Bill > S1608

This bill modifies Florida's laws regarding private schools and scholarship programs, specifically focusing on virtual education options. For the Family Empowerment Scholarship Program, the bill establishes a phased approach to virtual student enrollment, starting with 1% of statewide student enrollment in the 2025-2026 school year, increasing to 2% in 2026-2027, and removing enrollment restrictions entirely from 2027-2028 onward. The bill expands the definition of "eligible private school" to explicitly include full-time virtual instruction and introduces a new term "instructional activities" that defines various ways virtual students can engage with their education, such as online logins, assignment completion, testing, and weekly communication with teachers. Private schools enrolling full-time virtual scholarship students must now offer a student orientation course and develop a policy for addressing students who consistently fail to participate in instructional activities, which may ultimately result in disenrollment. The bill also clarifies that "regular school attendance" can now include remote and virtual instruction, providing more flexibility for students participating in various educational programs. These changes aim to provide more comprehensive guidelines and support for virtual education within Florida's scholarship programs, ensuring accountability and engagement for virtual students.

https://www.flsenate.gov/Session/Bill/2025/1608