ATLANTA (AP) - The Georgia Senate approved a bill Tuesday that expands a state program that pays for special education students to attend private schools, capping lengthy and heated debate.
The measure passed 33-22 and heads to the state House of Representatives for consideration.
The measure would require Georgia's scholarship program to grant money not only to students who have individualized education plans, as state law now says, but also to students with accommodation plans under section 504 of the federal Rehabilitation Act. Students with 504 plans may be performing on grade level but need some kind of help.
Among the conditions that would qualify a child for the expanded assistance are attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, autism spectrum disorder, dyslexia and bipolar disorder.
"All this bill does is make an existing program work for families and ensure all kids with special needs have access to the very program designed to help them," said state Sen. Renee Unterman, R-Buford, one of the bill's sponsors.
Opponents say the bill is an attack on the state's public schools. Georgia reported that nearly 200,000 students used special education services last year, or about 11% of all students statewide. Just under 5,000 students used the current special needs scholarship program, with the state spending $33 million, or an average of $6,293 per student.
The program's recipients are heavily concentrated in metro Atlanta. Dozens of counties in south Georgia have no recipients.
"The program in this bill is ripe for abuse and sets up a system where wealthy families in metro Atlanta can get a private school education at the expense of rural and working class Georgians," said state Sen. Elena Parent, D-Atlanta.
State Sen. Nan Orrock, D-Atlanta, said lawmakers were creating a "funnel to funnel off public education dollars over into the private schools."
State Sen. P.K. Martin, R-Lawrenceville responded that the state has not experienced a "mass exodus" of students from the public school system with the existing scholarship program.
"Almost every student will be better served in the public schools and they are going to make that decision to stay in the public school system because it's best for their family," he said.
But he added, "There are instances where it's just not the perfect place for that student."