Florida Department of Education suspends scholarships for Weston school due to alleged ties to China

WESTON, Fla. – The Florida Department of Education suspended scholarships for four schools over alleged “direct ties to the Chinese communist party.”

The lower and upper Sagemont Preparatory schools in Weston were among those named by Gov. Ron DeSantis.

The governor’s office did not elaborate on the investigation, only saying that the “connections constitute an imminent threat to the health, safety, and welfare of the school’s students and the public.”

Local 10 News reached out to Sagemont administration for comment.

They responded with a statement, which read, in part:

“We have received notice from the state that our eligibility for Florida Choice School funds has been suspended. We were not contacted in advance and are seeking more information regarding the basis for this decision. In the meantime, we will be working directly with our families to ensure they can remain enrolled in our school.”

Earlier this year, DeSantis signed SB 846, the Agreements of Educational Entities with Foreign Entities, which prohibits any school affiliated with a foreign country of concern from participating in Florida’s School Choice scholarship programs.

Monday noon report:


About the Authors
David Dwork headshot

David Dwork joined the WPLG Local 10 News team in August 2019. Born and raised in Miami-Dade County, David has covered South Florida sports since 2007.

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Samiar Nefzi joined the Local 10 News team in August of 2023.

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