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The Bright Futures test scores for the Medallion Scholarship became immediately effective the day the Governor’s signed the bill.  So, the new lower test scores will apply to home education students who graduate in 2016. Your home education student must apply before graduation and meet the other requirements to qualify.  The student must have completed the 75 hours of community service. See the new update on the Bright Futures website:  http://www.floridastudentfinancialaid.org/ssfad/PDF/Legislature2016.pdf

The number of home educators has continued to increase year after year and in the very near future there may be a greater increase as parents become disenchanted with things their children are exposed to in the brick-and-mortar schools.  If that happens leaders are going to have to find a way to plug them into an established support system to get them started. I am concerned that the current support structures do not have the available mentors to meet the need. Leaders may want to help each new home education parent get started but their mentoring time may be limited and classes provided by home educators to home educators may be full. It takes time for most parents to figure out a customized learning plan for their child, especially with all the choices.  It usually takes about 3 years for a parent to deprogram from the traditional school model to be able to trust their own instincts and adapt learning to each child.  It usually helps for them to attend the Florida Parent-Educators Association to see the variety of home education curriculum, hear from experienced speakers and talk to other home educators. Parents new to home education are often shocked that they have to pay for their own curriculum and are not often prepared to buy it. They are overwhelmed with all the choices and don’t know where to begin. They may feel more comfortable with a program planned for them. One easy way to get them started with “school at home” is through the Florida Virtual School (FLVS) Elementary program – and both the classes and the curriculum are free.  So when a new parent calls you and asks “where do I drop my child off,” or “where do I pick up my curriculum,” you can suggest FLVS Elementary as an option. FLVS Elementary allows home education parents to choose from two different flexible part-time clusters or enroll in all five classes.  The 2-course cluster consists of Reading and Social Studies while the 3-course cluster consists of Math, Science, and Technology. Parents have several opportunities to learn more about this program through the Online Information Sessions on the FLVS website – June 16, 23, 30, July 14, 21, 28, August 4 & 11. School Starts August 15th, but students can enroll anytime throughout the year. At the present time, home educators can enroll their child in Kindergarten and 1st grade, but the law does not allow them to enroll in grades 2-5. HEF worked very hard during the 2016 Session to get this restriction removed from the law, but was unsuccessful.  However, by the beginning of 2nd grade, a parent will have had time to attend a home education convention, attend seminars or connect with other home education parents to see what else is available to them in the world of home education. Please pass this information on to parents of elementary aged children who may be interested in home educating their children in the 2016-17 school year. Note: FLVS is an option for older students in grades 6-12 as well. FLVS offers core courses as well as many interesting electives, honors and AP classes, foreign languages, and some career and technical courses. Check the FLVS site for further details.

Districts  Interpretation of the Home Education Law Brenda Dickinson, President of the Home Education Foundation, has been working since last summer to attempt to resolve by negotiation and education some of the issues which have arisen around the state challenging the freedoms of home educators.  Some districts have been interpreting the home education law in a way that it has not been interpreted for 30 years.  They are requiring parents to provide a copy of the child’s birth certificate and proof of residency prior to registering the home education program. Last summer, Brenda met with School District Liaisons for home education and home education leaders to try to resolve these issues amicably, but met with resistance.  The only options left were to file a lawsuit or clarify the issues in law.  Lawsuits are always dangerous because the courts who do not understanding education law could establish precedent in favor of the school districts.   And then we would have to change the law to overcome the decision.  So, Brenda began working to find bill sponsors in the House and Senate while working on language to address this and other issues we have encountered where there has been misinterpretation of the laws relating to home education. HEF is very happy to announce that Sen. Tom Lee and Rep. Eric Eisnaugle have agreed to sponsor bills to help us clarify those issues in law.  HEF has worked with FPEA, private school and home education leaders to find sponsors and to draft the right language and strategy. 2014 Dual Enrollment Law Impact HEF has also been working with non-traditional private schools, as well as traditional private schools, to bring forth the dual enrollment problem created by a 2014 law which has impacted private schools and private school students negatively.  In 2014, the Legislature required public schools to pay state colleges tuition for public school students taking dual enrollment courses.  After that Session, the Department of Education found a way to open the door through the use of the word “may” to apply this to private schools.  Now, almost every state college in the state is requiring private schools to pay the tuition for any of the school’s students that participate in dual enrollment.  This is so discriminatory!  Private school students of compulsory attendance age should be able to participate in dual enrollment without charge.  However, this would require the Legislature to provide funding in the budget to pay for private school students.   We have not been able to get much support for this concept during this year in which the Legislature is seeking to find ways to trim the state budget. Sen. Lee is open to helping us with the tuition issue, but I am not sure where the House stands on it so far.  Rep. Eisnaugle wants to provide a book voucher of $80/course to help home educated students pay for dual enrollment books.  The Senate bill does not have that provision in it.  So, some of these issues are going to have to be worked out as we move through the Session. The 2017 Legislative Session begins on Tuesday, March 7, and Brenda will have to work with the sponsors to get the bills moved through the process.  HEF will give you updates when there is something to report.  You can follow the bills through the process at:  leg.state.fl.us.   The bill numbers are SB 1556 and HB 1391. HEF will be working to get these bills passed and hopefully, find a way to resolve the dual enrollment issue.  It is not over until Sine Die.

