Recently, several parents of students with special needs filed a motion to defend SB 850- which created Personal Learning Scholarship Accounts (PLSA), and which help provide increased access to educational and medical services for students with disabilities.
“The Florida Chamber of Commerce continues to be supportive of putting our students first to help ensure their educational success,” said Edie Ousley, Vice President of Public Affairs for the Florida Chamber. “Allowing parents to choose the best education option for their children should take priority over union agendas.”
Florida’s teachers union is challenging the PLSAs claiming, “SB 850 violates the Florida Constitution’s “single subject” rule, which requires that every bill passed contain only one subject.”
SB 850 was a comprehensive education bill that also the Career and Professional Education (CAPE) academy program, improved the Florida Tax Credit Scholarship program by expanding educational choices to Florida’s most needy families, and expanded parental options for students with learning disabilities.
“The union finds education choices threatening, and attacking the process is easier for them than looking parents in the eyes and saying they don’t want low-income students and students with disabilities to have more access to choices in their education. Families want what’s best for their kids and know the stonewalling by the union is unjustified, and as a parent I wholeheartedly agree. It’s disgraceful,” Patricia Levesque, CEO of the Foundation for Excellence in Education said.
The Florida Chamber will continue to support parents in choosing the best educational options for their children. Learn more about our fight by contacting us at 850-521-1200. We hope to see you at our annual Future of Florida Forum, where we will continue discussions on how we can help secure Florida’s future.