[{"_1":2,"_100":-5,"_101":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76,88],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",6456120,"mediaKeyId","5701431-ecde52ee09c9731e35870c2e7db73721","parentId",5701431,"title","Manatee board, lobbyists map 2026 priorities after session review: construction rules, certificates, transport, workforce housing","audioSeconds",874,"startMs",6610000,"endMs",7484000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=5701431-ecde52ee09c9731e35870c2e7db73721&start=6610&end=7484","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5701431-ecde52ee09c9731e35870c2e7db73721/thumbnail_6610000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6456120/Florida/Manatee-board-lobbyists-map-2026-priorities-after-session-review-construction-rules-certificates-transport-workforce-housing","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6456120-62abcedafc416d05cc98aa7af6fc8a57/orig.mp4?Expires=1770432836&Signature=TW6gEp7d4aBp0-5g8KCVabt9XiJvt95qhRfjU-LEaP13RtAOqiDvbsvLlhL2Kc3pbGIyYGZVFc3IGNzOnM6Hr8FhBEHxZwZDvV4PAVP9lvKq~eUyUwTBnJljo0oR5TfXcKKHNbrEFLBOw5D-yYXgbTGtoCwsEQ~uMV8OY7QB9aolKE1YFXqo-To~u5VdjckRmPxrdm2EHXLxE7ME0tzJe0o0nEnzDW4F8xcKiQnslaQ2LqbjoqPErwcJpvCbUh0mgPP-Y7iPShdL74RgE7sDcUPWydn3oWInuKzfnvlTcpHyyk6Q-Gh1YdWHTPAU0IcTWc496cT5RgX-clHh0lIclw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","School District of Manatee County","date","2025-08-30T05:04:05Z","article","Consultants from Sunrise Consulting and new policy advisor Dr. Danielle Thomas briefed the Manatee County School Board on highlights from the 2025 Florida legislative session and worked with the board to identify priorities for 2026, emphasizing tighter state revenues and a need to prioritize requests.

Dr. Thomas said the legislature increased the FEFP and the Base Student Allocation yet warned districts that some of that increase can be absorbed by mandatory cost growth such as higher employer contributions for retirement plans. She noted the legislature’s recent flexibility on middle‑ and high‑school start times and changes to school‑safety statute that aim to balance access and security.

Board members and staff discussed a slate of district priorities and legislative risks:

- Certificates of completion: House Bill 1105 included language that eliminates \"certificates of completion,\" a change several board members said could affect students with significant special needs and those who are near but not yet meeting graduation requirements. Members asked for clarity from the Department of Education on the required form DOE will issue to notify families if a student is not on track for a standard diploma.

- Construction rules and SREF: Board members explored statutory language that could let a district adopt an exception, by majority vote at a public meeting (after 5 p.m.), to allow use of standard building and fire code rather than the SREF/educational facilities rule for some projects — potentially lowering per‑student construction costs for some facilities. Staff said DOE still enforces Castaldi reporting requirements that can limit local discretion when districts fund a replacement facility using local capital dollars.

- Castaldi reporting: Board members questioned the requirement that districts submit analyses and receive DOE concurrence before replacing or demolishing older school buildings when the district proposes privately‑funded or local‑funded replacements.

- Transportation: The board discussed transportation funding constraints and proposals that surfaced this year to reduce statutory distance thresholds and to pilot AI route‑optimization in several districts to reduce bus costs.

- Workforce housing: Several members supported following up on earlier work to create workforce housing (potentially using district land and nonprofit partners) to retain teachers and staff. Staff noted the need to resolve surplus‑property and charter right‑of‑first‑refusal questions before committing land.

- Sunshine‑law clarifications: Members asked staff and counsel to pursue attorney‑general guidance or narrow statutory changes that would allow routine conference attendance, candidate forums and some conference breakouts without triggering the full meeting‑notice/minutes requirements that can chill day‑to‑day engagement.

- Tax‑collector commission question: Board members flagged a local issue where the tax collector placed a line for a voted millage on the TRIM notice and applied a commission; the board asked staff to seek an attorney‑general opinion and notify the delegation because voters do not expect voter‑approved millage to be reduced by a commission.

