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.
     

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