Educational Responsibility, Academic Integrity, Conduct, and Communication Policy
Parent/Guardian Educational Responsibility
Under Florida law, parents/legal guardians remain legally responsible for the education and school attendance of their minor children, including compliance with compulsory attendance requirements (see §§ 1003.21, 1003.24, and 1002.20, Florida Statutes). Enrollment in Sunshine State Academy K–12 (SSA) does not transfer these responsibilities to the school or to the minor student.
Parents/caregivers serve as the primary educational decision-makers and responsible parties for students enrolled in SSA. This includes, but is not limited to, selecting and actively implementing curriculum (unless enrolled in an SSA curriculum program), providing or supervising appropriate instruction, ensuring regular academic participation, monitoring progress, maintaining accurate academic records, meeting all reporting requirements and deadlines, and ensuring compliance with SSA policies and applicable educational requirements.
Minor students may participate in their education and communications with SSA as age-appropriate; however, minor students may not serve as the sole responsible party for enrollment, contracts, tuition obligations, academic reporting, records requests, withdrawal decisions, or other administrative matters. SSA requires a parent/legal guardian to remain the official responsible party for all enrolled minor students. Parents may not delegate full responsibility for educational oversight, compliance, or administrative obligations to a minor student.
Families using SSA’s approved online curriculum satisfy curriculum selection, course planning, grade reporting, and attendance reporting requirements through the approved program unless otherwise notified by SSA; however, parents/caregivers remain responsible for ensuring active student participation, appropriate academic engagement, and successful course completion.
Academic Integrity, Documentation, and Verification
Families are expected to maintain academic integrity and use SSA enrollment solely for legitimate educational purposes. Academic dishonesty includes, but is not limited to, cheating, plagiarism, falsification of grades or records, submission of inaccurate attendance information, misrepresentation of coursework, academic progress, residency, or enrollment information, or misuse of enrollment to avoid applicable educational requirements.
SSA reserves the right to request supporting documentation at any time, including but not limited to course plans, curriculum information, work samples, portfolios, grading records, screenshots or reports from online coursework, unofficial transcripts, assessment results, attendance documentation, or other records demonstrating educational progress and compliance.
Failure to provide requested documentation, maintain accurate records, provide appropriate parental oversight, comply with reporting requirements, or demonstrate satisfactory educational participation may result in additional fees, administrative review, required placement in SSA curriculum, probation, inactive or withdrawn status, service limitations, denial of transcript/graduation processing, dismissal, or required academic verification assessment. SSA is not responsible for reconstructing missing academic records when required documentation has not been timely provided.
SSA may require academic verification assessment when records are incomplete, inconsistent, significantly delayed, unverifiable, or when reported academic achievement raises concerns regarding placement, credit validity, or academic readiness.
Conduct and Communication Expectations
Parents/caregivers, authorized representatives, and students are expected to conduct themselves respectfully in all communications and interactions with SSA. Disruptive, abusive, hostile, inappropriate, manipulative, or excessively demanding behavior, or conduct that interferes with SSA operations or the educational relationship, may result in service limitations or dismissal.
SSA provides routine administrative communication related to enrollment, documentation, records review, curriculum setup, and course access as part of standard enrollment and curriculum fees. Communication is provided via email or text only, with a standard response time of 5–7 business days. Emergency, after-hours, or same-day responses are not available.
Ongoing, extensive, repetitive, or highly individualized support beyond standard administrative communication constitutes an additional service and may be billed at $60 per hour in 15-minute increments, or through scheduled consultation or other support arrangements. SSA reserves the right to pause extended communication until appropriate support services are arranged.