08/16/2023
Yesterday we just got information that is brand new regarding TESTING, BRIGHT FUTURES, FHSAA, classes at public schools, FLVS, and more.
Home Education Foundation
Comments
Dear Parents:
Our partner, Foundation for Florida’s Future, is working to expand course access to home education students. They asked that I share the survey below with you to get a better grasp on which school districts currently offer home ed students with opportunities to take individual courses, including career technical education or AP, at their local public school.
https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/WBQF8NZ
If you have any questions, please feel free to contact Debbie Mortham, Legislative Director for the Foundation. Her email is [email protected]. Thanks for your time and I encourage you to participate.
Sincerely,
Brenda Dickinson
President
The Home Education Foundation
Our partner, Foundation for Florida’s Future, is working to expand course access to home education students. They asked that I share the survey below with you to get a better grasp on which school districts currently offer home ed students with opportunities to take individual courses, including career technical education or AP, at their local public school.
https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/WBQF8NZ
If you have any questions, please feel free to contact Debbie Mortham, Legislative Director for the Foundation. Her email is [email protected]. Thanks for your time and I encourage you to participate.
Sincerely,
Brenda Dickinson
President
The Home Education Foundation
Some great legislation is coming soon!!!
If you are not subscribed to the HEF newsletter, please go to www.flhef.org and subscribe. This is where you will get details.😊
If you are not subscribed to the HEF newsletter, please go to www.flhef.org and subscribe. This is where you will get details.😊
http://www.fldoe.org/core/fileparse.php/19861/urlt/2020-EO-05.pdf
EMERGENCY ORDER WHEREAS, the Governor of the State of Flo1ida issued Executive Order No. 20-114, ratifying and reaffirming Executive Order No. 20-52, declaring a state of emergency in response to the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency; and,
WHEREAS, due to the emergency, the spring and early summer administrations of the ACT and SAT test have been cancelled, impacting the ability of seniors graduating in the 2020 to qualify for Bright Futures Scholarship Awards; and,
WHEREAS, the response to the emergency impacted the ability to some seniors graduating in the spring of2020 to complete their volunteer hours; NOW, THEREFORE, I, Richard Corcoran, Commissioner....Read it here
EMERGENCY ORDER WHEREAS, the Governor of the State of Flo1ida issued Executive Order No. 20-114, ratifying and reaffirming Executive Order No. 20-52, declaring a state of emergency in response to the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency; and,
WHEREAS, due to the emergency, the spring and early summer administrations of the ACT and SAT test have been cancelled, impacting the ability of seniors graduating in the 2020 to qualify for Bright Futures Scholarship Awards; and,
WHEREAS, the response to the emergency impacted the ability to some seniors graduating in the spring of2020 to complete their volunteer hours; NOW, THEREFORE, I, Richard Corcoran, Commissioner....Read it here
Excellent Live Online Home Schooling Classes. www.takeheed.org
For every family that registers, HEED will donate a portion of the tuition to support the work of HEF. shttps://www.magisto.com/video/PwUaNFMFRzEhD0NgCzE?l=vsm&o=w&c=c
For every family that registers, HEED will donate a portion of the tuition to support the work of HEF. shttps://www.magisto.com/video/PwUaNFMFRzEhD0NgCzE?l=vsm&o=w&c=c
FLVS IS STILL SERVING HOME EDUCATION STUDENTS
There is erroneous information floating around the pages regarding FLVS which I want to clarify. Yesterday I spoke to The Florida Virtual School (FLVS) about the rumor that FLVS is no longer going to serve home education students. FLVS loves home schoolers and Florida law requires FLVS to serve home education students as well as a few other specific groups of students. So, I knew this could not be true.
Here is the reason for the confusion. There are two schools that make up FLVS. There is the Florida Virtual School (FLVS), which includes both the Full-time and FLEX program, and the FLVS Global School. The Florida Virtual School is, by law, a Florida public school. The FLVS Global School is unique in that courses developed by FLVS for Florida students are marketed internationally to students outside Florida. Students in the Global School have to pay for their courses, whereas students who reside in Florida receive the classes free because FLVS is a Florida public school and receives state funding for those students. The Global school actually brings revenue into the FLVS to be used to develop other courses.
Some Florida students in the past year were accidentally enrolled in the FLVS Global School. Therefore, FLVS is simply moving those students from the Global School to the Florida school so they can receive state funding for those students.
There is erroneous information floating around the pages regarding FLVS which I want to clarify. Yesterday I spoke to The Florida Virtual School (FLVS) about the rumor that FLVS is no longer going to serve home education students. FLVS loves home schoolers and Florida law requires FLVS to serve home education students as well as a few other specific groups of students. So, I knew this could not be true.
Here is the reason for the confusion. There are two schools that make up FLVS. There is the Florida Virtual School (FLVS), which includes both the Full-time and FLEX program, and the FLVS Global School. The Florida Virtual School is, by law, a Florida public school. The FLVS Global School is unique in that courses developed by FLVS for Florida students are marketed internationally to students outside Florida. Students in the Global School have to pay for their courses, whereas students who reside in Florida receive the classes free because FLVS is a Florida public school and receives state funding for those students. The Global school actually brings revenue into the FLVS to be used to develop other courses.
Some Florida students in the past year were accidentally enrolled in the FLVS Global School. Therefore, FLVS is simply moving those students from the Global School to the Florida school so they can receive state funding for those students.
