PART I GENERAL PROVISIONS

PART II STUDENT AND PARENTAL RIGHTS

PART III EDUCATIONAL CHOICE

PART IV HOME EDUCATION, PRIVATE SCHOOLS, OTHER EDUCATION OPTIONS

PART V VOLUNTARY PREKINDERGARTEN EDUCATION PROGRAM

PART VI SCHOOL READINESS PROGRAM

CHAPTER 1002

1002.01

Definitions.

(1) A “home education program” means the sequentially progressive instruction of a student directed by his or her parent to satisfy the attendance requirements of ss. 1002.41, 1003.01(16), and 1003.21(1).

(2) A “personalized education program” means the sequentially progressive instruction of a student directed by his or her parent to satisfy the attendance requirements of ss. 1003.01(16) and 1003.21(1) while registered with an eligible nonprofit scholarship-funding organization pursuant to s. 1002.395. A personalized education student shall be provided the same flexibility and opportunities as provided in s. 1002.41(3)-(12).

(3) A “private school” is a nonpublic school defined as an individual, association, copartnership, or corporation, or department, division, or

section of such organizations, that designates itself as an educational center that includes kindergarten or a higher grade or as an elementary, secondary, business, technical, or trade school below college level or any organization that provides instructional services that meet the intent of s. 1003.01(16) or that gives preemployment or supplementary training in technology or in fields of trade or industry or that offers academic, literary, or career training below college level, or any combination of the above, including an institution that performs the functions of the above schools through correspondence or extension, except those licensed under the provisions of

chapter 1005. A private school may be a parochial, religious, denominational, for-profit, or nonprofit school. This definition does not include home education programs conducted in accordance with s. 1002.41.

History. — s. 90, ch. 2002-387; s. 32, ch. 2004-41; s. 76, ch. 2004-357; s. 169, ch. 2007-5; s. 139, ch. 2023-8; s. 4, ch. 2023-16; s. 71, ch. 2024-2.

1002.20 K-12 student and parent rights.

(1) SYSTEM OF EDUCATION. —

(2) ATTENDANCE. —

(3) HEALTH ISSUES. —

(4) DISCIPLINE. —

(5) SAFETY. —

(6) EDUCATIONAL CHOICE. —

(7) NONDISCRIMINATION. —

(8) STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES. —

(9) BLIND STUDENTS. —

(10) LIMITED ENGLISH PROFICIENT STUDENTS. —

(11) STUDENTS WITH READING AND MATHEMATICS DEFICIENCIES. —

(12) PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE. —

(13) STUDENT RECORDS. —

(14) STUDENT REPORT CARDS. —

(15) STUDENT PROGRESS REPORTS. —

(16) SCHOOL ACCOUNTABILITY AND SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT RATING REPORTS; FISCAL TRANSPARENCY. —

(17) ATHLETICS; PUBLIC HIGH SCHOOL. —

(18) EXTRACURRICULAR ACTIVITIES. —

(19) INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIALS. —

(20) JUVENILE JUSTICE PROGRAMS. —

(21) PARENTAL INPUT AND MEETINGS. —

(22) TRANSPORTATION. —

(23) ORDERLY, DISCIPLINED CLASSROOMS. —

(24) SAFE SCHOOLS. —

History. — s. 92, ch. 2002-387; s. 6, ch. 2003-118; s. 32, ch. 2003-391; s. 33, ch. 2004-41; s. 5, ch. 2004-42; s. 77, ch. 2004-357; s. 2, ch. 2005-75; s. 1, ch. 2005-196; s. 14, ch. 2006-74; s. 170, ch. 2007-5; s. 2, ch. 2008-26; s. 2, ch. 2008-147; s. 1, ch. 2009-53; s. 4, ch. 2009-108; s. 13, ch. 2010-24; s. 2, ch. 2010-57; s. 1, ch. 2010-184; s. 25, ch. 2011-5; s. 3, ch. 2011-128; s. 12, ch. 2011-137; s. 4, ch. 2011-175; s. 2, ch. 2012-22; s. 1, ch. 2012-188; s. 4, ch. 2012-191; s. 1, ch. 2012-192; s. 6, ch. 2012-195; s. 41, ch. 2013-35; s. 2, ch. 2013-63; s. 1, ch. 2013-236; s. 173, ch. 2014-17; s. 20, ch. 2014-39; s. 2, ch. 2015-6; s. 3, ch. 2015-67; s. 22, ch. 2016-11; s. 2, ch. 2016-235; s. 4, ch. 2016-237; s. 53, ch. 2017-116; s. 1, ch. 2017-177; s. 87, ch. 2018-106; s. 3, ch. 2019-23; s. 2, ch. 2019-59; s. 12, ch. 2020-107; s. 1, ch. 2021-69; s. 6, ch. 2021-160; s. 4, ch. 2021-176; s. 5, ch. 2021-272; s. 4, ch. 2022-28; s. 6, ch. 2022-72; s. 140, ch. 2023-8; s. 13, ch. 2023-16; s. 2, ch. 2023-39; s. 8, ch. 2023-43; s. 1, ch. 2023-97; s. 3, ch. 2023-108; s. 1, ch. 2023-113; s. 72, ch. 2024-2; s. 244, ch. 2024-6; s. 1, ch. 2024-53; s. 6, ch. 2024-159.

1002.205 Guidelines on religious expression; distribution.

History. — s. 1063, ch. 2002-387.

1002.206 Religious expression in public schools.

(1) This

section may be cited as the “Florida Student and School Personnel Religious Liberties Act.”

(2) A school district may not discriminate against a student, parent, or school personnel on the basis of a religious viewpoint or religious expression. A school district shall treat a student’s voluntary expression of a religious viewpoint on an otherwise permissible subject in the same manner that the school district treats a student’s voluntary expression of a secular viewpoint.

(3)(

a) A student may express his or her religious beliefs in coursework, artwork, and other written and oral assignments free from discrimination. A student’s homework and classroom assignments shall be evaluated, regardless of their religious content, based on expected academic standards relating to the course curriculum and requirements. A student may not be penalized or rewarded based on the religious content of his or her work if the coursework, artwork, or other written or oral assignments require a student’s viewpoint to be expressed.

(4)(

a) A student may pray or engage in religious activities or religious expression before, during, and after the school day in the same manner and to the same extent that a student may engage in secular activities or expression. A student may organize prayer groups, religious clubs, and other religious gatherings before, during, and after the school day in the same manner and to the same extent that a student is permitted to organize secular activities and groups.

(5)(

a) A school district shall adopt a policy that establishes a limited public forum for student speakers at any school event at which a student is to speak publicly. The limited public forum policy shall require the school district to:

(6) The Department of Education shall develop a model policy regarding a limited public forum and voluntary expression of religious viewpoints by students and school personnel in public schools pursuant to this section. The department shall publish the model policy on its website. Each district school board shall adopt and implement the department’s model policy.

History. — s. 1, ch. 2017-74.

1002.21 Postsecondary student and parent rights.

(1) LEARNING DISABLED STUDENTS. —

(2) EXPULSION, SUSPENSION, DISCIPLINE. —

(3) RELIGIOUS BELIEFS. —

(4) STUDENT HANDBOOKS. —

(5) STUDENT OMBUDSMAN OFFICE. —

History. — s. 93, ch. 2002-387; s. 8, ch. 2003-8; s. 1, ch. 2009-239; s. 26, ch. 2011-5.

1002.22 Education records and reports of K-12 students; rights of parents and students; notification; penalty.

(1) DEFINITIONS. —

(2) RIGHTS OF STUDENTS AND PARENTS. —

(3) DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES. —

(4) PENALTY. —

(5) APPLICABILITY TO RECORDS OF DEFUNCT INSTITUTIONS. —

History. — s. 94, ch. 2002-387; s. 4, ch. 2004-356; s. 78, ch. 2004-357; s. 13, ch. 2004-484; s. 2, ch. 2009-239; s. 1, ch. 2014-41; s. 30, ch. 2021-10.

1002.221 K-12 education records; public records exemption.

(1) Education records, as defined in the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), 20 U.S.C. s. 1232g, and the federal regulations issued pursuant thereto, are confidential and exempt from s. 119.07(1) and s. 24(a), Art. I of the State Constitution.

(2)(

a) An agency or institution, as defined in s. 1002.22, may not release a student’s education records without the written consent of the student or parent to any individual, agency, or organization, except in accordance with and as permitted by the FERPA.

History. — s. 1, ch. 2009-240; s. 2, ch. 2010-192; s. 1, ch. 2014-12; s. 23, ch. 2024-130.

1002.222 Limitations on collection of information and disclosure of confidential and exempt student records.

(1) An agency or institution as defined in s. 1002.22(1) may not:

(2) The governing board of an agency or institution may only designate information as directory information in accordance with 20 U.S.C. s. 1232g and applicable federal regulations. Such designation must occur at a regularly scheduled meeting of the governing board. The governing board of an agency or institution must consider whether designation of such information would put students at risk of becoming targets of marketing campaigns, the media, or criminal acts. An agency or institution may charge fees for copies of designated directory information as provided in s. 119.07(4).

History. — s. 2, ch. 2014-41.

1002.225 Education records of students in public postsecondary educational institutions; penalty.

(1) As used in this section, the term “education records” means education records as defined in the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), 20 U.S.C. s. 1232g, and the federal regulations issued pursuant thereto.

(2) All public postsecondary educational institutions shall comply with the FERPA with respect to the education records of students. A public postsecondary educational institution may charge fees for furnishing copies of education records that are requested under this section. Such fees may not exceed the actual cost incurred by the institution for producing such copies and may not include the costs of searching for or retrieving the education records.

(3) If any public postsecondary educational institution refuses to comply with this section, the aggrieved student has an immediate right to bring an action in circuit court to enforce his or her rights by injunction. Any aggrieved student who brings such action and whose rights are vindicated may be awarded attorney’s fees and court costs.

History. — s. 3, ch. 2009-239.

1002.23 Family and School Partnership for Student Achievement Act.

(1) The purpose of the Family and School Partnership for Student Achievement Act is to:

(2) To facilitate meaningful parent and family involvement, the Department of Education shall develop guidelines for a parent guide to successful student achievement which describes what parents need to know about their child’s educational progress and how they can help their child to succeed in school. The guidelines shall include, but need not be limited to:

(3) The Department of Education shall develop and disseminate a checklist for school districts to provide to parents to assist with the parent’s involvement in their child’s educational progress. The checklist shall address parental actions that:

(4) Each district school board shall adopt rules that strengthen family involvement and family empowerment. The rules shall be developed in collaboration with parents, school administrators, teachers, and community partners, and shall address:

(5) Each school district shall develop and disseminate a parent guide to successful student achievement, consistent with the guidelines of the Department of Education, which addresses what parents need to know about their child’s educational progress and how parents can help their child to succeed in school. The guide must:

(6) Each school district shall develop and disseminate a checklist of parental actions that can strengthen parental involvement in their child’s educational progress, consistent with the requirements in subsection (3). The checklist shall be provided each school year to all parents of students in kindergarten through grade 12 and shall focus on academics, especially reading, high expectations for students, citizenship, and communication.

History. — s. 2, ch. 2003-118; s. 2, ch. 2005-196; s. 1, ch. 2006-246; s. 5, ch. 2009-108; s. 14, ch. 2010-24; s. 3, ch. 2011-103; s. 4, ch. 2013-35.

1002.31 Controlled open enrollment; public school parental choice.

(1) As used in this section, “controlled open enrollment” means a public education delivery system that allows school districts to make student school assignments using parents’ indicated preferential educational choice as a significant factor.

(2)(

a) As part of a school district’s or charter school’s controlled open enrollment process, and in addition to the existing public school choice programs provided in s. 1002.20(6)(a), each district school board or charter school shall allow a parent from any school district in the state whose child is not subject to a current expulsion or suspension to enroll his or her child in and transport his or her child to any public school, including charter schools, that has not reached capacity in the district, subject to the maximum class size pursuant to s. 1003.03 and s. 1, Art. IX of the State Constitution.

The school district or charter school shall accept the student, pursuant to that school district’s or charter school’s controlled open enrollment process, and report the student for purposes of the school district’s or charter school’s funding pursuant to the Florida Education Finance Program. A school district or charter school may provide transportation to students described under this section.

(3) Each district school board shall adopt by rule and post on its website the process required to participate in controlled open enrollment. The process must:

(4) In accordance with the reporting requirements of s. 1011.62, each district school board shall annually report the number of students exercising public school choice, by type, in accordance with rules adopted by the State Board of Education.

(5) For a school or program that is a public school of choice under this section, the calculation for compliance with maximum class size pursuant to s. 1003.03(4) is the average number of students at the school level.

(6)(

a) A school district or charter school may not delay eligibility or otherwise prevent a student participating in controlled open enrollment or a choice program from being immediately eligible to participate in interscholastic and intrascholastic extracurricular activities.

(7) Contingent upon a legislative appropriation, and on a first-come, first-served basis, a public school student enrolled in kindergarten through grade 8 may receive a stipend from an eligible nonprofit scholarship-funding organization, as defined in s. 1002.395(2), for transportation to a Florida nonvirtual public school that is different from the school to which the student is assigned or to a developmental research school authorized under s. 1002.32.