During the Legislative Session two bills, HB 15 and HB 7069, were passed and signed by the Governor to amend the Gardiner Scholarship.  These new laws will Expand the Gardiner Scholarship to include a student identified with rare disease which affect patient populations of fewer than 200,000 individuals in the United States, as defined by the National Organization for Rare Disorders; with anaphylaxis; as deaf; as visually impaired; as dual sensory impaired as defined by the rules of the State Board of Education and evidenced by reports from the local school district; as traumatic brain injured; as hospital or homebound, with a medically diagnosed physical or psychiatric condition or illness defined by rules of the State Board of Education, evidenced by reports from the local school district, and will be confined to the home or hospital for more than 6 months. Allow the scholarship to be used for services approved by a hospital in this state; horse therapy if the center is a member of the Professional Association of Therapeutic Horsemanship International; music therapy if therapist is certified by the Certification Board for Music Therapist; or art therapy if the therapist is credentialed by the Art Therapy Credentials Board. Inc. Eliminate the requirement that an “IEP” must be reviewed or revised within the last 12 months. Allow an “IEP” to be written under the rules of another state. Allow a diagnosis to be written by a physician who holds an active license by another state or territory of the United States, the District of Columbia, or the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. Require the parent to procure the necessary educational services for the student within 2 years.  If the student’s account has been inactive for 2 consecutive fiscal years, the student becomes ineligible for additional scholarship payments until the scholarship funding organization verifies that expenditures from the account have occurred. Close a student’s scholarship account if the account has been inactive for three consecutive fiscal years and returns any remaining funds to the state. Prohibit the parent from billing an insurance company, Medicaid, or any other agency for the same services paid by the Gardiner Scholarship. Establish, beginning in the 2017-18 fiscal year and thereafter, that the funding for a new student entering the program will be based on the student’s matrix level of services determined by the “IEP.”  The student without a matrix will be funded at a Level III matrix of services. Increase the funding for the program by $30 million in order to serve children on the waiting list. HEF NOTES: 1. Beginning with the 2017-18 fiscal year, parents are being required to document that a child is still enrolled in a home education program.  This requirement by the Department of Education is to ensure the integrity of the Gardiner Scholarship Program.  The Department is required by law to cross check students participating in the Gardiner Scholarship Program with public school student enrollment lists in order to ensure that the State is not paying twice for the same student. Although the home education program law does not require parents to notify the school district of their intent to continue in a home education program every year, a simple solution to this requirement by the state would be to send in a Notice of Intent to continue your home education program along with the annual evaluation.  The district could then date stamp the Notice and provide an electronic copy to the parent. Both AAA Scholarships and Step Up For Students may accept other verification.  Check with the Scholarship Funding Organization which provides your child’s scholarship to see what documentation they can accept. 2. The Department of Education website defines each of the disabilities included in the Gardiner Scholarship.  To see if your child may be eligible for the Scholarship you can find the definitions at:  http://www.fldoe.org/academics/exceptional-student-edu/ese-eligibility/ 3.  The student’s “IEP” will need to verify the disabilities for dual sensory impaired and hospital/homebound as required by law. 4.  You may contact the two nonprofit Scholarship Funding Organizations approved to administer the scholarship program. AAA Scholarships   www.aaascholarships.org Step Up For Students   https://www.stepupforstudents.org/

First, home education students are now eligible to enroll part-time in FLVS classes from kindergarten through grade 12.  Prior to the 2017-18 school year, home education students in grades 2 -5 were not eligible for FLVS part-time enrollment (FLEX). The 2017 Legislature removed that restriction. Second, elementary Spanish, which was previously a pilot program, is now open to all students in grades K-5, including home education students. Students can register at any time during the school year for the Spanish class and will be placed with one of FLVS’s amazing teachers. The website is being changed in the next few weeks to allow home education students to select the Spanish course individually.  However, if you want to register your child before the website changes are completed, you can call FLVS and your child will manually be placed in the class. More about FLEX Elementary In the kindergarten through 5th grade courses, elementary-certified FLVS teachers provide age-appropriate instruction. Students meet with classmates and the teacher online twice a week for Class Time, then work independently with parental support three days a week. All sessions are recorded if a student has to miss a “class.” On days without Class Time, the parent has the flexibility to structure student learning activities around their schedule. FLVS-FLEX Elementary now takes new students throughout the school year and there is no cutoff date for enrollment.  Student are encouraged to be in attendance during Class Time to stay on schedule and to develop a relationship with their teacher and engage with their peers. It is important that if you choose to use these classes for your home education curriculum, you need to be committed to having your child complete the courses because FLVS is funded on successful completions. Even though funding is important, above all, FLVS is committed to the success of your child. FLVS pairs language arts classes with social studies classes while math is integrated with science and technology, so parents would typically choose those courses grouped together.  However, if parents request individual courses and/or accelerated courses, FLVS will accommodate those requests. Home Education vs. Virtual School There are some home education parents who feel that virtual school is not really home education.  However, if you view it as a curricula choice, it is no different than any other curricula choice parents may make.  Because FLVS is free to Florida residents, it is a good option for parents who cannot afford other more expensive curricula. Often new home education parents “bring school home” their first year because that is how they think of school.  Frequently, parents feel they need structure and direction in the first few years. FLVS is one way to help those new parents gain the confidence they need to home educate their child.  This may be really important to parents who live in areas where there are no home school support groups, coops or programs. Some parents will choose to stay with a more structure curriculum because it fits their teaching style.  Others will become more confident as they serve as their child’s educational “coach” and begin to trust their own teaching abilities. However, some parents may continue to use a few FLVS courses to supplement their home education program, just as some parents of high school students choose to supplement with dual enrollment or FLVS courses. There is no right or wrong way to home educate your child as long as the parent is engaged in the child’s education. The Home Education Foundation has been creating opportunities to give parents choices since 1985.  FLVS is just one of those choices.  Check it out for yourself.

