Education officials want schools to teach about child trafficking

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Florida students in grades K-12 would be taught about child-trafficking prevention, under a rule proposed by state education officials.

The intent of the rule is to have “every school in Florida be a ‘child trafficking free zone,’” according to the proposed regulation published by the Florida Department of Education Tuesday.

Under the proposed rule, all public schools would be required to have a plan in place for teaching students about child trafficking. The state would then require school districts to report individual plans to the Department of Education every year by Dec. 1. School districts would be required to report to state education officials the methods of instruction used for each grade level, the qualifications of teachers who are delivering the instruction, and the type of materials and resources used in classes.

The state Board of Education is poised to consider the proposal next month.

Under the proposed rule, school districts that fail to comply with the new mandate could be sanctioned.