Florida Senate - 2025                              CS for SB 508
       
       
        
       By the Appropriations Committee on Pre-K - 12 Education; and
       Senator Jones
       
       
       
       
       602-02904-25                                           2025508c1
    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 certain students enroll
    7         in the school; requiring that the parent of certain
    8         students be informed of certain information within a
    9         specified timeframe; providing an effective date.
   10          
   11  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
   12  
   13         Section 1. Paragraph (d) of subsection (9) of section
   14  1002.394, Florida Statutes, is amended to read:
   15         1002.394 The Family Empowerment Scholarship Program.—
   16         (9) PRIVATE SCHOOL ELIGIBILITY AND OBLIGATIONS.—To be
   17  eligible to participate in the Family Empowerment Scholarship
   18  Program, a private school may be sectarian or nonsectarian and
   19  must:
   20         (d) Before a student with an Individualized Education Plan,
   21  Education Plan, English Learner Plan, or 504 plan’s initial
   22  enrollment or grade level transition, provide to the parent, in
   23  writing, For a student determined eligible pursuant to paragraph
   24  (3)(b), discuss the school’s academic programs and policies,
   25  specialized services, code of conduct, and attendance policies,
   26  and specialized services and therapies offered at the school.
   27  The private school must specifically delineate for the parent
   28  which elements of the student’s Individualized Education Plan,
   29  Education Plan, English Learner Plan, or 504 plan will be met. A
   30  private school may update specialized services and therapies
   31  offered if a school district updates its list of equitable
   32  services offered, or at a student’s grade level transition,
   33  whichever comes first. In addition, within 30 days of the school
   34  district providing an eligible student with a private school
   35  services plan, before enrollment with the parent must be
   36  informed of what modifications, accommodations, and therapies
   37  included in to determine which programs and services may meet
   38  the student’s plan will be honored by the private school
   39  individual needs.
   40  
   41  If a private school fails to meet the requirements of this
   42  subsection or s. 1002.421, the commissioner may determine that
   43  the private school is ineligible to participate in the
   44  scholarship program.
   45         Section 2. This act shall take effect July 1, 2025.