Our primary aims are to protect parents' rights to direct their children's education, to expand opportunities for home-educated students in Florida, and to keep the authority for educational decisions in the parents' hands. Here are the top issues we're working on for the 2025 Legislative Session. These are not in order of priority. All of these are important.
1002.395 - Digital Devices for PEP
Challenge: In order for parents to use the funds for computers or tablets to access the vast array of online virtual content, resources, and materials the student needs to have access via a digital device. Many homeschooling families are single-income families with very limited budgets, and purchasing a digital device is cost-prohibitive for these families.
1002.395 - Adjust Application Window PEP
Challenge: Feb 1 - April30 is an EXTREMELY TIGHT TIMELINE FOR APPLICATION TO PEP WINDOW. Many families are still making decisions at that time, and/or deciding whether to continue in public school. This would also make it so that no one could apply for PEP mid-year if they choose to change tracks during the school year due to bullying in the school system or any other reason.
1002.395 Payment date of August 1 for renewal students PEP
Challenge: This will ease the burden on the SFOs to track multi-varied timelines and responsibilities.
1002.395 - Add Tutoring Organizations to statute for streamlining reimbursement
Challenge: Processors have to individually establish the credentials of each tutor each time, regardless of whether the tutor has been vetted by the company or organization that they work for. This creates double work for the SFOs and slows the process. The burden of establishing credentials could rest on the shoulders of the nationally recognized tutoring organizations and companies to vet and allow the SFOs to process the reimbursement for any tutor in a timely manner once they have been added to the company’s list of approved tutors. This would help streamline this process and give parents access to the validation of their reimbursements.
Home Education Instructional Program Definition
Challenge: Home Education Instructional Programs are by definition different from drop-off programs or schools where the teachers, administrator, school, and staff make the plans, assign the grades, and perform the evaluations. Home Education Parents and PEP Parents in Home Education Instructional Programs remain the principal decision-makers for all of the education content, grade levels, and assessments. This distinction is critical to the home education community and preventing HEIPs from being targeted for restrictions unduly.
Home Education Instructional Program Typo
In s.1002.394(4)(b)4, Home Education Programs tuition and fees are an eligible expense. However, Home Education Programs do not have fees or tuition, but rather the Home Education Instructional Programs have the fees. The Home Education Program is a legal enrollment track in 1002.41, and does not include fees or tuition to access. So, this is a typo.
402.302(2) Home Education Instructional Program NOT INCLUDED in Childcare
Challenge: Home Education Instructional Programs are not childcare drop-off programs and should be excluded from regulations that apply to childcare programs.
1006.15(3)(c) (Craig Dickinson Act - Update Needed)
Challenge: Home Education students are allowed to select their zoned school, or a school they could choose pursuant to 1002.31 open enrollment statutes, for participation in interscholastic extracurricular student activities. The practical problem is that home education and PEP students are being denied access to athletics programs due to vague language. We aim to clarify that language to prevent this issue.
With regard to tutoring organizations, and additional issue is that to offer part-time tutoring of elective subjects on the EMA marketplace step up is requiring that these tutors meet the more difficult requirements of part-time tutors (3 years experience for the former vs a bachelor's degree for the latter). It's a very unfair requirement to demand more of elective tutors than what is required for reimbursement just to be eligible for direct pay.
As a pep parent, and entrepreneur trying to create a Spanish language tutoring company, this restriction has been a huge impediment to getting on the EMA marketplace and for recruiting tutors.
Lots here — plus playing defense on any new attempts to remove options from parents in how they use PEP funds?