The McKay Scholarships for Students with Disabilities Program expands statewide the school choice program originally created by the 1999 Florida Legislature as a pilot program. The scholarships are available for eligible students with disabilities to attend an eligible public or private school of their choice. Students with disabilities include K-12 students who are mentally handicapped, speech and language impaired, deaf or hard of hearing, visually impaired, dual sensory impaired, physically impaired, emotionally handicapped, specific learning disabled, hospitalized or homebound, or autistic.

An eligible student with disabilities has several options available, including

• Attendance at another public school within the district
• Attendance at an eligible public school in an adjacent district that has space and provides the services identified in the student’s individual education plan
• Attendance at an eligible private, sectarian or nonsectarian, school

Any parent of a public school student with a disability with a current Individual Education Plan (IEP) who is dissatisfied with the student’s progress may receive a McKay Scholarship if

• By assigned school attendance area or by special assignment, the student has spent the prior school year in attendance at a Florida public school. Prior school year means that the student was enrolled and reported by a school district for funding during the preceding October and February FTE surveys in kindergarten through grade 12 (However, the 2004 Florida Legislature waived this requirement for the dependents of military families transferred into the state.)
• The parent has obtained acceptance for admission of the student to a private school that is eligible for the program and has notified the school district through a communication directly to the district or through the DOE, in a manner that creates a written or electronic record of the notification and the date of receipt of the notification of the request for a scholarship at least 60 days prior to the date of the first scholarship payment.
• Students enrolled in Department of Juvenile Justice commitment programs are not eligible for scholarship under this program.

There is no statutory limit on the term of a McKay Scholarship. Students may use the scholarship until they return to a public school, graduate from high school, or until the year in which he or she turns 22 years old.

No. First time kindergarteners are not eligible. Repeating kindergarteners and all students up to 12th grade are eligible to participate in the scholarship program, providing all other scholarship requirements have been met.

No.

No.

Private schools are not required to participate in the McKay Scholarship Program. However, participation is open to all private schools that wish to take part in the program, as long as the school meets the eligibility criteria set forth by law.

Parents may file intent to participate in the McKay Scholarship Program by logging onto the www.floridaschoolchoice.org website. If additional assistance is needed, parents may contact the Office of Independent Education and Parental Choice at 1-(800)-447-1636

Parents must file a notice of intent expressing their desire to participate in the scholarship program, by choosing the public school option. Parents should contact their local district ESE office for further assistance and direction.

No. Funds provided for Florida’s K-12 School Choice Scholarships (Opportunity, McKay, and Corporate Tax Credit) come from state tax dollars and cannot be claimed on an individual’s Federal Income Taxes.

Upon proper documentation by the DOE, the Comptroller must make the scholarship payments in four equal installments (September 1, November 1, February 1 and April 1). The payment must be made by individual warrant (check) payable to the student’s parent or guardian and mailed by the DOE to the chosen private school.

The parent must restrictively endorse the warrant to the private school for deposit into the private school’s account. The DOE is responsible for verifying the student’s initial admission acceptance and continued enrollment and attendance at the private school.

The amount of the scholarship is equal to the amount the student would have received in the public school to which the student is assigned or the amount of the private school’s tuition and fees, whichever is less.

No. The statute states that a student has to have been “enrolled and reported by a school district for funding…”. If a student receives 0 FTE, he or she was not “reported…for funding”. Therefore, the student is not eligible for a McKay Scholarship.

The programs are authorized by the separate Florida statutes. The Opportunity Scholarship Program statute requires students to take the FCAT, while statutes governing the McKay Scholarship Program provide for voluntary FCAT assessment.

Yes. There are several ways that a McKay scholarship may be forfeited.

The scholarship is forfeited when a parent

• Refuses to restrictively endorse the scholarship payment to the appropriate school for deposit into the account of the participating school as required by s. 1002.39(5)(f), F.S.
• Does not comply fully with the private school’s parental involvement requirements (unless excused by the school for illness or other good cause)
• Enrolls the student in a non-participating private school

The scholarship may be forfeited when a student

• Does not remain in attendance throughout the school year (unless excused by the school for illness or other good cause)
• Does not comply fully with the school’s code of conduct
• Enrolls in a school operating for the purpose of providing educational services to youth in any Department of Juvenile Justice (DJJ) programs
• Enrolls or re-enrolls the student in a public school

No. When students enroll in the scholarship program for the first time, they must wait for classes to begin at the private school for the new school year. Scholarship participants may lose their eligibility if they attend a public school while waiting for their private school to begin classes. Districts are responsible for reporting those students as “returned to public school” students.

If the parents choose a public school option

Responsibility for transportation varies depending upon the public school option chosen by the parents of the eligible student. Listed below are the following options and transportation requirements

• Attendance at a public school within the school district that is consistent with the school board’s choice plan. If this option is chosen, the school district is responsible for providing transportation to the public school selected by the parent
• Attendance at a public school within the school district that is not consistent with the school board’s choice plan. If this option is chosen, the parents are responsible for providing transportation
• Attendance at a public school in an adjacent district that has space available and a program with services agreed to in the students’ IEP. If this option is chosen, the parents are responsible for providing transportation to the school in the adjacent district

If the parents choose the private school option, the parents are responsible for the student’s transportation