History. — s. 96, ch. 2002-387; s. 3, ch. 2008-147; s. 9, ch. 2013-250; s. 21, ch. 2014-39; s. 5, ch. 2016-237; s. 10, ch. 2022-154; s. 13, ch. 2023-9; s. 18, ch. 2023-81; s. 30, ch. 2024-160; s. 2, ch. 2024-230.

1002.3105 Academically Challenging Curriculum to Enhance Learning (ACCEL) options.

(1) ACCEL OPTIONS. —

(2) ELIGIBILITY AND PROCEDURAL REQUIREMENTS. —

(3) STUDENT ELIGIBILITY CONSIDERATIONS. —

(4) ACCEL REQUIREMENTS. —

(5) AWARD OF A STANDARD HIGH SCHOOL DIPLOMA. —

History. — s. 1, ch. 2012-191; s. 4, ch. 2013-27; s. 3, ch. 2013-89; s. 22, ch. 2014-39; s. 92, ch. 2016-10; s. 13, ch. 2021-52; s. 4, ch. 2022-17; s. 141, ch. 2023-8; s. 3, ch. 2024-160.

1002.32 Developmental research (laboratory) schools.

(1) SHORT TITLE. —

(2) ESTABLISHMENT. —

(3) MISSION. —

(4) STUDENT ADMISSIONS. —

(5) STUDENT FEES. —

(6) SUPPLEMENTAL-SUPPORT ORGANIZATIONS. —

(7) PERSONNEL. —

(8) ADVISORY BOARDS. —

(9) FUNDING. —

(10) EXCEPTIONS TO LAW. —

History. — s. 97, ch. 2002-387; s. 2, ch. 2003-393; s. 34, ch. 2004-41; s. 4, ch. 2004-271; s. 3, ch. 2004-354; s. 21, ch. 2006-122; s. 13, ch. 2008-108; s. 5, ch. 2010-154; s. 5, ch. 2013-35; s. 5, ch. 2013-41; s. 6, ch. 2014-56; s. 25, ch. 2015-3; s. 22, ch. 2018-3; s. 31, ch. 2021-10; s. 2, ch. 2021-35; s. 13, ch. 2023-245; s. 45, ch. 2024-15; s. 3, ch. 2024-230.

1002.321 Digital learning.

(1) DIGITAL LEARNING NOW ACT. —

(2) ELEMENTS OF HIGH-QUALITY DIGITAL LEARNING. —

(3) CUSTOMIZED AND ACCELERATED LEARNING. —

(4) VIRTUAL INSTRUCTION. —

(5) INTEGRITY OF ONLINE COURSES. —

(6) ONLINE CATALOG. —

History. — s. 1, ch. 2011-137; s. 2, ch. 2012-192; s. 1, ch. 2013-225; s. 23, ch. 2014-39; s. 3, ch. 2021-35; s. 23, ch. 2023-16; s. 31, ch. 2024-160; s. 1, ch. 2024-162.

1002.33 Charter schools.

(1) AUTHORIZATION. —

(2) GUIDING PRINCIPLES; PURPOSE; LEGISLATIVE INTENT. —

(3) APPLICATION FOR CHARTER STATUS. —

(4) UNLAWFUL REPRISAL. —

(5) SPONSOR; DUTIES. —

(6) APPLICATION PROCESS AND REVIEW. —

(7) CHARTER. —

(8) CAUSES FOR NONRENEWAL OR TERMINATION OF CHARTER. —

(9) CHARTER SCHOOL REQUIREMENTS. —

(10) ELIGIBLE STUDENTS. —

(11) PARTICIPATION IN INTERSCHOLASTIC EXTRACURRICULAR ACTIVITIES. —

(12) EMPLOYEES OF CHARTER SCHOOLS. —

(13) CHARTER SCHOOL COOPERATIVES. —

(14) CHARTER SCHOOL FINANCIAL ARRANGEMENTS; INDEMNIFICATION OF THE STATE AND SPONSOR; CREDIT OR TAXING POWER NOT TO BE PLEDGED. —

(15) CHARTER SCHOOLS-IN-THE-WORKPLACE; CHARTER SCHOOLS-IN-A-MUNICIPALITY. —

(16) EXEMPTION FROM STATUTES. —

(17) FUNDING. —

(18) FACILITIES. —

(19) CAPITAL OUTLAY FUNDING. —

(20) SERVICES. —

(21) PUBLIC INFORMATION ON CHARTER SCHOOLS. —

(22) FACILITIES SHARED BY CHARTER SCHOOLS. —

(23) ANALYSIS OF CHARTER SCHOOL PERFORMANCE. —

(24) RESTRICTION ON EMPLOYMENT OF RELATIVES. —

(25) LOCAL EDUCATIONAL AGENCY STATUS FOR CERTAIN CHARTER SCHOOL SYSTEMS. —

(26) STANDARDS OF CONDUCT AND FINANCIAL DISCLOSURE. —

(27) MILITARY INSTALLATIONS. —

(28) RULEMAKING. —

History. — s. 98, ch. 2002-387; s. 23, ch. 2003-391; s. 1, ch. 2003-393; ss. 35, 78, ch. 2004-41; s. 3, ch. 2004-295; s. 1, ch. 2004-354; s. 1, ch. 2006-190; s. 2, ch. 2006-302; s. 5, ch. 2007-234; s. 14, ch. 2008-108; s. 4, ch. 2008-142; s. 1, ch. 2008-204; s. 7, ch. 2009-214; s. 24, ch. 2010-70; s. 6, ch. 2010-154; s. 6, ch. 2011-1; s. 27, ch. 2011-5; s. 13, ch. 2011-37; s. 8, ch. 2011-55; s. 2, ch. 2011-137; ss. 3, 5, ch. 2011-232; s. 93, ch. 2012-5; s. 6, ch. 2012-133; s. 2, ch. 2012-194; s. 5, ch. 2013-27; s. 42, ch. 2013-35; s. 156, ch. 2013-183; s. 2, ch. 2013-236; ss. 1, 2, ch. 2013-250; s. 35, ch. 2014-1; s. 3, ch. 2014-23; s. 24, ch. 2014-39; s. 7, ch. 2014-56; s. 4, ch. 2015-67; s. 4, ch. 2016-2; s. 7, ch. 2016-237; s. 21, ch. 2017-116; s. 9, ch. 2018-6; s. 114, ch. 2019-3; s. 18, ch. 2019-15; s. 8, ch. 2019-22; s. 4, ch. 2019-23; s. 13, ch. 2020-107; s. 3, ch. 2021-9; s. 4, ch. 2021-35; s. 4, ch. 2021-138; s. 5, ch. 2021-176; s. 72, ch. 2022-4; s. 2, ch. 2022-126; s. 3, ch. 2022-144; s. 1, ch. 2022-146; s. 11, ch. 2022-154; s. 142, ch. 2023-8; s. 5, ch. 2023-13; s. 36, ch. 2023-18; s. 3, ch. 2023-39; s. 2, ch. 2023-78; s. 2, ch. 2023-97; s. 4, ch. 2023-102; s. 4, ch. 2023-108; s. 2, ch. 2023-113; s. 11, ch. 2023-220; s. 8, ch. 2024-101; s. 32, ch. 2024-160; s. 4, ch. 2024-230.

1002.3301 Charter School Review Commission.

(1) The commission shall consist of seven members who have charter school experience, selected by the State Board of Education and subject to confirmation by the Senate. The commissioner shall designate one member as the chair. Each member shall be appointed to a 4-year term. However, for the purpose of achieving staggered terms, of the initial appointments, three members shall be appointed to 2-year terms and four members shall be appointed to 4-year terms. All subsequent appointments shall be for 4-year terms. A majority of the members of the commission constitutes a quorum.

(2) The commission has the same powers and duties as sponsors pursuant to s. 1002.33 in regard to reviewing and approving charter schools.

(3) The Department of Education shall contract with a college or university to provide administrative and technical assistance to the commission by reviewing and providing an analysis of charter school applications submitted to the commission.

(4) The district school board of the school district in which the proposed charter school will be located shall be the sponsor of and supervisor for the new charter school and shall provide an initial proposed charter contract to the charter school pursuant to s. 1002.33(7)(

b) within 30 calendar days after the commission’s decision granting an application.

(5) Within 3 calendar days after an applicant submits an application for a charter school to the commission, the applicant must also provide a copy of the application to the school district in which the proposed charter school will be located. Within 30 calendar days after receiving a copy of the application, the school district may provide input to the commission on a form prescribed by the department. The commission must consider such input in reviewing the application.

(6) The decisions of the commission may be appealed in accordance with s. 1002.33(6)(c).

(7) The State Board of Education shall adopt rules to implement this section.

History. — s. 2, ch. 2022-144.

1002.3305 College-Preparatory Boarding Academy Pilot Program for at-risk students.

(1) PROGRAM CREATION. —

(2) DEFINITIONS. —

(3) PROPOSALS. —

(4) CONTRACT. —

(5) OPERATOR BYLAWS. —

(6) OUTREACH. —

(7) FUNDING. —

(8) STUDENT SERVICES. —

(9) MEDICAID BILLING. —

(10) ADMISSION. —

(11) STUDENT HOUSING. —

(12) ANNUAL REPORT. —

History. — s. 4, ch. 2011-236; s. 7, ch. 2013-45; s. 363, ch. 2014-19; s. 22, ch. 2017-116; s. 43, ch. 2017-151.

1002.331 High-performing charter schools.

(1) A charter school is a high-performing charter school if it:

(2) A high-performing charter school is authorized to:

(3)(a)1. A high-performing charter school may submit an application pursuant to s. 1002.33(6) in any school district in the state to establish and operate a new charter school that will substantially replicate its educational program. An application submitted by a high-performing charter school must state that the application is being submitted pursuant to this paragraph and must include the verification letter provided by the Commissioner of Education pursuant to subsection (4).

(4) The Commissioner of Education, upon request by a charter school, shall verify that the charter school meets the criteria in subsection (1) and provide a letter to the charter school and the sponsor stating that the charter school is a high-performing charter school pursuant to this section. The commissioner shall annually determine whether a high-performing charter school under subsection (1) continues to meet the criteria in that subsection.

Such high-performing charter school shall maintain its high-performing status unless the commissioner determines that the charter school no longer meets the criteria in subsection (1), at which time the commissioner shall send a letter providing notification of its declassification as a high-performing charter school.

(5) A high-performing charter school replicated under this

section may not be replicated as a virtual charter school.

History. — s. 1, ch. 2011-232; s. 3, ch. 2013-250; s. 8, ch. 2016-237; s. 23, ch. 2017-116; s. 10, ch. 2018-6; s. 5, ch. 2021-35.

1002.332 High-performing charter school system.

(1) For purposes of this section, the term:

(2)(

a) The Commissioner of Education shall verify all charter schools served by an entity and verify that the entity meets the criteria in this

section for the previous school year and provide a letter to the entity stating that it is a high-performing charter school system.

History. — s. 2, ch. 2011-232; s. 3, ch. 2012-194; s. 4, ch. 2013-250; s. 24, ch. 2017-116.

1002.333 Persistently low-performing schools.

(1) DEFINITIONS. —

(2) HOPE OPERATOR. —

(3) DESIGNATION OF HOPE OPERATOR. —

(4) ESTABLISHMENT OF SCHOOLS OF HOPE. —

(5) PERFORMANCE-BASED AGREEMENT. —

(6) STATUTORY AUTHORITY. —

(7) FACILITIES. —

(8) NONCOMPLIANCE. —

(9) FUNDING. —

(10) SCHOOLS OF HOPE PROGRAM. —

(11) STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION AUTHORITY AND OBLIGATIONS. —

(12) RULES. —

History. — s. 43, ch. 2017-116; s. 11, ch. 2018-6; s. 5, ch. 2019-23; s. 6, ch. 2021-35; s. 11, ch. 2023-220; s. 6, ch. 2024-5.

1002.334 Innovative Blended Learning and Real-Time Student Assessment Pilot Program.

(1) There is created within the Department of Education the Innovative Blended Learning and Real-Time Student Assessment Pilot Program. The purpose of the program is to develop and measure innovative blended learning and real-time weekly student assessment educational models that improve the educational progress of this state’s students and help close achievement gaps for this state’s traditionally underserved students.

(2) As used in this section, the term “innovative blended learning” means:

(3) To be eligible to work with the program, an applicant must be:

(4) A program applicant must submit an application to the department in a format prescribed by the department. The application must include all of the following:

(5) Applications may be considered only for synchronous innovative blended learning programs.

(6) The Commissioner of Education shall select applicants to participate in the program.

(7) Districts and schools may not begin approved synchronous innovative blended learning programs until October 1, 2021.

(8)(

a) Applicants approved by the commissioner shall receive funding based upon the number of full-time equivalent students being educated under the pilot program, as if each student were being educated full-time in person at his or her respective school.

(9) This

section expires July 1, 2024.

History. — s. 2, ch. 2021-157; s. 7, ch. 2024-5.

