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After the school district agreed to pay $440,000 to resolve a lawsuit over its use of the Baker Act on students, some advocates want more protections for children.
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The Baker Act is a state law that allows courts, law enforcement officers, and certain medical workers to order people who could be a harm to themselves or others to be taken to facilities for up to 72 hours.
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One change allows parents of minors to skip a court review and voluntarily check their children into facilities as long as parent and child agree.
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The proposal by Reps. Susan Valdes and Traci Koster would permit “licensed professional as determined by school board policy” to write notes that would excuse absences, and not just physicians.
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Republican Sen. Aaron Bean describes his proposal as more of a “tweak” to the system, but some say there’s a lot left undone.
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The collaborative project highlighted the stories of children sent into confinement by school officials, often without notifying their parents.
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The Southern Poverty Law Center is the latest organization to call out the Baker Act’s use on children. The organization's Bacardi Jackson discusses the findings.
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If passed, the bill would require the parents or legal guardians of students institutionalized under the Baker Act to be notified prior to the student’s transportation to a receiving facility.
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On "Florida Matters," host Bradley George talks with Lynn Hatter, the Health News Florida reporter who did our recent five-part series on children and the Baker Act.
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When it comes to children, Florida's law regarding involuntary commitments for psychiatric treatment is applied inconsistently.