Panel approves SSO statute changes to give schools flexibility for students with disabilities

Representative Ballard presented House Bill 1220 (LC 492606), saying the bill "seeks to make improvements to Georgia student scholarship organization statute by granting schools additional flexibility to better remove barriers for students with documented disabilities." The proposal would allow schools discretion to waive certain attendance requirements for students with IEPs or 504 plans, explicitly include specific diagnoses (dyslexia, autism spectrum disorder, speech/language delays, hearing loss, other intellectual and developmental disabilities), and exclude designated-disabled students from the SSO program cap without requiring schools to increase scholarship amounts.

Committee members asked whether students could receive multiple scholarships. Legislative counsel answered that scholarships are mutually exclusive: "You cannot get both." Claire Suggs and other education stakeholders recommended that participating schools report the special education services they provide so parents can make informed enrollment decisions; the sponsor agreed to consider aligning reporting requirements as the bill moves forward.

Representative Ballard asked for the committee's favorable consideration; members moved the bill, discussed a friendly off‑line amendment to align reporting between programs, and the committee passed HB 1220 by voice vote.

The bill will advance for additional legislative consideration.