Exemption for special-needs scholarship clears House

The Georgia House on Monday approved a measure that would lift the one-year requirement for students to qualify for a special-needs scholarship.

House Bill 181 would let families petition the state Department of Education for a waiver of the requirement that students spend a year in public school under a Individualized Education Program before qualifying for the scholarship that can be used at private schools.

The bill's sponsor, Rep. Rich Golick, R-Smyrna, said constituents with two sons with juvenile diabetes raised the issue with him because the parents were worried about their children’s safety in a public school.