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MARJORY STONEMAN DOUGLAS HIGH SCHOOL PUBLIC SAFETY ACT

The Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School Public Safety Act (SB 7026) is a comprehensive law that focuses on public and
school safety. An important component of the legislation is providing students and their families’ access to mental health
services. Parents/guardians of new or transferring students will be required to note referrals to mental health services
associated with a school expulsion, arrest resulting in a charge, or a juvenile justice action on the Student Registration
Form.

FortifyFl App
The Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School Public Safety Act has funded the development of a mobile suspicious-activity
reporting tool that allows students and the community to relay information anonymously concerning unsafe, potentially
harmful, dangerous, violent, or criminal activities, or the threat of these activities, to appropriate public safety agencies
and school officials. The FortifyFL App is available for download in the Apple App Store and Google Play.

The Student Code of Conduct has been changed in accordance with Florida Statute § 1006.13, which states as follows:
any student who makes a threat or false report; brings a firearm or weapon; who makes, posts, or transmits a threat in
writing or other record, including an electronic report, to conduct a mass shooting or an act of terrorism, in any manner
that would allow another person to view the threat, is subject to expulsion and will be referred to a mental health agency
for evaluation or treatment, when appropriate. INSTITUTIONS OF HIGHER LEARNING ANNUAL NOTICE FOR ACCESS TO
DIRECTORY INFORMATION
MILITARY RECRUITERS AND INSTITUTIONS OF HIGHER LEARNING ANNUAL NOTICE FOR
ACCESS TO DIRECTORY INFORMATION

The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA, a Federal law), and F.S. § 1002.22 generally requires that the School
District of Palm Beach County obtain your written consent before disclosing any personally-identifiable information from
your child’s education records (unless an exception designated in the law applies). The School Board does not have a
directory information policy. However, Federal law has required that school districts receiving assistance under the
Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA) must give military recruiters access to certain directory
information.

Federal law requires that the District “shall provide, on a request made by military recruiters or an institution of higher
education, access to secondary school students’ names, addresses, and telephone listings.” The information will be used
for military recruiting purposes and other legitimate purposes such as informing students of scholarship opportunities at
institutions of higher learning. Parental consent is not required before providing the information to recruiters and
institutions of colleges, although parents/students may “opt out.”

In accordance with Federal laws, military recruiters are entitled to receive the name, address, and telephone listing of
secondary school students, unless the parent or student has advised the school that they do not want the student’s
information to be disclosed without specific prior written consent. (“A secondary school student or the parent of the
student may request that the student’s name, address, and telephone listing . . . not be released without prior written
parental consent” to military recruiters or institutions of higher learning. U.S.C. § 7908(a)(2)

OPT-OUT NOTICE: If you DO NOT want the school or the District to disclose one or more of these categories of
information (name, address, or telephone) to military recruiters or officials of institutions of higher learning without
your prior written consent, we ask that you notify the school principal in writing within 10 days of receipt of the Student
and Family Handbook. Although OPT-OUT notification will be honored at any time during the school year, it is
recommended that you alert the school within 10 days so that no information will be released to recruiters.

FY24 Student and Family Handbook 40 | Page