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; or
• Attendance at an eligible private, sectarian or nonsectarian, school

Any parent of a public school student with a disability who has an Individual Education Plan (IEP) or a 504 accommodation plan may receive a McKay Scholarship if the student meets the following requirements:

• The student has spent the prior school year in attendance at a Florida public school (the student was enrolled and reported by a Florida school district for funding during the preceding October and February FTE surveys in Pre-K through grade 12), or
• The student was enrolled and reported for funding by the Florida School for the Deaf and the Blind during the preceding October and February student membership surveys in kindergarten through grade 12, or
• The student received services under the Specialized Instructional Services (SIS) program during the previous school year and has a current IEP developed by the local school board in accordance with State Board Rule or a 504 accommodation plan, or
• The student is a dependent child of a member of the United States Armed Forces who transfers to Florida from out of state due to a parent’s permanent change of station orders, and
• The parent has notified the school district in a manner that creates a written or electronic record of the notification (this is done by filing intent on the School Choice website) at least 60 days prior to the date of the first scholarship payment, and
• The parent has obtained acceptance for admission of the student to a private school that is eligible for the program.

If your child meets the eligibility requirements, you may apply for a scholarship by clicking on “Apply for a McKay Scholarship” located on the left hand side of the screen at the FloridaSchoolChoice.org website. When you’re on the website, click on “McKay Scholarships” in the middle of the page. Click on “Apply for a McKay Scholarship” in the first column.

If your child does not meet these requirements but has an IEP or 504 Accommodation Plan and is a dependent child of a member of the United States Armed Forces who transfers to a school in Florida from out of state or from a foreign country pursuant to a parent’s permanent change of station orders, the child may be eligible for a McKay Scholarship. Please contact the office of School Choice at 1-800-447-1636 for additional information.

* Please note that students with a “gifted only” designation and an Eligibility Plan (EP) do not meet the eligibility criteria for the McKay Scholarship Program.

The scholarship shall remain in effect until the student:

• Returns to a public school;
• Graduates from high school, or
• Reaches the age of 22, whichever occurs first.

A student in a private school on McKay Scholarship can return to a public school using the McKay Scholarship public school option; however, the parent must notify the district prior to doing so. The school district will determine what public school options are available to the student after receiving the request. A student who exercises this choice will need to reestablish eligibility by being in an October and February student survey before being eligible again for the private school option of the McKay Scholarship.

Yes, first-year kindergarteners may be eligible. A student with disabilities must have been either enrolled and reported for funding in a Florida public school during the previous year’s October and February Florida Education Finance Program surveys, or reported by the Office of Early Learning as receiving services through the Specialized Instructional Services program. The student must also be 5 years old by September 1 of the school year in which he or she intends to use the scholarship.

Parents may file intent to participate in the McKay Scholarship Program on the www.floridaschoolchoice.org website by clicking on the McKay Scholarships link and then the link titled “Apply for a McKay Scholarship” located on the quick navigation bar on the left-hand side of the screen. If additional assistance is needed, parents may contact the Office of Independent Education and Parental Choice at 1-800-447-1636.

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.

Yes. 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.;
• Enrolls or re-enrolls the student in a public school.

• Enrolled in a Department Juvenile Justice commitment program;
• Receiving another state scholarship (including the Corporate Tax Credit Scholarship);
• Participating in a home education or private tutoring program;
• Participating in more than two courses per school year in a virtual school, correspondence school, or distance learning program that receives state funding;
• Enrolled in the Florida School for the Deaf and the Blind; or
• Not having regular and direct contact with his or her private school teachers at the school’s physical location.

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

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.

Upon proper documentation by the DOE, the Chief Financial Officer must make the scholarship payments in four equal installments (September 1, November 1, Feb 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.

If the parents choose a public school option consistent with the school board’s choice plan, the school district is responsible for providing transportation to the public school selected by the parent.

If the parent chooses a public school within the district that is not consistent with the school board’s choice plan or a public school in an adjacent district, the parent is responsible for providing transportation for the student to the selected public school. If the parents choose the private school option, the parents are responsible for the student’s transportation.