The McKay Scholarships for
Students with Disabilities
Program ensures that no child
will be left behind by allowing
parent to choose the best
educational setting—public or
private—for their child.
Parents and students have enthusiastically
received the John M. McKay Scholarships for
Students with Disabilities Program. The
program is the largest of its kind in the nation,
allowing parents of students with disabilities to
make choices regarding their child’s education.
During the 2001-2002 school year, the McKay
Program provided over 4,000 Florida students
with special needs the opportunity to attend a
private school. Parents are also offered a
public
school choice
, allowing them to examine the
programs offered by other public schools and to
explore other options that may better meet their
child’s individual needs.
The program’s success, in part, is due to its
accessibility. The eligibility requirements are
clearly outlined in law. A student is eligible to
participate in the McKay Scholarships Program if
he or she meets the following eligibility
requirements:
•
the child was enrolled and
in attendance in a Florida
public school during the
October and February FTE
surveys, and
•
the child has an Individual
Education Plan (IEP).
The McKay Scholarships
Program is a parental choice program. Parents
are responsible for selecting the participating
private school and applying for the student’s
admission to the private school. Parents are
encouraged to take an active role in their child’s
education, to visit the school before making a
decision, and to monitor their child’s progress
once the child is enrolled.
For the 2002-2003 school year, information
about the program is more readily available than
ever before. The Florida Department of
Education Choice Office operates the
Parent
Information Hotline at 1-800-447-1636
. The
Hotline provides information to parents, assists
parents with filing intent online, and answers
questions regarding the program.
During the month of June, the Parent Hotline
operated on extended hours: 8:00 a.m. to 8:00
p.m., Monday through Saturday. The Hotline
has received
15,226 inquiries
regarding the
McKay Program. Thanks to dedicated Choice
Office staff members,
Claire D. Philippe,
Monique Duncan, Lisa Alvarez, and Monica
Settles
, parents have received the information
they need to make informed choices. 2,069
students have been registered in participating
private schools.
Bill Greiner
, team leader for
the Parent Hotline and Choice Office Parent
Liaison, has played a key role in the success of
this project.
The private schools participating in the McKay
Program have entered into a voluntary
partnership with the Florida Department of
Education. The Choice Office offers technical
assistance to participating private schools,
providing private schools with information
regarding the program,
troubleshooting enrollment and
registration difficulties, and
transferring students.
Claire D. Philippe
and
Juanita Hurst
deal extensively
with the participating private
schools. In addition to fielding
questions from parents and
schools, they handled over 50 student transfers
this week alone. Parents may transfer their child
for a variety of reasons, choosing to enroll their
child in another participating private school.
John Thompson
is the primary contact for
private schools for the McKay Scholarships
Program. Originally responsible for signing up
private schools to participate in the scholarship
program, he now also works to maintain lines of
communication with participating private schools
to ensure their continued success in the
scholarship program
.
The Choice Office staff is dedicated to providing
information and technical assistance to parents
and schools to ensure that the McKay Program
continues to serve Florida’s students, offering
parents quality choices for their child’s
education.