House Bill 920

AN ACT TO AMEND SECTION 37-181-3, MISSISSIPPI CODE OF 1972, TO REVISE THE DEFINITION OF THE TERM "ELIGIBLE STUDENT" UNDER "THE EQUAL OPPORTUNITY FOR STUDENTS WITH SPECIAL NEEDS ACT," TO INCLUDE STUDENTS WHO HAVE HAD AN ACTIVE SECTION 504 PLAN FOR THE PAST FIVE YEARS; TO BRING FORWARD SECTION 37-181-5, MISSISSIPPI CODE OF 1972, FOR THE PURPOSE OF POSSIBLE AMENDMENT; TO AMEND SECTION 37-181-7, MISSISSIPPI CODE OF 1972, TO PROVIDE THAT THE AMOUNT OF THE ESA FOR AN ELIGIBLE STUDENT WITH A SECTION 504 PLAN SHALL BE THE PROPORTIONATE SHARE OF FEDERAL FUNDS ALLOWED UNDER IDEA FOR THE STUDENT'S EQUITABLE PARTICIPATION IN SERVICES PROVIDED BY THE LOCAL EDUCATION AGENCY; AND FOR RELATED PURPOSES.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI:

SECTION 1. Section 37-181-3, Mississippi Code of 1972, is amended as follows:

37-181-3. The terms used in this chapter shall have the meanings ascribed herein, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise:

(a) "Program" means a five-year pilot program to implement the Education Scholarship Account (ESA) program created in this chapter.

(b) "Eligible student" means any student who has had an active Individualized Education Program (IEP) or Section 504 Plan within the past five (5) years.

(c) "Parent" means a resident of this state who is a parent, legal guardian, custodian or other person with the authority to act on behalf of the eligible student.

(d) "Department" means the State Department of Education.

(e) "Home school district" means the public school district in which the student resides.

(f) "Eligible school" means a nonpublic school that has enrolled a participating student. An eligible school must be accredited by a state or regional accrediting agency or possess a provisional letter of accreditation from a state or regional accrediting agency or be approved/licensed by the State Department of Education. An eligible school does not include a home instruction program under Section 37-13-91, Mississippi Code of 1972.

(g) "Tutor" means a person who is certified or licensed by a state, regional, or national certification or licensing organization or who has earned a valid teacher's license or who has experience teaching at an eligible postsecondary institution.

(h) "Postsecondary institution" means a community college, college, or university accredited by a state, regional or national accrediting organization.

(i) "Educational service provider" means an eligible school, tutor, or other person or organization that provides education-related services and products to participating students.

SECTION 2. Section 37-181-5, Mississippi Code of 1972, is brought forward as follows:

37-181-5. (1) An eligible student shall qualify to participate in the program if the parent signs an agreement promising:

(a) To provide an organized, appropriate educational program with measurable annual goals to their participating student and, to the extent reasonably deemed appropriate by the parent, to provide an education for the qualified student in at least the subjects of reading, grammar, mathematics, social studies and science;

(b) To document their participating student's disability at intervals and in a manner required under subsection (8) of this section;

(c) Not to enroll their participating student in a public school and to acknowledge as part of the agreement that the home school district has provided clear notice to the parent that the participating student has no individual entitlement to a free appropriate public education (FAPE) from their home school district, including special education and related services, for as long as the student is participating in the program;

(d) Not to file for their participating student a certificate of enrollment indicating participation in a home instruction program under Section 37-13-91, Mississippi Code of 1972; and

(e) Not to participate in the Mississippi Dyslexia Therapy Scholarship for Students with Dyslexia Program or the Mississippi Speech-Language Therapy Scholarship for Students with Speech-Language Impairments Program while participating in the ESA program.

(2) Parents shall use the funds deposited in a participating student's ESA for any of the following qualifying expenses to educate the student using any of the below methods or combination of methods that meet the requirement in subsection (1)(a) of this section:

(a) Tuition and/or fees at an eligible school;

(b) Textbooks;

(d) Payment for purchase of curriculum, including any supplemental materials required by the curriculum;

(e) Fees for transportation to and from an educational service provider paid to a fee-for-service transportation provider;

(f) Tuition and/or fees for online learning programs or courses;

(g) Fees for nationally standardized norm-referenced achievement tests, including alternate assessments; and fees for Advanced Placement examinations or similar courses and any examinations related to college or university admission;

(h) Educational services or therapies from a licensed or certified practitioner or provider, including licensed or certified paraprofessionals or educational aides;

(i) Services provided by a public school, including individual classes and extracurricular programs;

