This article shall be known and may be cited as the “Georgia Special Needs Scholarship Act.” History. Code 1981, § 20-2-2110 , enacted by Ga. L. 2007, p. 197, § 1/SB 10. Law reviews. For article, “SB 47: Eligibility Expansion for the Georgia Special Needs Scholarship Program,” see 38 Ga. St. U.L. Rev. 83 (2021).
The General Assembly finds that: Students with disabilities have special needs that merit educational alternatives which will allow students to learn in an appropriate setting and manner; Parents are best equipped to make decisions for their children, including the educational setting that will best serve the interests and educational needs of their children; Children, parents, […]
As used in this article, the term: “Board” means the State Board of Education. “Department” means the Department of Education. “Parent” means a biological parent, legal guardian, custodian, or other person with legal authority to act on behalf of a child. “Participating school” means a private school that has notified the department of its intention […]
The resident school system shall provide specific written notice of the options available under this article to the parent at the initial Individualized Education Program (IEP) meeting in which a disability of the parent’s child is identified or at the time the child is determined to be eligible for accommodations or services under Section 504 […]
A student shall qualify for a scholarship under this article if: The student’s parent currently resides within Georgia and has been a Georgia resident for at least one year; provided, however, that the one-year requirement shall not apply if the student’s parent is an active duty military service member stationed in Georgia within the previous […]
To be eligible to enroll a scholarship student, a participating school shall: Have a physical location in Georgia where the scholarship students attend classes and have direct contact with the school’s teachers; Demonstrate fiscal soundness by having been in operation for one school year or by submitting a financial information report for the school that […]
The maximum scholarship granted a scholarship student pursuant to this article shall be an amount equivalent to the costs of the educational program that would have been provided for the student in the resident school system as calculated under Code Section 20-2-161 and, if a scholarship student has an Individualized Education Program (IEP), based upon […]
The board shall adopt rules to administer the program regarding eligibility and participation of participating schools, including, but not limited to, timelines that will maximize student and public and private school participation, the calculation and distribution of scholarships to eligible students and participating schools, and the application and approval procedures for eligible students and participating […]
The Office of Student Achievement, in conjunction with the department, shall provide the General Assembly not later than December 1 of each year with a report regarding the scholarship program for the previous fiscal year. The report shall include, but not be limited to, numbers and demographics of students participating and numbers of participating schools. […]