Update on Bills of Interest to Private School
an Home Education Students
DUAL ENROLLMENT
The passage of Senate Bill 1246 today (1-21-20) in the Senate Education Committee gives me hope that the Legislature will ensure that all students have access to dual enrollment in the future. The bill is sponsored by Sen. Kelli Stargel, Chair of the Appropriation Sub-Committee of Education, therefore, it appears she has the funding worked out with leadership in the Senate. The Senate blocked the House bill from passing last year, but SB 1246 is a much better bill than last year's House bill and this year's House Companion bill HB 187
Governor DeSantis and the Richard Corcoran, Commissioner of Education, have both indicated that they support the expansion of the dual enrollment program for all students. The Commissioner recommended $16 million in the Department of Education proposed budget for 2020. The analysis of SB 1246 estimates that the cost to provide funding for private school and home education students during the fall and spring terms and all students during the summer term will cost $28.5 million.
SB 1246 states that both public postsecondary and eligible private postsecondary institutions shall receive funding equivalent to the standard tuition rate per credit hour for each dual enrollment course taken by a private school or home education student during the fall and spring terms but this is subject to an annual appropriation. My concern is that if the “subject to an annual appropriation” language remains in the bill it would require lobbying the Legislature every year to make sure the money is in the final budget.
The Senate Bill 1246 provides a mechanism for colleges and universities to be reimbursed for private and home education students’ tuition, registration fees and instructional materials through the Dual Enrollment Scholarship Program. If the postsecondary institutions are compensated for tuition and fees, they will be more friendly toward dual enrollment students. The goal is to give students the opportunity to earn an AS, AA, or industry certification before they graduate from high school. This bill encourages dual enrollment.
The House Bill 187, sponsored by Representative Zika, is significantly different from the SB 1246 and has passed the first committee in the House. The House bill prohibits public postsecondary institutions from charging private schools or private school students tuition and registration fees for dual enrollment, but does not say how those cost will be paid. Under HB 187 the postsecondary institution would have to absorb the cost. HB 187 does provide $550,000 to cover the cost of private school student’s instructional materials.
The differences between these bills will have to be worked out in the Subcommittee on Education in the Senate and the Appropriations Committees in both Chambers. Needless to say we would like for SB 1246 to be the bill that passes this Session.
THE GARDINER SCHOLARSHIP
Today in Tallahassee there was Rally to support the K-12 state scholarship programs, including the Gardiner Scholarship. Both the Governor and the Senate President spoke at the Rally in support of the Gardiner Scholarship Program and the desire to add $42 million to the appropriation in order to serve the 3500 students on the waiting list. I believe that the House will support the increase because they have consistently supported choice programs for Florida students.
Please go to www.flhef.org to donate
to The Home Education Foundation through Paypal.
an Home Education Students
DUAL ENROLLMENT
The passage of Senate Bill 1246 today (1-21-20) in the Senate Education Committee gives me hope that the Legislature will ensure that all students have access to dual enrollment in the future. The bill is sponsored by Sen. Kelli Stargel, Chair of the Appropriation Sub-Committee of Education, therefore, it appears she has the funding worked out with leadership in the Senate. The Senate blocked the House bill from passing last year, but SB 1246 is a much better bill than last year's House bill and this year's House Companion bill HB 187
Governor DeSantis and the Richard Corcoran, Commissioner of Education, have both indicated that they support the expansion of the dual enrollment program for all students. The Commissioner recommended $16 million in the Department of Education proposed budget for 2020. The analysis of SB 1246 estimates that the cost to provide funding for private school and home education students during the fall and spring terms and all students during the summer term will cost $28.5 million.
SB 1246 states that both public postsecondary and eligible private postsecondary institutions shall receive funding equivalent to the standard tuition rate per credit hour for each dual enrollment course taken by a private school or home education student during the fall and spring terms but this is subject to an annual appropriation. My concern is that if the “subject to an annual appropriation” language remains in the bill it would require lobbying the Legislature every year to make sure the money is in the final budget.
The Senate Bill 1246 provides a mechanism for colleges and universities to be reimbursed for private and home education students’ tuition, registration fees and instructional materials through the Dual Enrollment Scholarship Program. If the postsecondary institutions are compensated for tuition and fees, they will be more friendly toward dual enrollment students. The goal is to give students the opportunity to earn an AS, AA, or industry certification before they graduate from high school. This bill encourages dual enrollment.
The House Bill 187, sponsored by Representative Zika, is significantly different from the SB 1246 and has passed the first committee in the House. The House bill prohibits public postsecondary institutions from charging private schools or private school students tuition and registration fees for dual enrollment, but does not say how those cost will be paid. Under HB 187 the postsecondary institution would have to absorb the cost. HB 187 does provide $550,000 to cover the cost of private school student’s instructional materials.
The differences between these bills will have to be worked out in the Subcommittee on Education in the Senate and the Appropriations Committees in both Chambers. Needless to say we would like for SB 1246 to be the bill that passes this Session.
THE GARDINER SCHOLARSHIP
Today in Tallahassee there was Rally to support the K-12 state scholarship programs, including the Gardiner Scholarship. Both the Governor and the Senate President spoke at the Rally in support of the Gardiner Scholarship Program and the desire to add $42 million to the appropriation in order to serve the 3500 students on the waiting list. I believe that the House will support the increase because they have consistently supported choice programs for Florida students.
Please go to www.flhef.org to donate
to The Home Education Foundation through Paypal.
The HEF Position on SB 632/HB 859
HEF has been contacted by parents concerned about the effects of these 2 bills on home educators signed up with their counties and with parents who are teaching their children using a "umbrella" private school. There is a lot of misinformation circling about these bills. The Home Education Foundation (HEF) has known about these bills since they were filed, and I am monitoring them, but feel very strongly that these bills will not pass. Even if they do pass, they will not affect home educated students registered with the county. However, they could affect students enrolled in an "umbrella" private school.