1002.34 Charter technical career centers.

(1) AUTHORIZATION. —

(2) PURPOSE. —

(3) DEFINITIONS. —

(4) CHARTER. —

(5) APPLICATION. —

(6) SPONSOR. —

(7) LEGAL ENTITY. —

(8) ELIGIBLE STUDENTS. —

(9) FACILITIES. —

(10) EXEMPTION FROM STATUTES. —

(11) FUNDING. —

(12) EMPLOYEES OF A CENTER. —

(13) BOARD OF DIRECTORS AUTHORITY. —

(14) ACCOUNTABILITY. —

(15) TERMS OF THE CHARTER. —

(16) TRANSPORTATION. —

(17) IMMUNITY. —

(18) RULES. —

History. — s. 99, ch. 2002-387; s. 1, ch. 2004-357; s. 8, ch. 2009-214; s. 28, ch. 2011-5; s. 9, ch. 2011-55; s. 43, ch. 2013-35; s. 157, ch. 2013-183; s. 174, ch. 2014-17; s. 25, ch. 2014-39; s. 32, ch. 2021-10; s. 5, ch. 2024-160.

1002.345 Determination of deteriorating financial conditions and financial emergencies for charter schools and charter technical career centers.

(1) EXPEDITED REVIEW; REQUIREMENTS. —

(2) FINANCIAL EMERGENCY; REQUIREMENTS. —

(3) RULES. —

(4) TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE. —

(5) FAILURE TO CORRECT DEFICIENCIES. —

History. — s. 9, ch. 2009-214; s. 26, ch. 2014-39.

1002.35 New World School of the Arts.

(1) The New World School of the Arts is created as a center of excellence for the performing and visual arts, to serve all of the State of Florida. The school shall offer a program of academic and artistic studies in the visual and performing arts which shall be available to talented high school and college students.

(2)(

a) For purposes of governance, the New World School of the Arts is assigned to Miami Dade College, the Miami-Dade County Public Schools, and one or more universities designated by the State Board of Education. The State Board of Education, in conjunction with the Board of Governors, shall assign to the New World School of the Arts a university partner or partners. In this selection, the State Board of Education and the Board of Governors shall consider the accreditation status of the core programs.

Florida International University, in its capacity as the provider of university services to Miami-Dade County, shall be a partner to serve the New World School of the Arts, upon meeting the accreditation criteria. The respective boards shall appoint members to an executive board for administration of the school. The executive board may include community members and shall reflect proportionately the participating institutions. Miami Dade College shall serve as fiscal agent for the school.

(3) The school shall submit annually a formula-driven budget request to the commissioner and the Legislature. This formula shall be developed in consultation with the Department of Education and staff of the Legislature. However, the actual funding for the school shall be determined by the Legislature in the General Appropriations Act.

(4) The State Board of Education and the Board of Governors shall utilize resources, programs, and faculty from the various state universities in planning and providing the curriculum and courses at the New World School of the Arts, drawing on program strengths at each state university.

History. — s. 100, ch. 2002-387; s. 81, ch. 2007-217; s. 176, ch. 2008-4.

1002.351 The Florida School for Competitive Academics.

(1) ESTABLISHMENT. —

(2) MISSION. —

(3) BOARD OF TRUSTEES. —

(4) STUDENT AND EMPLOYEE RECORDS. —

(5) PERSONNEL. —

(6) FUNDING. —

(7) AUDITS AND INVESTIGATIONS. —

(8) EXEMPTION FROM STATUTES. —

History. — s. 14, ch. 2023-245; s. 73, ch. 2024-2; s. 24, ch. 2024-3.

1002.36 Florida School for the Deaf and the Blind.

(1) RESPONSIBILITIES. —

(2) MISSION. —

(3) AUDITS. —

(4) BOARD OF TRUSTEES. —

(5) STUDENT AND EMPLOYEE PERSONNEL RECORDS. —

(6) LEGAL SERVICES. —

(7) PERSONNEL SCREENING. —

(8) CAMPUS POLICE. —

(9) REPORT OF CAMPUS CRIME STATISTICS. —

History. — s. 101, ch. 2002-387; s. 1944, ch. 2003-261; s. 65, ch. 2004-267; s. 3, ch. 2004-331; s. 1, ch. 2006-132; s. 4, ch. 2006-205; s. 15, ch. 2008-108; s. 96, ch. 2009-21; s. 9, ch. 2011-52; s. 1, ch. 2012-78; s. 25, ch. 2018-4; s. 115, ch. 2019-3; s. 33, ch. 2021-10; s. 6, ch. 2021-57; s. 7, ch. 2023-111.

1002.37 The Florida Virtual School.

(1)(

a) The Florida Virtual School is established for the development and delivery of online and distance learning education. The Commissioner of Education shall monitor the school’s performance and report its performance to the State Board of Education and the Legislature.

(2) The Florida Virtual School shall be governed by a board of trustees comprised of seven members appointed by the Governor to 4-year staggered terms. The board of trustees shall be a public agency entitled to sovereign immunity pursuant to s. 768.28, and board members shall be public officers who shall bear fiduciary responsibility for the Florida Virtual School. The board of trustees shall have the following powers and duties:

(3) Funding for the Florida Virtual School shall be provided as follows:

(4) School districts operating a virtual school that is an approved franchise of the Florida Virtual School may count full-time equivalent students, as provided in paragraph (3)(a), if such school has been certified as an approved franchise by the Commissioner of Education based on criteria established by the board of trustees pursuant to paragraph (2)(i).

(5) Under no circumstance may the credit of the state be pledged on behalf of the Florida Virtual School.

(6) The Florida Virtual School shall have an annual financial audit of its accounts and records conducted by an independent auditor who is a certified public accountant licensed under

chapter 473. The independent auditor shall conduct the audit in accordance with rules adopted by the Auditor General pursuant to s. 11.45 and, upon completion of the audit, shall prepare an audit report in accordance with such rules. The audit report must include a written statement by the board of trustees describing corrective action to be taken in response to each of the independent auditor’s recommendations included in the audit report. The independent auditor shall submit the audit report to the board of trustees and the Auditor General no later than 9 months after the end of the preceding fiscal year.

(7) The board of trustees shall annually submit to the Governor, the Legislature, the Commissioner of Education, and the State Board of Education the audit report prepared pursuant to subsection (6) and a complete and detailed report setting forth:

(8) The State Board of Education may adopt rules it deems necessary to implement reporting requirements for the Florida Virtual School.

(9)(

a) The Florida Virtual School may provide full-time and part-time instruction for students in kindergarten through grade 12.

(10)(

a) Public school students receiving full-time instruction in kindergarten through grade 12 by the Florida Virtual School must take all statewide assessments required pursuant to s. 1008.22 and participate in the coordinated screening and progress monitoring system under s. 1008.25(9).

(11) The Florida Virtual School shall receive a school grade pursuant to s. 1008.34 for students receiving full-time instruction.

History. — s. 102, ch. 2002-387; s. 19, ch. 2003-391; s. 10, ch. 2009-59; s. 7, ch. 2010-154; s. 3, ch. 2011-137; s. 5, ch. 2011-175; s. 3, ch. 2012-192; s. 6, ch. 2013-27; s. 8, ch. 2013-45; s. 2, ch. 2013-225; s. 16, ch. 2016-237; s. 50, ch. 2017-116; s. 12, ch. 2018-6; s. 50, ch. 2018-7; s. 19, ch. 2019-15; s. 1, ch. 2021-44; s. 73, ch. 2022-4; s. 3, ch. 2022-16; s. 143, ch. 2023-8; s. 21, ch. 2023-108; s. 15, ch. 2023-245.

1002.38 Opportunity Scholarship Program.

(1) FINDINGS AND INTENT. —

(2) OPPORTUNITY SCHOLARSHIP ELIGIBILITY. —

(3) SCHOOL DISTRICT OBLIGATIONS. —

(4) RULES. —

History. — s. 103, ch. 2002-387; s. 1945, ch. 2003-261; s. 79, ch. 2004-357; s. 1, ch. 2011-128; s. 6, ch. 2011-175; s. 4, ch. 2012-194.

1002.391 Auditory-oral education programs; Bridge to Speech Program.

(1) As used in this section, the term:

(2) The parent of a child who is deaf or hard of hearing and who meets the following requirements may enroll the child in an auditory-oral education program as a school of choice pursuant to s. 1002.20. Such child may continue attending the school and complete the development of listening and spoken language skills at the school. In order to enroll and attend, the child must:

(3) The level of services shall be determined by the individual educational plan team or individualized family support plan team, which includes the child’s parent in accordance with the rules of the State Board of Education and a certified listening and spoken language specialist from the family’s chosen program. A child is eligible for services under this

section until the end of the school year in which he or she reaches the age of 7 years or after grade 2, whichever comes first.

(4) Beginning with the 2017-2018 school year, a school district shall add four special consideration points to the calculation of a matrix of services for a student who is deaf and enrolled in an auditory-oral education program.

(5) As authorized by and consistent with funding appropriated in the General Appropriations Act, the Bridge to Speech Program is created to fund auditory-oral education programs required at schools pursuant to this section. Funds shall be provided at the level of the published tuition rates up to the funds available as provided in the General Appropriations Act. The Department of Education must award these funds to eligible recipients no later than September 1 of each year, with subsequent payments monthly thereafter.

History. — s. 8, ch. 2011-175; s. 17, ch. 2016-237; s. 7, ch. 2020-79; s. 5, ch. 2024-230.

1002.394 The Family Empowerment Scholarship Program.

(1) PURPOSE. —

(2) DEFINITIONS. —

(3) SCHOLARSHIP ELIGIBILITY. —

(4) AUTHORIZED USES OF PROGRAM FUNDS. —

(5) TERM OF SCHOLARSHIP. —

(6) SCHOLARSHIP PROHIBITIONS. —

(7) SCHOOL DISTRICT OBLIGATIONS. —

(8) DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION OBLIGATIONS. —

(9) PRIVATE SCHOOL ELIGIBILITY AND OBLIGATIONS. —

(10) PARENT AND STUDENT RESPONSIBILITIES FOR PROGRAM PARTICIPATION. —

(11) OBLIGATIONS OF ELIGIBLE SCHOLARSHIP-FUNDING ORGANIZATIONS. —

(12) SCHOLARSHIP FUNDING AND PAYMENT. —

(13) LIABILITY. —

(14) SCOPE OF AUTHORITY. —

(15) OBLIGATIONS RELATED TO APPROVED PROVIDERS. —

(16) TRANSITION-TO-WORK PROGRAM. —

(17) RULES. —

History. — s. 6, ch. 2019-23; s. 1, ch. 2020-95; s. 4, ch. 2021-27; s. 11, ch. 2021-52; s. 8, ch. 2022-23; s. 9, ch. 2022-30; s. 12, ch. 2022-154; s. 144, ch. 2023-8; s. 14, ch. 2023-9; s. 5, ch. 2023-16; s. 16, ch. 2023-245; s. 14, ch. 2023-273; s. 1, ch. 2023-350; s. 74, ch. 2024-2; s. 3, ch. 2024-163; s. 6, ch. 2024-230.

1002.395 Florida Tax Credit Scholarship Program.

(1) FINDINGS AND PURPOSE. —

(2) DEFINITIONS. —

(3) PROGRAM; INITIAL SCHOLARSHIP ELIGIBILITY. —

(4) SCHOLARSHIP PROHIBITIONS. —

(5) SCHOLARSHIP-FUNDING TAX CREDITS; LIMITATIONS. —

(6) OBLIGATIONS OF ELIGIBLE NONPROFIT SCHOLARSHIP-FUNDING ORGANIZATIONS. —

(7) PARENT AND STUDENT RESPONSIBILITIES FOR PROGRAM PARTICIPATION. —

(8) PRIVATE SCHOOL ELIGIBILITY AND OBLIGATIONS. —

(9) DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION OBLIGATIONS. —

(10) SCHOOL DISTRICT OBLIGATIONS; PARENTAL OPTIONS. —

(11) SCHOLARSHIP AMOUNT AND PAYMENT. —

(12) ADMINISTRATION; RULES. —

(13) DEPOSITS OF ELIGIBLE CONTRIBUTIONS. —

(14) PRESERVATION OF CREDIT. —

(15) NONPROFIT SCHOLARSHIP-FUNDING ORGANIZATIONS; APPLICATION. —

History. — s. 5, ch. 2001-225; s. 42, ch. 2002-218; s. 258, ch. 2003-261; s. 9, ch. 2003-391; s. 16, ch. 2004-5; s. 2, ch. 2006-75; s. 2, ch. 2008-142; s. 2, ch. 2008-235; s. 1, ch. 2008-241; s. 2, ch. 2009-108; s. 4, ch. 2009-239; s. 1, ch. 2010-24; s. 4, ch. 2010-209; s. 3, ch. 2011-123; s. 1, ch. 2012-22; s. 67, ch. 2013-116; s. 364, ch. 2014-19; s. 17, ch. 2014-184; s. 106, ch. 2015-2; s. 37, ch. 2015-148; ss. 6, 9, ch. 2015-222; s. 6, ch. 2016-2; s. 2, ch. 2017-166; s. 25, ch. 2018-4; s. 20, ch. 2018-5; s. 15, ch. 2018-6; s. 117, ch. 2019-3; s. 8, ch. 2019-23; s. 13, ch. 2019-42; s. 175, ch. 2020-2; s. 2, ch. 2020-95; s. 5, ch. 2021-27; s. 13, ch. 2022-154; s. 6, ch. 2023-16; s. 75, ch. 2024-2; s. 245, ch. 2024-6; s. 4, ch. 2024-163; s. 7, ch. 2024-230.

