MS HB831

Expands the Mississippi Speech-Language Therapy Scholarship program to include students eligible for enrollment in kindergarten as eligible recipients, in addition to those who attended public school the previous year.

Allows parents or legal guardians to remove children with speech-language impairments from traditional public schools and enroll them in approved nonpublic schools specializing in speech-language therapy.

Requires the State Department of Education to notify school districts when parents request scholarships, which must be submitted within 30 days before the first scholarship payment date through written or electronic communication.

Defines speech-language impairment according to IDEA standards, including articulation disorders, fluency disorders, voice disorders, receptive language disorders, and expressive language disorders.

Takes effect July 1, 2014.