Florida Senate - 2018                                     SB 564
       
       
        
       By Senator Young
       
       
       
       
       
       18-00553-18                                            2018564__
    1                        A bill to be entitled                      
    2         An act relating to the John M. McKay Scholarships for
    3         Students with Disabilities Program; amending s.
    4         1002.39, F.S.; providing that parents seeking an
    5         individual education plan reevaluation may request a
    6         specified meeting and evaluation from the school
    7         district; specifying that a school district may change
    8         a student’s matrix of services as a result of an
    9         individual education plan reevaluation; providing an
   10         effective date.
   11          
   12  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
   13  
   14         Section 1. Paragraphs (a) and (b) of subsection (5) of
   15  section 1002.39, Florida Statutes, are amended to read:
   16         1002.39 The John M. McKay Scholarships for Students with
   17  Disabilities Program.—There is established a program that is
   18  separate and distinct from the Opportunity Scholarship Program
   19  and is named the John M. McKay Scholarships for Students with
   20  Disabilities Program.
   21         (5) SCHOOL DISTRICT OBLIGATIONS; PARENTAL OPTIONS.—
   22         (a)1. By April 1 of each year and within 10 days after an
   23  individual education plan meeting or a 504 accommodation plan is
   24  issued under s. 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, a school
   25  district shall notify the parent of the student of all options
   26  available pursuant to this section, inform the parent of the
   27  availability of the department’s telephone hotline and Internet
   28  website for additional information on John M. McKay
   29  Scholarships, and offer that student’s parent an opportunity to
   30  enroll the student in another public school in the district.
   31         2. A parent who seeks a reevaluation of an existing
   32  individual education plan may request an individual education
   33  plan meeting and evaluation from the school district to obtain
   34  or revise a matrix of services.
   35         3.2. The parent is not required to accept the offer of
   36  enrolling in another public school in lieu of requesting a John
   37  M. McKay Scholarship to a private school. However, if the parent
   38  chooses the public school option, the student may continue
   39  attending a public school chosen by the parent until the student
   40  graduates from high school.
   41         4.3. If the parent chooses a public school consistent with
   42  the district school board’s choice plan under s. 1002.31, the
   43  school district shall provide transportation to the public
   44  school selected by the parent. The parent is responsible to
   45  provide transportation to a public school chosen that is not
   46  consistent with the district school board’s choice plan under s.
   47  1002.31.
   48         (b)1. For a student with disabilities who does not have a
   49  matrix of services under s. 1011.62(1)(e), the school district
   50  must complete a matrix that assigns the student to one of the
   51  levels of service as they existed prior to the 2000-2001 school
   52  year.
   53         2.a. Within 10 school days after it receives notification
   54  of a parent’s request for a John M. McKay Scholarship, a school
   55  district must notify the student’s parent if the matrix of
   56  services has not been completed and inform the parent that the
   57  district is required to complete the matrix within 30 days after
   58  receiving notice of the parent’s request for a John M. McKay
   59  Scholarship. This notice should include the required completion
   60  date for the matrix.
   61         b. The school district must complete the matrix of services
   62  for any student who is participating in the John M. McKay
   63  Scholarships for Students with Disabilities Program and must
   64  notify the department of the student’s matrix level within 30
   65  days after receiving notification of a request to participate in
   66  the scholarship program. The school district must provide the
   67  student’s parent with the student’s matrix level within 10
   68  school days after its completion.
   69         c. The department shall notify the private school of the
   70  amount of the scholarship within 10 days after receiving the
   71  school district’s notification of the student’s matrix level.
   72         d. A school district may change a matrix of services only
   73  if the change is the result of an individual education plan
   74  reevaluation or is necessary to correct a technical,
   75  typographical, or calculation error.
   76         Section 2. This act shall take effect July 1, 2018.