1002.40 The Hope Scholarship Program.

(1) PURPOSE. —

(2) DEFINITIONS. —

(3) PROGRAM ELIGIBILITY. —

(4) SCHOOL DISTRICT OBLIGATIONS; PARENTAL OPTIONS. —

(5) RULES. —

History. — s. 16, ch. 2018-6; s. 9, ch. 2019-23; s. 3, ch. 2020-95; s. 6, ch. 2021-27; s. 14, ch. 2022-154; s. 7, ch. 2023-16; s. 5, ch. 2024-163.

1002.41 Home education programs.

(1) As used in this section, the term “home education program” has the same meaning as in s. 1002.01. A home education program is not a school district program and is registered with the district school superintendent only for the purpose of complying with the state’s attendance requirements under s. 1003.21(1). The parent is not required to hold a valid regular Florida teaching certificate.

(2) The district school superintendent shall accept the results of the annual educational evaluation of the student in a home education program. If the student does not demonstrate educational progress at a level commensurate with her or his ability, the district school superintendent shall notify the parent, in writing, that such progress has not been achieved. The parent shall have 1 year from the date of receipt of the written notification to provide remedial instruction to the student. At the end of the 1-year probationary period, the student shall be reevaluated as specified in paragraph (1)(f).

Continuation in a home education program shall be contingent upon the student demonstrating educational progress commensurate with her or his ability at the end of the probationary period.

(3) A home education program shall be excluded from meeting the requirements of a school day.

(4) Home education students may participate in interscholastic extracurricular student activities in accordance with the provisions of s. 1006.15.

(5) Home education students may participate in the Bright Futures Scholarship Program in accordance with the provisions of ss. 1009.53-1009.538.

(6) Home education students may participate in dual enrollment programs in accordance with ss. 1007.27(4) and 1007.271(13).

(7) Home education students are eligible for admission to Florida College System institutions in accordance with the provisions of s. 1007.263.

(8) Home education students are eligible for admission to state universities in accordance with the policies and guidelines of the Board of Governors.

(9) Testing and evaluation services at diagnostic and resource centers shall be available to home education program students, including, but not limited to, students with disabilities, in accordance with the provisions of s. 1006.03.

(10) A school district may provide exceptional student education-related services, as defined in State Board of Education rule, to a home education program student with a disability who is eligible for the services and who enrolls in a public school solely for the purpose of receiving those related services. The school district providing the services shall report each student as a full-time equivalent student in the class and in a manner prescribed by the Department of Education, and funding shall be provided through the Florida Education Finance Program pursuant to s. 1011.62.

(11) A school district may provide access to career and technical courses and programs for a home education program student who enrolls in a public school solely for the career and technical courses or programs. The school district that provides the career and technical courses and programs shall report each student as a full-time equivalent student in the class and in a manner prescribed by the department, and funding shall be provided through the Florida Education Finance Program pursuant to s. 1011.62.

(12) Industry certifications, national assessments, and statewide, standardized assessments offered by a school district shall be available to home education program students. Each school district shall notify home education program students of the available certifications and assessments; the date, time, and locations for the administration of each certification and assessment; and the deadline for notifying the school district of the student’s intent to participate and the student’s preferred location.

(13) A school district may not further regulate, exercise control over, or require documentation from parents of home education program students beyond the requirements of this

section unless the regulation, control, or documentation is necessary for participation in a school district program.

History. — s. 106, ch. 2002-387; s. 82, ch. 2007-217; s. 29, ch. 2011-5; s. 5, ch. 2012-191; s. 175, ch. 2014-17; s. 28, ch. 2014-39; s. 2, ch. 2016-137; s. 1, ch. 2018-134.

1002.411 New Worlds Scholarship Accounts.

(1) NEW WORLDS SCHOLARSHIP ACCOUNTS. —

(2) ELIGIBILITY. —

(3) PARENT AND STUDENT RESPONSIBILITIES FOR PARTICIPATION. —

(4) ADMINISTRATOR. —

(5) DEPARTMENT OBLIGATIONS. —

(6) SCHOOL DISTRICT AND PRIVATE PREKINDERGARTEN PROVIDER OBLIGATIONS; PARENTAL OPTIONS. —

(7) ACCOUNT FUNDING AND PAYMENT. —

(8) LIABILITY. —

History. — s. 17, ch. 2018-6; s. 10, ch. 2019-23; s. 15, ch. 2022-154; s. 5, ch. 2023-108; s. 2, ch. 2024-162.

1002.42 Private schools.

(1) DEFINITION. —

(2) ANNUAL PRIVATE SCHOOL SURVEY. —

(3) RETENTION OF RECORDS. —

(4) ATTENDANCE RECORDS AND REPORTS. —

(5) SCHOOL-ENTRY HEALTH EXAMINATIONS. —

(6) IMMUNIZATIONS. —

(7) ATTENDANCE REQUIREMENTS. —

(8) ATHLETIC COMPETITION. —

(9) RECEIPT OF EDUCATIONAL MATERIALS. —

(10) INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIALS. —

(11) DIAGNOSTIC AND RESOURCE CENTERS. —

(12) EXCEPTIONAL EDUCATION SERVICES. —

(13) PROFESSIONAL LEARNING SYSTEM. —

(14) BUS DRIVER TRAINING. —

(15) POOL PURCHASE OF SCHOOL BUSES. —

(16) EMERGENCY PROCEDURES. —

(17) EPINEPHRINE SUPPLY. —

(18) SHORT-ACTING BRONCHODILATOR USE. —

(19) FACILITIES. —

(20) SAFE SCHOOL OFFICERS. —

History. — s. 107, ch. 2002-387; s. 33, ch. 2003-391; s. 36, ch. 2004-41; s. 80, ch. 2004-357; s. 2, ch. 2006-246; s. 3, ch. 2013-63; s. 3, ch. 2016-235; s. 88, ch. 2018-106; s. 145, ch. 2023-8; s. 21, ch. 2023-18; s. 1, ch. 2023-19; s. 4, ch. 2023-39; s. 7, ch. 2023-105; s. 2, ch. 2024-53; s. 9, ch. 2024-101.

1002.421 State school choice scholarship program accountability and oversight.

(1) PRIVATE SCHOOL ELIGIBILITY AND OBLIGATIONS. —

(2) DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION OBLIGATIONS. —

(3) COMMISSIONER OF EDUCATION AUTHORITY AND OBLIGATIONS. —

(4) The inclusion of eligible private schools within options available to Florida public school students does not expand the regulatory authority of the state, its officers, or any school district to impose any additional regulation of private schools beyond those reasonably necessary to enforce requirements expressly set forth in this section.

(5) The State Board of Education shall adopt rules pursuant to ss. 120.536(1) and 120.54 to administer this section, including rules to establish a deadline for private school applications for participation and timelines for the department to conduct site visits.

History. — s. 3, ch. 2006-75; s. 16, ch. 2008-108; s. 7, ch. 2009-108; s. 16, ch. 2010-24; s. 68, ch. 2013-116; s. 18, ch. 2018-6; s. 5, ch. 2021-138; s. 74, ch. 2022-4; s. 16, ch. 2022-154; s. 15, ch. 2023-9; s. 8, ch. 2023-16; s. 3, ch. 2023-34; s. 11, ch. 2023-220; s. 6, ch. 2024-163.

1002.43 Private tutoring programs.

(1) Regular school attendance as defined in s. 1003.01(16) may be achieved by attendance in a private tutoring program if the person tutoring the student meets the following requirements:

(2) Private tutors shall keep and prepare records in accordance with the provisions of s. 1003.23(2).

(3) Private tutoring may be provided to up to 25 students in any commercial building with a valid certificate of occupancy, library, community service, museum, performing arts, theater, cinema, or church facility; in any facility or on any land owned by a Florida College System institution or university; in any similar public institution facility; and in any facility recently used to house a school or child care facility licensed under s. 402.305 within the preexisting zoning and land use designations of the facility without obtaining a special exception, rezoning, or a land use change so long as the provision of such tutoring meets all applicable state and local health, safety, and welfare laws, codes, and rules, including those pertaining to firesafety and building safety.

History. — s. 108, ch. 2002-387; s. 37, ch. 2004-41; s. 146, ch. 2023-8; s. 5, ch. 2023-102.

1002.44 Part-time public school enrollment.

(1) Any public school in this state, including a charter school, may enroll a student who meets the regular school attendance criteria in s. 1003.01(16)(b)-(

f) on a part-time basis, subject to space and availability according to the school’s capacity determined pursuant to s. 1002.31(2)(b).

(2) A student attending a public school on a part-time basis pursuant to this

section shall generate full-time equivalent student membership as described in s. 1011.61(1)(b). A student receiving a scholarship under this

chapter who attends a public school on a part-time basis through contracted services provided by the public school or school district may not be reported for funding.

(3) A student attending a public school on a part-time basis pursuant to this

section is not considered to be in regular attendance at a public school as defined in s. 1003.01(16)(a).

History. — s. 9, ch. 2023-16; s. 76, ch. 2024-2.

1002.45 Virtual instruction programs.

(1) PROGRAM. —

(2) PROVIDER QUALIFICATIONS. —

(3) VIRTUAL INSTRUCTION PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS. —

(4) CONTRACT REQUIREMENTS. —

(5) STUDENT PARTICIPATION REQUIREMENTS. —

(6) VIRTUAL INSTRUCTION PROGRAM AND VIRTUAL CHARTER SCHOOL FUNDING. —

(7) ASSESSMENT AND ACCOUNTABILITY. —

(8) EXCEPTIONS. —

(9) MARKETING. —

(10) RULES. —

History. — s. 4, ch. 2008-147; s. 11, ch. 2009-59; s. 9, ch. 2010-154; s. 30, ch. 2011-5; s. 10, ch. 2011-55; s. 4, ch. 2011-137; s. 9, ch. 2011-175; s. 4, ch. 2012-192; s. 8, ch. 2013-27; s. 44, ch. 2013-35; s. 9, ch. 2013-45; s. 176, ch. 2014-17; s. 30, ch. 2014-39; s. 8, ch. 2014-56; s. 18, ch. 2016-237; s. 52, ch. 2017-116; s. 7, ch. 2021-35; s. 2, ch. 2021-44; s. 4, ch. 2022-16; s. 17, ch. 2022-154; ss. 9, 10, ch. 2022-157; ss. 6, 7, ch. 2023-13; s. 22, ch. 2023-108; s. 17, ch. 2023-245; s. 10, ch. 2024-101; s. 6, ch. 2024-160; s. 7, ch. 2024-163.

1002.451 District innovation school of technology program.

(1) DISTRICT INNOVATION SCHOOL OF TECHNOLOGY. —

(2) GUIDING PRINCIPLES. —

(3) TERM OF PERFORMANCE CONTRACT. —

(4) FUNDING. —

(5) EXEMPTION FROM STATUTES. —

(6) APPLICATION PROCESS AND PERFORMANCE CONTRACT. —

(7) REPORTS. —

History. — s. 10, ch. 2013-250; s. 8, ch. 2024-5.

1002.455 Student eligibility for K-12 virtual instruction.

(1) School district operated part-time or full-time kindergarten through grade 12 virtual instruction programs pursuant to s. 1002.45(1)(b)4. to students within the school district.

(2) Part-time or full-time virtual charter school instruction authorized pursuant to s. 1002.45(1)(b)5. to students within the school district or to students in other school districts throughout the state pursuant to s. 1002.31; however, the school district enrolling the full-time equivalent virtual student shall comply with the enrollment requirements established under s. 1002.45(1)(d)4.

(3) Virtual courses offered in the course code directory to students within the school district or to students in other school districts throughout the state pursuant to s. 1003.498.

(4) Florida Virtual School instructional services authorized pursuant to s. 1002.37.

(5) Virtual instruction provided by a school district through a contract with an approved virtual instruction program provider pursuant to s. 1002.45(1)(b)2. to students within the school district or to students in other school districts throughout the state pursuant to s. 1002.31; however, the school district enrolling the full-time equivalent virtual student shall comply with the enrollment requirements established under s. 1002.45(1)(d)4.

History. — s. 5, ch. 2011-137; s. 5, ch. 2012-192; s. 31, ch. 2014-39; s. 51, ch. 2017-116; s. 8, ch. 2021-35; s. 18, ch. 2022-154; s. 147, ch. 2023-8; s. 33, ch. 2024-160.

1002.51

Definitions.

(1) “Department” means the Department of Education.

(2) “Disability” means any disability listed in the definition of exceptional student in s. 1003.01.

(3) “Specialized instructional services provider” means a provider delivering specialized instructional services under s. 1002.66.

(4) “Early learning coalition” or “coalition” means an early learning coalition created under s. 1002.83.

(5) “Prekindergarten director” means an onsite person ultimately responsible for the overall operation of a private prekindergarten provider or, alternatively, of the provider’s prekindergarten program, regardless of whether the person is the owner of the provider.

(6) “Prekindergarten instructor” means a teacher or child care personnel as defined in s. 402.302 who provide instruction to students in the Voluntary Prekindergarten Education Program.

(7) “Private prekindergarten provider” means a provider other than a public school which is eligible to deliver the school-year prekindergarten program under s. 1002.55 or the summer prekindergarten program under s. 1002.61.