While the names of the programs are not as important as the choices, home education students, as a result of legislation passed in 2017, are able to enroll in FLVS, District Virtual Instruction Programs, FLVS District Franchises and District Virtual Course Offerings from Kindergarten through grade 12. The 2017 Legislature also removed other restrictions on these programs so that home education students can participate part time in school district virtual instruction programs and district virtual course offerings.  Home education students may also enroll full time in those programs, but they lose their home education status and are required to take all state assessments. One of the interesting expansions to the virtual education laws, that was in the 2017 changes, is that a student, including a home education student, can select any virtual course offered by any school district in the state.  A student would simply go to the school district that offers the course and sign up for the course.  Here are some of the details that may be pertinent to a home education student. Florida Virtual School FLVS Flex is the part-time (individual course) program offered through Florida Virtual School (FLVS) which is a statewide public school.  FLVS also offers a full-time program, just like a district, for students in grades K-12.  For those who meet state graduation requirements, they are eligible to earn a diploma, while completing all work online. The student who enrolls in FLVS Full Time becomes a public school student and must take all the required Florida assessments to earn a diploma.  A home education student can take all the same courses through FLVS Flex, but is not required to take the state assessments and will not receive a high school diploma. Virtual Instruction Programs All districts are required to provide at least one Virtual Instruction Program (VIP).  Medium and large districts are required to offer three.  Most of the school districts in Florida are partnered with FLVS through a franchise.  The FLVS Franchise provides the district with FLVS courses, the learning platform, student support, and teacher training.  Teachers are employed by the school district and could be adjunct teachers in the FLVS Franchise. As districts build up their Franchise program, they may not have enough students to employ a full-time virtual teacher, but may instead use teachers who already teach a full load at a school.  If that occurs, there may be limited office hours and teacher availability.  VIP programs are required to keep attendance and follow the traditional 180-day school schedule.  Some use block scheduling so students complete fewer courses during a semester before starting new ones in the second semester, but students who need more time are allowed to complete the courses over the summer. Enrollment for district courses may begin as early as this spring for the 2018-19 school year.  Check your district for more details. Districts can also select state approved full-time programs, such as K-12, from the list at: http://www.fldoe.org/schools/school-choice/virtual-edu/provider-resources/approved-providers/ District franchises are required to collect and report immunization information for home education students enrolled in their franchise, only if they participate in activities at a brick-and-mortar school in the district (e.g., those who participate in classes, extracurricular activities, or state testing). Individual courses offered by FLVS through its franchises are also available to home education students through FLVS Flex. Home education students may choose courses offered by their district or by another state-approved private provider of virtual education in another district. District Virtual Course Offerings If that is not complicated enough, all students, including home education students, can now choose from district-developed courses or courses offered through another district’s VIP providers.  For example, if FLVS Flex  in your own district does not offer German, but your student wants to take German, you can sign up for the course in Pasco County. Or, if you want your child to take one of the K-12, Inc. courses and your district does not offer that VIP provider, you can enroll your child in Palm Beach Virtual School and take up to 3 courses. For a Florida Online Course Catalog go to:    http://app4.fldoe.org/coursecatalog/ FLVS Flex FLVS Flex is a public virtual school which offers year-round enrollment with a flexible course completion schedule.  Students are not limited to grade level courses. FLVS Flex students remain eligible for all extracurricular activities at their zoned school or one that they can choose under controlled open enrollment, regardless of the number of FLVS courses they take, because they maintain their home education status. Once a home education student takes more than ½ their courses in a district program, that student becomes a public school student for the sake of athletics participation.  Public school students do not have the right to participate at a private school for athletic purposes, like home education students do.  Public school students have to document a certain GPA in the 16 required courses in order to qualify for Bright Futures Scholarships, however, home education students only have to achieve the ACT/SAT score and earn the required volunteer hours. In the FLVS Flex program, your child is not required to take the state assessments unless the end-of-course exam is a course requirement, since it counts for 30% of the grade. All FLVS students, including FLVS Flex, may participate in FLVS clubs.  There are a variety of clubs that may not be available to individual home education students any other way.  Home education students registered with the district can participate in some intra-scholastic and inter-scholastic activities with the school district, but not all clubs are included. All of these virtual courses can be shown on a home education transcript.  However, if a student takes a course offered by a private provider, it may not be recognized by the NCAA or the college your student decides to attend.  You need to check with the district to find out if the course credit will be awarded on the student’s transcript as a district course or if the credit is issued by the private provider. Using the transfer of credit rule, FLVS and district virtual schools will accept home education credits and award a diploma if the student enrolls in the full-time program, successfully completes 6 credits in their senior year, passes all the state assessments, and meets the course requirements for graduation. A few issues which home education parents need to know about virtual courses. Home education parents must serve as the student’s teacher/counselor to make sure the student stays on task and completes the course.  