A bill to allow students to cross county lines and attend the charter school of their choice passed through the Florida House Friday, expanding the options for student school choice in the state of Florida.
HB 1145, filed by Rep. Chris Sprowls, R-Palm Harbor, passed 80-36.
The bill would allow students participating in the charter school program to attend any school across the state as long as the school has space.
Even though they have the option to attend different schools, parents would be responsible for transporting their children to and from the school of their choice.
You want to give parents as many options as possible," said Rep. Sprowls. "One of the things I like about the bill is were talking about public school choice. What were saying is there are public schools that are gems, sometimes they can be down the street from you and sometimes they are in another county. But if you can transport your kid, and theyre not at capacity, then we want parents to have that option to give their kids the best tools to succeed."
The legislation would identify schools which haven't reached capacity (90 percent enrollment) and would allow parents to declare a preference for a specific school.
If passed, parents would be allowed to enroll their child in any public school beginning in the 2016-2017 school year.
Democrats criticized the bill, saying it would create a system of "haves" and "have nots," but Republican legislators said it would allow kids who need the most help better options for school.
School education groups praised the legislation for giving children a better chance at a high-quality learning environment.
"Families already do everything in their power to give their children the best opportunities they can. Public School Choice will give parents more options for a quality education in a public school that would be a better fit for their child," said Patricia Levesque, executive director for the Foundation for Florida's Future.
"A good fit might be down the street or in another district, she continued. More choices will help Florida families make decisions about where their children will learn and be happy in public school.
The bill now heads to the Senate for approval.