(8) “Public school prekindergarten provider” includes a traditional public school or a charter school that is eligible to deliver the school-year prekindergarten program under s. 1002.63 or the summer prekindergarten program under s. 1002.61.

History. — s. 1, ch. 2004-484; s. 2, ch. 2010-227; s. 2, ch. 2013-252; s. 57, ch. 2017-116.

1002.53 Voluntary Prekindergarten Education Program; eligibility and enrollment.

(1) The Voluntary Prekindergarten Education Program is created and shall be organized, designed, and delivered in accordance with s. 1(

b) and (c), Art. IX of the State Constitution.

(2) Each child who resides in this state who will have attained the age of 4 years on or before September 1 of the school year is eligible for the Voluntary Prekindergarten Education Program during either that school year or the following school year. The child remains eligible until the child is admitted to kindergarten, or unless he or she will have attained the age of 6 years by February 1 of any school year under s. 1003.21(1)(a)1.

(3) The parent of each child eligible under subsection (2) may enroll the child in one of the following programs:

(4)(

a) Each parent enrolling a child in the Voluntary Prekindergarten Education Program must complete and submit an application to the early learning coalition through the single point of entry established under s. 1002.82.

(5) The early learning coalition shall provide each parent enrolling a child in the Voluntary Prekindergarten Education Program with a profile of every private prekindergarten provider and public school delivering the program within the county where the child is being enrolled. The profiles shall be provided to parents in a format prescribed by the department in accordance with s. 1002.92(3).

(6)(

a) A parent may enroll his or her child with any private prekindergarten provider that is eligible to deliver the Voluntary Prekindergarten Education Program under this part; however, the provider may determine whether to admit any child. An early learning coalition may not limit the number of students admitted by any private prekindergarten provider for enrollment in the program. However, this paragraph does not authorize an early learning coalition to allow a provider to exceed any staff-to-children ratio, square footage per child, or other requirement imposed under ss. 402.301-402.319 as a result of admissions in the prekindergarten program.

History. — s. 1, ch. 2004-484; s. 4, ch. 2009-3; s. 26, ch. 2010-210; s. 3, ch. 2010-227; s. 449, ch. 2011-142; s. 3, ch. 2013-252; s. 6, ch. 2016-237; s. 34, ch. 2021-10; s. 5, ch. 2022-16; s. 23, ch. 2023-108.

1002.55 School-year prekindergarten program delivered by private prekindergarten providers.

(1) Each early learning coalition shall administer the Voluntary Prekindergarten Education Program at the county or regional level for students enrolled under s. 1002.53(3)(

a) in a school-year prekindergarten program delivered by a private prekindergarten provider.

(2) Each school-year prekindergarten program delivered by a private prekindergarten provider must comprise at least 540 instructional hours.

(3) To be eligible to deliver the prekindergarten program, a private prekindergarten provider must meet each of the following requirements:

(4) A prekindergarten instructor, in lieu of the minimum credentials required under subparagraph (3)(c)1., may hold one of the following educational credentials:

(5)(

a) Notwithstanding paragraph (3)(b), a private prekindergarten provider may not participate in the Voluntary Prekindergarten Education Program if the provider has child disciplinary policies that do not prohibit children from being subjected to discipline that is severe, humiliating, frightening, or associated with food, rest, toileting, spanking, or any other form of physical punishment as provided in s. 402.305(12).

(6) Each early learning coalition must verify that each private prekindergarten provider delivering the Voluntary Prekindergarten Education Program within the coalition’s county or multicounty region complies with this part. If a private prekindergarten provider fails or refuses to comply with this part or engages in misconduct, the department shall require the early learning coalition to remove the provider from eligibility to deliver the program and receive state funds under this part for a period of at least 2 years but no more than 5 years.

History. — s. 1, ch. 2004-484; s. 5, ch. 2008-196; s. 27, ch. 2010-210; s. 11, ch. 2011-55; s. 450, ch. 2011-142; s. 4, ch. 2013-252; s. 19, ch. 2018-6; s. 29, ch. 2018-103; s. 4, ch. 2021-9; s. 35, ch. 2021-10; s. 7, ch. 2024-159.

1002.57 Prekindergarten director credential.

(1) The department, in consultation with the Department of Children and Families, shall adopt minimum standards for a credential for prekindergarten directors of private prekindergarten providers delivering the Voluntary Prekindergarten Education Program. The credential must encompass requirements for education and onsite experience.

(2) The educational requirements must include training in the following:

(3) The prekindergarten director credential must meet or exceed the requirements of the Department of Children and Families for the child care facility director credential under s. 402.305(2)(g), and successful completion of the prekindergarten director credential satisfies these requirements for the child care facility director credential.

(4) The department shall, to the maximum extent practicable, award credit to a person who successfully completes the child care facility director credential under s. 402.305(2)(

g) for those requirements of the prekindergarten director credential which are duplicative of requirements for the child care facility director credential.

History. — s. 1, ch. 2004-484; s. 5, ch. 2013-252; s. 365, ch. 2014-19; s. 30, ch. 2018-103; s. 36, ch. 2021-10.

1002.59 Emergent literacy and performance standards training courses.

(1) The department, in collaboration with the Just Read, Florida! Office, shall adopt minimum standards for courses in emergent literacy for prekindergarten instructors.

Each course must consist of 5 clock hours and provide instruction in strategies and techniques to address the age-appropriate progress of prekindergarten students in developing emergent literacy skills, including oral communication, knowledge of print and letters, phonological and phonemic awareness, vocabulary and comprehension development, and foundational background knowledge designed to correlate with the content that students will encounter in grades K-12, consistent with the evidence-based content and strategies grounded in the science of reading identified pursuant to s. 1001.215(7).

The course standards must be reviewed as part of any review of subject coverage or endorsement requirements in the elementary, reading, and exceptional student educational areas conducted pursuant to s. 1012.586. Each course must also provide resources containing strategies that allow students with disabilities and other special needs to derive maximum benefit from the Voluntary Prekindergarten Education Program. Successful completion of an emergent literacy training course approved under this

section satisfies requirements for approved training in early literacy and language development under ss. 402.305(2)(e)5., 402.313(6), and 402.3131(5).

(2) The department shall adopt minimum standards for courses on the performance standards adopted under s. 1002.67(1). Each course must be comprised of at least 3 clock hours, provide instruction in strategies and techniques to address age-appropriate progress of each child in attaining the standards, and be available online.

(3) The department shall make available online professional learning and training courses comprised of at least 8 clock hours that support prekindergarten instructors in increasing the competency of teacher-child interactions.

History. — s. 1, ch. 2004-484; s. 6, ch. 2013-252; s. 31, ch. 2018-103; s. 5, ch. 2021-9; s. 37, ch. 2021-10; s. 6, ch. 2023-108; s. 18, ch. 2023-245; s. 9, ch. 2024-5.

1002.61 Summer prekindergarten program delivered by public schools and private prekindergarten providers.

(1)(

a) Each school district shall administer the Voluntary Prekindergarten Education Program at the district level for students enrolled under s. 1002.53(3)(

b) in a summer prekindergarten program delivered by a public school. A school district may satisfy this requirement by contracting with private prekindergarten providers.

(2) Each summer prekindergarten program delivered by a public school or private prekindergarten provider must:

(3)(

a) Each district school board shall determine which public schools in the school district are eligible to deliver the summer prekindergarten program. The school district shall use educational facilities available in the public schools during the summer term for the summer prekindergarten program.

(4) Notwithstanding ss. 1002.55(3)(c)1. and 1002.63(4), each public school and private prekindergarten provider must have, for each prekindergarten class, at least one prekindergarten instructor who is a certified teacher or holds one of the educational credentials specified in s. 1002.55(4)(

a) or (b). As used in this subsection, the term “certified teacher” means a teacher holding a valid Florida educator certificate under s. 1012.56 who has the qualifications required by the district school board to instruct students in the summer prekindergarten program. In selecting instructional staff for the summer prekindergarten program, each school district shall give priority to teachers who have experience or coursework in early childhood education and have completed emergent literacy and performance standards courses, as provided for in s. 1002.55(3)(c)2.

(5) Each prekindergarten instructor employed by a public school or private prekindergarten provider delivering the summer prekindergarten program must be of good moral character, must be screened using the level 2 screening standards in s. 435.04 before employment and rescreened at least once every 5 years, must be denied employment or terminated if required under s. 435.06, and must not be ineligible to teach in a public school because his or her educator certificate is suspended or revoked. This subsection does not supersede employment requirements for instructional personnel in public schools which are more stringent than the requirements of this subsection.

(6) A child development program that is accredited by a national accrediting body and operates on a military installation that is certified by the United States Department of Defense shall comply with the requirements of a private prekindergarten provider in this section.

(7) A public school or private prekindergarten provider may assign a substitute instructor to temporarily replace a credentialed instructor if the credentialed instructor assigned to a prekindergarten class is absent, as long as the substitute instructor is of good moral character and has been screened before employment in accordance with level 2 background screening requirements in

chapter 435. This subsection does not supersede employment requirements for instructional personnel in public schools which are more stringent than the requirements of this subsection. The department shall adopt rules to implement this subsection which shall include required qualifications of substitute instructors and the circumstances and time limits for which a public school or private prekindergarten provider may assign a substitute instructor.

(8) Notwithstanding ss. 1002.55(3)(

f) and 1002.63(7), each prekindergarten class in the summer prekindergarten program, regardless of whether the class is a public school’s or private prekindergarten provider’s class, must be composed of at least 4 students but may not exceed 12 students. In order to protect the health and safety of students, each public school or private prekindergarten provider must also provide appropriate adult supervision for students at all times. This subsection does not supersede any requirement imposed on a provider under ss. 402.301-402.319.

(9) Each public school delivering the summer prekindergarten program must also register with the early learning coalition on forms prescribed by the department and deliver the Voluntary Prekindergarten Education Program in accordance with this part.

(10)(

a) Each early learning coalition shall verify that each private prekindergarten provider and public school delivering the Voluntary Prekindergarten Education Program within the coalition’s county or multicounty region complies with this part.

History. — s. 1, ch. 2004-484; s. 6, ch. 2008-196; s. 5, ch. 2009-3; s. 451, ch. 2011-142; s. 7, ch. 2013-252; s. 101, ch. 2018-110; s. 38, ch. 2021-10; s. 7, ch. 2024-160.

1002.63 School-year prekindergarten program delivered by public schools.

(1) Each school district may administer the Voluntary Prekindergarten Education Program at the district level for students enrolled under s. 1002.53(3)(

c) in a school-year prekindergarten program delivered by a public school.

(2) Each school-year prekindergarten program delivered by a public school must comprise at least 540 instructional hours.

(3)(

a) The district school board of each school district shall determine which public schools in the district may deliver the prekindergarten program during the school year.

(4) Each public school must have, for each prekindergarten class, at least one prekindergarten instructor who meets each requirement in s. 1002.55(3)(

c) for a prekindergarten instructor of a private prekindergarten provider.

(5) Each prekindergarten instructor employed by a public school delivering the school-year prekindergarten program must be of good moral character, must be screened using the level 2 screening standards in s. 435.04 before employment and rescreened at least once every 5 years, must be denied employment or terminated if required under s. 435.06, and must not be ineligible to teach in a public school because his or her educator certificate is suspended or revoked. This subsection does not supersede employment requirements for instructional personnel in public schools which are more stringent than the requirements of this subsection.

(6) A public school prekindergarten provider may assign a substitute instructor to temporarily replace a credentialed instructor if the credentialed instructor assigned to a prekindergarten class is absent, as long as the substitute instructor is of good moral character and has been screened before employment in accordance with level 2 background screening requirements in

chapter 435. This subsection does not supersede employment requirements for instructional personnel in public schools which are more stringent than the requirements of this subsection. The department shall adopt rules to implement this subsection which shall include required qualifications of substitute instructors and the circumstances and time limits for which a public school prekindergarten provider may assign a substitute instructor.

(7) Each prekindergarten class in a public school delivering the school-year prekindergarten program must be composed of at least 4 students but may not exceed 20 students. In order to protect the health and safety of students, each school must also provide appropriate adult supervision for students at all times and, for each prekindergarten class composed of 12 or more students, must have, in addition to a prekindergarten instructor who meets the requirements of s. 1002.55(3)(c), at least one adult prekindergarten instructor who is not required to meet those requirements but who must meet each requirement of subsection (5).

(8) Each public school delivering the school-year prekindergarten program must register with the early learning coalition on forms prescribed by the department and deliver the Voluntary Prekindergarten Education Program in accordance with this part.

(9)(

a) Each early learning coalition shall verify that each public school delivering the Voluntary Prekindergarten Education Program within the coalition’s service area complies with this part.

History. — s. 1, ch. 2004-484; s. 7, ch. 2008-196; s. 6, ch. 2009-3; s. 12, ch. 2011-55; s. 452, ch. 2011-142; s. 8, ch. 2013-252; s. 39, ch. 2021-10.

1002.66 Specialized instructional services for children with disabilities.

(1) A child who has a disability and enrolls with the early learning coalition under s. 1002.53(3)(

d) is eligible for specialized instructional services if:

(2) The parent of a child who is eligible for the prekindergarten program for children with disabilities may select one or more specialized instructional services that are consistent with the child’s individual educational plan. These specialized instructional services may include, but are not limited to:

(3) The specialized instructional services provided for a child under this

section must be delivered according to professionally accepted standards; must be in accordance with the performance standards adopted by the department under s. 1002.67; and must address the age-appropriate progress of the child in the development of the capabilities, capacities, and skills required under s. 1(b), Art. IX of the State Constitution.

