House Bill 712, Special Education Scholarships for Children with Disabilities, passed the North Carolina House by a vote of 87-26. The Senate passed the bill earlier in the week, 48-0. 

 

After the first semester of implementation, changes were necessary to make the program easier to understand and implement, according to a statement from Rep. Skip Stam (R-Wake).

 

Among the changes is a provision to allow parents to be reimbursed for the following items as long as they provided the required documentation:

 

(1)   Tuition - the student must be enrolled in a non-public school for 75 days of the semester

 

(2)   Special Education - the student must receive special education for 75 days of the semester

 

(3)   Related Services - the student must receive special education for at least 75 days of the semester

 

(4)   Educational Technology - the student must use the educational technology for 75 days of the semester

 

Scholarship applications for the Spring of 2014 are open and applications for the 2014-15 school year opened on May 1, 2014.