First, I need to let you know the policy of HEF and secondly to clarify current law regarding this issue.
1. Policy of HEF: HEF normally does not alert parents to bills that are filed that we do not believe will pass. We believe that parents only need to worry about the bills that have the possibility of passing. As your lobbyist, I use a strategic plan to oppose and hopefully defeat bills that have a potential to hurt home educators. Only after I have done my best to defeat or change a bill, I will reach out to the home education community. We want home education families to be able to educate their children and not worry about bills that are unlikely to pass. If you want to know which bills challenge your right to educate your children, please subscribe to our HEF newsletter at www.flhef.org where I will send out notifications as needed if I need your help to defeat threatening legislation.
2. Clarification of the law: This bill will not affect home educators signed under the county. There is no mention in these bills of home education programs. However, parents who teach their children at home under an “umbrella” private school may be effected if the bill does move and we are not able to get it amended. The Home Education Program, which applies to students signed under the county is s.1002.41 FS and Private School law, which include “umbrella" private schools, is s.1002.42 FS. There are major differences in these two laws, and the legal status of each is important when dealing with Florida Statutes. HEF is very aware of these differences, and, because I also lobby for an association of private schools and work together with a larger group of private schools (FAANS), I follow the private school laws carefully every Session and work to protect private school autonomy and independence. Many times over the years, I have protected the rights of parents teaching through “umbrella” private schools as the laws have changed. I will continue to do so.
3. Status of these Bills: These bills are focused on private schools that take state scholarship students in s1002.421 FS. Since “umbrella” private schools are not allowed to take state scholarship students, these bills are unlikely to affect "umbrella" private schools.
In the early 2000s when the state scholarships (John M. McKay Scholarships for Students with Disabilities Program and the Florida Tax Credit Scholarship Program) were created, I was lobbying for the Florida Association of Academic Non-Public Schools (FAANS) and fought with the Governor and the Department of Education to create a separate section of law which only pertains to private schools that participate in these scholarship programs. This section of law is 1002.421 FS.
SB 632/HB 859 targets these schools that participate in the state scholarship programs. There are some proposed changes in these bills which would apply to all private schools in the Annual Database Survey section 1002.42 of Florida Statutes. If the bills pass, "umbrella" private schools would have to administer the Florida State Assessments (FSA) to their students. “Brick-and-Mortar” private schools would fight this infringement on their rights too. Therefore, I do not believe these changes would be implemented and it would be too expensive for the State to administer the FSAs in all private schools. I think this would be easy to argue against since all private schools do not receive state funding.
Also I believe these bills will not pass this Session because the Governor is placing emphasis on raising teacher’s salaries and has asked the Legislature to cut current programs in order to accomplish this. It is highly likely that additional requests for appropriations will not be considered favorably, therefore, I am 95% sure this bill may not even be heard. So far neither of these bills have been put on a Committee agenda and they have 2 or 3 committees of reference.
Rest assured that you will hear from HEF if a bill threatens your rights. Please make sure you subscribe to our newsletter at www.flhef.org in order to receive any notifications.
http://www.flhef.org/the-hef-position-on-sb-632-hb-859/
HEF has been contacted by parents concerned about the effects of these 2 bills on home educators signed up with their counties and with parents who are teaching their children using a "umbrella" private school. There is a lot of misinformation circling about these bills. The Home Education Foundation (HEF) has known about these bills since they were filed, and I am monitoring them, but feel very strongly that these bills will not pass. Even if they do pass, they will not affect home educated students registered with the county. However, they could affect students enrolled in an "umbrella" private school.
First, I need to let you know the policy of HEF and secondly to clarify current law regarding this issue.
1. Policy of HEF: HEF normally does not alert parents to bills that are filed that we do not believe will pass. We believe that parents only need to worry about the bills that have the possibility of passing. As your lobbyist, I use a strategic plan to oppose and hopefully defeat bills that have a potential to hurt home educators. Only after I have done my best to defeat or change a bill, I will reach out to the home education community. We want home education families to be able to educate their children and not worry about bills that are unlikely to pass. If you want to know which bills challenge your right to educate your children, please subscribe to our HEF newsletter at www.flhef.org where I will send out notifications as needed if I need your help to defeat threatening legislation.
2. Clarification of the law: This bill will not affect home educators signed under the county. There is no mention in these bills of home education programs. However, parents who teach their children at home under an “umbrella” private school may be effected if the bill does move and we are not able to get it amended. The Home Education Program, which applies to students signed under the county is s.1002.41 FS and Private School law, which include “umbrella" private schools, is s.1002.42 FS. There are major differences in these two laws, and the legal status of each is important when dealing with Florida Statutes. HEF is very aware of these differences, and, because I also lobby for an association of private schools and work together with a larger group of private schools (FAANS), I follow the private school laws carefully every Session and work to protect private school autonomy and independence. Many times over the years, I have protected the rights of parents teaching through “umbrella” private schools as the laws have changed. I will continue to do so.
3. Status of these Bills: These bills are focused on private schools that take state scholarship students in s1002.421 FS. Since “umbrella” private schools are not allowed to take state scholarship students, these bills are unlikely to affect "umbrella" private schools.
In the early 2000s when the state scholarships (John M. McKay Scholarships for Students with Disabilities Program and the Florida Tax Credit Scholarship Program) were created, I was lobbying for the Florida Association of Academic Non-Public Schools (FAANS) and fought with the Governor and the Department of Education to create a separate section of law which only pertains to private schools that participate in these scholarship programs. This section of law is 1002.421 FS.
