Want to know more about recent changes made to the Georgia Special Needs Scholarship?
As a result of Senate Bill 47, passed in the 2021 legislative session, changes to the Georgia Special Needs Scholarship went into effect July 1st, 2021.
Read on to learn more about improvements and changes to the program.
Can a student with a 504 plan who is currently in a private school become eligible?
This does not change the requirement that a student be in the public school for a prior full calendar year.
There are waivers from the one-year public school requirement for military dependents and also for students with medical needs (where approved by the State Board of Education) and a new waiver from the one-year requirement for students who have been adopted or placed in permanent guardianship from foster care.
What would the scholarship amount be?
Unlike a student with an IEP (Individualized Education Program), students with 504 plans do not receive any additional funding from the state. Therefore, their scholarship amounts would most likely be the base student funding (which would be less than the current average SB10 scholarship amounts). You can find out the exact amount that your child would generate under the scholarship on the state scholarship calculator. This is usually available in June or July for the upcoming fall school-year and can be accessed at the Georgia Department of Education’s website.