Florida Senate - 2025                       CS for CS for SB 508
       
       
        
       By the Committee on Rules; the Appropriations Committee on Pre-K
       - 12 Education; and Senator Jones
       
       
       
       
       595-03377-25                                           2025508c2
    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 certain parents before their student’s
    7         initial enrollment in the school; providing private
    8         school requirements relating to certain services;
    9         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’s initial enrollment, provide to the
   21  parent, in writing, For a student determined eligible pursuant
   22  to paragraph (3)(b), discuss the school’s academic programs and
   23  policies, specialized services, code of conduct, and attendance
   24  policies, and specialized services and therapies offered at the
   25  school. A private school may update specialized services and
   26  therapies offered once per school year or, if a school district
   27  updates its list of equitable services offered, whichever comes
   28  first. In addition, within 30 days after the school district
   29  provides the student with a private school services plan, each
   30  parent of a student with an individualized education plan,
   31  education plan, English language learner plan, or 504 plan must
   32  be informed of what modifications, accommodations, and therapies
   33  included in the student’s plan will be honored before enrollment
   34  with the parent to determine which programs and services may
   35  meet the student’s individual needs.
   36  
   37  If a private school fails to meet the requirements of this
   38  subsection or s. 1002.421, the commissioner may determine that
   39  the private school is ineligible to participate in the
   40  scholarship program.
   41         Section 2. This act shall take effect July 1, 2025.