(j) Tuition and fees at a postsecondary institution;

(k) Textbooks related to coursework at a postsecondary institution;

(l) Surety bond payments if required by the department;

(m) No more than Fifty Dollars ($50.00) in annual consumable school supplies necessary for educational services and therapies, daily classroom activities, and tutoring;

(n) Computer hardware and software and other technological devices if an eligible school, licensed or certified tutor, licensed or certified educational service practitioner or provider, or licensed medical professional verifies in writing that these items are essential for the student to meet annual, measurable goals. Once a student is no longer eligible for the program, computer hardware and software and other technological devices purchased with ESA funds may be donated to a library or a nonprofit organization with expertise and training in working with parents to educate children with disabilities or a nonprofit organization with expertise and training in working with disabled adults.

(3) Neither a participating student, nor anyone on the student's behalf, may receive cash or cash-equivalent items, such as gift cards or store credit, from any refunds or rebates from any provider of services or products in this program. Any refunds or rebates shall be credited directly to the participating student's ESA. The funds in an ESA may only be used for education-related purposes. Eligible schools, postsecondary institutions and educational service providers that serve participating students shall provide parents with a receipt for all qualifying expenses.

(4) Payment for educational services through an ESA shall not preclude parents from paying for educational services using non-ESA funds.

(5) ESA funds may not be used to attend an eligible school that maintains its primary location in a state other than Mississippi unless that school is approved for the Educable Child Program; or unless the parent verifies in writing that their child cannot reasonably obtain appropriate special education and related services in Mississippi at a location within thirty (30) miles of their legal residence.

(6) For purposes of continuity of educational attainment, students who enroll in the program shall remain eligible to receive quarterly ESA payments until the participating student returns to a public school, completes high school, completes the school year in which the student reaches the age of twenty-one (21), or does not have eligibility verified by a parent as required under subsection (8) of this section, whichever occurs first.

(7) Any funds remaining in a student's Education Scholarship Account upon completion of high school shall be returned to the state's General Fund.

(8) Every three (3) years after initial enrollment in the program, a parent of a participating student, except a student diagnosed as being a person with a permanent disability, shall document that the student continues to be identified by the school district, a federal or state government agency, or a licensed physician or psychometrist as a child with a disability, as defined by the federal Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (20 USCS Section 1401(3)).

(9) A participating student shall be allowed to return to his home school district at any time after enrolling in the program, in compliance with regulations adopted by the department providing for the least disruptive process for doing so. Upon a participating student's return to his home school district, that student's Education Scholarship Account shall be closed and any remaining funds shall be returned to the state's General Fund.

(10) The department shall begin accepting applications for the program on July 1, 2015.

SECTION 3. Section 37-181-7, Mississippi Code of 1972, is amended as follows:

37-181-7. (1) The ESA program created in this chapter shall be limited to five hundred (500) students in the school year 2015-2016, with new enrollment limited to five hundred (500) additional students each year thereafter. Subject to appropriation from the General Fund, each student's ESA shall be funded at Six Thousand Five Hundred Dollars ($6,500.00) for school year 2015-2016. For each subsequent year, this amount shall increase or decrease by the same proportion as the base student cost under Section 37-151-7(1)(b) is increased or decreased. However, for eligible students who have a Section 504 Plan and are currently enrolled in a nonpublic school, the amount of ESA for such students shall be funded at the amount of the proportionate share of federal funds allowed under IDEA for the student's equitable participation in services provided by the local education agency (LEA) to nonpublic school students with disabilities, provided that an individual services plan or instructional services plan has been developed by the LEA in collaboration with the nonpublic school and the parent of the eligible child.

(2) Subject to appropriation, eligible students shall be approved for participation in the program as follows:

(a) Until participation in the program reaches fifty percent (50%) of the annual enrollment limits in subsection (1) of this section, students shall be approved on a first-come, first-served basis, with applications being reviewed on a rolling basis;

(b) After participation reaches fifty percent (50%) of the annual enrollment limits in subsection (1) of this section, the department shall set annual application deadlines for the remaining number of available ESAs and begin to maintain a waiting list of eligible students. If the number of eligible students who apply for the program exceeds the remaining number of ESAs available, the department shall fill the available spaces using a random selection process that gives preference to students with an active Individualized Education Program (IEP); and

(c) Participating students who remain eligible for the program are automatically approved for participation for the following year and are not subject to the random selection process.

(3) No funds for an ESA may be expended from the Mississippi Adequate Education Program, nor shall any school district be required to provide funding for an ESA.

SECTION 4. This act shall take effect and be in force from and after July 1, 2019.