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URGENT: A companion bill to HB1403 has appeared in the Senate. It is going to the Education Pre-K -12 Committee today at 1:00 PM. We are asking parents to call and email the members of that committee NOW to express your concerns! You can find the members of that committee here: https://www.flsenate.gov/Committees/Show/ED?pref=full Also, if you are a PEP parent local to Tallahassee and want to come speak at the committee, please reach out to us at info@flhef.org ASAP so we can help coordinate!

URGENT ATTENTION NEEDED TODAY! We’re reaching out with a critical concern regarding CS/HB 1403. As dedicated advocates for parent directed education, which includes our PEP students, we oppose the bill as it is currently written, and we’re being ignored on our issues and concerns. KEY CONCERNS: Parents are NOT being heard. Our voices, representing those directly affected by the PEP scholarship, seem to be overlooked in the decision-making process. We’ve expressed our concerns in committees Decisions are being made without sufficient input from the families who actually utilize the PEP program. We urgently need more time to discuss and resolve the issues present in this bill. CALL TO ACTION: Beg leadership to temporarily postpone CS/HB1403, engage in meaningful dialogue and collaboration and amend this bill to address the issues for families directly affected by this bill. YOUR SUPPORT IS CRUCIAL. IMMEDIATE CALLS NEEDED TODAY: The Governer’s Office: 850.717.9337  |  https://www.flgov.com/email-the-governor/  |  @govRonDesantis |. GovernorRon.DeSantis@eog.myflorida.com The Speaker of the House - Representative Paul Renner: 850.717.5000 | 850.717.5019 | Paul.Renner@myfloridahouse.gov The Chair of the Education & Employment Committee: Ralph.Massullo@myfloridahouse.gov  |  850.717.5023 The future of this scholarship program in Florida is being shaped now. Be sure leadership hears from those who know these issues best – the families themselves.