(4) The department shall approve specialized instructional service providers whose services meet the standards in subsection (3), maintain a list of approved providers, and notify each school district and early learning coalition of the approved provider list. Upon the request of a child’s parent, the department may approve a specialized instructional service provider that is not on the approved list if the provider’s services meet the standards in subsection (3) and the service is consistent with the child’s individual educational plan.

(5) The coalition shall reimburse an approved specialized instructional service provider for authorized services provided to an eligible child; however, the cumulative total of services reimbursed for a child may not exceed the amount of the base student allocation provided in the Voluntary Prekindergarten Education Program in the General Appropriations Act. Providers shall be reimbursed from funds allocated to the early learning coalition for the Voluntary Prekindergarten Education Program.

History. — s. 4, ch. 2010-227; s. 10, ch. 2011-175; s. 9, ch. 2013-252; s. 10, ch. 2022-30.

1002.67 Performance standards and curricula.

(1)(

a) The department shall develop and adopt performance standards for students in the Voluntary Prekindergarten Education Program. The performance standards must address the age-appropriate progress of students in the development of:

(2)(

a) Each private prekindergarten provider and public school may select or design the curriculum that the provider or school uses to implement the Voluntary Prekindergarten Education Program, except as otherwise required for a provider or school that fails to meet the minimum change-in-ability established pursuant to s. 1002.68.

History. — s. 1, ch. 2004-484; s. 28, ch. 2010-210; s. 453, ch. 2011-142; s. 11, ch. 2011-175; s. 7, ch. 2012-133; s. 10, ch. 2013-252; s. 6, ch. 2021-9; s. 40, ch. 2021-10; s. 6, ch. 2022-16; s. 7, ch. 2023-108.

1002.68 Voluntary Prekindergarten Education Program accountability.

(1)(

a) Beginning with the 2022-2023 program year, each private prekindergarten provider and public school participating in the Voluntary Prekindergarten Education Program must participate in the coordinated screening and progress monitoring program in accordance with s. 1008.25(9). The coordinated screening and progress monitoring program results shall be used by the department to identify student learning gains, index development learning outcomes upon program completion relative to the performance standards established under s. 1002.67 and representative norms, and inform a private prekindergarten provider’s and public school’s performance metric.

(2) Beginning with the 2022-2023 program year, each private prekindergarten provider and public school in the Voluntary Prekindergarten Education Program must participate in a program assessment of each voluntary prekindergarten education classroom. The program assessment shall measure the quality of teacher-child interactions, including emotional support, classroom organization, and instructional support for children ages 3 to 5 years.

Each private prekindergarten provider and public school in the Voluntary Prekindergarten Education Program shall receive from the department the results of the program assessment for each classroom within 14 days after the observation. Each early learning coalition shall be responsible for the administration of the program assessments which must be conducted by individuals qualified to conduct program assessments under s. 1002.82(2)(n).

(3)(

a) For the 2020-2021 program year, the department shall calculate a kindergarten readiness rate for each private prekindergarten provider and public school participating in the Voluntary Prekindergarten Education Program based upon learning gains and the percentage of students assessed as ready for kindergarten. The department shall require that each school district administer the statewide kindergarten screening in use before the 2021-2022 school year to each kindergarten student in the school district within the first 30 school days of the 2021-2022 school year.

Private schools may administer the statewide kindergarten screening to each kindergarten student in a private school who was enrolled in the Voluntary Prekindergarten Education Program. Learning gains shall be determined using a value-added measure based on growth demonstrated by the results of the preassessment and postassessment in use before the 2021-2022 program year. However, a provider may not be newly placed on probationary status under this paragraph.

A provider currently on probationary status may only be removed from such status if the provider earns the minimum rate, determined pursuant to subsection (5). The methodology for calculating a provider’s readiness rate may not include students who are not administered the statewide kindergarten screening.

(4)(

a) Beginning with the 2023-2024 program year, the department shall adopt a methodology for calculating each private prekindergarten provider’s and public school provider’s performance metric, which must be based on a combination of the following:

(5)(

a) If a public school’s or private prekindergarten provider’s program assessment composite score for its prekindergarten classrooms fails to meet the minimum program assessment composite score for contracting adopted in rule by the department, the private prekindergarten provider or public school may not participate in the Voluntary Prekindergarten Education Program beginning in the consecutive program year and thereafter until the public school or private prekindergarten provider meets the minimum composite score for contracting.

A public school or private prekindergarten provider may request one program assessment per program year in order to requalify for participation in the Voluntary Prekindergarten Education Program, provided that the public school or private prekindergarten provider is not excluded from participation under ss. 1002.55(6), 1002.61(10)(b), 1002.63(9)(b), or paragraph (5)(

b) of this section. If a public school or private prekindergarten provider would like an additional program assessment completed within the same program year, the public school or private prekindergarten provider shall be responsible for the cost of the program assessment.

(6)(

a) The department, upon the request of a private prekindergarten provider or public school that remains on probation for at least 2 consecutive years and subsequently fails to meet the minimum performance metric or designation, and for good cause shown, may grant to the provider or school an exemption from being determined ineligible to deliver the Voluntary Prekindergarten Education Program and receive state funds for the program. Such exemption is valid for 1 year and, upon the request of the private prekindergarten provider or public school and for good cause shown, may be renewed.

(7) Representatives from each school district and corresponding early learning coalitions must meet annually to develop strategies to transition students from the Voluntary Prekindergarten Education Program to kindergarten.

History. — s. 41, ch. 2021-10; s. 7, ch. 2022-16; s. 24, ch. 2023-108; ss. 5, 6, ch. 2023-240; s. 8, ch. 2024-230.

1002.71 Funding; financial and attendance reporting.

(1) Funds appropriated for the Voluntary Prekindergarten Education Program may be used only for the program in accordance with this part. If the student enrollment in the program for a fiscal year exceeds the estimated enrollment upon which the appropriation for that fiscal year is provided, thereby causing a shortfall, funds appropriated to the program for the subsequent fiscal year must be used first to fund the shortfall.

(2) A full-time equivalent student in the Voluntary Prekindergarten Education Program shall be calculated as follows:

(3)(

a) A separate base student allocation per full-time equivalent student in the Voluntary Prekindergarten Education Program shall be provided in the General Appropriations Act for a school-year prekindergarten program and for a summer prekindergarten program. The base student allocation for a school-year program shall be equal for each student, regardless of whether the student is enrolled in a school-year prekindergarten program delivered by a public school or a private prekindergarten provider.

The base student allocation for a summer prekindergarten program shall be equal for each student, regardless of whether the student is enrolled in a summer prekindergarten program delivered by a public school or private prekindergarten provider.

(4) Notwithstanding s. 1002.53(3) and subsection (2):

(5)(

a) Each early learning coalition shall maintain through the single point of entry established under s. 1002.82 a current database of the students enrolled in the Voluntary Prekindergarten Education Program for each county within the coalition’s region.

(6)(

a) Each parent enrolling his or her child in the Voluntary Prekindergarten Education Program must agree to comply with the attendance policy of the private prekindergarten provider or district school board, as applicable. Upon enrollment of the child, the private prekindergarten provider or public school, as applicable, must provide the child’s parent with a copy of the provider’s or school district’s attendance policy, as applicable.

(7) The department shall require that administrative expenditures be kept to the minimum necessary for efficient and effective administration of the Voluntary Prekindergarten Education Program. Administrative policies and procedures shall be revised, to the maximum extent practicable, to incorporate the use of automation and electronic submission of forms, including those required for child eligibility and enrollment, provider and class registration, and monthly certification of attendance for payment.

A school district may use its automated daily attendance reporting system for the purpose of transmitting attendance records to the early learning coalition in a mutually agreed-upon format. In addition, actions shall be taken to reduce paperwork, eliminate the duplication of reports, and eliminate other duplicative activities. Each early learning coalition may retain and expend no more than 5.0 percent of the funds paid by the coalition to private prekindergarten providers and public schools under paragraph (5)(b).

Funds retained by an early learning coalition under this subsection may be used only for administering the Voluntary Prekindergarten Education Program and may not be used for the school readiness program or other programs.

(8) Except as otherwise expressly authorized by law, a private prekindergarten provider or public school may not:

(9) A parent is responsible for the transportation of his or her child to and from the Voluntary Prekindergarten Education Program, regardless of whether the program is delivered by a private prekindergarten provider or a public school. However, a provider or school may use part of the funds it is paid under paragraph (5)(

b) for transporting students to and from the program. A student enrolled in the Voluntary Prekindergarten Education Program may not be reported under s. 1011.68 for student transportation funds.

History. — s. 1, ch. 2004-484; s. 4, ch. 2005-56; s. 3, ch. 2006-27; s. 7, ch. 2009-3; s. 12, ch. 2009-59; s. 10, ch. 2010-154; s. 29, ch. 2010-210; s. 5, ch. 2010-227; s. 13, ch. 2011-55; s. 455, ch. 2011-142; s. 13, ch. 2011-175; s. 9, ch. 2012-133; s. 12, ch. 2013-252; s. 2, ch. 2017-116; s. 43, ch. 2021-10; s. 19, ch. 2023-245; s. 9, ch. 2024-230.

1002.72 Records of children in the Voluntary Prekindergarten Education Program.

(1)(

a) The records of a child enrolled in the Voluntary Prekindergarten Education Program held by an early learning coalition, the department, or a Voluntary Prekindergarten Education Program provider are confidential and exempt from s. 119.07(1) and s. 24(a), Art. I of the State Constitution. For purposes of this section, such records include assessment data, health data, records of teacher observations, and personal identifying information of an enrolled child and his or her parent.

(2) A parent has the right to inspect and review the Voluntary Prekindergarten Education Program record of his or her child and to obtain a copy of such record.

(3)(

a) Confidential and exempt Voluntary Prekindergarten Education Program records may be released to:

History. — s. 1, ch. 2005-88; s. 178, ch. 2008-4; s. 1, ch. 2010-44; s. 456, ch. 2011-142; s. 13, ch. 2013-252; s. 44, ch. 2021-10.

1002.73 Department of Education; powers and duties; accountability requirements.

(1) The department shall adopt by rule a standard statewide provider contract to be used with each Voluntary Prekindergarten Education Program provider, with standardized attachments by provider type. The department shall publish a copy of the standard statewide provider contract on its website. The standard statewide provider contract shall include, at a minimum, provisions for provider probation, termination for cause, and emergency termination for actions or inactions of a provider that pose an immediate and serious danger to the health, safety, or welfare of children.

The standard statewide provider contract shall also include appropriate due process procedures. During the pendency of an appeal of a termination, the provider may not continue to offer its services. Any provision imposed upon a provider that is inconsistent with, or prohibited by, law is void and unenforceable.

(2) The department shall adopt procedures for:

(3) The department shall administer the accountability requirements of the Voluntary Prekindergarten Education Program at the state level.

(4) The department shall adopt procedures governing the administration of the Voluntary Prekindergarten Education Program by the early learning coalitions for:

(5) The department shall adopt procedures for the distribution of funds to early learning coalitions under s. 1002.71.

(6) Except as provided by law, the department may not impose requirements on a private prekindergarten provider or public school that does not deliver the Voluntary Prekindergarten Education Program or receive state funds under this part.

History. — s. 1, ch. 2004-484; s. 8, ch. 2009-3; s. 31, ch. 2010-210; s. 6, ch. 2010-227; s. 14, ch. 2011-175; s. 45, ch. 2021-10; s. 10, ch. 2024-5.

1002.79 Rulemaking authority.

History. — s. 1, ch. 2004-484; s. 458, ch. 2011-142; s. 79, ch. 2012-96; s. 16, ch. 2013-252; s. 47, ch. 2021-10.

1002.81

Definitions.

(1) “At-risk child” means:

(2) “Authorized hours of care” means the hours of care that are necessary to provide protection, maintain employment, or complete work activities or eligible educational activities, including reasonable travel time.

(3) “Department” means the Department of Education.

(4) “Direct enhancement services” means services for families and children that are in addition to payments for the placement of children in the school readiness program. Direct enhancement services for families and children may include supports for providers, parent training and involvement activities, and strategies to meet the needs of unique populations and local eligibility priorities. Direct enhancement services offered by an early learning coalition shall be consistent with the activities prescribed in s. 1002.89(4)(b).

(5) “Disenrollment” means the removal, either temporary or permanent, of a child from participation in the school readiness program. Removal of a child from the school readiness program may be based on the following events: a reduction in available school readiness program funding, participant’s failure to meet eligibility or program participation requirements, fraud, or a change in local service priorities.

(6) “Economically disadvantaged” means having a family income that does not exceed 150 percent of the federal poverty level and includes being a child of a working migratory family as defined by 34 C.F.R. s. 200.81(

d) or (

f) or an agricultural worker who is employed by more than one agricultural employer during the course of a year, and whose income varies according to weather conditions and market stability.

