FL S0436

School districts are prohibited from discriminating against students, parents, or school personnel based on religious viewpoints or expression, and must treat religious expression the same as secular expression on permissible subjects.

Students may express religious beliefs in assignments and wear religious clothing or accessories without penalty or reward based on religious content, with grades based solely on academic standards.

Students may pray, organize prayer groups and religious clubs, and engage in religious activities before, during, and after school to the same extent as secular activities, and school personnel may voluntarily participate in student-initiated religious activities.

School districts must provide religious groups equal access to school facilities and advertising opportunities as secular groups, and must adopt a limited public forum policy for student speakers that includes neutral selection criteria and a disclaimer that student speech does not reflect school district endorsement.

The Department of Education shall develop a model policy on limited public forums and religious expression for public schools, and each district school board must adopt and implement the model policy; effective July 1, 2017.