SB 850 signed into law by Governor Rick Scott
on June 20, 2014
SB 850 Provides:
Options for parent of children with disabilities to better meet the individual educational needs of child. Parent must register the child for attendance purposes in:
1. Parochial, religious, or denominational or school
2. Private school
3. Home education program
2. A child surviving a catastrophic infectious or traumatic illness known to be associated with developmental delay
3. A child with a parent or guardian with developmental disabilities who requires assistance in meeting the child’s developmental needs.
4. A child who has a physical or genetic anomaly associated with developmental disability.
2. Curriculum which is a complete course of study for a particular content area or grade level, including any required supplemental materials
3. Specialized services by approved providers that are selected by the parent including, but are not limited to:
· Applied behavior analysis
· Speech-language
· Occupational therapy
· Physical therapy
· Listening and spoken language for the deaf or hard of hearing
4. Tuition or fees associated with enrollment in approved private schools, private tutoring programs, private virtual education programs, FLVS, district virtual programs, Massive Open Online Courses or postsecondary educational institutions.
5. Fees for norm-referenced, AP exams, industry certification, SAT, ACT and other assessments.
6. Contracted services provided by a school district
7. Contributions to Florida Pre-paid College Program.
· Parent will need to apply to a Scholarship Funding Organization by the date established for the 2014-15 school year. Scholarships will be awarded on a first-come, first-served basis. Participation will be limited to the $18.4 million set aside for the program in the budget.
· Administrative rules still have to be written by DOE over the summer which will provide more detail.
Options for parent of children with disabilities to better meet the individual educational needs of child. Parent must register the child for attendance purposes in:
1. Parochial, religious, or denominational or school
2. Private school
3. Home education program
- Open to a Florida student in grades K-12 who has an IEP or a diagnosis from a licensed physician or psychologist for one of the disabilities as defined in s. 393.063 are eligible. The specific disabilities are:
- autism; cerebral palsy; Down syndrome; an intellectual disability; Prader-Willi syndrome; or Spina bifida; Williams syndrome; or
- a high-risk child in kindergarten identified with one or more of the following:
2. A child surviving a catastrophic infectious or traumatic illness known to be associated with developmental delay
3. A child with a parent or guardian with developmental disabilities who requires assistance in meeting the child’s developmental needs.
4. A child who has a physical or genetic anomaly associated with developmental disability.
- Student will be awarded a scholarship amount based on a Level III matrix which will be approximately $10,000. If the parent chooses to request an IEP from the school district, the amount of payment shall be adjusted as needed when the district completes the matrix.
- The funds can be used for:
2. Curriculum which is a complete course of study for a particular content area or grade level, including any required supplemental materials
3. Specialized services by approved providers that are selected by the parent including, but are not limited to:
· Applied behavior analysis
· Speech-language
· Occupational therapy
· Physical therapy
· Listening and spoken language for the deaf or hard of hearing
4. Tuition or fees associated with enrollment in approved private schools, private tutoring programs, private virtual education programs, FLVS, district virtual programs, Massive Open Online Courses or postsecondary educational institutions.
5. Fees for norm-referenced, AP exams, industry certification, SAT, ACT and other assessments.
6. Contracted services provided by a school district
7. Contributions to Florida Pre-paid College Program.
· Parent will need to apply to a Scholarship Funding Organization by the date established for the 2014-15 school year. Scholarships will be awarded on a first-come, first-served basis. Participation will be limited to the $18.4 million set aside for the program in the budget.
· Administrative rules still have to be written by DOE over the summer which will provide more detail.