Ending: Consultants and staff will prepare a short list of priorities and draft language to circulate to the board before the fall legislative planning meeting. Members asked for follow‑up briefings with delegation staff and for an attorney‑general opinion on the tax‑collector commission question and on sunshine‑law ambiguities.
","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","School Board Workshop August 29, 2025","oneSentenceSummary","Consultants briefed the board on the 2025 legislative session and the district discussed priorities for 2026 including possible statutory tweaks to construction requirements, concerns about HB1105’s elimination of certificates of completion, transportation funding, workforce housing projects and sunshine‑law clarifications.","taxTitle","Manatee, School Districts, Florida","taxId",13113,"location","Florida","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":81,"_47":82,"_49":83,"_51":84,"_53":85,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":86,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":87,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6456125,"Manatee schools adopt new training modules and Title IX instruction after child‑safety review",676,4779000,5455000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5701431-ecde52ee09c9731e35870c2e7db73721&start=4779&end=5455","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5701431-ecde52ee09c9731e35870c2e7db73721/thumbnail_4779000.jpg","/articles/6456125/Florida/Manatee-schools-adopt-new-training-modules-and-Title-IX-instruction-after-childsafety-review","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6456125-d243e38287c80913e9abfe477af6acc2/orig.mp4?Expires=1770432836&Signature=FIU6XlPoiR9-jAvBo7kD51tHuy4igQhr9czTVxmlFsi89m-6CWERbZg7eK3YU8kTLfrCnRKUTVf57kc5hmzsfePwnfIIiZdp98CvJ-mGB5qsiOW8Pxz82EEuC3clAWzbHDzqwZUnObnc7hk8D2UIOG6UJ8-3AdwwNMy-puF~lFf5DUwyeFmfSYbpFCdRsfOb7VXrUN7D7MBD8r1Pn~U7t7iRj9BXri~XFBk8L9MX4tFqrn0XCzKVS~7bqkeIksmolcXRfdHds4gQi0GiaadxababzL9QFewVNPpVcr5MLp0iXnvM2r-XhEOtHAC4q~0Sivb1PhE~62HqqnrEBLKg3w__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Manatee County School District announced a package of updated trainings and operational changes aimed at preventing abuse, improving reporting and strengthening Title IX compliance.

Dr. Christina Britton, the district’s executive director of human resources, told the board the district purchased the full Vector Solutions training suite. The modules will replace older videos and include interactive content and quizzes on child‑abuse awareness, sexual‑harassment prevention and short “micro‑learning” modules on signs of grooming and setting boundaries.

Britton said the district will stagger the video rollout to fit professional‑development days and will require leadership teams to attend an all‑day Title IX investigative and decision‑making workshop in October led by attorney Kirsten Doolittle. \"All school leadership and district director‑level teams will receive face‑to‑face training,\" Britton said. The district also plans repeated annual training for applicable staff.

Operational changes described to the board include a new one‑page checklist for administrators to record immediate steps when a child‑safety concern arises and a binder at each school where staff store the incident form that names who called DCF, who called law enforcement and the dates and times of those calls. District staff said the binders create a local record that helps with follow up, cross‑checks and accountability.

Officials demonstrated coordination between the district and law enforcement during a real‑time test of the Syntegix alert system: school staff activated a badge alert; district and sheriff‑office phones both received the alarm, deputies responded and the district said the system gave rapid situational awareness including camera access at the school.