SB 632/HB 859 targets these schools that participate in the state scholarship programs. There are some proposed changes in these bills which would apply to all private schools in the Annual Database Survey section 1002.42 of Florida Statutes. If the bills pass, "umbrella" private schools would have to administer the Florida State Assessments (FSA) to their students. “Brick-and-Mortar” private schools would fight this infringement on their rights too. Therefore, I do not believe these changes would be implemented and it would be too expensive for the State to administer the FSAs in all private schools. I think this would be easy to argue against since all private schools do not receive state funding.
Also I believe these bills will not pass this Session because the Governor is placing emphasis on raising teacher’s salaries and has asked the Legislature to cut current programs in order to accomplish this. It is highly likely that additional requests for appropriations will not be considered favorably, therefore, I am 95% sure this bill may not even be heard. So far neither of these bills have been put on a Committee agenda and they have 2 or 3 committees of reference.
Rest assured that you will hear from HEF if a bill threatens your rights. Please make sure you subscribe to our newsletter at www.flhef.org in order to receive any notifications.
http://www.flhef.org/the-hef-position-on-sb-632-hb-859/
Florida's home educators' voice at the Capitol - Home education lobbyist. - Florida home education l
Operating as usual
08/15/2023
BIG UPDATES TODAY! (August 15, 2023)
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 in 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 page: https://www.facebook.com/FLHEF1985
(Or watch the replay there later if you don't make the Live video!)
08/14/2023
We are delayed because we just got off the phone with StepUp and have some much needed answers. Hope you're having a great Monday!
08/07/2023
We had a great convention this weekend at West Palm Beach. Thank you to PEC for hosting. We had about 30-40 chairs setup for our breakout session, and we had to bring in more, and there was still standing room only. We had tons of questions asked, and we're very interested in getting your questions answered.
Small technical issue. We will be starting the Livestream in a few moments!
08/04/2023
UPDATE (as of August 4, 2023):
Step Up has advised that if you received the email this week (August 2023) confirming you have been awarded PEP for your students, then you should go ahead and submit your letter of termination to the county.
You can confirm your award status for PEP in Step Up's system, before doing so... If you have officially been awarded PEP, your scholarship program will now show "FTCPEP" for your student in Step Up's system.
(You will find the FTCPEP confirmation by logging into EMA, then "My Students" on your Dashboard, then clicking "View" next to each individual student. Be sure to confirm "FTCPEP" is listed for each student you applied for! You can visit our forum post linked below to see a screenshot of what this information screen should look like.)
If FTCPEP is showing for your student in Step Up's system, and you still want to receive the scholarship, then you should go ahead and submit your letter of termination to the county for each student who is switching to PEP.
(DOE will be working with the districts to ensure PEP students aren't registered as Home Ed, so you'll want to go ahead and terminate to avoid any issues there.)
You can find more info (including a screenshot of what to look for inside Step Up's system) in the PEP FAQs in our forum.
Here's the direct post link:
https://www.flhef.org/forum/pep-faq/important-update-if-you-received-an-email-in-august-2023-from-step-up-confirming-you-have-been-awarded-pep
07/31/2023
We are back again to wrap up July 2023 with more Q&A.
07/24/2023
Thank you for joining us today Class Source! Thank you for this awesome conversation.
07/17/2023
Let's GO!!
07/10/2023
Sorry for the delay and the technical difficulties. We are live and we hope this helps our home educating families!
Visit our new website today to get on the mailing list/newsletter for legislative updates!
05/27/2023
Brenda is our Florida Lobbyist for Home Education in the capitol and she helped with the new legislative session. In this video, she explains the core of the legislative update and highlights some of the important aspects of registering as a Home Education Student, Personalized Education Program Student, and FES-UA.
For more information pay close attention to our website as we continue to answer questions we field from our Florida Home Educators!
FLHEF.ORG
Brenda has been asked by Step UP for Students to provide a list of questions that parents may have regarding the newly crested Personalized Education Program.
If you have questions that you would like to see in a FAQ on the DOE and SUFS website, please message your question(s) to Brenda here.
04/27/2023
https://www.flhef.org/new-college-of-florida-scholarship/
New College of Florida Scholarship - The Home Education Foundation New College of Florida has a new President who served as the Speaker of the House, Commissioner of Education and who home educated his children for a while. He understands and values students who have been home educated and wants to recruit those students for Fall 2023 enrollment. The Home Education...
04/26/2023
Florida is considering a ‘classical and Christian’ alternative to the SAT Gov. DeSantis has talked about finding alternatives to the College Board, which administers the SAT and Advanced Placement classes.
HB 1 is now law. The Governor signed the Bill in Miami this morning, March 27, 2023
03/24/2023
https://www.flhef.org/legislative-update-week-of-march-202023/
Legislative Update: Week of March 20,2023 - The Home Education Foundation HB 1, the School Choice bill, passed today in the Senate Today, the Senate took up House Bill 1 and passed it on the Senate Floor. The bill will now go to the Governor for his signature. HB 1 creates a new option for parents to educate their children at home: the “Personalized Education Program”...
Today at the Capitol in Tallahassee – HB 1 aka School Choice Bill Update
The Senate Appropriations Committee just passed a strike-all amendment to CS/SB 202. The amended language conforms CS/SB 202 to CS/CS/CS/CS/HB 1. The House and Senate bills are now identical. The Senate bill which passed today in the Appropriations Committee will most likely be taken up on the Senate Floor next week.
