Georgia Special Scholarship (SB10/SB47)
Under a state law passed by the Georgia State Legislature, parents of students who receive special education services may request to transfer their child to another public or private school in Georgia provided that their child has an Individualized Education Plan (IEP) or a Section 504 Plan and has been enrolled for a full academic year in a Georgia public school.
Parents who are interested in transferring their child to a private school in Georgia may be able to take advantage of a Georgia Special Scholarship. These scholarships provide funding that can be used to offset tuition costs at participating private schools in the state of Georgia. In order to be eligible to receive the scholarship, a student must be in attendance at an authorized private school for the Fall. There are no exceptions to this deadline. For more information on the Georgia Special Scholarship and the application process, please visit the Georgia Department of Education's website.
Parents may request a transfer to a school in another school district if there is available space and the system/school has the program with the services in the student’s existing individualized education plan (IEP) or a Section 504 Plan. However, the school district must agree to accept the student. If the parent chooses this option and the school district accepts the child, then the parent shall be responsible for transportation to a school in that district. If you are interested in your child attending a school in another system, please contact that system directly.
A parent may also request a transfer to one of the state schools for the deaf and/or blind operated by the State Board of Education. Acceptance into a state school will depend on whether the setting is appropriate for the student’s needs. If the parent chooses this option, then the parent shall be responsible for transportation to the state school. The Georgia Department of Education can be contacted for more information about transferring to a State School.
A parent can request for their child to transfer to another public school within their school district as long as there is available space at that school and the school has a program with the services that are in the student’s existing individualized education plan (IEP) or a Section 504 Plan. In addition, the specific program within the school must also have available space. If the parent chooses this option, then the parent shall be responsible for transportation. Parents who wish to consider this option must submit a request to the Gwinnett County Department of Special Education by the deadline.
Click here for eligibility criteria for the Georgia Special Needs Scholarship (GSNS) within the GCPS' Handbook Information for Students and Families.
Please click on the following links to access the request forms and informational letters: