Florida Ass'n of Academic Nonpublic Schools v. Department of Health & Rehabilitative Services

22 Fla. Supp. 2d 230
CourtState of Florida Division of Administrative Hearings
DecidedOctober 3, 1986
DocketCase No. 86-2272R
StatusPublished

This text of 22 Fla. Supp. 2d 230 (Florida Ass'n of Academic Nonpublic Schools v. Department of Health & Rehabilitative Services) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering State of Florida Division of Administrative Hearings primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Florida Ass'n of Academic Nonpublic Schools v. Department of Health & Rehabilitative Services, 22 Fla. Supp. 2d 230 (Fla. Super. Ct. 1986).

Opinion

OPINION

LINDA M. RIGOT, Hearing Officer.

[231]*231 FINAL ORDER

Pursuant to Notice, this cause was heard by Linda M. Rigot, the assigned Hearing Officer of the Division of Administrative Hearings, on August 14 and 15, 1986, in Tallahassee, Florida.

Respondent Department of Health and Rehabilitative Services published an amendment to rule 10M-12.001, Florida Administrative Code, on June 6, 1986, in the Florida Administrative Weekly. Champer 10M-12, Florida Administrative Code, provides the standards for licensing of child care facilities. The proposed amendment relates to the statutory exemption of schools from child care facility licensing laws. The Petitioners filed a Petition to Determine Invalidity of a Proposed Rule n June 17, 1986, and an Amended Petition to Determine Invalidity of Proposed Rule on June 18, 1986. Accordingly, the issue for determination herein is whether proposed rule 10M-12.001 is an invalid exercise of delegated legislative authority.

Petitioners presented the testimony of Howard G. Burke; Thomas A. Horkan, Jr.; Joan Drody Lutton; Patricia Cantieri, and by way of deposition Jasper Lawrence Pintacuda. Respondent presented the testimony of Jasper Lawrence Pintacuda, Pamela C. Phelps, Pamela Hutchinson, Bess Lander Bell, Allen Wankat, and Patterson Lamb. Additionally, Petitioners’ Exhibits numbered 3 and 4 and Respondent’s Exhibits numbered 1 and 3-6 were admitted in evidence.

Both parties submitted posthearing proposed findings of fact, memoranda of law, and written closing arguments. Respondent’s Motion to Strike Petitioners’ posthearing pleadings for late filing was granted by Order dated September 26, 1986. Respondent’s proposed findings of fact numbered 2, 3, 6, 8, and 9 have been adopted in substance. The remainder of Respondent’s proposed findings of fact have been rejected as follows: numbers 1, 13, 14, 18, 19, 23-25, and 27-30 as not being supported by competent, substantial evidence and numbers 4, 5, 7, 10-12, 15, 17, 20-22, and 26 as being immaterial to the issue in this cause.

FINDINGS OF FACT

1. Chapter 402, Florida Statutes, provides for licensing of child care facilities by the Department of Health and Rehabilitative Services (hereinafter “HRS”). It mandates minimum standards for personnel, physical facilities, sanitation and safety, nutritional practices, admissions and record keeping, transportation safety, child discipline, and plans of activities. Section 402.306, Florida Statutes, allows counties whose licensing standards meet or exceed state minimum standards to [232]*232perform child care facility licensing in that county rather than HRS performing that activity.

2. Chapter 402, Florida Statutes, was originally enacted in 1974 to provide minimum standards for the growing number of commercial day care facilities. In the definitional section of that Chapter, the legislature specifically defined a child care facility and further specified those programs and facilities exempted from the child care facility licensing laws. Section 402.302(4), Florida Statutes, provided as follows:

“Child care facility” includes any child care center or child care arrangement which provides child care for more than five children unrelated to the operator and which receives a payment, fee, or grant for any of the children receiving care, wherever operated, and whether or not operated for profit. The following are not included: public schools and nonpublic schools which are in compliance with the Compulsory School Attendance Law, chapter 232; summer camps having children in full-time residence; summer day camps; and Bible Schools normally conducted during vacation periods. [Emphasis supplied.]

3. Due to extensive publicity involving certain abuse incidents by personnel at child care facilities and public opinion, the child care facility licensing laws were revisited in 1984. In a special session, the Legislature strengthened some requirements of Chapter 402 and provided for screening and background checks of personnel in child care facilities and for reasonable parental access to children in those facilities. Chapter 84-551, Laws of Florida..

4. Due to the insistence of HRS and certain counties performing their own child care facility licensing that pre-kindergarten programs in school required those schools to obtain licensure as child care facilities, Chapter 402 was further amended in 1985 to clarify the exclusion of schools. As amended, the statutory definition of child care facility now provides:

“Child care facility” includes any child care center or child care arrangements which provides child care for more than five children unrelated to the operator and which receives a payment, fee, or grant. for any of the children receiving care, wherever operated, and whether or not operated for profit. The following are not included: public schools and nonpublic schools and their integral programs; summer camps having children in full-time residence; summer day camps; and Bible Schools normally conducted during vacation periods. [Emphasis supplied.]

[233]*233Section 402.302(4), Florida Statutes 1985. The Senate Staff Analysis and Economic Impact Statement regarding the amendment of Chapter 402 provides that this change is a “Technical amendment which clarifies that public and nonpublic school programs are not subject to licensure as child care facilities.” Respondent’s Exhibit numbered 6.

5. Following the 1985 amendments to Chapter 402, HRS and the Palm Beach County Health Department (which was responsible for child care facility licensing in Palm Beach County) jointly requested a legal opinion from the Attorney General regarding the scope of the statutory exclusions from child care licensing laws for public and nonpublic schools and their integral programs. The specific question posed was as follows:

Do the exemptions under s. 402.302(4), F.S., as amended, and s. 9, Ch. 77-620, Laws of Florida, apply to public and nonpublic schools which offer:
A. Prekindergarten classes during regular school hours in the same physical plant or in an adjoining structure?
B. Infant care during regular school hours in the same physical plant or in an adjoining structure?
C. School age child care services before and after school hours in the same physical plant or in an adjoining structure?

In a lengthy analysis of the statutory exclusion of schools from child care facility licensing requirements, the Attorney General concluded:

In sum, then, and unless and until legislatively or judicially determined otherwise, it is my opinion that the exemptions under s. 402.302(4), F.S., as amended by CHs. 84-551 and 85.54, Laws of Florida, and s. 9, Ch. 77-620, Laws of Florida, apply to public and nonpublic schools which offer prekindergarten classes or infant care during regular school hours or school age child care services before . and after school hours. . . . AGO 85-74, p. 7

6. Attorney General Opinion 85-74 also provides at page 3 as follows:

Thus, public schools and nonpublic schools and their integral programs are not “child care facilities]” for purposes of ss. 402.301-402.319, F.S., as amended.

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Bluebook (online)
22 Fla. Supp. 2d 230, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/florida-assn-of-academic-nonpublic-schools-v-department-of-health-fladivadminhrg-1986.