Florida Statutes

At their most basic, the Florida Statutes are the permanent laws of the State of Florida as enacted by the State Legislature. In Florida, the statutes are broken down into 49 categories, called Titles, that cover every process for which the State has a responsibility to carry out.

Education is included in the last two of the 49 Titles in the Florida Statutes. The positioning of education laws at the end of the statutes, however, is not intended to diminish its importance; in 2001, education was Title XVI (16), Chapters 228-246. In 2002, the education code was rewritten by the Florida Legislature as part of an effort to define a seamless K-20 educational system. It was renamed the K-20 Education Code and moved to Title XLVIII, Chapters 1000-1013. In 2021 and 2023, there were additional statutes added that impact education policies in Florida, Title XLIV, Parents’ Bill of Rights; Teachers’ Bill of Rights. These statutes primarily apply to the role of parents of minors in the educational system. It also impacts K-20 teachers in a few ways.

In some cases, the Florida Statutes define specifically what schools and colleges can and cannot do. However, in many instances, these laws provide only a framework for a much more detailed application of law, which is found in the Florida Administrative Code. The Florida Statutes may grant the Department of Education, school districts, colleges and universities the authority to do something, while the Florida Administrative Code provides more extensive rules and regulations on how the law is to be administered.

The Florida Statutes
The table of contents of the entire Florida Statutes listing each of the 49 Titles.

Title XLVIII, the K-20 Education Code
The contents of the entire K-20 Education Code, including each chapter and part within.

Title XLVIII is broken down into 14 chapters, each with its own focus:

Three chapters are not related to postsecondary education. A brief description of each is included here for informational purposes only.

Chapter 1002: Student and Parental Rights and Educational Choices
Outlines issues related to primary and secondary educational systems, including parents’ and students’ rights; parental choice; laboratory, charter, and virtual schools; and home and private education.

Chapter 1003:  Public K-12 Education
Concerns the operation of public primary and secondary schools. This chapter covers laws on a wide range of K-12 issues, including, but certainly not limited to, attendance and truancy, control of students, grading systems, acceleration, graduation and promotion, specialized instruction and dropout prevention.

Chapter 1005:  Nonpublic Postsecondary Education
These consist of laws related to private colleges and universities in Florida. While private institutions are not subject to certain state laws regarding organization and operations, they are still responsible for engaging in fair business and trade practices. This chapter also establishes a Commission for Independent Education and rules regarding licensure of private institutions.

Title XLIX, Parents’ Bill of Rights; Teachers’ Bill of Rights

Title XLIX is broken down into two chapters, each with its own focus: 

Chapter 1014: Parents’ Bill of Rights
This chapter applies to parents of minor children. Chapter 1014 includes policies that relate to parents of minor children regarding enrollment in educational options, curriculum and health care.

Chapter 1015: Teachers’ Bill of Rights
This section focuses on teachers and it involves several areas including employment, professional development, classroom discipline and instruction and civil/criminal liability.