We want to make sure that home education students continue to have a good reputation for success. Even though virtual courses are free to students, FLVS nor the district receives any funding unless the student successfully completes the course.  They are not funded in the same manner that traditional public schools are.  If your child is in a public school and is counted in the “head count” in October and February, the school district receives about $10,000 for the student.  FLVS and districts receive less state funding for virtual students. Note:  Homeschool parents, it is really important that you make sure your child successfully completes the courses so that we can ensure that virtual education continues to be a valuable option for future home education families. Parents are often confused about the virtual options available to students in Florida.  The Home Education Foundation has worked with FLVS to create a new chart of all the virtual programs to help present these options in a clear understandable form. FLVS has a chart on its website to compare the virtual programs:  https://www.flvs.net/options. The Home Education Foundation developed a more extensive chart which includes other issues of interest to home education parents.  See the chart at:  flhef.org/resources.  Click on the Resources link and then click on the 2017-2018 Virtual Chart.

On March 11, 2018, the Governor Signed the Education Bills into Law Senate Bill 4 Senate Bill 4 makes the changes to Bright Futures Scholarships permanent. The Academic Scholarship will now be funded at 100% of tuition and fees and provide $300 per fall and spring semester for textbooks beginning in the fall of 2018.Beginning in the 2018 summer term, if funded by the Legislature, a student may use a Florida Academic Scholars award for summer term enrollment. The Medallion Scholarship will be funded at 75% of tuition and fees.Beginning in the 2019 summer term, if funded by the Legislature, a student may use a Florida Medallion Scholars award for summer term enrollment.A student may use other Florida Bright Futures Scholarship Program awards for summer term enrollment, if funded by the Legislature. Gold Seal Vocational Scholars and CAPE Vocational Scholars awards shall be funded at: Gold Seal Vocational Scholars & CAPE Vocational Scholars Career Certificate Program……….$ 39Applied Technology Diploma Program…………………………………………………………………..$ 39Technical Degree Education Program…………………………………………………………………….$ 48Gold Seal CAPE Vocational Scholars BS Program w/ Statewide Articulation Agreement………..$ 48Florida College System Bachelor of Applied Science Program………………………………………..$ 48 The additional stipend for Top Scholars shall be $44 per credit hour. House Bill 7055 House Bill 7055 has many educational provisions of interest to private schools and home education students. Dual Enrollment Jennifer Sullivan was the sponsor of HB 731 which contained all the home education changes that we needed to address issues negatively affecting home education over the last 10 years. As the Session progressed, it became clear that HB 7055 was going to be the Education “Train*.”  She, along with Rep. Michael Bileca and Rep. Manny Diaz, worked together to include an appropriation in CS/HB 7055 of $550,000 in recurring funds to pay for home education students’ dual enrollment instructional materials. The language was in Rep. Sullivan’s CS/HB 731 which specified how the funds were to be appropriated.  However, the implementing language in CS/HB 731 was removed by an amendment on the Senate Floor on the next to the last day of Session. The language which was removed stated that the funds were to be “appropriated to the Department of Education to be used by the Division of Florida Colleges to reimburse eligible colleges for the instructional materials pursuant to s.1007.271(13) F.S.” which refers to home education students. The funding statement in CS/HB 7055 is not that specific, however, the meaning is still there. The law goes into effect July 1, 2018.  Therefore, dual enrollment books should be covered for the fall semester, but it is not clear how this will be implemented.  Home education dual enrollment students should contact the dual enrollment coordinator at the public college where the courses are to be taken. This bill also provides partial relief for private schools for their students taking dual enrollment courses. The following provision in the articulation agreement was removed. “The provision in the private school articulation agreement must include…….. A provision stating whether the private school will compensate the postsecondary institution for the standard tuition rate per credit hour for each dual enrollment course taken by its students.” This unfair consequence was the result of legislation passed in 2012 which required school districts to pay the tuition for the public school students who participated in dual enrollment courses.  The law was silent on private schools. The HEF lobbyist has been trying since that time to get the Legislature to put in a provision that would clarify that this charge would not apply to private schools. This Session, the HEF lobbyist, Brenda Dickinson, enlisted help from The Foundation for Florida’s Future, the Florida Association of Academic Non-public Schools, and other groups to help bring equity for private school students.  We all tried to get the following underlined words from CS/SB 1064 included in CS/HB 7055, but were not successful. “The provision in the private school articulation agreement must include…….. A provision expressing that costs associated with tuition and fees, including registration, and laboratory fees, will not be passed along to the student or the private school the student attends.” The Senate would not accept the phrase during the negotiations on CS/HB 7055. This language would have clearly stated that public postsecondary institutions could not charge private schools for private school students taking dual enrollment courses. The HEF lobbyist then tried to have it included in HB 731 only to be told that it would kill the Home Education bill.  If this is going to ever be corrected, it is going to have to be a grassroots effort from constituents who have children in a private school and are affected by this unfair practice which denies private school students access to dual enrollment. The best way to do this is to work in the political campaign for your state representative or senator in the upcoming election. Keeping bad language out is almost as hard as getting a good bill passed. The HEF lobbyist, with the help of several groups, including HSLDA, Home Life Academy, and FPEA which sent out alerts. Michael Phillips of FCCPSA, came to Tallahassee and walked the halls with Brenda. Together we were able to defeat language in a Senate strike-all amendment to HB 7055 that would have removed two ways for parents to meet regular attendance.  