Pursuant to the Emergency Order the Emergency Order of July 6 charter schools must submit their innovative reopening plans to their sponsoring school district for review and approval. Districts do not need to send these plans to the state. Compliance with the assurances in the template is a matter to be addressed between a public charter school and its sponsor. However, it states in the Emergency Order, “either a school district or a charter school governing board may request assistance from the Department to resolve any disputes over a sponsor’s approval of a charter school’s reopening plan. The Department will seek to resolve such disputes within three business days.”
Other key guidance from the Emergency Order:
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Absent these directives, the day-to-day decision to open or close a school must always rest locally with … the charter governing board in the case of a public charter school
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Charter school flexibility. School districts must extend the same flexibility in instructional methods to every charter school that submits a reopening plan to the sponsoring dist1ict addressing the requirements set forth in this Order. Charter schools with an approved reopening plan are authorized to exercise this flexibility provided in this Order.
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Upon reopening in August, all school boards and charter school governing boards must open brick and mortar schools at least five days per week for all students, subject to advice and orders of the Florida Department of health, local departments of health, Executive Order 20-149 and subsequent executive orders.services that are required by law
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Pursuant to the authority granted in section 1001.10(8), Florida Statutes, school districts and charter school governing boards must provide the full array of services that are required by law…
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students with IEPs must be given the services necessary to ensure they experience a free and appropriate education.
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Full Florida Education Finance Program funding from state revenue based on General Appropriations Act (GAA) full-time equivalent (FTE) student membership forecast for 2020 fall semester.
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School boards and charter school governing boards will receive the GAA funding based on pre-COVID-19 FTE student membership forecasts.
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school boards and charter school governing boards with an approved reopening plan are authorized to report approved innovative learning students for full FTE credit.
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…students receiving virtual education will continue to receive FTE credit as provided in section 101 l.61(1)(c)l.b.(III)-(IV), Florida Statutes.
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See the Emergency Order here: http://www.fldoe.org/core/fileparse.php/19861/urlt/DOE-2020-EO-06.pdf
DOE ORDER NO. 2020-E0-06 associated with a school, the superintendent or school board in the case of a district-run school, the charter governing board in the case of a public charter school or the private school principal, director or governing board in the case of a nonpublic school.
The email below was sent by Adam Emerson on July 9, 2020, to charter schools in Florida.
Dear charter school colleagues,
Thank you for your patience as we have worked to develop the 2020-21 Florida Optional Innovative Reopening Plan template, including assurances, for charter schools. That template is attached here. The purpose of this document is to support charter schools and charter school networks in the development and submission of their Innovative Reopening Plan for the upcoming fall semester. Pursuant to DOE ORDER NO. 2020-EO-06, charter schools shall complete their plans and submit them to their sponsoring school districts for review and approval.
The Reopening Plan Template has two options available for schools: Option 1 has the school or charter school network providing a narrative plan, and the template is used to identify on which page the information on the relevant assurances can be found; Option 2 has the charter school or charter school network writing information in the space provided.
In either case, the template must be provided to the sponsoring school district.
Charter school plans do not require the formal vote of the governing board.
Adam Emerson
Charter Schools Director
Florida Department of Education
Phone: (850) 245-9631
www.floridaschoolchoice.org