Baker Act

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.

Last December, HNF reporter Lynn Hatter did a five part series detailing the challenges facing children who are involuntary committed and the schools that invoke the Baker Act to deal with disruptive students.

When it comes to children, Florida's law regarding involuntary commitments for psychiatric treatment is applied inconsistently.

To keep children from being committed under the Baker Act, some schools are addressing early childhood trauma and changing their approach to student discipline.

Data shows children who are committed under the Baker Act often are referred by school officials. School shootings and other incidents have placed more pressure on officials to intervene.

Each year, about 36,000 children in Florida are involuntarily committed for psychiatric evaluations under the state's Baker Act and disabled kids are becoming increasingly ensnared.

The number of children who are taken for involuntary psychiatric evaluations in Florida increases every year. This is the first story in a five-part series about how the state's Baker Act affects children.

In Florida, approximately 36,000 kids are Baker Acted per year.

Crimes involving those suffering from mental health issues "are not true criminal acts," Gualtieri said.

This week, the Florida Democratic Party disavowed some controversial comments made by Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders, their party’s current frontrunner...

A proposal that would require school officials to verify that de-escalation tactics have been used before a student can be involuntarily committed under...

A state appeals court Friday upheld a judge’s decision to involuntarily commit a man to an inpatient treatment facility, despite the man’s arguments...