In lines 1418-1424 of the HB1 Enacted doc (available in our Helpful Docs page), it states:
"an eligible nonprofit scholarship-funding organization may require the use of an online platform for direct purchases of products so long as such use does not limit a parent's choice of curriculum or academic programs. If a parent purchases a product identical to one offered by an organization's online platform for a lower price, the organization shall reimburse the parent the cost of the product."
Step Up will have a platform on their website where they will put certain curriculums they have approved for direct purchase. (This means Step Up will be sending money directly to those curriculum providers, rather than the parent purchasing the curriculum and then submitting for reimbursement.) AAA Scholarship Foundation may eventually have a direct purchase option, too, but we know for sure that this is something Step Up is setting up.
This does not mean Step Up is approving the content of that curriculum... They're approving that the curriculum providers will accept money directly from Step Up on behalf of a student.
The curriculum will then be sent to the student, and the parent won't have to pay in advance.
This is Step Up's way of trying to make it easier for parents to get curriculum without taking money out of their pocket up-front.
Curricula that are not on the direct purchase list would fall under the other specifications listed on p.8 of the FTC FES-EO Purchase Guide 2023-24, which states:
"State policy defines curriculum as a complete course of study for a particular content area or grade level, including any required supplemental materials, teachers’ manuals, and associated online instruction.
For the purposes of this section, a complete course of study may include postsecondary programs aimed at career readiness or trade certification.
Guardians may choose to submit a Pre-Authorization to determine expense eligibility prior to purchasing a curriculum.
Curricula must be publicly available for SFOs to determine eligibility. Curricula that poses a safety threat to the student or others will not be approved."
For more info, you can reference the full Purchasing Guide on our Helpful Docs page.
If you're uncertain whether a desired curriculum will be approved for reimbursement, you can contact Step Up directly for pre-authorization prior to purchasing it, as noted above.