Today beginning at Noon, the House goes into Session. CS/CS/CS/CS/HB 1 is on the Special Order Calendar and will be discussed on the Floor.
Members can discuss and offer amendments today when the bill is on the Special Order Calendar. Voting on a bill occurs on 3rd reading and that generally does not occur on the same day the bill is on the Special Order Calendar.
When CS/CS/CS/CS/HB 1 is voted on, it will then go over to the Senate.
08/16/2021
Dear Parents:
Our partner, Foundation for Florida’s Future, is working to expand course access to home education students. They asked that I share the survey below with you to get a better grasp on which school districts currently offer home ed students with opportunities to take individual courses, including career technical education or AP, at their local public school.
https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/WBQF8NZ
If you have any questions, please feel free to contact Debbie Mortham, Legislative Director for the Foundation. Her email is [email protected]. Thanks for your time and I encourage you to participate.
Sincerely,
Brenda Dickinson
President
The Home Education Foundation
Homeschool Student Access to Part-time Courses at Public Schools Take this survey powered by surveymonkey.com. Create your own surveys for free.
01/19/2021
Some great legislation is coming soon!!!
If you are not subscribed to the HEF newsletter, please go to www.flhef.org and subscribe. This is where you will get details.😊
The Home Education Foundation - The Home Education Foundation Governor DeSantis Signs Bright Futures Executive Order Today, September 1, 2020, Governor DeSantis signed Executive Order 20-212 extending the time frame for seniors to take the ACT/SAT in order to qualify for Bright Futures Scholarships until December 1, 2020. This is good news for high school seni...
09/02/2020
http://www.flhef.org/governor-desantis-signs-bright-futures-executive-order/
Governor DeSantis Signs Bright Futures Executive Order - The Home Education Foundation Today, September 1, 2020, Governor DeSantis signed Executive Order 20-212 extending the time frame for seniors to take the ACT/SAT to qualify for Bright Futures Scholarship until December 1, 2020. This is good news for high school seniors who did not have the opportunity to qualify for Bright Future...
07/23/2020
http://www.flhef.org/introducing-heed-online/
Introducing HEED Online - The Home Education Foundation Have you been inundated with questions about home schooling from parents who have been forced to home school their child or even asked to home school your neighbor or friend’s child? Well, it seems that the tide has turned now that home schoolers are being called upon to be the experts in educatio...
http://www.fldoe.org/core/fileparse.php/19861/urlt/2020-EO-05.pdf
EMERGENCY ORDER WHEREAS, the Governor of the State of Flo1ida issued Executive Order No. 20-114, ratifying and reaffirming Executive Order No. 20-52, declaring a state of emergency in response to the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency; and,
WHEREAS, due to the emergency, the spring and early summer administrations of the ACT and SAT test have been cancelled, impacting the ability of seniors graduating in the 2020 to qualify for Bright Futures Scholarship Awards; and,
WHEREAS, the response to the emergency impacted the ability to some seniors graduating in the spring of2020 to complete their volunteer hours; NOW, THEREFORE, I, Richard Corcoran, Commissioner....Read it here
06/13/2020
Excellent Live Online Home Schooling Classes. www.takeheed.org
For every family that registers, HEED will donate a portion of the tuition to support the work of HEF. shttps://www.magisto.com/video/PwUaNFMFRzEhD0NgCzE?l=vsm&o=w&c=c
LIVE HEED CLASSES Created using Magisto video editor. Share your story with Magisto smart video maker.
06/03/2020
Coronavirus: SAT testing cancellations leave families in Bright Futures limbo With SAT and ACT testing dates canceled due to COVID-19, many high school graduates in Northeast Florida are wondering how they’ll be able to
05/28/2020
In-person ACT testing still set at schools in June ‘Very strict distancing’ will be part of the process.
FLVS IS STILL SERVING HOME EDUCATION STUDENTS
There is erroneous information floating around the pages regarding FLVS which I want to clarify. Yesterday I spoke to The Florida Virtual School (FLVS) about the rumor that FLVS is no longer going to serve home education students. FLVS loves home schoolers and Florida law requires FLVS to serve home education students as well as a few other specific groups of students. So, I knew this could not be true.
Here is the reason for the confusion. There are two schools that make up FLVS. There is the Florida Virtual School (FLVS), which includes both the Full-time and FLEX program, and the FLVS Global School. The Florida Virtual School is, by law, a Florida public school. The FLVS Global School is unique in that courses developed by FLVS for Florida students are marketed internationally to students outside Florida. Students in the Global School have to pay for their courses, whereas students who reside in Florida receive the classes free because FLVS is a Florida public school and receives state funding for those students. The Global school actually brings revenue into the FLVS to be used to develop other courses.
Some Florida students in the past year were accidentally enrolled in the FLVS Global School. Therefore, FLVS is simply moving those students from the Global School to the Florida school so they can receive state funding for those students.
01/25/2020
http://www.flhef.org/update-on-bills-of-interest-to-private-school-and-home-education-students/
Update on Bills of Interest to Private School and Home Education Students - The Home Education Foundation Dual Enrollment: The passage of Senate Bill 1246 on 1-21-2020, in the Senate Education Committee gives me hope that the Legislature will ensure that all students have access to dual enrollment in the future. The ill is sponsored by Sen. Kelli Stargel, Chair of the Appropriation Sub-Committee of Educ...
