Floridians: Urgent Call to Action

Save the Hope Scholarship, Action needed TODAY!

I have a new URGENT Call to Action regarding saving the Hope Scholarship in Florida.

Please follow the link below today, January 16, and enter a comment opposing HB 1403 for tomorrow's committee meeting. You can only submit comments from home today.

Why is this important? The Hope Scholarship is for Florida public school students in grades K-12 who have been bullied, harassed, assaulted, threatened and/or other violent acts. The Hope Scholarship allows the student to transfer to a private school of their choice or another public school. The argument that many are hearing is that the hope scholarship is not in danger, and just being absorbed by the FES EO scholarship provided through HB1. Every student in Florida can qualify for a scholarship now, so 'allegedly' there is no need for the Hope scholarship. This is NOT TRUE. Nowhere in the proposed bill HB 1403, that will repeal the Hope scholarship, is there language that protects victims of bullying and gives them immediate access to a scholarship. Students that are being bullied and are victims within our school system will have to wait like every other student until the application window between February and April to apply for a scholarship provided through HB1.

Please let the Tallahassee Legislators know you STRONGLY OPPOSEE this bill as currently drafted. 

Complete your personal information. You are not a registered lobbyist and you are not representing anyone but yourself. Leave that field blank. You will need to select the agenda item (CB/HB 1403) and click "opponent". Do not click any of the four options for why you are appearing. Click the add button.

Once you click the add button, verify you are not a robot and click the submit and print button.

You will then select the option to submit testimony because you will not be there in person to speak and appear at the meeting.

Below is a sample testimony that has been submitted. Please write your own. Only your name and that you oppose will be read aloud tomorrow. Your testimony will not.

“The Hope Scholarship has provided the route for hundreds of students in Florida to immediately be transferred out of dangerous and harmful learning environments and placed in safe schools. HB1 does not substitute, replace, or satisfy this victim resource. Over 500 students utilized the Hope Scholarship last year alone allowing them to leave the schools where they were being victimized. Do you understand the gravity of repealing the Hope Scholarship? This would be an enormous step backward for victims of bullying. If the true purpose of the legislation session is to protect our children, repealing the Hope Scholarship would be missing the mark in a terrible way. This bill in its current state does NOT allow students to access the other available scholarships immediately. No one should have to wait for an application window to get out of a situation where they are being victimized. Do not repeal the Hope Scholarship OR amend this bill to allow victims in our schools to immediately access scholarships available through HB1. We cannot turn our backs on children being tormented in our schools. They must have HOPE.”