The Department of Environmental Protection hereby gives notice:
That on September 13, 2011, the Department of Environmental Protection issued a Final Order granting a petition for variance to the School Board of Brevard County. The petition for variance was received on June 14, 2011, seeking a variance from paragraph 62-602.270(1)(a), F.A.C., to allow students enrolled in the Water Resources Technology Program at the Heritage High School Academy of Environmental Studies to be eligible to take the Level C Water and/or Wastewater examination for operator certification prior to obtaining a high school diploma. The petition was assigned OGC File No.: 11-0873. Notice of receipt of this petition was published in the Florida Administrative Weekly on July 15, 2011. No public comment was received. The final order granted a variance from the licensure examination requirement because the petitioner demonstrated substantial hardship if made to comply with the current examination requirement. The conditions require that the opportunity to be eligible to take the Level C Water and/or Wastewater examination for operator certification prior to obtaining a high school diploma is limited to high school seniors in Heritage High School Academy of Environmental Studies’ Water Resources Technology Program; seniors in the Program are only eligible for examination after January 1 in the second semester of their senior year; the School Board of Brevard County shall provide documentation in writing confirming that each student has met all graduation requirements, is projected to graduate on time, and has met all requirements of the Water Resources Technology Program, prior to each senior being allowed to register for the Level C Water and/or Wastewater examination; within 10 days of receipt of a copy of each student’s high school diploma, the Department’s Operator Certification Program will release the examination scores to Heritage High School, the Office of Career and Technical Education, Brevard Public Schools, and the student; scores will not be released prior to the Department’s receipt of a high school diploma; and, the variance shall be for a period of 5 years from the date of the Final Order and does not relieve applicants from meeting all other examination and licensure requirements.
A copy of the Order or additional information may be obtained by contacting:
Ronald McCulley, Department of Environmental Protection, Operator Certification Program, Bureau of Water Facilities Funding, 2600 Blair Stone Road, MS #3506, Tallahassee, FL 32399-2400, (850)245-7500, email: ronald.mcculley@dep.state.fl.us.