One of those options would have eliminated private schools in which the students did not attend full-time and the other was the private tutor program. Language was included in this bill to prevent state colleges and universities from reducing the number of classes that can be taken at a public postsecondary institution if the student also takes classes at a private university. The bill also specifies that public postsecondary institutions cannot require a GPA from home educated students in order to enroll in dual enrollment courses if the student makes the minimum scores on the common placement test. Gardiner Scholarship Program The Gardiner Scholarship Program has been so beneficial to parents of children with disabilities that the funds have not met the demand even though the Legislature has increased the funding 3 times since its creation in 2014. Therefore, the Legislature increased the funding by about $26 million this year from General Revenue. In addition to the recurring funding in General Revenue, the Legislature created a new funding stream for Gardiner which allows businesses that pay tax on rental or license fees for use of real property to get a tax credit if they contribute the tax to a scholarship funding organization. This tax credit could raise $57.5 million more for the Gardiner Scholarship. The ways that parents can use their scholarship were expanded as well.  The Legislature added language which allows the funds to be used for… Tuition or fees for part-time tutoring with a person who has a bachelor’s degree or graduate degree in the subject in which the instruction is given. Previously, the person had to have a recognized credential granted by the DOE. Tuition or fees associated with enrollment in a nationally or internationally recognized research-based training program for a child with a neurological disorder or brain damage. This language we believe would include programs like Bridgeway Academy’s HOPE for Learning Disabilities Program and National Association of Child Development programs which some parents currently desire to use. Extracurricular Activities We were able to strike the wording which required home education students to have to register prior to the beginning date of the season in which the student wishes to participate.  This gives home educated students more opportunities to join a team if they miss a specific date set by the FHSAA. Hope Scholarships A new scholarship was created for public school students who have been bullied to attend a private school on scholarship or have their transportation paid for to attend another public school. There are certain conditions which have to be met in order to qualify for a Hope Scholarship, but this cannot be used to home educate a child. HB 731 HB 731 has not been signed by the Governor yet. The bill has not been received by his office and he has 14 days after he receives the bill to sign, veto or let it go into law. The Home Education Bill 731 clarified several sections of law which had been misinterpreted or used to harass home education parents.  Hopefully, this language will prevent the Broward and Miami-Dade School Districts from requiring the child’s birth certificate and the parent’s driver’s license to be provided before registering the home education program.  HB 731 which was sponsored by Rep. Jennifer Sullivan was one of the last bills passed on Friday night at 10:05 pm before the Legislature recessed until Sunday when they came back to vote on the budget.  Rep. Sullivan fought very hard for all the provisions for home education students in both CS/HB 731 and CS/HB 7055.  She deserves much praise for getting these bills through the Session. HB 731 Makes reference to the definition of a parent in s.1000.21(1). Clarifies that a home education program is not a public school choice program. States that registering the home education program is only for the purpose of complying with the state’s attendance requirements. Clarifies the role of the parent and the school district in a home education program. Specifically states that the superintendent shall accept the notice of intent and immediately register the home education program upon receipt of the notice. States that the school district may not require any additional information or verification from the parent unless the student chooses to participate in a school district program or service. Clarifies that in the compulsory attendance statute that the superintendent can only check the birth certificate and residency of a child enrolling in a public school. States that a parent who terminates a home education program is required to submit an annual evaluation. States that the district school superintendent may not assign a grade level to the home education student or include a social security number or any other personal information of the student in any school district or state database unless the student chooses to participate in a school district program or service. States that the Superintendent may not further regulate, exercise control over, or require documentation from parents of home education program students beyond the requirements of this section unless the regulation, control, or documentation is necessary for participation in a school district program. Clearly states that the parent shall determine the content of the portfolio. Clarifies that a school district may provide access to career and technical programs offered by the district. Requires school districts to allow home education students to take any industry certification or assessment given in the school district. Clarifies that the State Attorney cannot independently prosecute a parent for truancy without due process. Simply moves language to a new paragraph clarifying that the Superintendent is not responsible for reporting a child in a private school or home education program to the DHSMV for non-attendance. All of these have been issues that have been problematic for home educators over the last few years. Without this language in statute we have been unable to explain how the law was supposed to work. There should be enough clarification in law now that home educators will not continue to be harassed by a school district. *The main bill which is moving through the process, like a train, that everyone wants to add their amendments, like cars, to the train.

