It looks like the latest bill will add eligibility for digital devices, but remove eligibility for all materials/lessons related to electives and PE! This is a horrible trade off in my view. The ability to provide lessons in music and athletics is one of the biggest benefits we've been excited about these scholarships providing!
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As said in the meeting
Just confusion from the homeschool parents.
What they said in the meeting. You can pay for horseback lessons but can't buy a horse, you can pay for a gym membership but can't buy stuff to build a home gym. You can take PE classes but can't buy a swing set. You can take an art class but can't buy art stuff.
Clarification from the meeting
Lawmakers and school boards have always tried to get rid of electives like music, art, drama, and PE - even when I was back in school in the 1980's & 90's. Home educators deserve the right to choose whether to offer those options to their children (students) and we can thankfully make those decisions freely. Personally, PEP-FTC has been a blessing to us when it comes to offering those electives. We use the funds to cover core subjects AND electives. If they want to put limits on how much we can have reimbursed then so be it. I am hoping they will leave the elective reimbursements in the PEP-FTC program so we can continue to have some of the cost burden alleviated in our home education program.
If you're a parent near Tallahassee and would like to appear in the Capitol TOMORROW to share your concerns about HB1403, please hop over to this other forum post for more details!
https://www.flhef.org/forum/2024-legislative-updates/call-for-parents-to-speak-on-hb1403
Can we watch that meeting live tomorrow?
Well all that talk about time, it hits the floor tomorrow.
Electives and PE coverage should be maintained for PEP students. If my child attended public school they would be receiving elective and PE opportunities. Also they would have access to electronic devices, so computers and such should be added to approved items.
Is the point to in fact have a parent-led Personalized Education Program or not. Restricting educational choices defeats the name and purpose of the original bill.
So, there is no addition of digital devices for PEP in this bill draft. (It is mentioned in the section about UA, but not PEP, unless I just somehow overlooked it--if so, please let me know the line number so I can check again!). In reading the bill, anything UNDERLINED is new language being proposed to add in. The mention of digital materials and internet resources are not new for PEP, but they do not include devices--only materials (like downloadable documents, etc.) and internet costs. "Digital devices" language needs to be added for things like laptops, etc., to be included. (Which is something we ARE lobbying to add for PEP!) As for the additional sentence that narrows the definition of instructional materials---yes, if this were to go through, it would be far more restrictive for PEP parents. But Brenda, Jason, and I have already jumped in on reaching out to key contacts involved in this bill draft and other influential individuals to communicate the concerns and to advocate for freedoms for parents to choose how they spend their allotted funds to direct their children's education in the way that best works for their unique situation and needs. (This proposed change would greatly limit those freedoms). Keep in mind that this is just a draft, and will likely go through many iterations over the coming weeks. We are actively working to propose changes to that particular section, among other things.
Jason says "Grab your popcorn and stay tuned for more." :)
That is awful! The materials and lessons of electives/PE is my main reason for doing PEP! That is a terrible tradeoff. What can we do about this?
I agree I'd rather keep digital off and keep electives. However in my head I believe this may have to do with the amount of issues they have had with reimbursements regarding electives. I hope they decide to remove this for now OR add to it. I know HEF is going push for both but this just seems to far as it's been covered on UA for years.
I do not see digital devices for PEP only under UA . How I read it
I don't see where digital devices are included? I do think limiting to only the 4 core subjects is awful though. We use so much to help with educating my kids, particularly my younger kids. Subscription boxes have been a godsend for them!