New law expands school choice to 'every family in Florida'

Surrounded by local students, and with Miami’s Catholic schools Superintendent Jim Rigg looking on, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed into law a bill backed by Florida’s bishops that will expand “educational choice to every family in Florida.”

The bill, HB1, and its Senate companion, SB202, expands access to state scholarship programs for all students regardless of income, disability, or special status.

Commonly known as Step Up – for the largest of the non-profits that administer them, Step Up for Students – the various scholarship programs will now become educational savings accounts (ESAs), available to any student who is a Florida resident and eligible to enroll in K-12 in a public school.  CONTINUE