New School District Requirements as a Result of House Bill 731 The 2018 Legislature passed, and Governor Scott signed into law, House Bill 731, which takes effect July 1, 2018. The purpose of this memorandum is to inform school districts of new responsibilities and considerations in this law. A point of contact for each section is identified below. A link to the bill text can be found at https://www.flsenate.gov/Session/Bill/2018/731/BillText/er/PDF. A complete bill summary can be found at http://www.fldoe.org/core/fileparse.php/7749/urlt/LegisReviewBook18.pdf. Home Education (Section 1) A home education program is not a school district program and is registered with the district school superintendent only for the purpose of complying with the state’s attendance requirements under s. 1003.21(1). Continue Reading Here>>

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]FHSAA PARTICIPATION Florida Statute – 1006.15 FHSAA By-laws FHSAA Manuals for Individual Sports HB1403 – Regarding FHSAA General Forms For All Students: EL 2  – Pre-Participation Physical Evaluation EL 3 – Consent and Release from Liability Certificate EL 14 – Verification of Student Controlled Open Enrollment Option with Public School District Home Education: (in addition to the General forms above) A home education student must complete and submit the EL2, EL3, GA4, EL7 and E7V. If the home education student has chosen a public school through the district’s controlled open enrollment procedures, he/she must also complete the EL14. Home Education Eligibility Q&A EL7 : Registration Form for Home Education Student to Participate in Athletic Program at Member School (FHSAA) and the guide to completing the EL7 EL7V – Verification of Student Registration with Public School District Home Education Office EL9 : Home Education Student Academic Progress Report (FHSAA) Private School: (in addition to the General forms above) EL 12 – Registration Form for Non-Member Private School Students EL12V – Verification Form for Non-Member Private School Students GA4 – Affidavit of Compliance with the Policies on Athletic Recruiting & Non-Traditional Student Participation NCAA PARTICIPATION NCAA Eligibility Requirements for home education students http://www.ncaa.org/student-athletes/future/home-school-students[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

What types of scholarships are awarded?  There are 3 types of scholarships: One-time $2500 Scholarship awarded by National Merit Scholarship Corporation A Corporate-sponsored Merit Scholarship (one-time or renewable for 4 years) A College Sponsored Merit scholarship. Note:   While there are many institutions in Florida that meet the eligibility criteria, only 6 institutions participate with the National Merit Scholarship Corporation as a College Sponsor for the 2017-18 academic year: Florida State University New College of Florida University of Central Florida University of Florida University of Miami University of South Florida The Benacquisto Scholarship Program is a merit scholarship for Florida high school graduates who receive recognition as a National Merit® Scholar. Eligible scholars will receive an award equal to the institutional cost of attendance for an in-state student minus the sum of Bright Futures and the National Merit® award.  In other words, National Merit Scholars who take advantage of the Benacquisto will receive a full ride (all expenses paid) education. What are the steps to becoming a National Merit Scholar? Take the PSAT/NMSQT in October of the 11th grade If your score is in the top 1% of all students in your state, you are named a Semifinalist.  (In 2018, the score needed for this was 219 or above). All Semifinalists must go through an application process. As part of the application, you must: meet citizenship requirements have a satisfactory academic record achieve a confirming score on the SAT (and send to NMSC) write an essay receive a recommendation from your principal/guidance counselor (NMSC is intentionally vague regarding what they consider a satisfactory academic record.  The confirming SAT score changes each year based on the aggregate results of that year’s test.) How difficult is it to qualify? NMSC aims to award Semifinalist status to about 16,000 students across the nation.  