If you are concerned about HB1403 and want to help... There is still time to get the bill amended. NOW is the time to reach out and voice your concerns, before the bill moves to the next committee! (These tips would also be helpful for contacting representatives with any concerns about future bills or other issues, as well!) SOME TIPS FOR CONTACTING REPRESENTATIVES: Keep it brief! The representatives and the related staff are very busy, and long, detailed accounts can be overwhelming to read. Instead, try to: Quickly acknowledge/thank them ("I know you're very busy. Thank you for the work you do representing your constituents" or something like that.) Include a quick context & your main reason for writing ("I'm a parent with 3 kids on PEP, and I have a major concern about HB1403" or whatever applies to you but lets them know who you are.) BULLET-POINT OR QUICKLY LIST your supporting points/the detailed reasons for writing... no more than 4 bullets!  For this situation, it might look something like: It's very important for PEP students to have access to the EQUIPMENT for electives like music, art, career & technical skills, etc. Without the ability to purchase required equipment, the lessons may become unusable. For example, one of my children takes guitar lessons, but her instructor requires she have her own guitar to learn on and to practice at home. We could not afford to purchase a guitar out of pocket. If we had not been able to purchase one through MyScholarShop, she would not have been able to take the lessons. I understand the limitation in HB1403 applies only to "equipment used as instructional materials" for subjects outside the cores listed in the bill, but there is not a clear definition for "equipment.” Parents–myself included–are concerned this may be interpreted to also limit access to things like art supplies, basic school supplies, and more. Subjects like art, music, physical education, career & technical skills, and other electives ARE part of a well-rounded education, and it does not make sense to limit parents from being able to reasonably use their funds on those types of instruction, which is what the current language in HB1403 will do. PEP is supposed to be "parent-directed education," but this restriction on "equipment used as instructional materials"  prevents the parents from being able to truly direct their child's education by utilizing the funds in the way that works best for each student's individual situation and needs. [THESE BULLET POINTS SHOULD BE CUSTOMIZED FOR YOUR SPECIFIC CONCERNS AND YOUR REASONS FOR THOSE CONCERNS. Also, if you can get your bullet points even SHORTER than the ones above, that's even better!] 4. Thank them again (with your contact info if they want to follow-up), and exit! You don't have to use this EXACT formula, but a basic template like this will ensure your email is clear, concise, and easy to follow. Who to contact: 1. Your local representatives. (House and Senate.)  The bill is currently in the House, but it will be going to the Senate eventually, too.  You can find your representatives on the House and Senate using their search tools here: HOUSE: https://www.myfloridahouse.gov/findyourrepresentative SENATE: https://www.flsenate.gov/Senators/Find You can message your reps directly through those websites once you find them.  Or you can use the listed number to call them.  Or both! If you contact a representative who is not YOUR representative, your email may be ignored or deleted. Be sure to include your address/county of location in a visible place in the subject or intro line of your email so they know right away that you are one of their constituents. 2. Speaker Renner. The Speaker has a LOT of influence on the bill, and it's VERY important that he hear parents' concerns on HB1403! https://www.myfloridahouse.gov/Sections/Representatives/details.aspx?MemberId=4619 3. The bill's sponsor. Tomkow is sponsoring this bill. It's also very important that she hear parents' concerns. https://www.myfloridahouse.gov/Sections/Representatives/details.aspx?MemberId=4704 Additional suggestion: If you're specifically concerned about the limitation on equipment used as instructional materials... Tomkow has argued that parents can still take classes, just not purchase equipment. ("You can take horseback riding lessons, you just can't buy the horse.")  So, when reaching out to her, it's especially important to voice the ways in which the limitation on equipment outside of the core subjects would negatively impact your family, ESPECIALLY if you're in a situation where the equipment itself is what you need to purchase. You could also bring up the lack of clear definition for what qualifies under "equipment" and how this might result in legitimate supplies being denied. REMINDER: When reaching out to any of the above, Keep it brief!  You want to communicate WHY this issue matters personally to you and your children, but in the BRIEFEST form possible. This is not the best time to provide every detail... that could result in your main points not being received or understood.  I recommend you save the details for if they reach back out wanting to speak with you further. That way, you can at least be sure your MAIN points are being read/heard. And we want EVERY parent’s voice to be heard! If you have any other questions about contacting your representatives, reach out to us. We're happy to help! Sincerely, Crystal Crawford HEF Community Manager One final note: If you want to know the primary issues HEF is lobbying for in relation to HB1403, you can find them in a recent forum post here: https://www.flhef.org//forum/2024-legislative-updates/what-hef-is-lobbying-for-on-hb1403 If any of those issues resonate with you, you can include those in your emails and calls! (You will need a Site Membership to access our forum, but it's free to create one!)

We've just updated several of the FAQs on HEF's forum based on brand-new information Brenda just received today! We now have answers to a LOT of parents' questions about PEP as it relates to: Bright Futures FLVS Taking classes at public or charter schools Dual Enrollment FHSAA How the standardized tests will be administered You can catch the highlights of these updates the PEP FAQs section of our Live Forum! http://flhef.org/forum We've pinned a post to the top of the forum that provides directions to the specific FAQs we've updated today. (You do need to create a Site Member account to access our forum, but it's free!) We will also be doing a special Livestream tomorrow (Wednesday, August 16, 2023) at 1PM to go over these latest updates. You can catch that on our Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/FLHEF1985 (Or watch the replay there later if you don't make the Live video!)

