The Georgia Special Needs Scholarship provides eligible special education students with the opportunity to attend another public or private school. Please see the "Questions and Answers" document on this website for more information about the program. Please check the website weekly for possible updates.

2008-2009 Special Needs Student Scholarship Eligibility Criteria

• The student's parent currently resides within Georgia and has been a Georgia resident for at least one calendar year; and
• The student has spent the prior school year in attendance at in a Georgia public school in grades K-12 and was in attendance on both the October 2007 and March 2008 FTE counts; and
• The student was served under an Individualized Education Program (IEP) written by the school in accordance with federal and state laws and regulations at any point during the 2007-2008 school year; and
• The Student is enrolled at one of the state’s approved participating private schools by Friday, September 5, 2008 – no exception.

Steps to Apply for a Scholarship in 2008-2009
If you are interested in applying for a Georgia Special Needs Scholarship, parents need to come back to this website after May 1, 2008. At that time, you will need to download, read and follow the "Directions to Apply" in the "For Parents" box to apply for the 2008-2009 school year:

1. Determine your child’s eligibility and scholarship estimate on the website. Make at least two copies of the sheet. Save one for your records;
2. Complete and submit the electronic Parent Intent Form on the website;
3. Download the list of approved 2008-2009 private schools from the website beginning on April 5. This list will be updated monthly through July;
4. Apply and enroll your child at one of the approved private schools before Friday September 5, 2008; You must provide the private school with your child's scholarship calculation sheet or your child will not be eligible; and
5. Withdraw your child from the public school.

Important Dates

• September 5, 2008 – is the deadline for students to receive a private school scholarship for the 2008-2009 school year. Students must be enrolled and attending one of the approved participating private schools by September 5. Students not enrolled and attending a school by September 5 will not receive a scholarship for the 2008-2009 school year. There are no exceptions to this annual enrollment deadline.
• September 12-19, 2008 – Reporting window for approved participating private schools to report scholarship student enrollment information to the GaDOE opens.
• September 19, 2008 - Deadline for approved participating private schools to report scholarship student enrollment information to the GaDOE. Schools that do not report by the deadline will not receive first quarter payments for their students until the second quarter payments are made in December.
• Mid October - First quarter scholarship checks for the 2008-2009 school year mailed to participating private schools that reported student information to the GaDOE by the September 17, 2008 deadline.

Not Eligible for the Program

• Toddler and Pre-K students are not eligible. Students must complete one school year in grades K-12 in a Georgia public school before they are eligible for a scholarship.
• Students not enrolled and reported in both the October and March FTE counts in the 2007-2008 school year are not eligible.
• Students who were not served under an IEP in place during the 2007-2008 school year are not eligible.
• A home school operating under O.G.C.A. 20-2-690 is not eligible to enroll scholarship students.
• Residential treatment facilities licensed are not eligible to enroll scholarship students.
• Department of Juvenile Justice Schools and students are not eligible for the scholarship.