Ending: The district said it will return to the board in the spring with an update on training completion rates and the effect of the new procedures on reporting and case handling.","District officials said they purchased a full suite of Vector Solutions training for staff, will require Title IX investigative training for leaders, and have issued new school‑level checklists and binders to document DCF and law‑enforcement notifications.",{"_33":89,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":90,"_41":91,"_43":92,"_45":93,"_47":94,"_49":95,"_51":96,"_53":97,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":98,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":99,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6456130,"Manatee County safety officials brief schools on mandatory‑reporting rules, urge staff to call DCF hotline",4377,0,4377000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5701431-ecde52ee09c9731e35870c2e7db73721&start=0&end=4377","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5701431-ecde52ee09c9731e35870c2e7db73721/thumbnail_0.jpg","/articles/6456130/Florida/Manatee-County-safety-officials-brief-schools-on-mandatoryreporting-rules-urge-staff-to-call-DCF-hotline","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6456130-a50291ef4f0c2044e56d166b4cf19fdf/orig.mp4?Expires=1770432836&Signature=A7-RKa7oHPgQQCCHWmVMyRWnF2~BFsmqHBi3KwX7WTI6h1bGCu58uTPh99fI~CZofMy~ujdXEBuUxuiypI9~c00l6LfKSMRWK~hb5MFo~7M0leZacbErZA4NviZcL2n7FhdlnOzQ7NVL-B~hErnfrKY7J5~RWhsm6KQxJJDmCYQ7injuyAX7Jksi-SUL5hFEAJ2dNxG2SoXcHudPnWVRLJjOyi8H5-nH7L~aJxrFxlU7OJpvzcKVq1PL1kn1zCthdMPnV5kow4-nHwQvFRfcfI-bD08FkS9OPcbXBrCVv4sKAAjBdSF88h-nmhT4HYnFKaCTbYxgCxr3uFPWMMb5lQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Captain Mark Morey of the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office and district safety leaders told a school board workshop that Florida Statute chapter 39 makes almost everyone a mandatory reporter and that school staff should err on the side of reporting suspected child abuse.

The guidance reviewed who must report, how and when to use the Department of Children and Families (DCF) hotline, and how the sheriff’s office and school resource officers (SROs) coordinate criminal investigations. Officials emphasized the hotline phone number as the fastest way to get DCF attention and urged staff to make both a DCF call and a law‑enforcement notification when there is any question about a child’s safety.

At the center of the discussion was a practical framework for school staff: call law enforcement or an SRO immediately for criminal allegations, and call the statewide DCF hotline by phone (rather than web intake) when you have reasonable cause to suspect abuse, abandonment or neglect. Captain Morey said the hotline phone route typically reaches the local DCF office faster than an online report and described two types of DCF responses: immediate (for intakes indicating imminent danger) and within 24 hours (for other investigations).

Officials warned that certain reporters — for example, teachers, health professionals and law enforcement — cannot be anonymous in DCF intakes, and that failure to report can be a third‑degree felony. \"At the end of the day, when in doubt, report it,\" Captain Morey said. \"Do what you think you need to do to cover yourselves…report it if you feel like you need to.\" Troy Nelson, who manages the district’s Office of Professional Standards, added that administrators should document who called DCF and when, and keep that record in the school’s incident binder.

Speakers also reviewed investigative practice: an SRO or other law‑enforcement officer should conduct victim interviews at school, because judicial and administrative rules limit the number and format of child interviews; preserving evidence (including electronic devices and clothing) and securing a potential crime scene were listed as priorities. For sexual‑assault evidence officials noted the practical 72‑hour window for certain forensic evidence and the utility of SANE exams.

School leaders pressed for clarity about who should make the DCF call when multiple adults know of an allegation. Officials advised: do not assume someone else will call. Paul D’Amico, the district’s chief of safety and security, and Captain Morey said school staff should call the hotline directly even after notifying an SRO; DCF will consolidate multiple intakes into a single case if more than one person reports.

Officials described local constraints: the Manatee County DCF office has been understaffed, at times operating near 50% of needed capacity, which affects response timing. That staffing reality, they said, is why the sheriff’s office and district are emphasizing improved coordination, better internal documentation, and a lower threshold for calling DCF by phone instead of relying only on web reports.

The sheriff’s office asked administrators to alert Captain Morey’s team whenever they call the hotline so deputies and investigators can consider immediate investigative steps. Nelson said the district maintains a one‑page checklist principals use when any allegation arises; that form records who contacted law enforcement and DCF and is kept in a school binder for accountability.

Ending: District and sheriff’s office officials said the training and closer coordination aim to speed investigations, preserve evidence and protect students. They encouraged principals and teachers to contact law enforcement for investigative work and to call the DCF hotline themselves, so both protective and investigative tracks are triggered quickly.","School district and Manatee County Sheriff's Office leaders told district staff that Florida law makes everyone a mandatory reporter, outlined when to call the Department of Children and Families hotline versus law enforcement, and recommended both calls in most cases to protect students and preserve evidence.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Manatee board, lobbyists map 2026 priorities after session review: construction rules, certificates, transport, workforce housing

Manatee schools adopt new training modules and Title IX instruction after child‑safety review

Manatee County safety officials brief schools on mandatory‑reporting rules, urge staff to call DCF hotline