What you need to know
about the McKay Scholarship & other school options
As a parent of a student with a disability,
you know that your child has unique abilities
and needs. Sometimes, these needs are not
able to be met in a traditional public school.
Luckily, we live in the state of Florida where
there are many choices and options for students
with disabilities. These include tuition free
Charter Schools and the McKay and Gardiner
Scholarship programs.
Each choice option is different and there
are many important factors to consider. In
order to use any of these options, you would
be withdrawing from your local traditional
public school. Please note you are only
eligible to use one “choice” option (i.e. you
can’t attend a Charter School and also use a
Gardiner Scholarship). Here is some additional
basic information on each option as well as
considerations:
Charter Schools are non-profit agencies
operating an innovative public school. There
are 646 charter schools located throughout
Florida educating over 280,000 students.
There are different kinds of Charter Schools
including schools specifically focused on a type
of disability (i.e. autism) or a unique approach
(i.e. focus on arts). Generally, charter schools
are smaller than a local neighborhood school.
Not all charter schools are the appropriate
placement for all exceptionalities and the
charter school will work with the IEP team to
determine if it is the appropriate placement.
Tuition is 100% free and all services on your
child’s Individual Education Plan (IEP) are
required to be provided. This is an important
consideration when comparing against the
scholarship programs which potentially could
have additional costs. Additionally, students
with disabilities attending charter schools and
their parents retain all rights and protections
under Part B of IDEA that they would have if
attending other public schools.
Charter Schools are monitored through their
local school district and have accountability
similar to other public schools (i.e. students
take state testing, the school has performance
goals, teachers are required to be certified,
etc.). In general, you can apply for admission
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by Dr. Ilene Wilkins
in any Charter School in your school district/
county where you live. In 2017, new legislation
allowed your child to attend any charter school
regardless of where you live (if space allows).
Charter Schools do have enrollment caps
and a random lottery can take place if more
students than openings exist. Each School
District website will list the charter schools
in that district. For more information: http://
www.fldoe.org/schools/school-choice/charterschools/
links-for-parents
Another option for students with disabilities
is private schools funded by one of the
scholarship/voucher programs (McKay or
Gardiner). There are different eligibility and
funding amounts based on the respective
scholarship. However, in order to use either of
these scholarships – the child must withdraw
and not be enrolled in public school (either
traditional public school or Charter School).
Another important note is that the School
District is no longer obligated to provide
the student with a free appropriate public
education and generally the student does not
retain rights and protections under Part B of
IDEA.
There are many private schools throughout
Florida focusing on educating different kinds of
disabilities using various approaches and service
models. Additionally, scholarships can also be
used at traditional private schools. However, for
any of the scholarships to be used for funding,
the private school must enroll and be approved
by State of Florida Department of Education.
Private schools are independent schools and
are generally not mandated by law to follow/
provide the services such as therapy services
from the Individual Education Plan (IEP).
The McKay Scholarships for Students with
Disabilities Program was originally created in
1999 and provides scholarships for eligible
students with disabilities to attend an eligible
public or private school of their choice. In
general, a student who has had an IEP or a
504 plan and attended a Florida public school
(traditional or charter) during the two previous
FTE survey counts (October and February)
are eligible. The amount of the scholarship
/www.BrightFeats.com