Mississippi § 37-173-5 - Option to remove child from traditional school and enroll in public or nonpublic school that meets standards for unique learning needs of students with dyslexia; scholarship eligibility requirements.

§ 37-173-5. Option to remove child from traditional school and enroll in public or nonpublic school that meets standards for unique learning needs of students with dyslexia; scholarship eligibility requirements.

Parents or legal guardians may exercise the option to remove their child from a traditional public school setting to be enrolled in a public or nonpublic school which meets the standards for appropriate specific instruction designed to meet the unique learning needs of young dyslexic students. The objectives of such school shall be: To emphasize the importance of early intervention; and To provide intensive high-quality instruction of students in reading, spelling, writing, language arts, phonological awareness and fluency training, but shall not preclude instruction in mathematics, social studies, science, art, music and physical education based on the curriculum requirements of the State Department of Education. The parent or legal guardian of a public school student with dyslexia may request and receive from the state a Mississippi Dyslexia Therapy Scholarship for the child to enroll in and attend a nonpublic school in accordance with this section if: The student has spent the previous school year in attendance at a Mississippi public school or any other state approved nonpublic school in the state that emphasizes instruction in dyslexia intervention; or The parent or legal guardian has obtained acceptance for admission of the student to a nonpublic school that is eligible for the program under Section 37-173-19 and has requested from the department a scholarship within thirty (30) days before the date of the first scholarship payment. The request must be through a communication directly to the department in a manner that creates a written or electronic record of the request and the date of receipt of the request. The Department of Education must notify the district of the parent’s or legal guardian’s intent upon receipt of the parent’s or legal guardian’s request.