SignED and DeliverED – Legislative Update & Bill Signing

Published on: Jun 27, 2020

On June 27, 2020, Governor DeSantis signed House Bill (HB) 945 – Children's Mental Health, which requires a coordinated system of mental health care for children, the development of which is facilitated by each behavioral health managing entity.

Behavioral health managing entities, such as Big Bend Community Based Care or the Central Florida Cares Health System, manage the use of funding from the Department of Children and Families (DCF) in order to tailor said funding to each regions’ specific needs.

The bill will also require the following:

• Requires district school boards and the Multiagency Network for Students with Emotional/Behavioral Disabilities (SEDNET) to participate in the planning process to promote a coordinated system of mental health care for children and adolescents.
• Requires the Louis de la Parte Florida Mental Health Institute to develop a model response protocol for schools to use mobile response teams by August 1, 2020.
• Requires public school principals, or the principal’s designee, to verify that de-escalation strategies and outreach to a mobile response team have been initiated before a law enforcement officer is contacted to remove a student for an involuntary examination, unless the delay will increase the likelihood of harm to the student or others.

View the Full Bill Summary of House Bill 945 (PDF)

HB 945 became effective on July 1, 2020. For more information on these bills and other recently signed legislation, visit our website: http://www.fldoe.org/policy/edu-laws-legislation/governmental-relations/pubs.stml