01/22/2020
Update on Bills of Interest to Private School
an Home Education Students
DUAL ENROLLMENT
The passage of Senate Bill 1246 today (1-21-20) in the Senate Education Committee gives me hope that the Legislature will ensure that all students have access to dual enrollment in the future. The bill is sponsored by Sen. Kelli Stargel, Chair of the Appropriation Sub-Committee of Education, therefore, it appears she has the funding worked out with leadership in the Senate. The Senate blocked the House bill from passing last year, but SB 1246 is a much better bill than last year's House bill and this year's House Companion bill HB 187
Governor DeSantis and the Richard Corcoran, Commissioner of Education, have both indicated that they support the expansion of the dual enrollment program for all students. The Commissioner recommended $16 million in the Department of Education proposed budget for 2020. The analysis of SB 1246 estimates that the cost to provide funding for private school and home education students during the fall and spring terms and all students during the summer term will cost $28.5 million.
SB 1246 states that both public postsecondary and eligible private postsecondary institutions shall receive funding equivalent to the standard tuition rate per credit hour for each dual enrollment course taken by a private school or home education student during the fall and spring terms but this is subject to an annual appropriation. My concern is that if the “subject to an annual appropriation” language remains in the bill it would require lobbying the Legislature every year to make sure the money is in the final budget.
The Senate Bill 1246 provides a mechanism for colleges and universities to be reimbursed for private and home education students’ tuition, registration fees and instructional materials through the Dual Enrollment Scholarship Program. If the postsecondary institutions are compensated for tuition and fees, they will be more friendly toward dual enrollment students. The goal is to give students the opportunity to earn an AS, AA, or industry certification before they graduate from high school. This bill encourages dual enrollment.
The House Bill 187, sponsored by Representative Zika, is significantly different from the SB 1246 and has passed the first committee in the House. The House bill prohibits public postsecondary institutions from charging private schools or private school students tuition and registration fees for dual enrollment, but does not say how those cost will be paid. Under HB 187 the postsecondary institution would have to absorb the cost. HB 187 does provide $550,000 to cover the cost of private school student’s instructional materials.
The differences between these bills will have to be worked out in the Subcommittee on Education in the Senate and the Appropriations Committees in both Chambers. Needless to say we would like for SB 1246 to be the bill that passes this Session.
THE GARDINER SCHOLARSHIP
Today in Tallahassee there was Rally to support the K-12 state scholarship programs, including the Gardiner Scholarship. Both the Governor and the Senate President spoke at the Rally in support of the Gardiner Scholarship Program and the desire to add $42 million to the appropriation in order to serve the 3500 students on the waiting list. I believe that the House will support the increase because they have consistently supported choice programs for Florida students.
Please go to www.flhef.org to donate
to The Home Education Foundation through Paypal.
The Home Education Foundation - The Home Education Foundation Update on the work of HEF since May 2019 Most people think that once the Legislative Session has ended the work for HEF has ended. However, our work is never done. Threatening Legislation In June, 2019, I traveled to Jacksonville to meet with 3 pediatricians. Two are associated with the University o...
01/17/2020
The HEF Position on SB 632/HB 859
HEF has been contacted by parents concerned about the effects of these 2 bills on home educators signed up with their counties and with parents who are teaching their children using a "umbrella" private school. There is a lot of misinformation circling about these bills. The Home Education Foundation (HEF) has known about these bills since they were filed, and I am monitoring them, but feel very strongly that these bills will not pass. Even if they do pass, they will not affect home educated students registered with the county. However, they could affect students enrolled in an "umbrella" private school.
First, I need to let you know the policy of HEF and secondly to clarify current law regarding this issue.
1. Policy of HEF: HEF normally does not alert parents to bills that are filed that we do not believe will pass. We believe that parents only need to worry about the bills that have the possibility of passing. As your lobbyist, I use a strategic plan to oppose and hopefully defeat bills that have a potential to hurt home educators. Only after I have done my best to defeat or change a bill, I will reach out to the home education community. We want home education families to be able to educate their children and not worry about bills that are unlikely to pass. If you want to know which bills challenge your right to educate your children, please subscribe to our HEF newsletter at www.flhef.org where I will send out notifications as needed if I need your help to defeat threatening legislation.
2. Clarification of the law: This bill will not affect home educators signed under the county. There is no mention in these bills of home education programs. However, parents who teach their children at home under an “umbrella” private school may be effected if the bill does move and we are not able to get it amended. The Home Education Program, which applies to students signed under the county is s.1002.41 FS and Private School law, which include “umbrella" private schools, is s.1002.42 FS. There are major differences in these two laws, and the legal status of each is important when dealing with Florida Statutes. HEF is very aware of these differences, and, because I also lobby for an association of private schools and work together with a larger group of private schools (FAANS), I follow the private school laws carefully every Session and work to protect private school autonomy and independence. Many times over the years, I have protected the rights of parents teaching through “umbrella” private schools as the laws have changed. I will continue to do so.
3. Status of these Bills: These bills are focused on private schools that take state scholarship students in s1002.421 FS. Since “umbrella” private schools are not allowed to take state scholarship students, these bills are unlikely to affect "umbrella" private schools.
In the early 2000s when the state scholarships (John M. McKay Scholarships for Students with Disabilities Program and the Florida Tax Credit Scholarship Program) were created, I was lobbying for the Florida Association of Academic Non-Public Schools (FAANS) and fought with the Governor and the Department of Education to create a separate section of law which only pertains to private schools that participate in these scholarship programs. This section of law is 1002.421 FS.
