SB5

Senate Bill 5 amends the Philanthropic Investment in Arkansas Kids Program Act and the Arkansas Children's Educational Freedom Account Program to adjust eligibility and funding for students with disabilities. It adds students identified under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act as eligible 'qualified students' for scholarship programs. The bill removes the requirement that first-time scholarship recipients must not have been enrolled in a private school in the previous year for students with disabilities. Additionally, it standardizes the scholarship funding amount for students transitioning from the Succeed Scholarship Program to the Arkansas Children's Educational Freedom Account Program to be 100% of the prior year's statewide foundation funding amount per student. The legislation ensures this funding level remains in place until the student graduates, receives a certificate of completion, or faces an account closure event. An emergency clause is included to make these changes effective immediately to assist families and the Department of Education for the 2023-2024 school year.