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Board raises legal, safety concerns after Schools of Hope request for building floor plans
Summary
A board member told the workshop that DOE 'Schools of Hope' guidance and a department rule appear to conflict with Florida Statute 119.071’s public‑records exemption for building plans; district counsel advised caution and staff said they did not release plans for the recent request, recommending legislative clarification and continued refusal absent a statutory exception.
Board member Rosario opened a board‑member item by saying he was alarmed that a Schools of Hope interest letter had asked for floor plans and blueprints and that guidance from the Department of Education could be read to require secure sharing. He cited Florida Statute 119.071, which exempts certain building plans from routine public‑records release on safety and security grounds, and said that once a district blueprint is released it cannot realistically be retrieved.
Rosario said the DOE rule for Schools of Hope appeared to require secure access to floor plans to consider collocation requests, creating a conflict between the DOE rule and the statute. “Once our blueprints are out there, that’s it,” he said, urging the district to follow statute over rule and to seek legislative clarification.
District counsel (Miss Enville) told the board that districts are handling requests differently across Florida and that the district did not provide floor plans in this case; counsel recommended contacting legislators to resolve the statutory/rule inconsistency. Staff said they had proactively told the applicant that available space at the specific school was not suitable and therefore no plans were provided.
Board members discussed practical interim measures: providing secure, supervised onsite access where staff monitor visitors; using confidentiality agreements; or withholding plans unless a statutory exception (e.g., interagency duty, court order) applies. Counsel observed the confidentiality agreement offers some contractual protection but is not a statutory substitute.
The board urged advocacy through state associations and legislators; staff said the item will be raised at the Florida School Boards Association advocacy meeting and that the district would withhold floor plans absent clearer legal authority to share them.
No formal vote was taken; staff said they will keep the board apprised of any state‑level clarifications or legislative changes.
