(1) The Department of Education shall provide by rule for a program to identify and locate missing Florida school children who are enrolled in Florida public school districts in kindergarten through grade 12. A “missing Florida school child” is defined for the purposes of this section as a child 18 years of age or younger whose whereabouts are unknown. Pursuant to such program, the department shall:(a) Collect each month a list of missing Florida school children as provided by the Florida Crime Information Center. The list shall be designed to include such information as the department deems necessary for the identification of the missing school child.
(b) Compile from the information collected pursuant to paragraph (a) a list of missing Florida school children, which list shall be distributed monthly to all public school districts admitting children to kindergarten through grade 12. The list shall include the names of all such missing children, together with such other information as the department deems necessary. Each school district shall distribute this information to the public schools in the district by whatever manner it deems appropriate.
(c) Notify the appropriate local, state, or federal law enforcement authority as soon as any additional information is obtained or contact is made with respect to a missing Florida school child.
(2) Every public school district in this state shall notify the Department of Education at its earliest known contact with any child whose name appears on the department’s list of missing Florida school children.
