GOP in Florida Seeks State Control Over Homeschoolers
House Bill 1 in Florida destroys educational liberty in the name of “choice” as Republicans prove themselves no different from Democrats, control freaks all
An “education” bill is making its way through the Florida Legislature that seeks to steal money from taxpayers to fund what should be the responsibility of parents. And in the process, those parents who accept the state’s bribe must follow the state’s rules.
The legislation is House Bill 1, sponsored by State Reps. Kaylee Tuck (R-FL83) and Susan Plasencia (R-FL37). It has 27 cosponsors.
There’s a related bill in the state’s senate, Senate Bill 202 which was introduced by State Sens. Corey Simon (R-FL3) and Keith Perry (R-FL9). The bill’s summary states:
“K-12 Education; Revising student eligibility and ineligibility requirements for the Family Empowerment Scholarship Program; revising obligations of eligible nonprofit scholarship-funding organizations; revising student eligibility and ineligibility requirements for the Florida Tax Credit Scholarship Program; authorizing public schools, including charter schools, to enroll certain students on a part-time basis; requiring the State Board of Education to provide recommendations by a specified date to the Governor and the Legislature for repeals and revisions of the Florida Early Learning-20 Education Code to be considered in the 2024 legislative session; authorizing vehicles other than buses to transport students; authorizing district school boards to use advanced degrees in setting salary schedules for instructional personnel or school administrators, etc.”
I want to note the fraud from the start of the Family Empowerment Scholarship Program. The so-called “educational savings account” was created in 2014 in Florida. It was founded to steal money from taxpayers and give it to parents to give them the illusion of “choice.” And, there is nothing empowering about taking stolen money from the government.
HB1 seeks to add more “scholarship” opportunities specifically for homeschoolers and families who choose private schools while exerting the government’s control over them.
“Once parents accept the public money, they will give up much of their educational freedom and independence. There is a battle raging already.”
“The legislation, known as House Bill 1, requires that parents receiving public funding take government-approved tests every year. Because testing drives curriculum, and many (if not all) of the tests are aligned with the politically toxic Common Core, critics are warning that the bill would force many homeschoolers and private-school students back into the government system they fled.”
Indeed, the bill is full of arrogant language showing the Florida Legislature does not trust parents.
Included is the creation of “choice navigators” who are to provide “consultations on the selection of, application for, and enrollment in educational options addressing the academic needs of a student; curriculum selection; and advice on career and postsecondary education opportunities.”
Families who take the government’s bribe would have to open their homes to these “choice navigators” at least annually. To restate the above language, it basically is saying “the government knows what your kids’ needs are, and you parents don’t.”
Littered throughout the bill is the phrase “approved by the department,” that being the Florida Department of Education. So, basically parents can take the money and spend it on resources, curriculum items, tutoring, etc. so long as it’s “approved by the department.”
Regarding tutoring services, parents can use the money on tutors so long as it’s a “person who holds a valid Florida educator’s certificate… a person who holds an adjunct teaching certificate… person who has a bachelor’s degree or a graduate degree in the subject area in which instruction is given, a person who has demonstrated a mastery of subject area knowledge… or a person certified by a nationally or internationally recognized research-based training program as approved by the department.”
In other words, the government gets to determine who parents are allowed to seek services from.
Homeschool organizations, as Newman notes, are not so much on board with this bill. He quoted Suzanne Nunn, chairman of the Florida Parent Educators Association (FPEA), who said:
“FPEA believes home education programs should remain privately funded and free. While we understand the need for oversight of government money, House Bill 1 will significantly entangle home education programs in this oversight.”
Effectively, the FPEA believe HB1 will not only fundamentally destroy homeschooling for parents who accept the bribe but even for those families who take responsibility and do not accept the stolen money because of the changes in legal definitions made in this bill.
Newman wrote:
“Multiple sources in Tallahassee who spoke with The Newman Report acknowledged the concerns. But so far, none of the concerns have been addressed with amendments. Some changes are being planned for the coming weeks. Lawmakers broadly expect the bill to pass, though various forces are working to amend it.”
The Tampa Bay Times reported on the bill and spoke to several homeschool advocates concerned with the bill.
T.J. Schmidt, senior counsel for the Home School Legal Defense Associations, said:
“We want home education programs to be treated separately and not be confused with families that choose to take the education savings account.”
Brenda Dickson, with the Florida Home Education Foundation, said:
“We’re not trying to remove home-schoolers from getting (education savings accounts). What we want is a separation between the parents that take money and those who choose not to take money.”
“If we call everybody homeschoolers, how are the other laws specifically for (non-voucher) homeschoolers going to be distinguished? If additional accountability is placed on families that take the scholarship, I want that in a different section of law. I don’t want that to reflect on people who don’t take the scholarships.”