(7) “Family income” means the combined gross income, whether earned or unearned, that is derived from any source by all family or household members who are 18 years of age or older who are currently residing together in the same dwelling unit. The term does not include income earned by a currently enrolled high school student who, since attaining the age of 18 years, or a student with a disability who, since attaining the age of 22 years, has not terminated school enrollment or received a high school diploma, high school equivalency diploma, special diploma, or certificate of high school completion.

The term also does not include food stamp benefits or federal housing assistance payments issued directly to a landlord or the associated utilities expenses.

(8) “Family or household members” means spouses, former spouses, persons related by blood or marriage, persons who are parents of a child in common regardless of whether they have been married, and other persons who are currently residing together in the same dwelling unit as if a family.

(9) “Full-time care” means at least 6 hours, but not more than 11 hours, of child care or early childhood education services within a 24-hour period.

(10) “Market rate” means the price that a child care or early childhood education provider charges for full-time or part-time daily, weekly, or monthly child care or early childhood education services.

(11) “Part-time care” means less than 6 hours of child care or early childhood education services within a 24-hour period.

(12) “Prevailing market rate” means the biennially determined 75th percentile of a reasonable frequency distribution of the market rate by program care level and provider type in a predetermined geographic market at which child care providers charge a person for child care services.

(13) “Single point of entry” means an integrated information system that allows a parent to enroll his or her child in the school readiness program or the Voluntary Prekindergarten Education Program at various locations throughout a county, that may allow a parent to enroll his or her child by telephone or through a website, and that uses a uniform waiting list to track eligible children waiting for enrollment in the school readiness program.

(14) “Working family” means:

History. — s. 17, ch. 2013-252; s. 1, ch. 2018-136; s. 48, ch. 2021-10; s. 1, ch. 2021-87; s. 19, ch. 2022-154.

1002.82 Department of Education; powers and duties.

(1) For purposes of administration of the Child Care and Development Block Grant Trust Fund, pursuant to 45 C.F.R. parts 98 and 99, the department is designated as the lead agency and must comply with lead agency responsibilities pursuant to federal law. The department may apply to the Governor and Cabinet for a waiver of, and the Governor and Cabinet may waive, any provision of ss. 411.223 and 1003.54 if the waiver is necessary for implementation of the school readiness program.

Section 125.901(2)(a)3. does not apply to the school readiness program.

(2) The department shall:

(3)(

a) The department shall adopt performance standards and outcome measures for early learning coalitions that, at a minimum, include the development of objective and statistically valid customer service surveys by a state university or other independent researcher with specific expertise in customer service survey development. The survey shall be deployed beginning in fiscal year 2022-2023 and be distributed to:

(4) If the department determines during the review of school readiness program plans, or through monitoring and performance evaluations conducted under s. 1002.85, that an early learning coalition has not substantially implemented its plan, has not substantially met the performance standards and outcome measures adopted by the department or the terms of a customer service corrective action plan, or has not effectively administered the school readiness program or Voluntary Prekindergarten Education Program, the department may remove the coalition from eligibility to administer early learning programs and contract with a qualified entity to continue school readiness program and prekindergarten services in the coalition’s county or multicounty region until the department reestablishes or merges the coalition and a new school readiness program plan is approved in accordance with the rules adopted by the state board.

(5) The department shall adopt procedures for merging early learning coalitions for failure to meet the requirements of subsection (3) or subsection (4), including procedures for the consolidation of merging coalitions that minimize duplication of programs and services due to the merger, and for the early termination of the terms of the coalition members which are necessary to accomplish the mergers.

(6) The department may request the Governor to apply for a waiver to allow a coalition to administer the Head Start Program to accomplish the purposes of the school readiness program.

(7) By January 1 of each year, the department shall annually publish on its website a report of its activities conducted under this section. The report must include a

summary of the coalitions’ annual reports, a statewide

summary, and the following:

(8)(

a) Parental choice of child care providers, including private and faith-based providers, shall be established to the maximum extent practicable in accordance with 45 C.F.R. s. 98.30.

(9) Participation in the school readiness program does not expand the regulatory authority of the state, its officers, or an early learning coalition to impose any additional regulation on providers beyond those necessary to enforce the requirements set forth in this part and

part V of this chapter.

(10) The department shall establish procedures to annually collect cost data. Such data must include, but are not limited to:

(11) By November 1, 2024, and annually thereafter, the department shall submit the following data to the Legislature:

History. — s. 17, ch. 2013-252; s. 16, ch. 2016-238; s. 2, ch. 2018-136; s. 118, ch. 2019-3; s. 1, ch. 2019-126; s. 49, ch. 2021-10; s. 75, ch. 2022-4; s. 20, ch. 2022-154; s. 2, ch. 2023-102; s. 77, ch. 2024-2; s. 25, ch. 2024-3; s. 11, ch. 2024-5; s. 8, ch. 2024-160; s. 10, ch. 2024-230.

1002.83 Early learning coalitions.

(1) Thirty or fewer early learning coalitions are established and shall maintain direct enhancement services at the local level and provide access to such services in all 67 counties. Two or more early learning coalitions may join for purposes of planning and implementing a school readiness program and the Voluntary Prekindergarten Education Program.

(2) Each early learning coalition shall be composed of at least 15 members but not more than 30 members.

(3) The Governor shall appoint the chair and two other members of each early learning coalition, who must each meet the qualifications of a private sector business member under subsection (6). In the absence of a governor-appointed chair, the Commissioner of Education may appoint an interim chair from the current early learning coalition board membership.

(4) Each early learning coalition must include the following member positions; however, in a multicounty coalition, each ex officio member position may be filled by multiple nonvoting members but no more than one voting member shall be seated per member position. If an early learning coalition has more than one member representing the same entity, only one of such members may serve as a voting member:

(5) If members of the board are found to be nonparticipating according to the early learning coalition bylaws, the early learning coalition may request an alternate designee who meets the same qualifications or membership requirements of the nonparticipating member.

(6) The early learning coalition may appoint additional members who must be private sector business members, either for-profit or nonprofit, who do not have, and none of whose relatives as defined in s. 112.3143 has, a substantial financial interest in the design or delivery of the Voluntary Prekindergarten Education Program created under

part V of this

chapter or the school readiness program. The department shall establish criteria for appointing private sector business members. These criteria must include standards for determining whether a member or relative has a substantial financial interest in the design or delivery of the Voluntary Prekindergarten Education Program or the school readiness program.

(7) A majority of the voting membership of an early learning coalition constitutes a quorum required to conduct the business of the coalition. An early learning coalition may use any method of telecommunications to conduct meetings, including establishing a quorum through telecommunications, provided that the public is given proper notice of a telecommunications meeting and reasonable access to observe and, when appropriate, participate.

(8) A voting member of an early learning coalition may not appoint a designee to act in his or her place, except as otherwise provided in this subsection. A voting member may send a representative to coalition meetings, but that representative does not have voting privileges. When a regional administrator for the Department of Children and Families appoints a designee to an early learning coalition, the designee is the voting member of the coalition, and any individual attending in the designee’s place, including the district administrator, does not have voting privileges.

(9) Each member of an early learning coalition is subject to ss. 112.313, 112.3135, and 112.3143. For purposes of s. 112.3143(3)(a), each voting member is a local public officer who must abstain from voting when a voting conflict exists.

(10) For purposes of tort liability, each member or employee of an early learning coalition shall be governed by s. 768.28.

(11) An early learning coalition serving a multicounty region must include representation from each county.

(12) Each early learning coalition shall establish terms for all appointed members of the coalition. The terms must be staggered and must be a uniform length that does not exceed 4 years per term. Appointed members may serve a maximum of two consecutive terms. When a vacancy occurs in an appointed position, the coalition must advertise the vacancy.

(13) State, federal, and local matching funds provided to the early learning coalitions may not be used directly or indirectly to pay for meals, food, or beverages for coalition members, coalition employees, or subcontractor employees. Preapproved, reasonable, and necessary per diem allowances and travel expenses may be reimbursed. Such reimbursement shall be at the standard travel reimbursement rates established in s. 112.061 and must comply with applicable federal and state requirements.

(14) Each early learning coalition shall complete an annual evaluation of the early learning coalition’s executive director or chief executive officer on forms adopted by the department. The annual evaluation must be submitted to the commissioner by August 30 of each year.

(15) Each school district shall, upon request of the coalition, make a list of all individuals currently eligible to act as a substitute teacher within the school district, pursuant to rules adopted by the school district pursuant to s. 1012.35, available to an early learning coalition serving students within the school district. Child care facilities as defined in s. 402.302 may employ individuals listed as substitute instructors for the purpose of offering the school readiness program, the Voluntary Prekindergarten Education Program, and all other legally operating child care programs.

(16) Each early learning coalition shall adopt a best-practices plan for transitioning prekindergarten students into kindergarten. The plan must provide for:

History. — s. 17, ch. 2013-252; s. 177, ch. 2014-17; s. 46, ch. 2016-216; s. 26, ch. 2020-144; s. 8, ch. 2021-9; s. 50, ch. 2021-10.

1002.84 Early learning coalitions; school readiness powers and duties.

(1) Administer and implement a local comprehensive program of school readiness program services in accordance with this part and the rules adopted by the department, which enhances the cognitive, social, and physical development of children to achieve the performance standards.

(2) Establish a uniform waiting list to track eligible children waiting for enrollment in the school readiness program in accordance with rules adopted by the State Board of Education.

(3) Establish a resource and referral network operating under s. 1002.92 to assist parents in making an informed choice and provide maximum parental choice of providers and to provide information on available community resources.

(4) Establish a regional Warm-Line as directed by the department pursuant to s. 1002.82(2)(u). Regional Warm-Line staff shall provide onsite technical assistance, when requested, to assist child care facilities and family day care homes with inquiries relating to the strategies, curriculum, and environmental adaptations the child care facilities and family day care homes may need as they serve children with disabilities and other special needs.

(5) Establish an age-appropriate screening, for children ages birth to 5 years, of each child’s development and an appropriate referral process for children with identified delays. Such screening shall not be a requirement of entry into the school readiness program and shall be only given with parental consent.

(6) Implement an age-appropriate preassessment and postassessment of children if specified in the coalition’s approved plan.

(7) Use a coordinated professional learning system that supports the achievement and maintenance of core competencies by school readiness program teachers in helping children attain the performance standards adopted by the department.

(8) Determine child eligibility pursuant to s. 1002.87 and provider eligibility pursuant to s. 1002.88. Child eligibility must be redetermined annually. A coalition must document the reason a child is no longer eligible for the school readiness program according to the standard codes prescribed by the department.

(9) Implement a parent sliding fee scale, that increases in relation to family income, as established in rule by the State Board of Education that provides for the calculation of a parent copayment at the time of the eligibility determination and for an annual eligibility redetermination thereafter.

A coalition may waive the copayment for an at-risk child or temporarily waive the copayment for a child whose family’s income is at or below the federal poverty level or whose family experiences a natural disaster or an event that limits the parent’s ability to pay, such as incarceration, placement in residential treatment, or becoming homeless, or an emergency situation such as a household fire or burglary, or while the parent is participating in parenting classes or participating in an Early Head Start program or Head Start Program.

A parent may not transfer school readiness program services to another school readiness program provider until the parent has submitted documentation from the current school readiness program provider to the early learning coalition stating that the parent has satisfactorily fulfilled the copayment obligation.

(10) Establish proper maintenance of records related to eligibility and enrollment files, provider payments, coalition staff background screenings, and other documents required for the implementation of the school readiness program.

(11) Establish a records retention requirement for sign-in and sign-out records that is consistent with state and federal law. Attendance records may not be altered or amended after December 31 of the subsequent year.

(12) Follow the tangible personal property requirements of

chapter 274 and rules adopted under that chapter.

(13) Comply with federal procurement requirements and the procurement requirements of ss. 215.971, 287.057, and 287.058, except that an early learning coalition is not required to competitively procure direct services for school readiness program and Voluntary Prekindergarten Education Program providers.

(14) Establish proper information technology security controls, including, but not limited to, periodically reviewing the appropriateness of access privileges assigned to users of certain systems; monitoring system hardware performance and capacity-related issues; and ensuring appropriate backup procedures and disaster recovery plans are in place.

(15) Develop written policies, procedures, and standards for monitoring vendor contracts, including, but not limited to, provisions specifying the particular procedures that may be used to evaluate contractor performance and the documentation that is to be maintained to serve as a record of contractor performance. This subsection does not apply to contracts with school readiness program providers or Voluntary Prekindergarten Education Program providers.

(16) Monitor school readiness program providers in accordance with its plan, or in response to a parental complaint, to verify that the standards prescribed in ss. 1002.82 and 1002.88 are being met using a standard monitoring tool adopted by the department. Providers determined to be high-risk by the coalition, as demonstrated by substantial findings of violations of federal law or the general or local laws of the state, shall be monitored more frequently. Providers with 3 consecutive years of compliance may be monitored biennially.

(17)(

a) Distribute the school readiness program funds as allocated in the General Appropriations Act to each eligible provider based upon the reimbursement rate by county, by provider type, and by care level. All instructions to early learning coalitions for distributing the school readiness program funds to eligible providers shall emanate from the department in accordance with the policies of the Legislature.

(18) Implement an anti-fraud plan addressing the detection, reporting, and prevention of overpayments, abuse, and fraud relating to the provision of and payment for school readiness program and Voluntary Prekindergarten Education Program services and submit the plan to the department for approval, as required by s. 1002.91.

