by its constituent organizations; and The Florida PTA is dedicated to the reduction and prevention of childhood obesity in Florida. Florida PTA will continue to advocate in favor of regular physical activity and physical education in schools and support efforts to improve the nutritional value of foods and beverages served and sold in schools throughout the state.

SUPPORTING FLORIDA’S HOMELESS STUDENTS (2014)

Florida PTA and its constituent associations shall educate their communities about the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act which is designed to aid in the education of homeless children by providing comprehensive services necessary to guarantee equal educational opportunities.

In addition, Florida PTA urges policymakers to implement and fully fund the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act provisions in all Florida school districts. Florida PTA also urges policymakers to establish an ample funding allocation for the Title 1, Part A set-aside and Title X, which are funding sources used to support the requirements of the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act.

PROPOSED LEGISLATIONTracked as of February/March 2015

HB 41 & SB 154 RELATING TO HAZARDOUS WALKING CONDITIONS (METZ & HAYS) Revises identification of hazardous walking conditions for walkways parallel to

the road Excludes drainage ditches, sluiceways, swales, or channels from calculation of the

area minimum 4 feet area that students can walk Reduces speed limit from 55+ to 50+ mph for uncurbed roads which require a 3

foot buffer to students to have to walk on Removes exception for roads in residential areas with little or no transient traffic

Adds crossings over the road (of uncontrolled crossings) to the list of hazardous conditions if: Speed limit of 50+ mph; or Road has 6+ lanes

Revises and further specifies the process to review conditions perceived to be hazardous

Revises requirements for correcting hazardous conditions

Laid on Table

TEXTING WHILE DRIVING

HB 1(Stark, Pilon)

Died in Highway & Waterway Safety

SB 246(Sachs)Died in

Transportation

SB 192(Altman)Died in

Transportation

Double fine in school zone

Removes as only a secondary offense

HB 15 RELATING TO PUBLIC SCHOOL EDUCATIONAL INSTRUCTION (S JONES)Require instruction in CPR and the use of an automated external defibrillator (AED) in grades 9-12 within the health or physical education curriculum

Sets requirements for instruction and instructors Does not require students to become certified to administer CPR or use an AED

Withdrawn prior to introduction

SB 504 RELATING TO PLAYGROUND SAFETY

Uses national standards and certification of inspectors

Requires that playgrounds open to the public built or installed on or after July 1, 2016 by a public agency or a public playground owner meet the standards and guidelines

Requires that such playgrounds built or installed before July 1, 2016 meet the standards and guidelines by July 1, 2021

Requires inspection beginning July 1, 2017

Requires counties and municipalities to post safety standards and guidelines on web pages that provide info on building permits and applications

Allows counties and municipalities to require building permits for public playgrounds and charge fees for the permits

Restricts state funding to prohibit use of funding for playgrounds that do not / will not meet the standards

Died in Education Pre K - 12

CS/CS/CS HB 41 HAZARDOUS WALKING CONDITIONSGABBY’S LAW FOR STUDENT SAFETY (2015)

Requires district school boards and other governmental entities to cooperate to identify hazardous walking conditions

Requires a road with a hazardous walking condition to be fixed in a reasonable amount of time

Revises the criteria identifying hazardous walking conditions for walkways parallel to the road Excludes drainage ditches, sluiceways, swales, or channels from calculation of the

area minimum 4 feet area that students can walk Reduces speed limit from 55+ to 50+ mph for uncurbed roads which require a 3 foot

buffer to students to have to walk on Removes exemption for a residential area that has little or no transient traffic

Creates a new hazardous walking condition category, “crossings over the road”

Bill Passed

2015 LEGISLATIVE PRIORITIES

Adequate Funding

Accountability & Assessments

Voucher Expansion

School Choice

School Turnaround/Parent Trigger

Confidentiality of School Records/Student Data Collection

Early Childhood Education

Physical Education/Reducing Childhood Obesity

Child Trafficking

Bullying

HOW CAN YOU HELP?

Join Sunshine State PTSA and/or one of Florida PTA’s other local units

Engage with a PTA school in your community

Encourage others to support PTA initiatives

Attend PTA events to stay informed

LaTasha Green-CobbVice President for Membership Development

904.294.4386Vp.membership@floridapta.org