If you missed it, the link to watch it is HERE. We had some technical difficulties and were not able to go live at exactly 12pm Noon. We had power outages from storms, and a cascading host of complications in our schedule once we let that dragon loose. However, we did manage to get back up and running around 3:30pm and were live for almost an entire hour answering questions. Thank you to all of the participants who stopped in and stayed for the entire time. Thank you, Brenda for taking the time to put curious minds at ease with answers. We know that you work tirelessly behind the scenes not just when you're lobbying with our representatives, but also when you're going back and forth with the other organizations in the community that offer support to keep the information flowing. If you want the short version of the takeaways, they're something like this: Use https://www.stepupforstudents.org/get-support to ask questions and submit recommendations. This process of getting all of the definitions out, and the lists full of "approved" suppliers, etc. is going to take time and patience. Please use that link and help inform the process. Also, please make use of our live community for more information and help from our entire home education community : https://www.flhef.org/forum . You will find questions and answers to PEP as well as many other helpful input from our HEF admin, moderators, and home education veterans in our community. If you would like to be considered as a moderator or home education veteran, please email us directly at info@flhef.org to start that process. Finally, use the HEF website's resources to find the HB1 Personalized Education Bill - ENACTED pdf so that you can read all of the language that's going to be coming to the florida statutes website. They have NOT update the website yet, but you all have your questions. So please, make use of that document as it is a copy of what will be added to the laws website. You can find that downloadable resource here: https://www.flhef.org/downloads

Our first Live Chat will be hosted on July 10th, 2023 at 12pm Noon! We will be going live each Monday until August at 12pm Noon to answer questions for our community. This is the perfect time to connect with YOUR FLORIDA LOBBYIST for Home Education and get answers to common questions. Will we be talking about PEP? Yes. Will we be discussing your concerns, options, and answering questions about HB1? Yes. What we will NOT be covering. We will not be looking up anyone's account to answer specifics about your private account. We will not be answering questions of a personal nature about you or your children, etc. We WILL be answering questions that you might have about your specific circumstances that could be useful to others. We will be answering other questions you might have for Brenda about what it's like being our Florida Lobbyist, what's coming up, what's important to watch out for, etc. Submit questions Live as a comment below the video, or you send them in ahead of time by posting in the Event on Facebook, or submitting them through the contact form on our website, etc. You will be able to find the replay on our website once the live sessions have been ended, and they will also be saved on Facebook for you to watch and share.

All of these questions are regarding the Personalized Education Program, introduced in HB1. You can download a copy of the language of the bill that will be enacted July 1, 2023 - HERE. First, take a moment and watch this video as it will help answer some of your questions. But then if you have additional questions, keep reading. If you have questions that aren't answered here, please submit them through the contact form and we will get your answers! What tests are there to choose from and how are they administered? The tests are "to be determined" in the future, but right now the acceptable norm-referenced assessments that are most commonly used are California Achievement Test, Stanford Achievement Test or Iowa Test of Basic Skills. These can be administered by your evaluator/teacher. Local support groups can also administer them. A list of Florida Department of Education's Norm-Referenced Assessments can be Found here. Use of the Funds: can they be used for supplies? Short answer? "No." Explained Answer: Funds have to be used for "REQUIRED" supplemental materials. In other words, supplemental materials inherent to the program. Florida Statute 1002.394 (2)(b) lays that out: "'Curriculum' means a complete course of study for a particular content area or grade level, including any required supplemental materials and associated online instruction." Also, the funds can be used for classes online or in person (lines 1222-1271 of HB1). Here's a helpful "quick-list" of fund usage: Can be used for curriculum & instructional materials, including digital & internet resources. Tuition or fees for full or part time enrollment in an eligible private school or classes at a home education instructional program Tuition or fees at an eligible (private) postsecondary institution, approved preapprenticeship program, FLVS or public-school classes. Fees for private tutor or a private tutoring program under s.1002.43 Fees for nationally norm-referenced achievement tests, AP tests, industry certifications, assessments related to postsecondary education and other assessments Fees for a choice navigator to assist in developing a student learning plan, choosing curriculum and advising on career and postsecondary options. Can the funds be "backdated"? A mother asked, "For instance, I have already purchased most of the curriculum for the upcoming school year. If I sign up for this PEP funding, will I get reimbursed for the curriculum that I have already purchased?" To our knowledge, only purchases made after July 1, 2023 will be eligible for reimbursement. The bill does not become law until this date, so any purchases made before the enactment date are made outside of the scope of this bill.

