Check these pages regularly for Florida education legislation updates.
Some good resources for staying abreast of legislative issues in Florida are:
Professional Educators Network of Florida legislative update page:
http://www.penfl.org/2007sessionsummary.html
Florida Department of Education's Legislative Tracking page:
http://www.flboe.org/JustForTeachers/Legislation.asp?style=print
FL DOE Media Advisories:
http://www.fldoe.org/news/media_advisories.asp
FL BOE meeting schedule:
http://www.fldoe.org/meetings/
Online Sunshine Bill Search:
http://www.flsenate.gov
Enter desired search term in “Search Bill Text” box ; ie
education, homeschool, schools etc and then select House or Senate and “search”
to see upcoming bills
Some current legislation with additional resources can also be found below:
School District Virtual School Programs (SDVIP) - HB 7067 and SB 534
November 2009
There are emails going around, on both sides of
the fence, about virtual school program legislation currently under
consideration in FL (SB 534 and HB 7067). Some of the emails encourage
signing a petition to allow home educators to participate in School
District Virtual School Programs (SDVIP) without previous enrollment in
public school, and others protest the legislation.
All home educators are urged to become informed about virtual school choices in Florida,
whatever your opinion or preference regarding the schools, and to make
sure you have all the facts (or as many as you can find) rather than
acting on fear based or uninformed arguments on either side.
Support for SDVIP Enrollment Expansion
With respect to the petition, found at http://www.flvirtualfamilies.org/petition/ and this particular phraseology: "In looking at this law, it is a great tool for those parents that would choose to homeschool." …
It's important to remember that SDVIP is great tool for those interested in having a *public school education option that they can administer from home*.
Participants need to understand that the laws under which those
enrolled in this program would provide that education are different
from homeschooling laws.
The petition calls on Florida representatives "to
change the portion of House Bill 7067 that states a child must attend
public school for one year to qualify for this program. We feel that
this discriminates against children that previously home schooled or
that would have to come out of private school that would want to use
this program. Parents of all children should have the option to use
this if they so chose. Treat all children fair"
Grammar issues aside, the bill doesn't actually discriminate against
homeschooled children or anyone else. This is a procedural issue, not a
home education issue . Transferring to SDVIP should be handled as any
public, private or homeschool program transfer is handled, using
existing Florida State Board of Education transfer rules.
Opposition to SDVIP
Long time home and private school lobbyist Brenda Dickinson, of the
Home Education Foundation, is concerned about the Senate version of
SDVIP legislation, SB 534, for other reasons, principally her
contention that SDVIP "will lead to the demise of home education as we
know it."
In a recent email, referencing a Christian Broadcasting Network article titled "Online Charter Schools Proving Popular" she contends:
"
Parents are going to be more confused about virtual education
than they were last year if Charter Virtual Schools are created in
Florida. This year some parents who have enrolled their children in the
School District Virtual School Programs (SDVIP) are forming their own
support groups and asking for membership in the Florida Parent
Educators Association. They think they are home educators. However,
students enrolled in a SDVIP, using K-12, Inc and Connections Academy
are not home educated students; they are public school students. I
believe in a short time this confusion will lead to the demise of home
education as we know it.
"...SB 534 is filed for the 2010 Session and will create the same virtual charter school in Florida
described in the article .... My question is: How long will home
education parents be able to direct their children's education if these
schools are established in Florida?
Many parents are afraid to step out on their own to take over the
education of their children under the home education law, so this
highly structured program will appeal to those parents. Within a few
years, there will be almost no one in the elementary grades who
develops their own curriculum and tailors it to their own child's
interest, pace and learning style. Most parents, new to home education,
will be persuaded that this is the only way to teach your child at
home."
The virtual school induced death knell has been rung for homeschooling
for almost ten years now, with no significant evidence of deliterious effect to home education. Almost identical complaints
were leveled at Florida Virtual School at the time, even though now, FLVS is lauded by
many of the same homeschoolers as a model virtual program for home
educators. If trust parents to make an intelligent and informed choice to homeschool, we must also trust that they're making an intelligent and informed decision if they select the use of a public virtual school.
Home education is, in fact, changing and has been since its inception.
But that's different from suffering a "demise." More people than ever
are aware that they can in some great measure influence and direct
their children's education, perhaps not as completely as some of us
have chosen, but more than many more people ever would have considered
doing.
A future now suggests itself where
everyone tailors his or her education to best suit individual needs,
interests and abilities. This has the potential to bring a far higher
quality of family life and education to more people than does circling
the wagons to protect "home education as we know it." Life as people
knew it a hundred, two hundred, three hundred years ago no longer
exists. While some good things are lost to time and history, many more
good things have been gained: civil rights, greater longevity,
multiculturalism, fascinating and useful technology, and more access to
knowledge than ever before.
Get the Facts
With any of the virtual school arguments or supplications, important points of clarification should be:
- Sources and evidence for "slippery slope" arguments of
doom;Specific studies regarding virtual school program effects on home
education;
- Specific instances of school district strong-arming (some emails
claim school districts are performing portfolio reviews with the
intention of intimidating parents into choosing SDVIP programs);
- Focus on real issues: equitable application of uniform transfer
rules, or truth in advertising for SDVIP programs – issues that apply
across the board to all families trying to make informed decisions.
Advocating and empowering all families to make
informed educational decisions for themselves and their children is, in
the long run, the best way to protect homeschooling.
You can read more about HB 7067 at
And about SB 537 at http://bit.ly/2ZPaKm
(For the record, any virtual school
families seeking support and resources are very welcome to join
Learning is for Everyone of Florida . We don’t care how you learn at
home, and we’re happy to help you make the most of your time together
with your children.)
NextGeneration Sunshine State Standards
September 2008
There's a lot of interesting reading in this Senate bill text, pertaining to changes in the Sunshine State Standards (ie " Next Generation Sunshine State Standards) .While, in an of itself, this legislation has no specific bearing on home or private school education in Florida, it's useful for everyone to know about it for several reasons, not the least of which is simply being informed about curriculum standards in FL.
You can see the new diploma form here:
http://info.fldoe.org/docushare/dsweb/Get/Document-5142/k12-2008-159.pdf
You can see the new "Next Generation Sunshine State Standards" (in progress) here: http://www.floridastandards.org
From the FL DOE (excerpt below - visit link for full memo):
http://info.fldoe.org/docushare/dsweb/Get/Document-5142/k12-2008-159.pdf
DATE: September 25, 2008
SUBJECT: HIGH SCHOOL DIPLOMA DESIGNATIONS
Recently enacted Senate Bill 1908 created a new section of statute
that requires the following four new designations are included on the
standard high school diploma beginning with the 2008-09 school year,
as applicable:
• Major Area of Interest, pursuant to completion of credits as
provided in section 1003.428, Florida Statutes
• Completion of four or more accelerated college credit courses in AP,
IB, AICE, or dual enrollment if the student is eligible for college
credit pursuant to sections 1007.27 or 1007.271, Florida Statutes
• Career education certification in accordance with section 1003.431,
Florida Statutes
• Florida Ready to Work Credential in accordance with section 1004.99,
Florida Statutes
Senate Bill 1908 can be viewed at:
http://www.flsenate.gov/data/session/2008/Senate/bills/billtext/pdf/s1908er.pdf
(see page 18).
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