A Florida House panel this morning unanimously approved legislation expanding Florida’s newest educational choice program.
The measure would codify changes approved last year that allowed 3- and 4-year-olds with special needs to access Personal Learning Scholarship Accounts. It also expands uses for the accounts. Because the changes were part of a spending plan approved earlier this year during a special budget session, they will expire in the summer if they aren’t made permanent.
Step Up For Students, which hosts this blog and employs the author of this post, helps administer the scholarship program.
The House education appropriations panel approved the measure without debate, after two parents told the House education appropriations panel the scholarship accounts have helped their children.
Susan Baldino told the panel the program helped her afford speech and language therapy for her 21-year-old son, who has autism and also faced developmental delays. She said she has taught at home for five and a half years, and therapy has helped him improve his communication skills.
“His newly learned skills give us confidence that one day … he will institute a meaningful career and be a fully integrated individual in this society,” she said. “I can only imagine the impact this program would have had on my son had we had it when he was young.”
Baldino said her hopes could be bolstered by other provisions in the bill, which would expand higher education programs for special needs students. Those changes are backed by Senate President Andy Gardiner, who is the father of a child with Down syndrome and has made helping children with “unique abilities” a priority for the final year of his legislative career. Earlier this year, they were vetoed by Gov. Rick Scott.
A Senate panel is set to hear an identical bill, SB 672 by Senate Education Appropriations Chairman Don Gaetz, on Wednesday. Both bills would increase the budget for PLSA from $53.4 million to $71.2 million.
What about how they changed the law and eliminated the students of having the choice of a special diploma?
What about how the curriculum now has to be taught to the special needs exactly the same way with the same time frames as mainstream?
What about denying graduation by mandating the Algebra and English assessments are taken, so the parent and student no longer have the option to opt out?
What about how ineffective a Certificate of Completion will be in obtaining employment as it’s just a statement of attendance?
What about special needs being denied accommodations during assestments?
What was wrong with allowing ESE teachers to instruct the grade level lessons on a level tailored to the students level of understanding?
These were all changes made that do nothing but harm the students, while tying the hands of parents and educators.
Numerous parents and teachers contacted Senator Stargel about these concerns prior to the bill passing, however, she has refused to reply to most and showed little concern to the ones she did respond to. In Jan 2014 I made my first contact request, and then made several in the months following, all were ignored. Senator Stargel is only concerned about furthing her own agenda. I don’t know how she can sleep at night destroying the hopes and futures of countless ESE students with learning disabilities.
If they can’t ever earn a diploma, or a Certificate Of Completion and some won’t be able to earn ithe certificate either if they don’t pass Algebra and Geometry, please explain to these students what hope they have, instruct parents what to say when the goal of education has been removed and the child wants to quit, as they no longer have anything to work towards.
Hi Parent,
I think the idea behind eliminating the special diploma was that, first of all, it didn’t open enough doors to post-secondary training, education and job opportunities, and second, that steering more special needs students toward regular diplomas would prod schools to accommodate them better and push them toward their potential. Are you seeing signs that some students might not get full diplomas after finishing high school?