(1) LEGISLATIVE INTENT.—(a) It is the intent of the Legislature to create an alternative pathway to education and workforce opportunities for students who have withdrawn from high school prior to graduation.
(b) It is the intent of the Legislature to affirm the unequivocal value of a standard high school diploma as the primary education credential by which students access higher education and workforce opportunities. Further, the Legislature affirms that parental consent is required for a student under 18 years of age to withdraw from high school prior to graduation.
(c) The Legislature intends to expand opportunities for students to complete high school courses and earn a standard high school diploma.
(d) The Legislature recognizes that when a student withdraws from high school prior to graduation, the student has not received the full value of a taxpayer-funded pre-K-12 education, and therefore lacks the education credential essential to gainful employment and future educational opportunities. Therefore, the Legislature intends to provide an alternative pathway program, waiving tuition and fees for the program for participating students who have not earned a standard high school diploma.
(2) PROGRAM CREATION.—The Graduation Alternative to Traditional Education (GATE) Program is created within the Department of Education.
(3) DEFINITIONS.—As used in this section, the term:(a) “Career education program” means an applied technology diploma program as defined in s. 1004.02(7) or a career certificate program as defined in s. 1004.02(20). (b) “Institution” means a school district career center established under s. 1001.44, a charter technical career center established under s. 1002.34, or a Florida College System institution identified in s. 1000.21. (4) PAYMENT WAIVER; ELIGIBILITY.—(a) Notwithstanding any other provision of state law, an institution shall waive 100 percent of the registration, tuition, laboratory, and examination fees for a student participating in the GATE Program. A waiver provided under this section after a student’s first term shall be provided after state aid pursuant to s. 1009.895 is applied. Instructional materials assigned for use under the GATE Program must be made available to GATE Program students free of charge. An institution may not require payment by students of instructional materials costs eligible for reimbursement under s. 1009.711. (b) To be eligible for participation in the GATE Program, a student must:1. Not have earned a standard high school diploma pursuant to s. 1003.4282 or a high school equivalency diploma pursuant to s. 1003.435 before enrolling in the GATE Program; 2. Have been withdrawn from high school;
3. Be a resident of this state as defined in s. 1009.21(1); 4. Be 16 to 21 years of age at the time of initial enrollment, provided that a student who is 16 or 17 years of age has withdrawn from school enrollment pursuant to the requirements and safeguards in s. 1003.21(1)(c); 5. Select the adult secondary education program and career education program of his or her choice at the time of admission to the GATE Program, provided that the career education program is included on the Master Credentials List under s. 445.004(4). The student may not change the requested pathway after enrollment, except that, if necessary for the student, the student may enroll in an adult basic education program prior to enrolling in the adult secondary education program; 6. Maintain a 2.0 GPA for career and technical education coursework; and
7. Notwithstanding s. 1003.435(4), complete the programs under subparagraph 5. within 3 years after his or her initial enrollment unless the institution determines that an extension is warranted due to extenuating circumstances. (c) Subject to the availability of funds, a student who meets the requirements of paragraph (b) and is enrolled in the GATE Program is eligible to receive the stipend specified in s. 1009.895(3). (d) An institution may not impose additional criteria to determine a student’s eligibility to receive a waiver under this section.
(5) DEPARTMENT RESPONSIBILITIES.—In addition to administering the GATE Program, the Department of Education shall perform the following duties:(a) Disseminate information about the GATE Program to eligible institutions, local workforce development boards, and other local, regional, or state initiatives that interact with the GATE Program’s target population.
(b) Connect prospective students directly to eligible institutions.
(c) Provide access to online career planning tools.
(6) REPORTING.—Beginning October 1, 2025, and each October 1 thereafter, the Department of Education shall submit a report to the Governor, the President of the Senate, and the Speaker of the House of Representatives on the number and value of registration, tuition, laboratory, and examination fees and instructional materials costs waived and reimbursed, by institution; the number of students who have obtained a standard high school diploma or high school equivalency diploma while participating in the GATE Program; the number of students completing an applied technology diploma or career certificate while participating in the GATE Program; the number of students participating in the GATE Program who receive a stipend under s. 1009.895(3); the number of students who have earned an industry certification on the CAPE Industry Certification Funding List while participating in the GATE Program; and the number of students who completed the GATE Program. The reporting period shall cover the previous academic year. (7) RULES.—The State Board of Education may adopt rules to implement this section.
