Florida § 985.046 - Statewide information-sharing system; interagency workgroup.

§ 985.046. Statewide information-sharing system; interagency workgroup.

(1) The Department of Education, the Department of Juvenile Justice, and the Department of Law Enforcement shall create an information-sharing workgroup for the purpose of developing and implementing a workable statewide system of sharing information among school districts, state and local law enforcement agencies, providers, the Department of Juvenile Justice, and the Department of Education. The system shall build on processes previously authorized in statute and on any revisions to federal statutes on confidentiality. The information to be shared shall focus on youth who are involved in the juvenile justice system, youth who have been tried as adults and found guilty of felonies, and students who have been serious discipline problems in schools. The participating agencies shall implement improvements that maximize the sharing of information within applicable state and federal statutes and rules and that utilize statewide databases and data delivery systems to streamline access to the information needed to provide joint services to disruptive, violent, and delinquent youth. (2) The interagency workgroup shall be coordinated through the Department of Education and shall include representatives from the state agencies specified in subsection (1), school superintendents, school district information system directors, principals, teachers, juvenile court judges, police chiefs, county sheriffs, clerks of the circuit court, the Department of Children and Families, providers of juvenile services including a provider from a juvenile substance abuse program, and circuit juvenile justice managers. (3) The interagency workgroup shall, at a minimum, address the following: (a) The use of the Florida Information Resource Network and other statewide information access systems as means of delivering information to school personnel or providing an initial screening for purposes of determining whether further access to information is warranted. (b) A statewide information delivery system that will provide local access by participating agencies and schools. (c) The need for cooperative agreements among agencies which may access information. (d) Legal considerations and the need for legislative action necessary for accessing information by participating agencies. (e) Guidelines for how the information shall be accessed, used, and disseminated. (f) The organizational level at which information may be accessed and shared. (g) The specific information to be maintained and shared through the system. (h) The cost implications of an improved system. (4) The Department of Education, the Department of Juvenile Justice, and the Department of Law Enforcement shall implement improvements leading to the statewide information access and delivery system, to the extent feasible, and shall develop a cooperative agreement specifying their roles in such a system. (5) Members of the interagency workgroup shall serve without added compensation and each participating agency shall support the travel, per diem, and other expenses of its representatives.