I'm confused about the proposed Universal Pre-Kindergarten legislation. Some friends are saying that all private schools will have to become accredited. Is that true? Why do we even have this legislation? First, the UPK program is mandated through the Florida Constitution. That fact cannot be changed, so a bill was inevitable. Knowing that, it was very important to Brenda Dickinson that we have the least intrusive bill possible. The best solution was to make the UPK program voluntary, as a "scholarship" program. Those parents, and schools, not wishing to participate will not be required to. Secondly, this bill does not require the development, in the FDOE, of a Division of Early Learning. No homeschooler wants the DOE looking into the 'education' of our children from Birth to age 5. Thirdly, schools not participating (i.e. taking state money for the program) will not be required to be accredited. Nothing will change for 600 schools who are not now, or do not plan to be, participating in state-funded scholarship programs. For background information on the original threats to educational freedom, please re-read HEF's letter from 2/18/04. If leaders are not on the HEF loop, and would like to receive their information first-hand, please ask them to let us know. We would be happy to add them. I am also attaching below HSLDA's response to this question. Have a great day, and thank you for checking with us for clarification. Dear Mr. and Mrs. C, HSLDA has not taken an official position on either bill, but I've been following this legislation closely. I believe that Brenda Dickenson is correct in her assessment: the FL legislature is obligated to develop some program along these lines, and HB 821 appears to be the best version that will satisfy all sides. HB 821 is far better than what we saw earlier this year. It's certainly not perfect, but it may be the best that conservative parents can accomplish, given the situation. This legislation will NOT require 600 schools to be accredited. It is a voluntary participation program to receive grant money for starting a pre-K program. Only if you seek the grant for a pre-K program will you be required to comply with the accreditation and learning standards requirements. Sincerely, Michael Reitz Legal Assistant to Christopher J. Klicka Home School Legal Defense Association P.O. Box 3000 Purcellville, VA 20134-9000 540.338.5600 (phone) 540.338.1952 (fax) LegalG@hslda.org

I’m a mother of a 3 year old who I’m planning on home schooling, but the problem is where do I start?? Is there somewhere I can go for the “Dummies Guide” on what paperwork needs to be filled out, where to send and when this needs to be done. I would appreciate any help I can get. Dear C, You’ve picked a good place to begin! There are many good books in the library or bookstore, and I would recommend you read a few. A couple of my personal favorites are The Simplicity of Homeschooling: Discover the Freedom of Learning Through Living, by Vicky Goodchild and Beyond Survival: A Guide to Abundant-Life Homeschooling, by Diana Waring. I also personally recommend The Way They Learn, by Cynthia Tobias, which is a book understanding your child’s learning styles. However, there are as many ways to home educate as there are families, so understand that the author is only sharing his or her experience and point of view. For basic facts, you can read the law on our website.  If you want a good, basic guide, check out the Guide to Homeschooling in Florida on the Florida Parent Educators Association (FPEA) website at http://ww.fpea.com . You might want to hook up with a support group in your area to connect with other homeschooling moms. Some groups will allow younger children to attend some events as preschoolers, although many events and field trips are restricted to school-age children. As far as preschool home education, I recommend that you do plenty of enriching life activities together as opposed to jumping into formal education. Read books, go to the zoo, beach or park and observe the plants and animals, bake together, and/or plant a garden. The formal education will come soon enough.

Is a registered home education student permitted to take the PSAT or PLAN (in the 10th grade) at a public school? Yes. The school district is not required to cover the cost of the test. The Home Education student may have to reimburse the school district $11 for the test. The district usually gives the test in late September or early October so be sure that you give the district enough lead time to order a test for your child.

Are there any guidelines for how much parental supervision is necessary for home schooling of a 9th grade student? A parent needs to provide enough supervision to direct the student’s sequentially progressive instruction to satisfy the law. The amount of supervision will vary from family to family, child to child. From a general parenting standpoint, every parent needs to provide adequate supervision for their minor children, appropriate to their age, maturity and abilities. Homeschoolers do not have to keep the traditional school calendar or traditional school hours, so schedules can be very flexible.

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