Brian Shilhavy noted another problem with this bill for Vaccine Impact. Since conservatives have falsely foisted up Florida as some type of panacea state, if this bill passes it is likely to “become a blueprint nationwide for how States deal with parents who choose to educate their children at home, opting out of the system.”
Government Does Not Care About Your Children
As HB1 makes its way through the Florida Legislature, did you know that there’s a lawsuit with over 20 families involved in the state whose children were medically kidnapped after the state fabricated evidence?
“Thanks to some good local reporting in Florida, many families who have had their children taken away from them illegally by the State of Florida are fighting back and suing the State of Florida, naming Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, Secretary of the Florida Department of Children and Families Shevaun Harris, Executive Director of the Florida Department of Health Dr. Joseph Ladapo, Bureau Chief of the Florida Department of Health Child Protection Team Patricia Armstrong, and Executive Director of the Florida Guardian ad Litem Program Attorney Dennis Moore as defendants in the case.”
The local reporting noted by Shilhavy came from WPTV out of West Palm Beach who spoke with Taniyah and Rodney Williams, who were among the original parents who brought the lawsuit.
For the Williams, their infant daughter was kidnapped by the state in 2018. Their daughter showed signs of leg pains in 2017 after a traumatic birth. They made all their doctors appointments and followed the medical advice.
The baby showed signs of bruising, noted by the physician, but the physician did not suspect any abuse from the parents. However, a ninny-nanny nurse decided to report the parents anyways and the police got involved. The police investigated and, like the physician, found no indication of any abuse by the parents.
Unfortunately for the Williams’, the Florida Department of Children and Families (DCF) did not care. They filed a petition to remove the child. Instead of placing the child in the care of her grandparents, who were willing, the DCF chose to put the child into foster care instead. The Williams’ have not seen their daughter since 2018.
But why wouldn’t DCF do that? Afterall, child kidnapping and sex trafficking is a lucrative business.
Shilhavy has been reporting on these abuses across the country for decades for Medical Kidnap, and Florida is one of the worst states.
Recently, Shilhavy reported on the arrest of a youth pastor and foster parent who sexually trafficked children placed in their care by the state. He also linked to a South Florida Sun Sentinel piece from last year about Jayden Alexis Frisbee, a 16-year-old teen who died in foster care after being kidnapped by the state and sexually trafficked by the foster family the government said the child would be safer with than her parents.
The Sun Sentinel reported:
“When Florida’s child welfare system takes in a girl, the odds she will be trafficked for sex increase.”
“Florida exploited a loophole so it could keep sending vulnerable girls to group homes, despite a federal law that discourages their use. Teen girls at those homes have been preyed on by traffickers who sometimes ‘shark’ the block, waiting for a girl to walk to the corner store.”
“Young people with a history of commercial sexual exploitation run away from group homes at an alarming rate, and those runaways are even more susceptible to sex trafficking. Yet, once they’re gone, no one tries very hard to find them, and nothing in Florida law requires them to….”
“Documents show that the state has been aware for years that girls in group foster homes are specifically targeted by sex traffickers.”
Even with stories like that and an ongoing lawsuit, Florida Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis decided it was a good idea to hand out $35.5 million in stolen taxpayer money to foster families in August of 2022.
Why do I include this in a story about an “education” bill? Because it shows you unequivocally that the government does not care about your kids. In fact, you should not want the government to care about your kids. You want the government to care about our individual liberty. It’s your job to care about your kids. And if individual liberty were recognized, there would be no theft from taxpayers to fund schools. There would be no theft of taxpayers to fund foster care.
Educational Liberty, Not School Choice
Back to HB1, understand why it’s so important to get back to foundational principles.
This bill is being sold under the cover of “school choice” while it destroys educational liberty.
David Knight spoke about the bill:
Knight said:
“If you let money be your master; if that’s your No. 1 thing, I’ve got to live for the money; they’ve got you. And so they’re always offering you 30 pieces of silver, and it always comes with strings attached.”
On the “choice navigators,” Knight said:
“Well, these people want to control your kid’s education and snoop into what’s happening in your family, make judgments about what you’re doing. So, of course you’re going to call it a ‘choice navigator.’ They’re there to make sure that you make the right choices. In other words, the ones that they want.”
“The navigators would determine the supposed ‘educational needs’ of each child. Oh really, you know what my child needs? I don’t think so.”
“School choice” is a trojan horse for government control. The Florida Republicans will offer you a bribe and tell you that they are offering this because they know that families are struggling.
Don’t put your faith in government. Put your faith in God. Knight said:
“If your intention is to honor God when you homeschool, God has your back and He will provide things for you in an amazing way.”