This is a question we've gotten a LOT, so we wanted to break this down in a simple way.
First, it's important to understand WHY the PEP program is separated out from Home Education in statute.
When 2023's HB1 was first introduced, the plan was to offer the scholarship/voucher program to "home education students." However, Brenda wanted to ensure that if additional regulation is added to the PEP program down the line, that regulation will not impact home education law. She worked with legislators to ensure that PEP and Home Education are two different categories under statute, so that no matter what they may do with PEP, home education law remains unchanged. This way, families always have a safe haven to return to if the situation with PEP ever becomes unfavorable--they would simply decide not to accept the PEP scholarship the next year, and return to home education with the county.
This is why PEP and Home Education are two distinct options. If you accept the PEP scholarship, you will need to terminate your home education program (by submitting a letter of termination to your county), and list PEP as your reason for doing so. From that point on, you are educating your child as a "personalized education program student" through one of the scholarship funding organizations (Step Up or AAA), rather than being considered a "home education student."
Does this mean I lose the freedoms and rights I had as a home educating parent?
No! Florida statutes [s.1002.01(2)] specify that PEP students will have all the same rights and freedoms provided to typical home education students under Florida home education statutes [s.1002.41, paragraphs(3)-(12) These statutes are actually referenced in the definition of PEP in s.1002.01(2)].
You will still be in control of your child's education, and (with three small exceptions I'll explain in a moment), you will still be free to operate in your homeschooling as you've always done.
What are those exceptions? Am I required to do certain things as a PEP student?
The three main differences, at this point, are:
You will need to submit a Student Learning Plan to your scholarship funding organization (Step Up or AAA.) This learning plan is very simple and straightforward, and involves a checklist-like process where you state your "learning priorities" for the year. Step Up's submission process for this also includes multiple disclaimers that your learning plan in no way limits how you can spend your scholarship funds or how you can home educate your student, and that you can change your plan at any time. Step Up has a whole tutorial on their site explaining the process of submitting a Student Learning Plan in detail, but it really is a very simple, basic process--it's just there for accountability, to show parents have put in some level of thought to their plans for the year. (Originally, legislators wanted far more intrusive accountability, but Brenda argued against that, and instead they arrived at the Student Learning Plan.)
You will need to take a standardized test at the end of each year, rather than having multiple options for your end-of-year evaluation. The big concerns we hear from parents on this one are mostly related to (1) tracking scores, and (2) how the tests will be administered. To speak to those points... The results are not tracked individually by student (they are compiled into group scores used for tracking the program) and these results will not be released to the public for the first five years (at which point, again, they are not releasing individual scores, rather the overall stats for the program). As for how the tests will be administered, as of August 15, 2023, we have just released a major update on that in our FAQ here!
You will no longer be able to take classes for FREE through the public school system--but you CAN take them. You will just need to pay for them out of your scholarship funds, to prevent "double-dipping" from people taking the scholarship money and still receiving free classes from the school district. We've addressed this particular point in other FAQs, but one main thing to cover here is that the school district will determine what they charge PEP students for the classes. This could vary district to district, and right now, with PEP so new, most districts are still figuring this out, so there is still some confusion and lack of clarity in places. However, a school district cannot refuse to allow a PEP student to take extracurriculars--it's protected in statute since they receive the same rights and freedoms as home education students. (See our FAQ on this for more info...someone asked a question about a school refusing to allow this in the comments, and we posted an answer there with additional information.)
A Note: As of August 15, 2023, we've posted some updates on how the extracurriculars, Bright Futures, FLVS, etc., will work for PEP on a different FAQ here! See also this blog post we posted as of July 11, 2024!
Does PEP mandate what curriculum I can use or what I can buy?
No. The scholarship funding organizations have no authority over how you conduct your homeschooling. They do have guidelines for what counts as a qualifying purchase under the scholarship funds. You can find their Purchasing Guide in our Helpful Docs page, or on Step Up's website.
However, if you want to purchase something not covered in the guide (or beyond the spending caps stated in the guide), you are absolutely free to do so! It just may not be reimbursed.
An important note here, too: Step Up is actively seeking input from parents on the Purchasing Guide right now, so if you want something covered that isn't in the guide, or feel that any of the spending caps, categories, etc., don't work for your needs, please let them know! They have a feedback form specifically for this, and they'll be collecting this info for use when they finalize the Purchase Guide in December.
What if I don't want PEP anymore? What if I prefer not to take the scholarship?
You can decide year to year whether you want to participate in PEP or not. If you are accepted for PEP this year, but decide not to do it next year, you will simply notify Step Up or AAA that you no longer want PEP, then submit a letter of intent to return to home education with your county. You can even decide mid-year to leave PEP, if you choose--you would just no longer have access to funds from that point on. You would simply notify Step Up that you no longer want to do PEP, then submit another letter of intent with the county or re-enroll your child in public/private school, whichever track you choose.
One additional note: Some of the logistics for PEP are still being figured out, but we are staying on top of all the latest developments, and we'll keep you all informed as we have more info!
Are you protected under HSLDA if you are a PEP recipient?
How will homeschooling parents graduate their children out of PEP? Will it still only require a signed affidavit by the parent?
Question regarding enrollment in an out of state online private school. According to the Fl department of education you would still register as a Home education student if you used an online private school from another state, they view that as a curriculum choice and not enrollment for attendance purposes. So then would that reasoning still apply for the pep program? Can a student be enrolled in an out of state online private school and still be eligible for pep?
This is awesome. So much more information then what the actual Step Up site provides. My question is, now that we are in the PEP program, coming out of private school, are we needing to send a letter to the super intendant to tell them we aren't in school any longer? I did inform her school we aren't coming back. Thanks for all the info!