Andrew Powell
The Senate Fiscal Policy Committee unanimously advanced a measure that seeks to implement workforce training for high school students with autism spectrum disorder.
Pensacola Republican Sen. Don Gaetz introduced the bill (SB 102) to the committee and detailed how the legislation was designed in hopes of closing learning gaps. After moving through three committees, it’s ready for the Senate floor.
“It’s encouraging to see the emphasis that our President and Senators are placing on autism,” Gaetz said before the 19-0 vote.
“Particularly, the 181-day gap between referral and diagnosis, and the even larger gap between the student who ages out at 22 and the rest of her or his life. There’s a place for employees with autism in the workforce in productive jobs, but a major stumbling block to hiring or even considering an autistic person for a job is safety.”
Gaetz said employers are often concerned about workplace safety, which the bill aims to address by adding specific training for students with autism.
“Particularly, concerns by employers about federal Occupational Health and Safety Administration standards and inspections,” Gaetz said. “The effect of an OSHA violation on a business is a serious disincentive to hiring persons with autism. Under this bill, the Department of Education is directed to develop a workforce credential especially for students with autism spectrum disorder, or a modified curriculum prior to formal diagnosis.”
Students would earn badges as they advance through workforce training, and the results would be required to be reported to the Florida Department of Education.
“The Department is to work with the Florida Senate for Students with Unique Abilities, and the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration in developing the training program,” Gaetz said.
“This program will allow students to earn badges that designate that they have acquired specific job skills and behaviors … (and) meet employer needs, importantly including workforce safety. The Department will report on the program, the badges earned, and post-graduation employment performance.”
Gaetz noted that the bill would have no fiscal impact on the state budget.
Jacksonville Democratic Sen. Tracie Davis asked how there would be no fiscal impact on the state.
In response, Gaetz said that during staff analysis, there was no fiscal impact found, as the program could be incorporated into existing educational goals. He said OSHA also indicated that there would be no cost to work with them.
Davis then asked how teachers would be getting their specialized training and how that won’t be a cost to the state.
“The teachers would be trained, obviously, before the credentials would be awarded and before the training would occur,” Gaetz said in response. “The teacher training would occur as part of what happens in exceptional student education teacher training on a routine basis within our districts, in areas where students with autism spectrum disorder are present.”
Davis argued that the specialized training would be different from teacher training already received and asked when this specialized workforce training would occur.
In response, Gaetz said he would not be dictating to 67 school districts how they choose to implement the training, but noted that training occurs on an annual basis that is specific to individual teachers.
“I can tell you this, every year prior to the commencement of a school year, there is training that occurs that is specific to the specialty of the individual teachers, and teachers who are interested in teaching autism spectrum disorder students,” Gaetz said.
A companion bill in the House (HB 127) has cleared one of the three committees to which it’s been assigned.
