SB 486

This bill establishes a Special Needs Scholarship Program. Under the program,

a child with a disability may receive a scholarship to attend a public school located

outside the pupil's school district of residence, or a private school, if all of the

following conditions are met:

1. The school has notified the Department of Public Instruction (DPI) of its

intent to participate in the program and the child has been accepted by the school.

2. If the school is a private school, it is approved as a private school by DPI or

is accredited.

3. An individualized education program (IEP) has been completed for the child.

4. In the previous school year, the child attended a public school, attended a

private school under a parental choice program (PCP), or did not attend school in this

state.

The bill directs DPI to develop a document, for inclusion with an application,

comparing the rights of a child with a disability and his or her parent under state and

federal handicapped education law with the rights of a child with a disability under

the program created by this bill and federal handicapped education law.

A school that accepts a child under the program must notify DPI. Upon receipt

of the notice, DPI must notify the school board of the pupil's school district of

residence and determine the amount of the child's scholarship. The amount is the

lesser of the cost to the school the child is attending under the scholarship of

providing regular instruction, instructional and pupil support services, special

education and related services, and supplementary aids and services to the child, or

an amount equal to the statewide cost per public school pupil plus the state aid per

child with a disability. If the child is attending for less than a full school term, DPI

must prorate the amount of the scholarship.

DPI pays the scholarship directly to the school or school district that the child

will attend. The scholarship continues while the child attends a school eligible to

participate in the program until he or she graduates from high school or until the end

of the school term in which he or she turns 21, whichever comes first.

Under the bill, a pupil attending a private school, or a public school outside the

pupil's school district of residence, under the program is counted for state aid

purposes by the pupil's school district of residence. However, the state aid paid to

that school district is reduced by the total amount of scholarships paid by DPI for

pupils who reside in that school district.

Each private school participating in the program must comply with applicable

health and safety laws; hold a valid certificate of occupancy; comply with federal law

that prohibits discrimination against any person on the basis of race, color, or

national origin; conduct criminal background investigations of its employees and

exclude from employment any person not permitted to hold a teaching license as the

result of an offense and any person who might reasonably be believed to pose a threat