Making education more accessible to the masses, helping students to crack the codes to higher education, and opening doors of endless opportunities for them, scholarships allow students to achieve their goals no matter the circumstances they come from. It gets provided by the McKay scholarship. Through this scholarship, the parents are given a chance to choose if they want to send their child to a private school or a public school that may even be out of their zone. Mackay Scholarship Florida
Likewise, initialized in 1999, the Mackay Scholarship gets provided to the differently-abled students in Florida enabling those students to have a better future and creating an environment of equality within the state.
Eligibility Requirements For Mackay Scholarship Florida
The scholarship is awarded to the parent of a child with disabilities such as any health impairments, mental or emotional disabilities, or any other type of learning disability along with an Individual Education Plan, though there are some general requirements to be met.
- The prior academic year is spent at a Florida Public School by the student, OR
- THE student was a part of the Florida School for deaf and blind, OR
- The student was given in for foster care, AND
- The parent notified the school district through an electronic record two months before the first scholarship payment, AND
- Admission of the student to any eligible private school is confirmed.
How Much Is The Florida McKay Scholarship?
The amount of the scholarship provided is based on the student’s Individual Education Plan (IEP) or the 504-accommodation plan. According to the given services of the district, a matrix number is generated to regulate the student’s funding level which is set yearly by the State Government.
Generally, the amount of the scholarship starts from $5,500 and goes up to $22,000 per year. However, this amount may or may not cover the entire tuition expenses for the child’s studies and the surplus amount needs to be paid by the parents themselves.
There are certain terms and conditions which, if violated or endorsed, may result in losing the eligibility of the scholarship to the child.
- The parent does not validate the payment of scholarship to the relevant school for deposit into the bank account of the associated school,
- The student is enrolled in any public school,
- Florida Tax Credit Scholarship is being granted to the student,
- The student is involved in homeschooling, private tutoring, or virtual learning program,
- The student is enrolled in Florida School for Deaf and Blind.
Application Process
Students who are willing to apply for McKay Scholarship, after checking the eligibility criteria, should fill out the Military Waiver Request Form and send a copy of their Permanent Change of Station Orders to the Florida Department of Education (FDE). The student’s IEP or 504 plan should be sent to the district McKay office of the country in which the student will be staying.
Choosing An Associated Private School
Not all the private schools in Florida participate in the McKay Scholarship Program, hence the students must choose from the selective schools for their studies. Moreover, the non-public schools are not managed or supervised by the Florida Department for Education; thus, only restricted information on the curriculum, services, or programs offered is available in these private schools. Therefore, the students are required to search for a school that meets their requirements.
How Long Does The McKay Scholarship Last
A student who is already enrolled in an associated private school does not need a new intent to continue in the program and is re-enrolled by the school itself at the beginning of the academic year. However, the scholarship ends instantly if any of these conditions are fulfilled,
- The student is sent back to a public school,
- Student completes the high school,
- The student reaches the age of 22.
The McKay Transition To Family Empowerment Scholarship Program
Getting operative from July 1, 2022, the McKay scholarship will be a part of the Family Empowerment Program (FES) under the Unique Abilities Category, in light of the House bill passed in May 2021. According to this law, Family Empowerment Program will now have two sections, one based on the income-based Family Empowerment Scholarship for Educational Options and the other based on the Family empowerment Scholarship for students with Unique Abilities.
The funds provided under these acts can be used for purposes such as tuition fees, distant learning programs, private tutoring, higher education expenses, and other approved customized learning facilities and notes.
Conclusion
In a nutshell, scholarships such as McKay help students and parents of different and challenged backgrounds to enjoy opportunities like the privileged members of society. The payment for the scholarship is divided into four installments throughout the academic year, generally in September, November, February, and April. Money is transferred through an individual warrant that needs to be paid to the student’s parent and communicated to the associated private school for deposit into the private school’s account.
