Another program championed by FSCF is the John M. McKay Scholarships for Students with Disabilities Program, commonly known as McKay Scholarships, which provides broader choices for parents with special needs children.

The program is named in honor of former Florida Senate President John M. McKay, who crafted the legislation that created this innovative program for special needs students. It began as a pilot program in 1999 and expanded statewide the following year. This nationally modeled program allows parent-directed educational choices for their special needs children.

Parents whose disabled child has an active individual educational plan can choose any public school if space is available, or may attend an approved private school. The student also must have been enrolled and reported for funding by a Florida school district the prior school year or be a military family transferring from another state. The program provided $134-million in scholarships during the 2008-09 school year in amounts that averaged $7,206 and varied depending on the disability.

The program has experienced tremendous growth, expanding from 970 students in 2000-01 to 20,530 special needs children enrolled in 888 private schools throughout the state. In 2008-09, 69 percent of the students on the McKay Program were male and 42 percent were eligible for the Federal Lunch Program. African-American students received 309 percent of the scholarships, 20 percent were Hispanic and 47 percent were Caucasian. Some 35 percent of the students were diagnosed with a specific learning-disabled (SLD) and 4 percent were autistic.

FSCF collaborates and partners with various organizations that advocate for children with disabilities. We advocate for protection and defense of parental-directed educational choices for families with students with disabilities. One of our strongest partners is the Coalition of McKay Scholarship Schools, a statewide organization of McKay participating private schools.

FSCF believes that students with disabilities deserve equal opportunities for the highest quality education that best meets their specific needs. The McKay Scholarship program provides that chance for Florida’s most deserving students.

For more information about the McKay Scholarship Program, click here