2014 North Carolina General Statutes
Chapter 115C - Elementary and Secondary Education.
Article 9 - Education of Children With Disabilities.
§ 115C-112.6 - 6. Scholarships.

115C-112.6. Scholarships.

(a) Scholarship Applications. - The Authority shall make available no later than May 1 annually applications to eligible students for the award of scholarships. Information about scholarships and the application process shall be made available on the Authority's Web site. The Authority shall give priority in awarding scholarships to eligible students who received a scholarship during the previous semester. Except as otherwise provided by the Authority for prior scholarship recipients, scholarships shall be awarded to eligible students in the order in which the applications are received.

(a1) Web Site Availability. - Information about scholarships and the application process shall be made available on the Authority's Web site. The Authority shall also include information on the Web site notifying parents that federal regulations adopted under IDEA provide that no parentally placed private school child with a disability has an individual right to receive some or all of the special education and related services that the child would receive if enrolled in a public school.

(b) Scholarship Awards. - Scholarships awarded to eligible students shall be for amounts of not more than three thousand dollars ($3,000) per semester per eligible student. Eligible students awarded scholarships may not be enrolled in a public school to which that student has been assigned as provided in G.S. 115C-366. Scholarships shall be awarded only for the reimbursement of tuition, special education, related services, and educational technology, as provided in subsection (b1) of this section. The Authority shall notify parents in writing of their eligibility to receive scholarships for costs that will be incurred during the spring semester of the following year by December 1 and for costs incurred during the fall semester of that year by July 1.

(b1) Scholarship Reimbursements. - Scholarship reimbursement shall be provided as follows:

(1) Preapproval process. - Prior to the start of each school semester, the parent of an eligible student may submit documentation of the tuition, special education, related services, or educational technology the parent anticipates incurring costs on in that semester for preapproval by the Authority.

(2) Reimbursement submissions. - Following the conclusion of each school semester, the parent of an eligible student shall submit to the Authority any receipts or other documentation approved by the Authority to demonstrate the costs incurred during the semester. In addition, parents shall provide documentation of the following to seek reimbursement:

a. Tuition reimbursement. - Parents may only receive reimbursement for tuition if the parent provides documentation that the student was enrolled in nonpublic school or public school for which payment of tuition is required for no less than 75 days of the semester for which the parent seeks reimbursement. Tuition reimbursement shall not be provided for home schooled students.

b. Special education reimbursement. - Parents may only receive reimbursement for special education if the parent provides documentation that the student received special education for no less than 75 days of the semester for which the parent seeks reimbursement. Special education reimbursement shall not be provided for special education instruction provided to a home schooled student by a member of the household of a home school, as defined in G.S. 115C-563(a).

c. Related services reimbursement. - Parents may only receive reimbursement for related services if the parent provides documentation that the student also received special education for no less than 75 days of the semester for which the parent seeks reimbursement for the related services. Related services reimbursement shall not be provided for related services provided to a home schooled student by a member of the household of a home school, as defined in G.S. 115C-563(a).

d. Educational technology reimbursement. - Parents may only receive reimbursement for educational technology if the parent provides documentation that the student used the educational technology for no less than 75 days of the semester for which the parent seeks reimbursement.

(3) Scholarship award. - The Authority shall award a scholarship in the amount of costs demonstrated by the parent up to the maximum amount. If the costs incurred by the parent do not meet the maximum amount, the Authority shall use the remainder of those funds for the award of scholarships to eligible students for the following semester. The Authority shall award scholarships to the parents of eligible students at least semiannually.

(c) Student Reevaluation. - After an eligible student's initial receipt of a scholarship, the Authority shall ensure that the student is reevaluated at least every three years by the local educational agency in order to verify that the student continues to be a child with a disability.

(d) Rule Making. - The Authority shall establish rules and regulations for the administration and awarding of scholarships. The Authority shall annually develop a list of educational technology for which scholarships may be used and shall provide scholarship recipients with information about the list.

(e) Public Records Exception. - Scholarship applications and personally identifiable information related to eligible students receiving scholarships shall not be a public record under Chapter 132 of the General Statutes. For the purposes of this section, personally identifiable information means any information directly related to a student or members of a student's household, including the name, birthdate, address, Social Security number, telephone number, e-mail address, financial information, or any other information or identification number that would provide information about a specific student or members of a specific student's household. (2013-364, s. 4; 2014-49, ss. 3, 4.)