FL S0650

Creates section 1003.211, Florida Statutes, requiring all public schools to establish a School Staff Assistance for Emergencies (SAFE) Team and develop a school elopement plan for students with autism spectrum disorder or intellectual disabilities.

SAFE Team must include the school principal, assistant principal, and at least five additional members appointed by the principal, with responsibility to create and annually update elopement plans, provide staff training, and respond to all elopements.

School elopement plans must include a search grid of campus and surrounding areas (including bodies of water, intersections, train tracks, parks), notification procedures, coordinated response protocols including "Code Gray" alerts, and SAFE Team contact information.

For students prone to elopement, SAFE Team must create student-specific elopement quick reference guides in coordination with parents, containing the student's photo, communication level, interests, behaviors, health considerations, possible GPS technology, and locations where the student may go.

Each public school must annually submit its elopement plan to the district school board, with the State Board of Education authorized to adopt implementing rules; effective July 1, 2020.