FLDOE Eligibility Presentation
Required Documentation
- What information do you need for enrollment at your school?
We need the following documents:
- An enrollment form
- A photocopy of your child's birth certificate;
- A school-entry health exam dated within one year before enrollment in school; and
- A Florida immunization certificate if it is not on file with the Immunization Registry.
We also need proof of residency and academic records if your child will be enrolling in courses at FLVS or participating in Florida's Dual Enrollment Program.
Please see our required documentation page for more information. (For returning students look here.) Not all documents need to be provided on school entrance.
- I do not have a copy of my child's birth certificate. Will you accept something else?
If you do not have your child's birth certificate, we will accept one of the following:
- A duly attested transcript of a certificate of baptism showing the date of birth and place of baptism of your child, accompanied by an affidavit sworn to by you;
- An insurance policy on your child’s life that has been in force for at least 2 years;
- A bona fide contemporary religious record of your child’s birth accompanied by an affidavit sworn to by you; or
- A passport or certificate of arrival in the United States showing the age of your child.
If you do not have any of the above, and your child was born in Florida, you can request your child's birth record from the Florida Department of Health. If your child was born in a different state, you can find out where to write for vital records at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
We can request a copy of your child's birth certificate from your child's former school with your signed authorization.
- Our children recently had physicals, but we do not have their forms. Do they have to be re-examined?
You should be able to obtain copies from your children's physician. We can also request copies from their former school with your signed authorization. If we do not receive copies from their former school within 15 days, then it will be your responsibility to present them to us. You must present certification of recent school-entry health examinations within 30 days of their enrollment to be in compliance with Florida law. We can accept Form DH 3040, School Entry Health Exam or a signed statement by an authorized professional that indicates the results of the components included in the health examination.
- Our child's last physical examination was over a year ago, but we have an appointment scheduled. Will you accept our child for enrollment?
Yes, but please note that you must present certification of a school-entry health exam within 30 days of enrollment to be in compliance with Florida law. We can accept Form DH 3040, School Entry Health Exam or a signed statement by an authorized professional that indicates the results of the components included in the health examination.
- How do we document that our child was screened for scoliosis?
If your child recently had a school entry health examination, the results would be included on your child's Certificate of School Entry Health Examination form (postural assessment). If your child is screened separately, then the results may be documented on some other health record. We will accept any health record provided the screening was performed for 6th grade entrance or while enrolled in 6th grade. The document must include your child's name and the date of examination. Scoliosis screenings are only required for students in 6th grade.
- How do we document our child's immunizations?
Florida Statute 1003.22 requires that each child has a certification of immunization on file with the immunization registry. If your child has been excluded from participation in the immunization registry, you must present your child's immunization certificate. Florida physicians and county health departments issue Form DH 680, Certification of Immunization. No other immunization records can be accepted.
If your child is entering 7th grade, and your child has been excluded from the immunization registry, we will need an updated Form DH Form 680 indicating that immunizations are complete for 7th grade entry.
If the administration of immunizing agents conflicts with your religious tenets or practices, you may request religious exemption (DH Form 681 or objection in writing). County health departments issue Form DH 681, Religious Exemption From Immunization.
Please read our article on vaccines and immunizations for more information.
- My child's immunizations were administered in another state. Can I send what I have?
If you recently moved to Florida from another state, you must have your child's vaccination history transferred to Florida's Form DH 680, Certification of Immunization. This form is completed by Florida county health departments and Florida healthcare providers. Please read our article on vaccines and immunizations for more information about Florida's immunization requirements.
- We don't have the required health records. Can we just state that we do not want our children to be examined or immunized?
Florida law allows a parent to object to health examinations and immunizations on religious grounds. We have sample religious exemption letters here.
- If we're educating our children at home, why do you need health records?
All private schools are required to have this information pursuant to Florida Statute 1003.22.
- What documents do you accept for proof of residency?
Please see our Proof of Residency page for details.
- Do you need my child's academic records?
Maybe. We need records from your child's former school if your child will be enrolling in courses at FLVS or participating in Florida's Dual Enrollment Program. We need proof of Kindergarten completion if your child will be taking courses at FLVS and is entering first grade. We need your child's records if you want your child's grades transferred to our school under our academic program. We need high school transcripts if your child is enrolling in our diploma program. If any of the foregoing apply, please include an Enrollment Notification and Records Request form with your enrollment documents.
- How do we submit our documents?
Documents may be mailed, emailed, or attached to one of our submission forms.
- How secure are my children's school records and personal information?
Very! We take the security of your and your children's personal information seriously. Our students' permanent school records are archived in locked, fire-proof file cabinets, and documents containing obsolete personal information are shredded and destroyed. Digital records are kept offline on password protected drives. We do not use outside sources or third party services (e.g., Google's services or cloud storage) to store personal information, and we do not share our students' records unless required by law without explicit parental/guardian or student consent.
You must notify us in writing if you wish to have your child's records sent to another person or entity. Note that we will provide you with access to your child's records after your child turns 18 years of age as long as your child is enrolled at our school. A student age 18 and older may formally request to restrict your access.