This explains why the state selection indexes (cut off scores) are different from year to year. In order to be ready for the PSAT by 11th Grade, a student needs to finish Algebra I and Geometry prior to October of Junior year. Since this is a one-time chance, test preparation before the PSAT is helpful and necessary. What is the PSAT? A 2 hour and 45 minute standardized test with 4 sections: – Reading Test (60 minutes) – Writing and Language Test (35 minutes) – Math Test-no calculator (25 minutes) – Math Test-calculator (45 Minutes) Although it is given in the fall of the 11th grade to qualify for National Merit, taking it it in the 9th and 10th grade is recommended practice and allows you to see how close you are to a qualifying score. How do I take the PSAT? Be sure to sign up at a participating public or private school in time to take the PSAT in October of the 11th grade. You will not be able to do this online; you must contact and sign up at the school directly.  Check with the school at the end of the previous spring to find out when you need to let them know that you wish to take the PSAT at their school. Most public schools will let you take the test with them, but you must get registration papers and fees to them in a timely manner (usually in September of that year.)  This time will vary because some schools make provisions for a number of additional students and some have just enough for their own students. If an emergency or illness prevents you from taking the test and you still want to enter the competition, you must contact National Merit by March 1 to see if they will consider you for some alternate testing. Important Note: On test day, the student is asked to fill out “Student Information”. One of the questions asks “if the student is regularly enrolled in a school”.  A homeschooled student must answer “YES” to this question. Home school is considered by National Merit to be a viable school program. A student who answers “NO” to this question will be DISQUALIFIED from the National Merit Competition because a student must be “in school” to participate. Further, there is a HOME SCHOOL CODE that must be entered in the area designated for “School Code” on the test form in order for the student to receive his/her scores directly rather than through the school where the test was taken. When will I know if I am a Semifinalist? Early December: National Merit mails score reports to high school principals. March 1: Postmark deadline for students who missed taking the PSAT/NMSQT to request consideration for alternate entry into the Merit program. September: Schools are notified of the students who are Semifinalists (16,000).  Students are invited to fill out a Merit Scholarship application online which must be completed by the deadline (usually mid-October).  To be considered for a college sponsored scholarship, the student would need to choose an institution that participates in the National Merit Competition as a first choice when responding to the National Merit Scholarship Corporation. February:  NMSC names Finalists (15,000). March-Jun:  NMSC awards scholarships (one of the 3 types identified above) to about 8,000 students. Note:  You must enter college FULL TIME at the college where you received a college sponsored National Merit Scholarship in order to keep the scholarship.  YOU MAY NOT POSTPONE COLLEGE OR GO PART TIME. How do I Prepare? As stated above, it is important to complete both Algebra I and Geometry before October of 11th grade, and Algebra II is strongly encouraged. Take the PSAT in the 9th grade to get a base score as well as an experience of what the test is like.  Use your score to plan your preparation for the run up to the test in junior year. Endeavor to understand and internalize the test format and content by taking multiple PSAT and SAT practice tests (IMPORTANT: make sure any practice tests you take are written by the College Board itself). Analyze your mistakes so you know where to focus your study.  Look for any weakness and practice those concepts or kinds of questions so you don’t repeat your mistakes. Use College Board’s Khan Academy to help you with test prep.  Any SAT practice will help you on the PSAT. Article updated July 2018 by Mindy Pierce Mindy Pierce is home school mom who has been teaching her children for 10 years.  Her daughter earned the status of National Merit Finalist and was awarded a National Merit Scholarship (Corporate) in February 2018.  She will be attending the University of Central Florida’s Burnett Honors College in the fall.  She is the recipient of the Benaquisto Scholarship which covers her entire education (tuition, room and board and all other expenses).

