OTHER IMPORTANT NOTES:

• There were some important substantive amendments and additions in the new Education Code, not just technical changes. Please review: FSBA's summary.
• Even though most statutes in the new K-20 Education Code took effect on Jan. 7, 2003, the 2002 Legislature did make made a few separate changes to existing School Code statues other than the adoption of the new Education Code. Most of these separate enactments already took effect on July 1. For example, the changes to the School Advisory Council statute (§ 229.58(1)(d)) took effect July 1, 2002. However, the only place to find the amendments (which already took effect) is within § 1001.452 (a statute that did not take effect until 2003). Thus, some paragraphs of certain statutes might have taken effect earlier than others.
• This Bill did not repeal every existing School Code statute (although most of them were repealed on January 6, 2003, and then incorporated into the new numbering system in the 1000's chapters on Jan. 7, 2003). For example, Chapter 238, "Retirement System for School Teachers," remained on the books as Chapter 238. Parts II and III of Chapter 243, " Counties Higher Educational Facilities Authorities Law" and "Higher Education Facilities Financing" may remain on the books as Chapter 243. Chapter 245, "Disposition of Dead Bodies," remained on the books but was redesignated as Chapter 406, Part II.
• Existing School Board Policies were not affected by this Bill. The new Fla. Stat. 1000.01(5)(b) provided: "All rules of the State Board of Education, the Commissioner of Education, and the Department of Education, and all rules of the district school boards, the community college boards of trustees, and the state university boards of trustees, in effect on January 2, 2003, remain in effect until specifically amended or repealed in the manner provided by law."
• "The purpose of the Legislature in revising this education code is to rearrange, renumber, reword, reorder, streamline, consolidate, and update the code consistent with current law and the new K-20 education governance structure. It is not the purpose of the Legislature in revising the education code to affect existing judicial or administrative law." SB 20E-ER.