- March 17, 2026
The District School Board Member's Bill of Rights, legislation sparked by public record issues on the Volusia County School Board, has passed unanimously in the Florida House and Senate.
The legislation, if signed by the governor, will establish that school board members have a right to "free and timely access to all school district documents" necessary to fulfill their duties and responsibilities. It also outlines providing board members reasonable access to line items in the district's budget and that they may comment publicly during or outside school board meetings on matters pertaining to their elected position, except for student and employee disciplinary hearings.
Senate Bill 1620, filed by Sen. Tom Leek, R-Ormond Beach, was substituted as House Bill 1073 last week. It passed on March 9 in the Florida House with a 37-0 vote. On March 12, the Senate voted 108-0 in favor of the bill.
“I was proud to lead Florida’s District School Board Bill of Rights, SB 1620, which allows for increased accountability and transparency when individual school board members seek information from school district staff and the superintendent," Leek said in a statement to the Observer. "This is critical when school board members need information in order to make the best informed decisions for the betterment of students, teachers, parents, and the district in which they represent.”
SB 1620 was created after Volusia County School Board member Donna Brosemer brought her concerns to Leek over being charged by Volusia County Schools for public records. In some instances, she said, her requests were also ignored.
Brosemer expressed her gratitude to Leek for taking her concerns seriously and spending much more time on the issue than she envisioned.
"There were some changes that had been made, but my priorities were kept in the bill and they will allow me to do a more thorough job than I had previously been allowed to do by the district," said Brosemer, who represents District 4.
The bill also bans school districts from asking employees to sign non-disclosure agreements, an issue that led to controversy in VCS last year.
In August 2025, Brosemer asked the district to rescind an NDA it had asked about 110 employees to sign, arguing that it was unconstitutional under Florida's public record laws. Though School Board Attorney Gilbert Evans argued they were valid and that the district created them to protect VCS from liability, the NDAs sunsetted in December.
Two clauses originally included in the bill were taken out: Having a separate school board attorney and providing a line item budget. Brosemer, who spent time in Tallahassee speaking in favor of the bill, said small school districts were concerned about the additional expense of hiring two attorneys — one for the district and one for the school board.
As for the line item budget clause, she said, the bill text cited the wrong statute, and time ran out before it could be changed.
On Friday, March 12, after the bill passed in the Senate, Volusia County Schools issued the following statement:
"We're grateful to Senator Leek for the time and effort he took to engage with us and refine House Bill 1073, which passed earlier today. The policy the bill addresses largely reflects practices already in place in Volusia County. Through his collaboration, the bill recognizes the work already being accomplished, while providing a framework we can responsibly support moving forward."
While similar issues have occurred in other school districts, VCS became the "poster child" for what not to do regarding public records and application of the Sunshine Law, Brosemer said.
"The bill addressed specific things that this district has implemented — specific rules, policies, procedures," she said. "Had they already been doing what was in the bill, the bill would never have been necessary."
She expects the bill to be signed into law by Gov. Ron DeSantis later this year.
"It was bipartisan," Brosemer said. "Its need was broadly understood, and as we have experienced in the years that he's been governor, the governor likes Bills of Rights."
