Whether or not Scott had to do much, he's getting his wish

An education bill that would allow charter schools to operate entirely online is heading to Florida Gov. Rick Scott's desk for his signature.

The House passed HB 7197 98-19 on May 2 and the Senate followed on May 4, approving the bill 27-12.

Online classes are not new to Florida. The Legislature set up the Florida Virtual School more than a decade ago, in 1997, as a pilot project. The school now offers more than 90 courses for students in grades 6 through 12, giving priority to children who are home-schooled, in poor-performing schools, in rural or inner-city areas with limited class offerings. You can read more about the school on the Florida Department of Education website.

The bill that passed allows the Florida Virtual School to offer classes at lower grade levels, K-5, and expands the availability of online-only classes to charter schools.

The bill also requires all high school students to take an online course before they graduate.

Senate sponsor Anitere Flores, R-Miami, said the issue was brought to her by representatives of online providers, school districts, charter schools and parents' groups during the summer of 2010. She also said she didn't know it was a Scott campaign promise.

But whether or not Scott had that much to do with it, the proposal Scott promised is coming to fruition. We rate this a Promise Kept.