(19) By October 1 of each year, submit an annual report to the department. The report shall conform to the format adopted by the department and must include:

(20) Maintain its administrative staff at the minimum necessary to administer the duties of the early learning coalition.

(21)(

a) To increase transparency and accountability, comply with the requirements of this

section before contracting with one or more of the following persons or business entities which employs, has a contractual relationship with, or is owned by the following persons:

History. — s. 17, ch. 2013-252; s. 178, ch. 2014-17; s. 17, ch. 2016-238; s. 3, ch. 2018-136; s. 51, ch. 2021-10; s. 21, ch. 2022-154; s. 20, ch. 2023-245; s. 12, ch. 2024-5; s. 11, ch. 2024-230.

1002.85 Early learning coalition plans.

(1) The department shall adopt rules prescribing the standardized format and required content of school readiness program plans as necessary for a coalition or other qualified entity to administer the school readiness program as provided in this part.

(2) Each early learning coalition must submit a school readiness program plan every 3 years to the department before the expenditure of funds. A coalition may not implement its school readiness program plan until it receives approval from the department. A coalition may not implement any revision to its school readiness program plan until the coalition submits the revised plan to and receives approval from the department. If the department rejects a plan or revision, the coalition must continue to operate under its previously approved plan. The plan must include, but is not limited to:

(3) The coalition may periodically amend its plan as necessary. An amended plan must be submitted to and approved by the department before any expenditures are incurred on the new activities proposed in the amendment.

(4) The department shall publish a copy of the standardized format and required content of school readiness program plans on its website.

(5) The department shall collect and report data on coalition delivery of early learning programs.

Elements shall include, but are not limited to, measures related to progress towards reducing the number of children on the waiting list, the percentage of children served by the program as compared to the number of administrative staff and overhead, the percentage of children served compared to total number of children under the age of 5 years below 150 percent of the federal poverty level, provider payment processes, fraud intervention, child attendance and stability, use of child care resource and referral, and kindergarten readiness outcomes for children in the Voluntary Prekindergarten Education Program or the school readiness program upon entry into kindergarten.

The department shall request input from the coalitions and school readiness program providers before finalizing the format and data to be used. The report shall be implemented beginning July 1, 2014, and results of the report must be included in the annual report under s. 1002.82.

History. — s. 17, ch. 2013-252; s. 4, ch. 2018-136; s. 52, ch. 2021-10; s. 22, ch. 2022-154; s. 9, ch. 2024-160.

1002.86 School readiness program; education component.

History. — s. 17, ch. 2013-252.

1002.87 School readiness program; eligibility and enrollment.

(1) Each early learning coalition shall give priority for participation in the school readiness program as follows:

(2) A school readiness program provider may be paid only for authorized hours of care provided for a child in the school readiness program. A child enrolled in the Voluntary Prekindergarten Education Program may receive care from the school readiness program if the child is eligible according to the eligibility priorities and criteria established in subsection (1).

(3) Contingent upon the availability of funds, a coalition shall enroll eligible children, including those from its waiting list, according to the eligibility priorities and criteria established in subsection (1).

(4) The parent of a child enrolled in the school readiness program must notify the coalition or its designee within 10 days after any change in employment status, income, or family size or failure to maintain attendance at a job training or educational program in accordance with program requirements.

(5) A child whose eligibility priority category requires the child to be from a working family ceases to be eligible for the school readiness program if a parent with whom the child resides does not reestablish employment or resume attendance at a job training or educational program within 90 days after becoming unemployed or ceasing to attend a job training or educational program.

(6) Eligibility for each child must be reevaluated annually. Upon reevaluation, a child may not continue to receive school readiness program services if he or she has ceased to be eligible under this section. A child who is ineligible due to a parent’s job loss or cessation of education or job training shall continue to receive school readiness program services for at least 3 months to enable the parent to obtain employment.

(7) If a coalition disenrolls children from the school readiness program, the coalition must disenroll the children in reverse order of the eligibility priorities and criteria listed in subsection (1) beginning with children from families with the highest family incomes. A notice of disenrollment must be sent to the parent and school readiness program provider at least 2 weeks before disenrollment to provide adequate time for the parent to arrange alternative care for the child. However, an at-risk child may not be disenrolled from the program without the written approval of the Child Welfare Program Office of the Department of Children and Families or the community-based lead agency.

(8) If a child is absent from the program for 5 consecutive days without parental notification to the program of such absence, the school readiness program provider shall report the absence to the early learning coalition for a determination of the need for continued care.

(9) Notwithstanding s. 39.604, a school readiness program provider, regardless of whether the provider is licensed, shall comply with the reporting requirements of the Rilya Wilson Act for each at-risk child under the age of school entry who is enrolled in the school readiness program.

History. — s. 17, ch. 2013-252; s. 18, ch. 2016-238; s. 5, ch. 2018-136; s. 2, ch. 2021-87; s. 23, ch. 2022-154.

1002.88 School readiness program provider standards; eligibility to deliver the school readiness program.

(1) To be eligible to deliver the school readiness program, a school readiness program provider must:

(2)(

a) If a school readiness program provider fails or refuses to comply with this part or any contractual obligation of the statewide provider contract under s. 1002.82(2)(m), the coalition may revoke the provider’s eligibility to deliver the school readiness program or receive state or federal funds under this

chapter for a period of 5 years.

(3) The department and the coalitions may not:

History. — s. 17, ch. 2013-252; s. 19, ch. 2016-238; s. 21, ch. 2018-6; s. 6, ch. 2018-136; s. 53, ch. 2021-10.

1002.89 School readiness program; funding.

(1) DETERMINATION OF EARLY LEARNING COALITION SCHOOL READINESS PROGRAM FUNDING. —

(2) INSTRUCTION REQUIREMENTS. —

(3) MATCHING FUND REQUIREMENTS. —

(4) COST REQUIREMENTS. —

(5) LIMITATION ON THE USE OF PROGRAM FUNDS. —

History. — s. 17, ch. 2013-252; s. 179, ch. 2014-17; s. 20, ch. 2016-238; s. 7, ch. 2018-136; s. 54, ch. 2021-10; s. 24, ch. 2022-154; s. 21, ch. 2023-245; s. 13, ch. 2024-5; s. 12, ch. 2024-230.

1002.895 Market rate schedule.

(1) The department shall establish procedures for the adoption of a market rate schedule. The

schedule must include, at a minimum, county-by-county rates and the market rate, to include the minimum and the maximum rates for child care providers that hold a Gold Seal Quality Care designation under s. 1002.945 and adhere to its accrediting association’s teacher-to-child ratios and group size requirements and for child care providers that do not hold a Gold Seal Quality Care designation.

(2) The market rate

schedule must differentiate rates by provider type, including, but not limited to:

(3) The market rate

schedule must differentiate rates by care level that includes infants, toddlers, 2-year-old children, 3-year-old children, 4-year-old children, 5-year-old children, and school-age children.

(4) The market rate

schedule must differentiate rates between full-time and part-time child care services.

(5) The market rate

schedule must be based exclusively on the prices charged for child care services.

(6) The department may contract with one or more qualified entities to administer this

section and provide support and technical assistance for child care providers.

(7) The department may adopt rules for establishing procedures for the collection of child care providers’ market rate, the calculation of the prevailing market rate by program care level and provider type in a predetermined geographic market, and the publication of the market rate schedule.

History. — s. 17, ch. 2013-252; s. 55, ch. 2021-10; s. 25, ch. 2022-154; s. 246, ch. 2024-6; s. 13, ch. 2024-230.

1002.91 Investigations of fraud or overpayment; penalties.

(1) As used in this subsection, the term “fraud” means an intentional deception, omission, or misrepresentation made by a person with knowledge that the deception, omission, or misrepresentation may result in unauthorized benefit to that person or another person, or any aiding and abetting of the commission of such

an act. The term includes any act that constitutes fraud under applicable federal or state law.

(2) To recover state, federal, and local matching funds, the department shall investigate early learning coalitions, recipients, and providers of the school readiness program and the Voluntary Prekindergarten Education Program to determine possible fraud or overpayment. If by its own inquiries, or as a result of a complaint, the department has reason to believe that a person, coalition, or provider has engaged in, or is engaging in, a fraudulent act, it shall investigate and determine whether any overpayment has occurred due to the fraudulent act.

During the investigation, the department may examine all records, including electronic benefits transfer records, and make inquiry of all persons who may have knowledge as to any irregularity incidental to the disbursement of public moneys or other items or benefits authorizations to recipients.

(3) Based on the results of the investigation, the department may, in its discretion, refer the investigation to the Department of Financial Services for criminal investigation or refer the matter to the applicable coalition. Any suspected criminal violation identified by the department must be referred to the Department of Financial Services for criminal investigation.

(4) An early learning coalition may suspend or terminate a provider from participation in the school readiness program or the Voluntary Prekindergarten Education Program when it has reasonable cause to believe that the provider has committed fraud. The department shall adopt by rule appropriate due process procedures that the early learning coalition shall apply in suspending or terminating any provider, including the suspension or termination of payment.

If suspended, the provider shall remain suspended until the completion of any investigation by the department, the Department of Financial Services, or any other state or federal agency, and any subsequent prosecution or other legal proceeding.

(5) If a school readiness program provider or a Voluntary Prekindergarten Education Program provider, or an owner, officer, or director thereof, is convicted of, found guilty of, or pleads guilty or nolo contendere to, regardless of adjudication, public assistance fraud pursuant to s. 414.39, or is acting as the beneficial owner for someone who has been convicted of, found guilty of, or pleads guilty or nolo contendere to, regardless of adjudication, public assistance fraud pursuant to s. 414.39, the early learning coalition shall refrain from contracting with, or using the services of, that provider for a period of 5 years.

In addition, the coalition shall refrain from contracting with, or using the services of, any provider that shares an officer or director with a provider that is convicted of, found guilty of, or pleads guilty or nolo contendere to, regardless of adjudication, public assistance fraud pursuant to s. 414.39 for a period of 5 years.

(7) The early learning coalition may not contract with a school readiness program provider or a Voluntary Prekindergarten Education Program provider who is on the United States Department of Agriculture National Disqualified List. In addition, the coalition may not contract with any provider that shares an officer or director with a provider that is on the United States Department of Agriculture National Disqualified List.

(8) Each early learning coalition shall adopt an anti-fraud plan addressing the detection and prevention of overpayments, abuse, and fraud relating to the provision of and payment for school readiness program and Voluntary Prekindergarten Education Program services and submit the plan to the department for approval. The department shall adopt rules establishing criteria for the anti-fraud plan, including appropriate due process provisions. The anti-fraud plan must include, at a minimum:

(9) A person who commits

an act of fraud as defined in this

section is subject to the penalties provided in s. 414.39(5)(

a) and (b).

History. — s. 17, ch. 2013-252; s. 6, ch. 2016-185; s. 56, ch. 2021-10.

1002.92 Child care and early childhood resource and referral.

(1) As a part of the school readiness program, the department shall establish a statewide child care resource and referral network that is unbiased and provides referrals to families for child care and information on available community resources. Preference shall be given to using early learning coalitions as the child care resource and referral agencies. If an early learning coalition cannot comply with the requirements to offer the resource information component or does not want to offer that service, the early learning coalition shall select the resource and referral agency for its county or multicounty region based upon the procurement requirements of s. 1002.84(13).

(2) At least one child care resource and referral agency must be established in each early learning coalition’s county or multicounty region. The department shall adopt rules regarding accessibility of child care resource and referral services offered through child care resource and referral agencies in each county or multicounty region which include, at a minimum, required hours of operation, methods by which parents may request services, and child care resource and referral staff training requirements.

(3) Child care resource and referral agencies shall provide the following services:

(4) A child care facility licensed under s. 402.305 and licensed and registered family day care homes must provide the statewide child care and resource and referral network with the following information annually:

History. — s. 17, ch. 2013-252; s. 8, ch. 2018-136; s. 57, ch. 2021-10; s. 27, ch. 2022-154; s. 15, ch. 2024-230.

1002.93 School readiness program transportation services.

(1) The department may authorize an early learning coalition to establish school readiness program transportation services for children at risk of abuse or neglect who are participating in the school readiness program, pursuant to

chapter 427. The early learning coalitions may contract for the provision of transportation services as required by this section.

(2) The transportation servicers may only provide transportation to each child participating in the school readiness program to the extent that such transportation is necessary to provide child care opportunities that otherwise would not be available to a child whose home is more than a reasonable walking distance from the nearest child care facility or family day care home.

History. — s. 17, ch. 2013-252; s. 58, ch. 2021-10.

1002.935 School Readiness Plus Program.

(1)(

a) A child who is determined to be ineligible for school readiness program funds due to family income during the annual eligibility redetermination process pursuant to s. 1002.87(6) is eligible for a subsidy under this

section if the family income is between 85 percent and 100 percent, inclusive, of the state median income.

(2)(

a) The amount of the subsidy is a percentage of the early learning coalition’s approved school readiness program provider reimbursement rates as calculated pursuant to s. 1002.84(17). An early learning coalition shall consider family income and a required parent copayment that increases in relation to the family income when establishing the percentage for the amount of the subsidy for the program.

(3) For a parent to receive a subsidy under the program, he o