Policy statement

Community Service Defined: Service that benefits the community for which the student is not paid.

Community service is not a graduation requirement at Families of Faith Christian Academy International (FOFCAI). No student's diploma, promotion or grades depend on service hours.

FOFCAI however strongly recommends service as an expression of Christian character. Scripture calls believers to serve one another in love (Galatians 5:13) and to use their gifts for others (1 Peter 4:10).

Recommended goal for students in grades 9 to 12:

• 25 hours each school year
• 100 hours total by graduation

This goal matches the highest Florida Bright Futures service requirement, so a student who meets it keeps every award level open.

Responsibility

Students and parents are responsible for tracking progress toward any Bright Futures award. The school counselor reviews each student's hours annually and reports verified hours to the Florida Department of Education.

Transfer students

Verified service hours from a previous high school are accepted when that school's records document them. The recommended goal is prorated at 25 hours for each year at the Academy. Bright Futures hour requirements are not prorated.

Florida Bright Futures requirements

Service or work hours are required for every Bright Futures award, even though FOFCAI does not require them for graduation. A student may qualify with volunteer hours alone, paid work hours alone, or a combination of both.

Source: 2026-27 Bright Futures Student Handbook, Chapter 1, Florida Department of Education, August 2026.

Specific policies related to the documentation of Community Service or Work Hours for Bright Futures:

• Hours must be completed during high school and by graduation.
• A combination of volunteer and paid hours must total 100, whichever award the student seeks.
• Hours must be documented in writing and signed by the appropriate person verifying the hours and approved by the FOFCAI administrator.
• The student may be required to evaluate and reflect on the experience through a paper or presentation.
• Qualifying activities include a business or government internship, work for a nonprofit community service organization, and activities on behalf of a candidate for public office. Regular attendance in Church is not Community Service, but the performance of duties that mirror work for a nonprofit community service organization may be counted. Examples include Audio Visual, Teachers Aid, Set up and Take down for events. To confirm that the hours will count students should verify the service with the FOFCAI guidance department.
• Hours are one requirement among several. Each award also has coursework, GPA or test score requirements, and the student must submit the Florida Financial Aid Application by August 31 after graduation.

Requirements can change with each legislative session. The school counselor confirms the current handbook each August.

What counts

Community service is unpaid, voluntary work that benefits others outside the student's own family. Service should come from a variety of service opportunities, as this provides the student with a wider range of life experience.

Approved volunteer service includes:

• Work for a nonprofit community organization, such as a food bank, shelter, hospital or nursing home
• Church ministry that serves others, such as nursery, Vacation Bible School, Sunday school assistance, food pantry or mission trips
• Service to the Academy outside class time, such as tutoring younger students or helping at school events
• Community improvement projects, such as park or beach cleanups
• Unpaid internships with a business or government office

The following do not count as volunteer service:

• Work the student is paid for or otherwise compensated for (this may count as paid work hours instead)
• Service to family members or a family-owned business, including chores and babysitting relatives
• Attending worship services, youth group or conferences as a participant
• Service completed during school hours or for academic credit
• Court-ordered service
• Travel, meal, sleep and free time on trips; only hours actually spent serving count

Limits:

• No more than 8 hours may be recorded for one day.
• Hours count from the summer after grade 8 through graduation.
• Summer hours count toward the coming school year.

Paid work hours for Bright Futures must come from an employer that is not a family member and must be earned during grades 9 to 12.

Approval and documentation

Only hours approved and documented under this section are entered on the student's record and reported for Bright Futures.

1. Plan. Before starting, the student submits a Service or Work Plan to the school counselor naming the organization, the activity, and the social or civic issue or professional area it addresses.
2. Approval. The counselor approves the plan or explains what must change if any. Activities not listed in this policy need approval before hours begin.
3. Log. The student records dates, hours and a description of the work on the FOFCAI Community Service Hours Log.
4. Signatures. The log is signed by the student, a parent or guardian, and a supervisor from the organization. The supervisor may not be a relative of the student.
5. Paid work. Paid hours are documented with a pay stub or a letter on the employer's letterhead showing total hours worked.

Deadlines:

• Logs are due within 30 days of the service, and no later than the last day of each semester.
• Seniors must submit all hours by May 1 of the graduation year so they can be reported before graduation.
• Hours submitted after graduation cannot be reported for Bright Futures.

FOFCAI may contact the organization to verify hours. Falsified hours are removed from the record and handled under the school's honor code.

Recognition

The total hours of Community Service that has been received by the school will be documented on the students official High School Transcript

Sources

• 2026-27 Bright Futures Student Handbook, Chapter 1
• Florida Statutes s. 1009.534 to 1009.536 (Bright Futures award requirements)