Florida phases out certificates of completion
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Students with disabilities who attend K-12 schools in Florida will no longer be awarded certificates of completion, WUSF reports.
Why it matters: The change, which starts this year, means that children with disabilities who cannot earn a diploma will now leave high school without any recognition and likely fewer opportunities.
Catch up quick: The state Legislature passed, and Gov. Ron DeSantis signed, a bill this year that eliminates certificates of completion for students who did not meet the requirements for a diploma.
- The certificates were not exclusive to students with disabilities; however, the change has a disproportionate impact on them, advocates told WUSF.
- The Florida Board of Education voted last week to begin phasing them out this year.
Zoom in: Amy Van Bergen, who ran the Down Syndrome Association of Central Florida and has a son with disabilities, told the outlet that her son could not have gotten his job at a law firm without the certificate.
- "Without that certificate, they are potentially going to lose eligibility to all sorts of opportunities after high school," she said.
- "So rather than helping bridge that educational disparity gap, it's only going to widen it. Why on Earth should these students attend school?" added Van Bergen.
The other side: The Florida Department of Education contends that nixing the certificate emphasizes alternative routes to a high school diploma, with the goal of providing students "appropriate support," per WUSF.