SB 632/HB 859 targets these schools that participate in the state scholarship programs. There are some proposed changes in these bills which would apply to all private schools in the Annual Database Survey section 1002.42 of Florida Statutes. If the bills pass, "umbrella" private schools would have to administer the Florida State Assessments (FSA) to their students. “Brick-and-Mortar” private schools would fight this infringement on their rights too. Therefore, I do not believe these changes would be implemented and it would be too expensive for the State to administer the FSAs in all private schools. I think this would be easy to argue against since all private schools do not receive state funding.
Also I believe these bills will not pass this Session because the Governor is placing emphasis on raising teacher’s salaries and has asked the Legislature to cut current programs in order to accomplish this. It is highly likely that additional requests for appropriations will not be considered favorably, therefore, I am 95% sure this bill may not even be heard. So far neither of these bills have been put on a Committee agenda and they have 2 or 3 committees of reference.
Rest assured that you will hear from HEF if a bill threatens your rights. Please make sure you subscribe to our newsletter at www.flhef.org in order to receive any notifications.
http://www.flhef.org/the-hef-position-on-sb-632-hb-859/
The Home Education Foundation - The Home Education Foundation Update on the work of HEF since May 2019 Most people think that once the Legislative Session has ended the work for HEF has ended. However, our work is never done. Threatening Legislation In June, 2019, I traveled to Jacksonville to meet with 3 pediatricians. Two are associated with the University o...
Don't forget MyCareerShines Training TONIGHT
HEF has also arranged for a monthly seminar to introduce you to the amazing MyCareerShines online college and career planning program for anyone in Florida. The seminars are to be presented by Maggie Miller and Paula Crutchley who are both Certified Career Advisors and Florida Lead Field Trainers for Kuder the company that developed this comprehensive career guidance program to help students and adults to find their strengths and direct them to college and workforce training in pursuit of their passions. The program contains assessments to determine a student’s interests, skills and work values as well as links to over 500 scholarships, and a comparison of the cost of the colleges which offer the major or training of the student’s choice
MyCareerShines is the missing piece for home educating parents and provides the student’s very own career guidance counselor. It is totally free thanks to the state of Florida. Don’t miss out on these trainings. Start in middle school with your child and spread the word to every home schooler you know.
January 14 from 8-9pm Maggie Miller (host) https://kuder.webex.com/kuder/onstage/g.php…
MyCareerShines Training
HEF has also arranged for a monthly seminar to introduce you to the amazing MyCareerShines online college and career planning program for anyone in Florida. The seminars are to be presented by Maggie Miller and Paula Crutchley who are both Certified Career Advisors and Florida Lead Field Trainers for Kuder the company that developed this comprehensive career guidance program to help students and adults to find their strengths and direct them to college and workforce training in pursuit of their passions. The program contains assessments to determine a student’s interests, skills and work values as well as links to over 500 scholarships, and a comparison of the cost of the colleges which offer the major or training of the student’s choice
MyCareerShines is the missing piece for home educating parents and provides the student’s very own career guidance counselor. It is totally free thanks to the state of Florida. Don’t miss out on these trainings. Start in middle school with your child and spread the word to every home schooler you know.
January 14 from 8-9pm Maggie Miller (host) https://kuder.webex.com/kuder/onstage/g.php?MTID=e6492df524422b932ddadac20066155ca
February 11 from 8-9pm Paula Crutchely (host)
https://kuder.webex.com/kuder/onstage/g.php?MTID=e7c8eac4adc6550946ac3763840c97698
March 17 from 8-9pm Maggie Miller (host) https://kuder.webex.com/kuder/onstage/g.php?MTID=ef4e9f49a838058f8031f3fb4e6a96325
April 14 from 8-9pm Paula Crutchley (host) https://kuder.webex.com/kuder/onstage/g.php?MTID=ec2e1f0015241129cc66360acc9fced85
On the MyCareerShines webinar tonight someone asked where the course code numbers could be found. Here is the link to the Florida Course Codes. http://www.fldoe.org/policy/articulation/ccd/2019-2020-course-directory.stml
TONIGHT!!!! Don’t Miss the MyCareerShines Webinar
October 17th from 8:00- 9:00 pm
HEF is excited to announce that we have arranged for Kuder to present the MyCareerShines webinar on two different dates so you can learn about this valuable resource.
MyCareerShines is Florida’s comprehensive education and career planning system designed specifically for Florida’s middle and high school students. It is funded by the Florida Legislature, powered by Kuder, and is available at no cost to all students and adults in Florida.
Recently, HEF sent out 2 newsletters detailing how parents could research career information for their students, but MyCareerShines combines all the resources I had been able to identify plus much more into one comprehensive online program. Highly customized for Florida, MyCareerShines includes evidence-based and developmentally designed career assessments, occupational exploration, career awareness, education planning tools, postsecondary institution information, scholarship searches, job prep tools and tutorials, a resume/cover letter builder, and 2-year, 4-year and industry certification education planning tools. This career planning system also contains many videos allowing students to explore different careers.
You can access this fabulous resource on your own for your child and set up his/her own personal account at: https://www.floridashines.org/find-a-career or join one of the webinars below and get a certified career planner to walk you through it.
The webinar will be presented on:
October 17th from 8:00 – 9:00 pm. https://kuder.webex.com/kuder/onstage/g.php?MTID=e91a5044fff479045d67e3d3baacaddb7
Paula Crutchley will present these webinars for HEF. However, if you can’t join these webinars, you can schedule a webinar training or an in-person training at no cost with one of the two Florida trainers listed below.
Maggie Miller is the Field Trainer in North and Central Florida. Maggie can be reached at 863-279-8580 or [email protected]
Paula Crutchley is the Field Trainer in South Florida. Paula can be reached at (805) 208-7539 or [email protected]
10/07/2019
TONIGHT from 8:00-9:00 pm MyCareerShines Webinar. Don't miss it!
