FILE - In this Feb. 4, 2015 file photo, Republican Gov. Bill Haslam speaks to reporters in an office suite at the state Capitol in Nashville, Tenn. Haslam is pivoting to another tough fight over what he describes as the ruined brand of Common Core education standards. (AP Photo/Erik Schelzig) Gov. Bill Haslam ceremonially signed the Individualized Education Act on Wednesday in Nashville, allowing the families of children with special needs additional educational options.
The bill was privately signed into law last month, making Tennessee the 23rd school choice state, and only the fourth state to have an education savings account (ESA) program for families of those with special needs.
ESA is a program that grants parents more flexibility to customize their child's learning experience by offering them more than $6,000 a year in Tennessee to pay for tutoring, therapy or alternative education.
"There is an education revolution sweeping the country and it has touched Tennessee- parents are hungry and anxious to take more control over their child's education, especially parents' whose children are trapped in schools that fail to meet their needs," said Tommy Schultz, Communications Director for the Tennessee Federation for Children, in a written statement. "...Tennessee has taken a positive step forward in offering parents and students access to quality educational options."