O.C.G.A. § 20-3-660 (2019)
Program of grants created; terms and conditions; applications; eligibility; duties of the Division of Family and Children Services; expenses and fees covered; report by the Education Coordinating Council
From funds appropriated by the General Assembly for such purpose, there is created a program of grants for the payment of postsecondary tuition, ancillary fees, and living expenses for Georgia foster children and adopted children. Such grants shall be subject to the following terms and conditions:
(1) Tuition, ancillary student fees, and the cost-of-living expenses for any undergraduate program of any Georgia public postsecondary institution, including all four-year and two-year colleges and universities and institutions of the Georgia Community and Technical College System, shall be paid for a Georgia foster or adopted child who is a full-time or part-time student if the student meets all entrance requirements and maintains academic eligibility while enrolled at the postsecondary institution and if:
(A) The student's family receives state funded adoption assistance under Code Section 49-5-8;
(B) The student is currently committed to the Division of Family and Children Services within the Department of Human Services under Code Section 15-11-212 and placed in a family foster home or is placed in accordance with subparagraph (a)(2)(C) of Code Section 15-11-212;
(C) The student is in an independent living program and the placement is funded by the Division of Family and Children Services; or
(D) The student who is an adopted child was in the permanent legal custody of and placed for adoption by the Division of Family and Children Services following the child's fourteenth birthday. A student who meets the eligibility criteria of this subparagraph and lives outside this state at the time of application to a Georgia postsecondary institution may apply for the grant as though he or she were still a resident of this state;
(2) The student shall:
(A) Obtain the application for the grant through the Division of Family and Children Services; and
(B) Complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid to determine the level of need and eligibility for state and federal financial aid programs. If the student's financial need for total cost of attendance, as defined in 20 U.S.C. Section 1087ll, exceeds the available funding from all sources, except loans and the work-study program under 42 U.S.C. Sections 2751-2756b, the foster care tuition grant shall be used to cover the excess assessed need for cost of attendance at the postsecondary institution;
(3) The student shall be eligible and remain eligible for the grant so long as:
(A) The student applies for entrance to the institution within three years of receipt of his or her high school diploma or general educational development (GED) diploma;
(B) The student maintains satisfactory academic progress as defined by the institution attended; and
(C) The student has not reached the age of 26;
(4) The Division of Family and Children Services shall:
(A) Advertise the availability of the program and ensure that the children and young adults leaving foster care, foster parents, and family services counselors are informed of the availability of the program and the application procedures;
(B) Provide grant applications to all students leaving foster care; and
(C) Report the number of students participating in the tuition grant program on October 1 of each year to the Office of Planning and Budget and the Office of the Child Advocate;
(5) Cost-of-living expenses and necessary fees shall be determined for this program by the institution in which the student enrolls. Cost-of-living may include but is not limited to room, board, books, fees, supplies, transportation fees, and a basic health care policy endorsed by the institution in which the student is enrolled;
(6) The Education Coordinating Council shall report nonidentifying data on graduation rates of students participating in the tuition grant program by November 30 each year to the Office of Planning and Budget and the Office of the Child Advocate; and
(7) Nothing in this Code section shall be construed to:
(A) Guarantee acceptance of or entrance into any postsecondary institution for a foster or adopted child;
(B) Limit the participation of a foster or adopted student in any other program of financial assistance for postsecondary education;
(C) Require any postsecondary institution to waive costs or fees relating to tuition, fees, room, and board;
(D) Restrict any postsecondary institution or the Division of Family and Children Services from accessing other sources of financial assistance, except loans, that may be available to a foster or adopted student; or
(E) Prevent the student from maintaining the grant if transferring to another public postsecondary institution in this state, provided that the student meets all of the requirements of the transferring and receiving institutions.
History
(Code 1981, § 20-3-660, enacted by Ga. L. 2005, p. 479, § 1/HB 272; Ga. L. 2009, p. 8, § 20/SB 46; Ga. L. 2009, p. 453, § 2-2/HB 228; Ga. L. 2013, p. 294, § 4-40/HB 242.)
Annotations
Code Commission notes. - Pursuant to Code Section 28-9-5, in 2005, "Division of Family and Children Services" was substituted for "Department of Family and Children Services" throughout this Code section.
Editor's notes. - Ga. L. 2013, p. 294, § 5-1/HB 242, not codified by the General Assembly, provides that: "This Act shall become effective on January 1, 2014, and shall apply to all offenses which occur and juvenile proceedings commenced on and after such date. Any offense occurring before January 1, 2014, shall be governed by the statute in effect at the time of such offense and shall be considered a prior adjudication for the purpose of imposing a disposition that provides for a different penalty for subsequent adjudications, of whatever class, pursuant to this Act. The enactment of this Act shall not affect any prosecutions for acts occurring before January 1, 2014, and shall not act as an abatement of any such prosecutions."
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CHAPTER 4 VOCATIONAL, TECHNICAL, AND ADULT EDUCATION
Article 1
Federal Aid.