Minors, not enrolled in the K-12 public school system, are required to submit an “Application for Waiver of the Florida Child Labor Law”. 450.081 Hours of work in certain occupations. (1)(a) Minors 15 years of age or younger shall not be employed, permitted, or suffered to work before 7 a.m. or after 7 p.m. when school is scheduled the following day or for more than 15 hours in any one week. On any school day, minors 15 years of age or younger who are not enrolled in a 1 career education program shall not be gainfully employed for more than 3 hours, unless there is no session of school the following day. (b) During holidays and summer vacations, minors 15 years of age or younger shall not be employed, permitted, or suffered to work before 7 a.m. or after 9 p.m., for more than 8 hours in any one day, or for more than 40 hours in any one week. (2) Minors 16 and 17 years of age shall not be employed, permitted, or suffered to work before 6:30 a.m. or after 11:00 p.m. or for more than 8 hours in any one day when school is scheduled the following day. When school is in session, minors 16 and 17 years of age shall not work more than 30 hours in any one week. On any school day, minors 16 and 17 years of age who are not enrolled in a1 career education program shall not be gainfully employed during school hours. (3) Minors 17 years of age or younger shall not be employed, permitted, or suffered to work in any gainful occupation for more than 6 consecutive days in any one week. (4) Minors 17 years of age or younger shall not be employed, permitted, or suffered to work for more than 4 hours continuously without an interval of at least 30 minutes for a meal period; and for the purposes of this law, no period of less than 30 minutes shall be deemed to interrupt a continuous period of work. (5) The provisions of subsections (1)-(4) shall not apply to: (a) Minors 16 and 17 years of age who have graduated from high school or received a high school equivalency diploma. (b) Minors who are within the compulsory school attendance age limit who hold a valid certificate of exemption issued by the school superintendent or his or her designee pursuant to the provisions of s. 1003.21(3). (c) Minors enrolled in a public educational institution who qualify on a hardship basis such as economic necessity or family emergency. Such determination shall be made by the school superintendent or his or her designee, and a waiver of hours shall be issued to the minor and the employer. The form and contents thereof shall be prescribed by the department. (d) Children in domestic service in private homes, children employed by their parents, or pages in the Florida Legislature. (6) The presence of any minor in any place of employment during working hours shall be prima facie evidence of his or her employment therein. 450.095 Waivers. In extenuating circumstances when it clearly appears to be in the best interest of the child, the department may grant a waiver of the restrictions imposed by the Child Labor Law on the employment of a child. Such waivers shall be granted upon a case-by-case basis and shall be based upon such factors as the department, by rule, establishes as determinative of whether such waiver is in the best interest of a child. 1003.21 School attendance. (3) The district school superintendent may authorize certificates of exemptions from school attendance requirements in certain situations. Students within the compulsory attendance age limits who hold valid certificates of exemption that have been issued by the superintendent shall be exempt from attending school. A certificate of exemption shall cease to be valid at the end of the school year in which it is issued.

Some colleges and universities will accept foreign language taught at home for admission, but few, if any, will accept it for graduation.  Florida law requires 2 sequential courses in the same foreign language prior to entering the upper division of a 4-year institution.   These 2 courses can be 2 years of high school language or 2 semesters of college level language. However, depending on the university and the degree, a student will likely be required to complete 2 or 3 semesters of college level foreign language to graduate. Because foreign language courses may vary widely in the way they are taught from institution to institution, it is best to take all the courses in one institution. FSU teaches all foreign language courses by immersion (no English is spoken in the class). For example, if a student takes 2 semesters during their AA in a postsecondary institution that does not use the immersion method and then tries to take the last semester at FSU, he or she will have a disadvantage compared to students that took their first 2 semesters in an immersion class.  The foreign language requirements for FSU is as follows. https://registrar.fsu.edu/bulletin/undergraduate/colleges/arts_sciences/ So, how does your child become proficient in a foreign language? In an article “Why Is it Easier for a Child to Learn a New Language Than an Adult?” by Sharon Perkins which was updated September 26, 2017, she quotes Dr. Paul Thompson, neurology professor at UCLA who says, “After age 11, centers in the brain responsible for language acquisition stop growing rapidly and language acquisition becomes more difficult…” https://howtoadult.com/easier-child-learn-new-language-adult-15590.html In the same article, Sharon Perkins, states, “Children will only continue to use two languages if they receive some value from it, Beverly A. Clark explains in an article published at the Proceedings of the Lilian Katz Symposium in 2000…” So, maybe we need to think about teaching a foreign language every year beginning in elementary school rather than in high school.  If you are bilingual yourself, it would be much easier to teach your child from birth. But if you are not, then you might want to pursue some other alternatives and try to learn the language alongside your child. If your home school program is eclectic, you may want to consider incorporating FLVS Spanish part-time through FLVS FLEX Elementary.  https://www.flvs.net/flex/courses#elementary FLVS offers Spanish from first grade through high school on a part-time basis free of charge. French, Latin, and Chinese are also offered in high school on a part-time basis free of charge.  If your child chooses French or Latin in high school, FLVS offers higher levels of those languages which are not shown on the website.  If the student chooses to take the higher levels of those languages, the student should contact their FLVS FLEX counselor about enrolling in the course. While having familiarity with a foreign language prior to college may give a student a leg up in college, these higher level FLVS courses will not replace the graduation requirement for Florida universities. It should be noted that foreign languages at Florida college and universities are designed to teach foreign languages to students with no background in a foreign language, but if your home educated child decides to re-enter public or private school in high school, 2 years of foreign language will be required for graduation and for Bright Futures. It just seems wise to incorporate it in your home education curriculum so your bases are covered. In the Classical Conversations program, Latin is incorporated annually in the coursework.  Latin is the basis for several foreign languages and should make studying foreign languages easier in college. You could also begin exposing your child every day to the vocabulary and pronunciation of a foreign language through some of the commercial language programs available. Keep in mind that languages are hard to learn on your own unless you are consistent and practice it regularly.  It helps to have a plan.