Office of Independent Education & Parental Choice
McKay Scholarship Transition-to-Work Program
In spring 2016, the legislature passed HB 837, related to education programs for individuals with disabilities. Among the programs created by the bill is a transition-to-work program for McKay Scholarship students which consists of academic instruction, work skills training and a volunteer or paid work experience. The bill allows participating private schools to partner with one or more area businesses to develop their own transition-to-work program plan for students who are at least 17 years old and have not yet graduated or received a certificate of completion.
For each student in the program, a private school must:
- Provide a minimum of 15 instructional hours per week at the school's physical facility to include academic instruction and work skills training
- Arrange for the student to participate in a minimum of 10 hours per week at the student's volunteer or paid work experience
- Assign a case manager or job coach to visit the student's job site at least weekly to observe the student and offer support and guidance
- Maintain accurate attendance and performance records for the student
- Provide to the parent and student a quarterly report documenting his or her performance and progress in the program
In addition, to offer such a program to McKay Scholarship students in your school, you must develop an overall transition-to-work program plan and submit it to your regional manager. After reviewing your plan, your school's fee schedule options will be amended to include a Transition to Work category.
The plan must include:
- A description of the academic instruction and work skills training students will receive. Along with the description, address points 1 and 2 above.
- A description of goals for students in the program. This section should also address points 3, 4, and 5 above.
Businesses that partner with private schools in the transition to work program must maintain records on student participation and performance and provide the records to the private school, and also must comply with all state and federal child labor laws. Private schools must provide a release of liability form to be signed by the student, parent, and the business offering the work experience, and must develop a personalized transition-to-work plan for each student to be signed by the student, parent, and school principal. Students' personalized plans must be provided to our office upon request.