20-4-1. Acceptance of federal act.
20-4-2. Duties of State Board of Education in obtaining matching state and local funds.
20-4-3. Custodian for federal funds; payment upon order of State Board of Education.
20-4-4. Employing teachers under federal act.
Article 2
Technical and Adult Education.
20-4-10. State Board of the Technical College System of Georgia established; members; officers.
20-4-11. Powers of board.
20-4-12. Expenses and mileage allowance.
20-4-13. Meetings.
20-4-14. Technical College System of Georgia established; powers and duties.
20-4-14.1. Transfer of public library functions and powers to the department; transfer of personnel and assets; retirement; funding of transferred programs; succession of rules and regulations [Repealed].
20-4-15. Establishment of adult literacy programs; eligibility; office of adult literacy.
20-4-16. Funding.
20-4-17. Agencies to receive federal funds; transfer of personnel to Department of Technical and Adult Education, now known as Technical College System of Georgia.
20-4-18. Management and control of adult literacy and postsecondary technical education programs and schools.
20-4-19. Conformity to board standards, policies, and procedures.
20-4-20. Authority of Board of Regents of University System of Georgia unabridged.
20-4-21. Tuition fees.
20-4-21.1. (Repealed effective June 30, 2021) Nonlapsing revenue of institutions under the Technical College System of Georgia.
20-4-22. Management and control of quick start program.
20-4-23. Retention of nonstate funds by postsecondary technical school converted to state management.
20-4-24. Use of personnel by local units of administration.
20-4-25. Membership in retirement system - Professional personnel employed on or after July 1, 1985, and nonprofessional personnel employed after July 1, 1987.
20-4-26. Membership in retirement system - Employees of schools formerly operated by local board of education or area postsecondary technical education board.
20-4-27. Service classification.
20-4-28. Compensation of employees of schools appointed after July 1, 1987, or when system assumes governance.
20-4-29. Salary and benefit plan of employees of schools formerly operated by local board of education or area postsecondary technical education board.
20-4-30. Compensation of classified employees electing to become unclassified.
20-4-31. Initial sick and annual leave.
20-4-32. Accrual of sick leave.
20-4-33. Days off with pay; accrual of annual leave.
20-4-34. Rights and benefits of former employees of State Board of Postsecondary Vocational Education.
20-4-35. Reduction in force policy.
20-4-36. Cooperation with study to identify problems in obtaining alternative formats for textbooks used by students with disabilities.
20-4-37. Office of College and Career Transitions; powers and duties.
20-4-38. Academic credit for military training and experience.
20-4-39. Power of campus police and security personnel employed by Technical College System of Georgia to make arrests.
Article 3
Industry Services Training Program.
20-4-40. Program for quick start training established.
20-4-41. Extent and nature of training to be offered.
20-4-42. Administration of program.
20-4-43. Agreements for local facilities and employees; contracts or agreements with private firms.
20-4-44. Qualifications of employees.
20-4-45. Equipment procurement and use.
20-4-46. Standards, rules, and regulations.
20-4-47. Acceptance of federal and private grants.
Article 4
Proprietary Schools.
20-4-60 through 20-4-79 [Repealed].
Article 5
Georgia Joint Defense Commission.
Part 1
GENERAL PROVISIONS.
20-4-120. Creation of Commission; membership.
20-4-121. Duties.
20-4-122. Administrative support.
Part 2
DEFENSE COMMUNITY ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT GRANT PROGRAM.
20-4-130. Definitions.
20-4-131. Administration of grant program; purpose.
20-4-132. Awarding of grants.
20-4-133. Grant application requirements.
20-4-134. Rules and regulations.
Administrative Rules and Regulations. - Secondary vocational education, Official Compilation of the Rules and Regulations of the State of Georgia, Georgia Department of Education, Chapter 160-4-3.
Vocational evaluation, Official Compilation of the Rules and Regulations of the State of Georgia, Georgia Department of Education, Chapter 160-4-10.
OPINIONS OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL
Students included in computation of "average daily attendance". - High school student who is assigned to a vocational education program operated by a county or independent school system remains in the common or public schools operated by the system and may therefore continue to be included in the county or independent system's computations of "average daily attendance" for purposes of its general allotment of teachers and other professional personnel. 1963-65 Op. Att'y Gen. p. 775.
RESEARCH REFERENCES
ALR. - What is common or public school within contemplation of constitutional or statutory provisions, 113 A.L.R. 697.
Tort liability of public schools and institutions of higher learning for accidents associated with chemistry experiments, shopwork, and manual or vocational training, 35 A.L.R.3d 758.
Liability of private vocational or trade school for fraud or misrepresentations inducing student to enroll or pay fees, 85 A.L.R.4th 1079.
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ARTICLE 1 FEDERAL AID
Cross references. - Implementation of vocational rehabilitation grants under Ga. Const. 1983, Art. III, Sec. VI, Para. II.