A bill filed Thursday by a powerful Florida lawmaker would cement the expansion of the state’s newest educational choice program for special needs students, and create new college programs aimed at giving those students a “meaningful campus experience.”
Earlier this year, state lawmakers expanded the state’s Personal Learning Scholarship Accounts* for students with special needs, allowing 3- and 4-year-olds, children with muscular dystrophy and more students with autism to receive them.
But that and other changes were made in bills tied to the state budget, meaning they expire after June 30 unless they’re made permanent in state law.
SB 672 by Sen. Don Gaetz, R-Niceville, would codify those changes. It would also revive another priority of Senate President Andy Gardiner: Creating more college options for special needs students.
The bill would create a new Florida Center for Students with Unique Abilities at the University of Central Florida. The center would help parents navigate college options, and guide the creation of new Florida Postsecondary Comprehensive Transition Programs that offer students job training or degrees at colleges, universities and technical centers around the state.
“It is the intent of the Legislature that students with intellectual disabilities and students with disabilities have access to meaningful postsecondary education credentials and be afforded the opportunity to have a meaningful campus experience,” the bill says.
The bill also includes provisions aimed at helping parents of special-needs students use the scholarship accounts to fund college savings or Florida Prepaid college plans.
It would also codify another program of this summer’s budget special session that was a priority of House Speaker Steve Crisafulli, which offered financial incentives for public schools that create school uniform policies. The updated version would be tweaked to help charter schools participate.
*Step Up For Students, which hosts this blog and employs the author of this post, helps administer the scholarship program.
