Flex Exceptional Student Education (ESE) and Section 504
Students with disabilities or impairments enrolled in FLVS Flex must work with their district of enrollment to request any necessary ESE services, related services, evaluations, annual reviews, re-evaluations, and initial eligibility determinations. FLVS Flex does NOT provide any of these services or evaluations.
If a student has a disability or impairment, this should be indicated when prompted during registration at FLVS. Parents/guardians are responsible for providing FLVS with a copy of the student’s most current Individual Educational Plan (IEP) or Section 504 Plan. These documents should be submitted directly to FLVS by the parent/guardian. Directions to submit these documents are provided during registration and can be viewed at any time.
Our goal is to provide an exemplary educational experience for our students. FLVS is a school of choice and should be considered only if the online educational delivery context is the student’s Least Restrictive Environment (LRE), and therefore the most appropriate choice based on the unique needs of the student. In order to have a successful experience in the online educational environment, all students should meet the Profile for Success noted in the Introduction section of this handbook.
Students/families are encouraged to communicate regularly with their teachers at FLVS Flex to determine whether the virtual educational environment can appropriately meet the needs of the student. FLVS Flex offers a grace period for families to determine if the online environment is an appropriate fit. Please be sure to discuss the limitations of this grace period with your FLVS teacher immediately upon enrollment in FLVS Flex.
Please note that FLVS is a fully virtual educational environment. All materials for curriculum, assignments, and assessments are presented online and therefore do not exist in the format of a textbook, workbook, etc. Certain materials may be printed from courses as allowable per FLVS policy. All students are required to follow the instructional policies enforced at FLVS and must agree to such upon registration. This includes requirements such as, but not limited to, the following: course completion, discussion-based assessments, communication, proctored exams, academic integrity policies and procedures, etc.
All students at FLVS have access to many accommodations that naturally occur in the virtual setting. FLVS may also be able to provide additional accommodations per a student’s IEP or 504 Plan if the accommodation(s) is/are applicable to the online educational environment. Please note that some accommodations may not be possible to implement as indicated due to the unique online educational setting. A parent/guardian/learning coach may need to assist in providing some accommodations to the student on their own while the student is working in their home setting at FLVS Flex. ESE Specialists are available at FLVS Flex to assist students, parents, and teachers with suggestions for accommodating students in an online classroom. FLVS teachers are unable to make changes to courses or alter the course format to provide modifications. Placing a student in a lower grade level online course is not a viable option for students in need of modified curriculum and assessment options.
Please note that FLVS does not provide any Access Points of the Florida State Standards which offer modified curriculum and assessment options for students with intellectual disabilities or significant cognitive disabilities. Parents are encouraged to discuss Access Point options that are available in the district of record for students with significant cognitive disabilities who need reduced levels of complexity/reduced academic expectations.
Department Contact Information
- (Grades K-2) ESE Specialist: Suzanne Akin
- (Grades 3-5) ESE Specialist: Vanessa Alves
- (Grades 6-7) ESE Specialist: Natasha Sieber
- (Grades 8-9) ESE Specialist: LaTonya Morris Johnson
- (Grade 10) ESE Specialist: Barbarita Hinton
- (Grades 11-12) ESE Specialist: Colin Sailor
- FLVS Flex ESE Manager: Sheri Hendrix
- FLVS Flex ESE and Student Services Administrator: Jeff Jacobson
- FLVS Flex District ESE Director: Nikki Callaghan
Visit here for information about Exceptional Student Education at FLVS Full Time Public Schools.