Autism Scholarship in Jeopardy?

[Guest guest]

A member of our Asperger support group, forwarded us this information:

Theresa

The following text is found in Am. Sub. H.B. 119 under the Department of Education subhead. In this budget bill of Ohio's 127th General Assembly you will find an outline of the Special Education Scholarship Pilot Program. For those interested, the website of WKSU has a download available if you want to listen to the radio coverage of this issue. If you have questions, you may want to contact Rep. Jon 's office.

No effect on the Autism Scholarship Program

The Autism Scholarship Program pays scholarships to the parents of certain autistic children in grades pre-kindergarten to 12 (R.C. 3310.41). The bill's proposed Special Education Scholarship Pilot Program contains many of the same concepts of the smaller Autism Scholarship Program (including its $20,000 limit on the scholarship amount) and applies those concepts to children of all categories of disability. It does not, however, apply to pre-kindergarten students.

The bill does not affect the Autism Scholarship Program. In fact, neither program changes or conflicts with the provisions of the other. Thus, it appears that the two programs could coexist. Children with autism who are in grades K through 12 would be eligible for either program. Presumably their parents could choose either (but not both) of the two programs. For example, if a parent of a child with autism could not participate in the new program because its 3% cap had been reached, the parent likely could turn to the Autism Scholarship Program, which has no cap. However, the due process provisions between the two programs are somewhat different. Under the Autism Scholarship Program, a parent may not be awarded a scholarship if there is any pending dispute over the child's IEP. Under the Special Education Scholarship Pilot Program, the prohibition on award and payment of a scholarship applies only until the child's first IEP is developed under the program.