Overview
- HB 1255 took effect July 1 and allows corporal punishment in public and charter schools only in districts with board‑approved policies.
- Parents must give explicit consent for the school year or per incident, with principal approval, an adult witness present, parent notification, and maintained records required.
- District policies must be publicly reviewed on a three‑year cycle under the law’s transparency provisions.
- Florida recorded 516 corporal‑punishment incidents in the 2023–24 school year across 17 districts, with reporting indicating 19 of 67 districts still permit the practice, largely in rural northern counties.
- Backers, including sponsor Rep. Dana Trabulsy, call the measure a compromise that adds accountability, while child‑welfare and medical advocates warn of documented harms and disproportionate impacts on Black students, students with disabilities, and boys.