Florida Senate - 2025                                     SB 508
       
       
        
       By Senator Jones
       
       
       
       
       
       34-00858-25                                            2025508__
    1                        A bill to be entitled                      
    2         An act relating to the Family Empowerment Scholarship
    3         Program; amending s. 1002.394, F.S.; requiring private
    4         schools participating in the Family Empowerment
    5         Scholarship Program to provide specified information
    6         in writing to parents before student enrollment in the
    7         school; providing an effective date.
    8          
    9  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
   10  
   11         Section 1. Paragraph (d) of subsection (9) of section
   12  1002.394, Florida Statutes, is amended to read:
   13         1002.394 The Family Empowerment Scholarship Program.—
   14         (9) PRIVATE SCHOOL ELIGIBILITY AND OBLIGATIONS.—To be
   15  eligible to participate in the Family Empowerment Scholarship
   16  Program, a private school may be sectarian or nonsectarian and
   17  must:
   18         (d) Before a student’s enrollment, provide to the parent in
   19  writing For a student determined eligible pursuant to paragraph
   20  (3)(b), discuss the school’s academic programs and policies,
   21  specialized services, code of conduct, and attendance policies,
   22  and specialized services and therapies offered at the school. In
   23  addition, each parent of a student with an Individualized
   24  Education Plan, Education Plan, English Language Learner Plan,
   25  or 504 plan must be informed of what modifications,
   26  accommodations, and therapies included in the student’s plan
   27  will be honored before enrollment with the parent to determine
   28  which programs and services may meet the student’s individual
   29  needs.
   30  
   31  If a private school fails to meet the requirements of this
   32  subsection or s. 1002.421, the commissioner may determine that
   33  the private school is ineligible to participate in the
   34  scholarship program.
   35         Section 2. This act shall take effect July 1, 2025.