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Students in Hillsborough County Public Schools will no longer be able to receive a certificate of completion.

School board members voted on the rule following a Florida law sponsored by a Tampa state representative.

The certificates were given to students who finished school but did not meet the requirements for a diploma. 

School board member Henry “Shake” Washington spoke against the move during a school board workshop this summer. 

“I know a couple of kids in my area – they were happy to walk across the stage, they just didn’t pass the reading and math- they didn’t do it. They didn’t make a high enough score. But you got to have something to hold on to,” Washington said.

House Bill 1105, sponsored by Republican Tampa Representative Susan Valdes, ended the certificates when it was signed into law this year. 

Valdes spoke during public comment at Tuesday’s School Board meeting and claimed that only 82 of around 4600 students who received the certificates had disabilities. 

“The disability community – my heart goes out to them, because the rhetoric around this bill and how it will affect them is totally false- totally false,” Valdes said.

She went past her allotted speaking time and was cut off. 

Rep. Susan Valdes: Not one of you called, when this policy was being in affect and I brought it up. Not one of you had a conversation with me to talk about this [muted] You all knew it. I don’t know why this [muted]

School Board Chair Jessica Vaughn: Okay, thank you.

Parents of children with disabilities have said that the certificates helped their kids gain employment. 

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