TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WTXL)--It's the second year in the row lawmakers pulled the trigger on the parent empowerment bill, which left 20 state leaders cheering and 20 disappointed.
It certainly wasn't the vote senator Kelli Stargel was hoping for instead a repeat of 2012, a 20-20 vote killing the parent empowerment measure also known as the "parent trigger bill."
"It was disappointing but those things happen in politics," Sen.Stargel (R) District 15.
The bill would have given parents a say on how to deal with their kids failing schools through petition drives.
Local school boards would then make the final decision on the turnaround options.
The turnaround options would have included reassigning students to other schools or handing the school over to a private company to run as a charter school.
"I would agree that there's not the parent involvement that we would like, this was telling parents you know what, get involved and your voices might be heard," said Stargel.
"I've never had a single parent come to me, I've never had a single school board member tell me that parents are coming to them to support this parent trigger bill," said Wayne Blanton.
Wayne Blanton, the president of the Florida School Board Association says the bill would have privatize Florida schools.
"For profit charter school companies are the people that are behind this bill its as simple as that and they want to takeover more public schools and make money for their shareholders," said Blanton.
Though the trigger has been pulled on the bill, Senator Stargel says the push to empower parents will not be shot down.
"Always work toward having the parents be involved, making sure their voices are heard and making sure we encourage involvement where we maybe haven't had it in the past," said Stargel.
The house passed a similar bill off the floor but its now dead for the rest of this legislative session.
