You can move from district Home Education to PEP, or back again. It is not automatic. The parent files the district notice. The SFO does not do that for you.
If you are moving from district Home Education to PEP, confirm the required notice and timing with your district and SFO. This hub does not process disenrollments or legal notices.
In Florida, District Home Education and the Personalized Education Program (PEP) are two distinct legal pathways. Both can mean parent-directed learning outside a conventional classroom. You cannot legally participate in both at the same time.
Under s. 1002.41(1)(c), F.S., a parent must file a written Notice of Termination when the student enrolls in a Chapter 1002 scholarship program. PEP participants are scholarship students. District Home Education must be closed before scholarship funding can proceed as the SFO currently requires.
Florida requires regular attendance (generally ages 6 by February 1 of the school year through 16) or an authorized alternative, including a home education program under s. 1002.41, F.S. PEP satisfies attendance as a Chapter 1002 scholarship path. Time the transition so there is no gap that could trigger a truancy inquiry. Confirm current attendance questions with your district.
Do the phases in order. The most common error is closing district Home Education too early.
Submit the PEP application in your SFO portal (Step Up EMA or AAA SMP) while the student remains fully registered under District Home Education.
Do not file a district Notice of Termination while the application is only submitted, under review, or waitlisted. Keep the activity log and portfolio current.
If you terminate before a funded award, and the application is delayed or denied, the child may have no recognized schooling status under s. 1003.21, F.S.
Wait for formal notice from the SFO that the student has been awarded a funded PEP seat.
Do not treat “submitted” as “awarded.”
Once the funded award is confirmed, close the s. 1002.41 program with the county superintendent.
30-day window (s. 1002.41(1)(c), F.S.). The parent shall file a written notice of termination upon completion of the home education program, or upon enrollment in a public or private school or a scholarship program under Chapter 1002, within 30 days after that termination.
What to include (minimum):
Proof of delivery (practical, keep forever):
Confirm your district’s current intake method with the county office. This hub does not file the letter for you.
Both SFOs need district disenrollment before full spend rails unlock. Their proof steps differ. Do not collapse them into one rigid hub rule. Confirm the current upload or acknowledgment steps inside your portal.
Safeguard: Get the funded award first. File the district termination promptly. Keep delivery proof. Upload or acknowledge in the SFO portal as that SFO currently instructs.
After disenrollment is finalized and verified:
Families leave PEP for many reasons: less standardized testing, less portal work, or full control of purchases outside SFO rules. Sequence still matters.
Mid-year moves are possible. Ending at a semester or school-year break is often simpler for records.
Submit a disenrollment or exit request in the SFO portal (EMA support ticket or AAA SMP disenrollment form). Give the date PEP participation ends.
Submit pending reimbursement claims for eligible purchases made while still enrolled before you close the SFO account.
Under s. 1002.41(1)(a), F.S., re-establish Home Education with a written Notice of Intent to the county superintendent within 30 days of beginning the program.
What to include (minimum): student name, date of birth, address, parent signature and date.
The district registers the program. It does not have statutory authority to approve curriculum, require standardized testing, or inspect your home as a condition of registration. Ask for written confirmation of the registration date.
Scholarship dollars in a PEP account belong to the state program, not the parent. Unspent funds cannot be withdrawn as cash, moved to a personal bank account, or rolled into district Home Education.
When a student leaves PEP, unspent funds stay in the SFO account under statutory and SFO expiration rules (they typically revert after inactivity or formal exit). Confirm exact closure rules in your SFO handbook. This hub does not quote balances or deadlines.
| Dimension | District Home Education | PEP | When you transition |
|---|---|---|---|
| Statute | s. 1002.41, F.S. | s. 1002.395(7), F.S. | You cannot hold both |
| Classification | Parent-directed home education | Scholarship (ESA) | Legal status changes |
| Oversight | County superintendent | Step Up or AAA | Contact moves from district office to SFO portal |
| Funding | Parent-funded | ESA | Entering PEP opens SFO rails; leaving PEP forfeits unspent program funds |
| Entry | Notice of Intent | SFO application | File entry papers with the incoming office |
| Exit | Notice of Termination (30 days) | SFO disenrollment | Home Ed → PEP needs district termination; PEP → Home Ed needs SFO exit |
| Proof | District acknowledgment | SFO may require district proof | AAA: proof before SLP review; Step Up: EMA acknowledgment — confirm live |
| Annual check | 1 of 5 options | Required norm-referenced test | PEP adds required testing; leaving PEP removes that PEP rule |
| Learning plan | 2-year portfolio | Annual SLP | PEP requires an SLP |
| Purchasing | Parent autonomy | SFO Purchasing Guide | PEP spend follows portal rules; Home Education restores parent-funded choice |
Risk: You apply in spring, terminate immediately, then learn in late summer that PEP is waitlisted or needs more documents. The student has no recognized status under s. 1003.21, F.S.
Mitigation: Do not terminate based on an application alone. Wait for funded award confirmation in the SFO portal.
Risk: You receive an award and start shopping in the portal, assuming the SFO told the district. Later a compliance check finds the child still on s. 1002.41 and freezes the account.
Mitigation: File the written Notice of Termination as soon as the award is confirmed. Keep proof.
Reality: The parent — not the SFO — files and terminates a s. 1002.41 program. Keep your own district correspondence.
SFO guides may list home education instructional program as a purchase category. That is not district Home Education under s. 1002.41, F.S. Buying those materials does not keep (or require) district registration and does not allow dual enrollment.
s. 1002.41(1)(b), F.S., says keep portfolios at least two years from the instruction dates. A superintendent may still request inspection, with 15-day notice, for the period the student was in district Home Education. Archive the old portfolio after you leave.
PEP requires an annual norm-referenced assessment. If you are used to a portfolio conversation only, read the current SFO handbook’s assessment list and submission steps early in the year.
No. You may apply while still registered. You may not receive and use PEP as a dual enrollment. After a funded award, file the district Notice of Termination. Confirm the required notice and timing with your district and SFO.
No. Filing and terminating district Home Education is the parent’s responsibility.
Official materials describe the steps differently. AAA states that district disenrollment proof must be uploaded before the SLP is reviewed. Step Up emphasizes termination upon PEP participation and EMA acknowledgments. Confirm the live sequence in your portal. This hub does not pick a single merged rule.
Unspent scholarship funds belong to the program. They do not cash out and do not transfer into district Home Education. Confirm closure and expiration rules in your SFO handbook.
No. It is a scholarship spend-category phrase. It is not s. 1002.41 registration.
We do not list award amounts. Official sources describe future PEP capacity differently. Confirm award details, capacity, and live application status with FLDOE and your SFO portal.
