Ohio S.B. 6, 128^th General Assembly
Special Education Scholarship Pilot Program
http://www.legislature.state.oh.us/bills.cfm?ID=128_SB_6

• Creates the Special Education Scholarship Pilot Program to provide scholarships for disabled children in grades K through 12 to attend alternative public or private special education programs in fiscal years 2012 through 2017.
• Requires the Department of Education to develop a document that compares rights under state and federal special education law and rights under the pilot program, and requires school districts to distribute that document to the parents of all special education students.
• Requires the Department of Education to conduct a "formative evaluation" of the pilot program by December 31, 2013.

Introduced by: Senator Kevin Coughlin (R), District 27
Co-Sponsors: Buehrer, Gibbs, Wagoner, Seitz

The bill establishes the Special Education Scholarship Pilot Program, to begin operating in fiscal year 2012 and to operate through fiscal year 2017.  The program is to provide scholarships for disabled children to attend special education programs other than those offered by their school districts.  The program applies to any identified disabled child in grades K through 12.  A scholarship may be used to pay the expenses of a public or private provider of special education programs for implementation of the child's IEP and other services that are not in the IEP but are associated with educating the child.  The bill also permits the "eligible applicant" (generally the child's parent) and the provider to agree to alter the services provided to the child. 

While a child is using a scholarship, the school district in which the child would otherwise be enrolled has no obligation to provide the child with a free appropriate public education.  But the bill also specifies that if that district has agreed to provide some services for the child, or if the district is required by separate law to provide some services, including transportation services, the district may not discontinue them pending completion of any administrative proceedings regarding those services.

Date introduced: 2/10/09
Committee Assigned: Education, Chair: Gary Cates (R)