Updated: 2/1/24

New legislation went into effect July 1, 2023 opening up the program to 20,000 low income Florida home educators agreeing to the oversight requirements specified in the bill and who are accepted as prioritized by income.  You must apply and be approved.  Caution is advised for those removing their children from their existing education programs planning to receive funds.  Proceed with your decisions considering the event that you do not get awarded funds.

 

Personalize Education Plan references: 

https://www.fldoe.org/schools/school-choice/other-school-choice-options/home-edu/pep.stml

Personalized Education Program (PEP) FAQs (fldoe.org)

 

You can also find information from the Home Education Foundation as it relates to the home education population:  https://www.flhef.org/hb1

 

Our lobbyist with the Home Education Foundation along with Florida Parent Education Association (FPEA) and the Home School Legal Defense League (HSLDA) all jumped into action regarding HB1 initial language. "Traditional" home education and the no attendance required "umbrella" private school were terms nearly eliminated from legislation.  This resulted in a two part definition change evident in the final language. The traditional definition of home education remains intact for those preferring minimal government oversight.  It is important to protect this language.  Your lobbyist explain this significant change in this video.

https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=535217081962465

 

The PDF form of the bill but you must know your law.

https://www.flsenate.gov/Session/Bill/2023/1/ByVersion

 

• Definitions of 2 types of home education:  lines 190-201
  • 1) Home education program- traditional (attendance requirements not receiving scholarship, annual evaluation)
  • 2) Personalized home education program while registered with a scholarship- (annual standardized test, choice navigator, submit learning plan)
• For Florida residents eligible to enroll in public K-12
  • Priority given to income levels less than 185%, foster care, out of home care, then up to 400% federal poverty level lines 236-242
• Tutoring qualifications: line 318
• School district obligations for IEPs: line 458
• Choice navigator role defined: line 1001
• Part time public school contracted services is not considered enrolled in public school (ie FL flex):  line 1351
• Eligibly Use of funds: lines 291.

 

EDUCATION PROVIDERS:

If you are an educational or extra curricular service in the NWFL area it could be in your best interest to go through the process of becoming a pre-approved Florida provider.  The feedback from those who are currently participating in the Unique Abilities program is that the reimbursement process can be frustrating and easier to get approval of fund use with approved vendors.  For low income families the wait for reimbursement is a factor in vendor selection.  In addition, there is a shortage of exceptional student services overall.  There are concerns that this will create further complications for those needing exceptional student services to get them.  See approved providers as indicated in red throughout the relevant pages.

 

Vendor link:  https://www.stepupforstudents.org/schools-and-providers/vendors/ 

Provider link: https://www.stepupforstudents.org/schools-and-providers/

 

Home education families find value in public, non-profit, and private offering whether they are part of the funding or not.  The addition of homeschoolers to FES funding will divide the home education community into three defined groups below. Providers may notice a difference in what families can pay as a result, especially if the waitlist is as long as it has been for some 9000 plus families on the 2022/23 Unique Abilities waitlist.