§ 115C-562.2.  Scholarship grants.

(a) The Authority shall make available no later than February 1 annually applications to eligible students for the award of scholarship grants to attend any nonpublic school on a full- or part-time basis. Information about scholarship grants and the application process shall be made available on the Authority's Web site. Beginning March 15, the Authority shall begin awarding scholarship grants to students who have applied by March 1 in the following order:

(1) Eligible students who received a scholarship grant for the school year prior to the school year for which the students are applying.

(2) Eligible students qualifying for a scholarship grant in the amount provided under subdivision (1) of subsection (b2) of this section.

(3) Eligible students qualifying for a scholarship grant in the amount provided under subdivision (2) of subsection (b2) of this section.

(4) Eligible students qualifying for a scholarship grant in the amount provided under subdivision (3) of subsection (b2) of this section.

(5) All other students.

(b) Repealed by Session Laws 2023-134, s. 8A.6(c), effective July 1, 2023.

(b1) Repealed by Session Laws 2021-180, s. 8A.3(e), effective July 1, 2021.

(b2) Scholarship grants shall be awarded to eligible students as follows:

(1) For students residing in households with an income level not in excess of the amount required for the student to qualify for the federal free or reduced-price lunch program, per year per eligible student, an amount of up to one hundred percent (100%) of the average State per pupil allocation for average daily membership in the prior fiscal year.

(2) For students residing in households with an income level between the amount required for the student to qualify for the federal free or reduced-price lunch program and not in excess of two hundred percent (200%) of that amount, per year per eligible student, an amount of up to ninety percent (90%) of the average State per pupil allocation for average daily membership in the prior fiscal year.

(3) For students residing in households with an income level of between two hundred percent (200%) of the amount required for the student to qualify for the federal free or reduced-price lunch program and not in excess of four hundred fifty percent (450%) of that amount, per year per eligible student, an amount of up to sixty percent (60%) of the average State per pupil allocation for average daily membership in the prior fiscal year.

(4) For all students, per year per eligible student, an amount of up to forty-five percent (45%) of the average State per pupil allocation for average daily membership in the prior fiscal year, unless the student qualifies for a higher amount under this subsection.

(b3) Tuition and fees for a nonpublic school may include tuition and fees for books, transportation, equipment, or other items required by the nonpublic school.

(b4) No scholarship grant shall exceed, per year per eligible student, an amount equal to one hundred percent (100%) of the average State per pupil allocation for average daily membership in the prior fiscal year, and no scholarship grant shall exceed the required tuition and fees for the nonpublic school the eligible student will attend.

(b5) In addition to the amount of the scholarship grant, for any student receiving a scholarship grant in grades three, eight, or 11, the Authority shall provide to the nonpublic school an amount equal to the cost of the nationally standardized test required to be administered as provided in G.S. 115C-562.5.

(c) The Authority shall permit an eligible student receiving a scholarship grant to enroll in a different nonpublic school and remain eligible. An eligible student receiving a scholarship grant who transfers to another nonpublic school during the year may be eligible to receive a pro rata share of any unexpended portion of the scholarship grant for tuition and fees at the nonpublic school to which the student transfers.

(d) The Authority shall establish rules and regulations for the administration and awarding of scholarship grants and shall include a rule regarding the early admission of four-year-old children that establishes the same factors for eligibility as the rule adopted by the State Board of Education pursuant to G.S. 115C-364(d). The Authority may include in those rules a lottery process for selection of scholarship grant recipients within the criteria established by this section.

(e) Scholarship applications and personally identifiable information related to eligible students receiving scholarship grants shall not be a public record under Chapter 132 of the General Statutes. For the purposes of this section, personally identifiable information means any information directly related to a student or members of a student's household, including the name, birthdate, address, Social Security number, telephone number, e-mail address, financial information, or any other information or identification number that would provide information about a specific student or members of a specific student's household. (2013-360, s. 8.29(a); 2014-100, s. 8.25(a), (b); 2016-94, s. 11A.3(b), (e); 2018-145, s. 1(e); 2020-97, s. 3.3(a); 2021-180, s. 8A.3(d), (e); 2022-74, s. 8A.4(b); 2023-134, s. 8A.6(c).)