This bill amends several sections of Florida Statutes related to private schools and the Family Empowerment Scholarship Program. It establishes a maximum enrollment cap for full-time virtual students in private schools participating in the program, allowing 1% of the statewide total prekindergarten through grade 12 student enrollment for the 2025-2026 school year, increasing to 2% for the 2026-2027 school year, and removing the cap entirely starting in the 2027-2028 school year. Additionally, the bill revises the definition of "eligible private school" to include those offering full-time virtual instruction and introduces the term "instructional activities," which outlines the expected engagement of virtual students with their educational programs.

Furthermore, the bill mandates that eligible private schools provide a student orientation course for those enrolling in full-time virtual education and develop a policy regarding participation in instructional activities, which may lead to disenrollment if not adhered to. It also specifies that private schools must maintain regular contact with teachers for online students and updates the definition of "regular school attendance" to include students participating remotely or through virtual instruction. The act is set to take effect on July 1, 2025.

Statutes affected:
S 1608 Filed: 1002.421, 1003.01