HEF has arranged for Paula Crutchley, a certified career advisor, to present a special training webinar for home educating parents and students. This resource will save you hours of time trying to research career/college pathways. The site has assessments to help define your child.'s interests and abilities and it allows them to explore careers in their area of interest. It has information on colleges, scholarships and much much more.
Go to www.flhef.org and look at the last article in the newsletter archives titled "Mark Your Calendars......" to read more.
Join the webinar exactly at 8:00 in order to download the software and be ready to explore "My Career Shines."
Here is the link:.https://kuder.webex.com/kuder/onstage/g.php?MTID=e2afdc55ce591917aa2beb7e1b68e0262
The Home Education Foundation - The Home Education Foundation Exciting Student Opportunity Mark Your Calendars For an Exciting Opportunity for Your Student On October 7th and 17th at 8:00- 9:00 pm HEF is excited to announce that we have arranged for Kuder to present the MyCareerShines webinar on two different dates so you can learn about this valuable resou...
Just to let you know. Sen Stargel has agreed to sponsor the Dual Enrollment bill in the Senate. I think we can get a bill over the finish line this Session which allow private school students to take dual enrollment courses without requiring their school to pay the tuition.
09/27/2019
JUST A FRIENDLY REMINDER!!!
Senate Page Program
The 2020 Page Program Application Deadline is
OCTOBER 1, 2019.
Students need to be 15 year of age by the time Session starts on January 14, 2020.
During regular sessions of the Florida Legislature, participating students from all across the state come to Tallahassee for one week to assist members of the.
Senate. During their assigned week, Senate Pages will assist members of the Florida Senate by distributing materials and messages, learn about the legislative process through a hands-on approach, and experience a "mock session" in which students role-play as Senators and engage in debating, discussing and voting on legislation.
Contact the Page Program at:
Office of Senate Administration
Room 225 Knott Building
404 South Monroe Street
Tallahassee, Florida 32399-1100
(850) 487-5636 or (850) 487-5256
Fax: (850) 410-0065
[email protected]
Application can be found at:
http://www.flsenate.gov/…/Li…/2020PageProgramApplication.pdf
www.flsenate.gov Disclaimer: The information on this system is unverified. The journals or printed bills of the respective chambers should be consulted for official purposes.
This week Rep. Zika filed HB 187 relating to dual enrollment.
The Dept of Education presented their proposed budget to the House Education Appropriations Committee which included $16 million to cover the cost of dual enrollment for private and home education students.
We are also working on getting a Senate sponsor for a dual enrollment bill.
09/14/2019
The House Page Program accepts students in grades 6-8. The House Messenger Program accepts students in grades 9-12.
The application deadline for these programs is Nov. 22, 2019.
The students in these programs assist the 120 Representatives and their staff during the Capitol’s busiest time of year while observing state government in action.
More information on the House Page and Messenger Program can be found at
https://myfloridahouse.gov/contentViewer.aspx…
Want your school to be the top-listed School/college in Tallahassee?
Click here to claim your Sponsored Listing.
Click here to claim your Sponsored Listing.
Location
Category
Contact the school
Telephone
Website
Address
P. O. Box 12563
Tallahassee, FL
32317
Tallahassee, FL
32317
Opening Hours
| Monday | 8am - 5pm |
| Tuesday | 8am - 5pm |
| Wednesday | 8am - 5pm |
| Thursday | 8am - 5pm |
| Friday | 8am - 5pm |
Other Education in Tallahassee (show all)
Foundation for Florida's Future 215 S Monroe Street
Tallahassee, 32301
The Foundation advances policies that challenge the status quo – policies that will ensure each and e
FMEA - Florida Music Education Association 402 Office Plz
Tallahassee, 32301
Founded in 1943, FMEA's mission is to promote quality, comprehensive music education in all Florida
Florida Association for the Education of Young Children 3551 Blairstone Road, Suite 105/133
Tallahassee, 32301
FLAEYC is a specialized community of more than 3,000 early care and educational professionals from Fl
Childbirth Educators Of Tallahassee P. O. Box 14321
Tallahassee, 32317
Childbirth Education Classes in partnership with North Florida Women's Care
Florida Society of Association Executives 2410 Mahan Drive, Ste 2
Tallahassee, 32308
Welcome to this exciting opportunity to network with other association professionals in our industry.
College of Engineering Sciences, Technology and Agriculture Fla. A&M University/217 Perry Paige Building
Tallahassee, 3307
The College of Engineering Sciences, Technology and Agriculture, known as CESTA is an academic compo
Florida Model Legislature Tallahassee, 32312
The 8th session of the Florida Model Legislature will be October 14-15 2016. The conference is for c
Young Engineers Tallahassee P. O Box 10126
Tallahassee, 32302
e² Young Engineers Tallahassee provides knowledge in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STE
Women in Sports Association at FSU Tallahassee
Women in Sports Association at Florida State University educates, empowers, and assists with the adv
Florida Economic Development Council 3551 Blairstone Road, Ste 105/138
Tallahassee, 32301
Celebrating 50 Years of economic development education, advocacy and connectivity. Learn more at htt
Commissioner of Education's African American History Task Force 501 Orr Drive, GEC-C 316
Tallahassee, 32307
The Commissioner of Education's AAHTF is an advocate for Florida’s school districts, teacher educa
Leon County Schools School Choice 725 S Calhoun Street Bloxham Building
Tallahassee, 32301
School choice options for the students and families in the Leon County School District.