Florida’s Hope Scholarships helped me rescue my daughter from a school bully | Opinion

I received a call near the end of the school day that no parent should ever get: My daughter had been threatened by a male student. More than threatened — he said he was going to kill her.

Florida’s Hope Scholarship gave her a safer environment and me, peace of mind.

One day, near the end of her fifth-grade year at her assigned public school, my daughter was approached by a student who said he was a murderer and that he was going to kill her. Later that day, he walked by her in the cafeteria and told her that she was dead.

My daughter is a sweet, kind-hearted young lady. She is full of faith, love and innocence. Who would want to harm her?

She reported him to a teacher. The school investigated and called me. Because we lived a half mile from the school, I was running through the front doors within minutes.

Threats in school

I was heartbroken when I listened to my daughter retell her experience. Parenting is difficult, but I never would have imagined having to deal with threats in a school, where my daughter should feel safe and I should feel comfortable sending her.

I appreciate how serious my daughter’s teacher and the school administrators took the threats. However, I was upset that I didn’t know the child had previously threatened other students. His behavior was clearly a problem.

I knew I had to find a different environment for my daughter.

We started looking at private schools in our area, but as a single parent I couldn’t afford the tuition. We were visiting one in Fort Lauderdale, not far from our home, when an administrator asked if my daughter had been bullied in school. When I said yes, the administrator told us about the Hope Scholarship, which I didn’t know existed.

The Hope Scholarship is for K-12 students who have been harassed, hazed, bullied, robbed, or sexually assaulted at a public school. The scholarship, which averages $7,000 a year, provides financial assistance toward private-school tuition and fees, or assists with transportation costs to attend a public school in another district.

Hope Scholarships are funded by consumers who choose to redirect up to $105 of their motor-vehicle purchase taxes to the program. If you’re looking to buy a car, you can contribute to the program. You are paying the tax anyway. By redirecting it to the Hope Scholarship, you help children like my daughter find a safer education environment.

Contributing through taxes

The people I spoke with at Step Up For Students, which administers the scholarships, guided me through the scholarship application. I felt that they truly cared about my daughter’s well-being.

I ask car dealers to make the buyer aware of the donation to the Hope program.

I also urge public school administrators to inform families of students who are victims of bullying about the Hope Scholarship, which they are required to do under state law. Those parents deserve to know of an education option that will ease their mind.

We are so grateful for those who chose to redirect their automobile tax. Because of them, I was able to move my daughter to her new school for the sixth grade.

She is now in the eighth grade at the small, faith-based K-12 school, where she is heavily involved in its thriving fine-arts program. She has roles this year in both the middle school and high school plays. She was recently named to Florida’s All-State Chorus.

Because of the Hope Scholarship, my daughter’s learning experience goes much deeper than a good education. The school focuses on character development and faith-based spiritual growth. She is in an environment that keeps her safe and shapes who she is and who she will become. She has always been an independent, well-behaved, smart young lady, but she has blossomed at her new school. She has found her voice and her place.

We will forever be grateful to the Hope Scholarship — and everyone involved in its creation for giving my daughter a place where she feels valued, appreciated and safe.

Cherie Sanders lives in Fort Lauderdale.

This story was originally published February 16, 2022 at 8:29 AM.