IEA Information for Parents & Students

Thank you for your interest in participating in the Tennessee Department of Education’s (department) Individualized Education Account (IEA) Program. The IEA Program supports families by providing scholarships for eligible students to attend a participating non-public school or to participate in home schooling. The IEA law is written with specific requirements; unless a student is new to Tennessee or entering a K-12 school for the first time and eligible for kindergarten, the student must have been enrolled in a Tennessee public school for the entire school year previous to the one in which they will receive the IEA. Once a student is enrolled in the IEA Program, however, the student cannot be enrolled in a public school. IEA funds can be used for approved expenses such as tuition/fees/textbooks at a participating non-public school, tutoring services, educational therapies, home school curricula, computer hardware or technological devices pre-approved by the department, approved online programs, and more.

The decision to enroll a student in the IEA Program should be made with careful consideration. The list below includes some key responsibilities of parents and students participating in the IEA Program (referred to as 'account holders'). This is not a comprehensive list of all responsibilities; please read the IEA Account Holder Handbook for a complete overview of the responsibilities and requirements for participating students and account holders. By signing the IEA Account Holder Contract, account holders agree to the following:

  • Notification requirements to the local education agency (LEA) (school districts)
  • Notification requirements to the Tennessee Department of Education
  • Educational responsibilities
  • Assessment responsibilities
  • Funding responsibilities and accountability
  • Renewal of the IEA (if desired)
  • Fraud reporting

The IEA team recommends visiting the IEA "Resources" page and reviewing the “Top Four Considerations Before Applying for the IEA Program” document, taking the brief “Is My Child Eligible” quiz, and reading the “Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)”.

For information regarding New Student Applications and IEA Renewal Student Applications please visit the IEA Parents & Students “Application & Renewal” page.

Student eligibility requirements are set by state law, Tenn. Code Ann. 49-10-14 et al. and State Board of Education Rule 0520-01-11. The department cannot make exceptions regarding student eligibility requirements. A student is eligible to receive an IEA if they meet all of the following criteria:

1. is a Tennessee resident; and

2. will be in grades K-12 at the time of enrollment in the IEA Program; and

3. has an active individualized education program (IEP) 1 through a Tennessee public school district in effect at the time of request for participation in the program; (If you have questions about your child's IEP status, please directly contact the public school district in which your student is enrolled.); and

4. has one of the following disabilities in the active IEP as the primary or secondary disability at the time of request for participation in the program2:

  • autism;
  • deaf-blindness;
  • developmental delay;
  • hearing impairments;
  • intellectual disability;
  • multiple disabilities3;
  • orthopedic impairments;
  • specific learning disabilities;
  • traumatic brain injury;
  • visual impairments; and

5. meets at least one of the following requirements:

  • was previously enrolled in and attended a Tennessee public school for the one full school year immediately preceding the school year in which the student receives an IEA;
  • has not previously attended a K-12 school in Tennessee, but is currently eligible to enroll in a kindergarten4 program in a Tennessee public school;
  • has not previously attended a school in Tennessee for the one full school year immediately preceding the school year in which the student receives an IEA, and moved to Tennessee5 less than one year prior to the date of enrollment in the IEA Program; or
  • received an IEA in the previous year.

1For a student's Individualized Education Program (IEP) to be considered both active and implemented, the IEP must be:

  • from a public school,
  • listed as active in the statewide IEP Management platform at the time of application, and
  • implemented by the public school where the student actively receives the services outlined in the IEP.

Although a non-public program may provide services to a student similar to a public school’s IEP, the IEA law only recognizes the IEP for IEA eligibility. Similarly, Individualized Family Service Plans (IFSP), Individual Learning Plans (ILP), Individualized Program Plans (IPP), Individualized Service Plans (ISP), and 504 plans are not the same as an IEP and do not meet the requirements set in state law for eligibility for the IEA Program. In accordance with 34 C.F.R § 300 et seq., § 49-10-102, and regulations of the State Board of Education (SBE).

2The State Board of Education (SBE) has approved the disability definitions and standards rules of the SBE Chapter 0520-01-09.

3Multiple disabilities is a specific disability category. The words ‘multiple disabilities’ must be listed on the IEP as either the primary or secondary disability for the student to be eligible.

4 If a student has an active IEP prior to enrolling in kindergarten (e.g., in pre-K) and the IEP is active and being implemented at the time of request for participation in the IEA Program, the student will be eligible to receive an IEA without having to attend a Tennessee public school; however, the student may have to be enrolled in a public school (e.g., pre-K) to keep the IEP active through the IEA New Student Application window. For more information about IEPs, parents should directly contact their school district.

5 If the student has an out-of-state IEP that would have been active and implemented on April 15 in one of the 10 qualifying disabilities and they moved to Tennessee less than one year before enrolling in the program, the student will be eligible to receive an IEA without having to attend a Tennessee public school.

As long as the account is in good-standing, a student who enrolls in the IEA Program will remain eligible until the participating student:

  1. returns to a public school,
  2. moves out of Tennessee,
  3. graduates from high school (including passing the GED or HiSET), or
  4. reaches twenty-two (22) years of age by Aug. 15 for the next school year, whichever occurs first.

A participating student is no longer eligible to remain in the IEA Program or receive IEA funding after the student reaches twenty-two (22) years of age. Please review the scenarios below if you have a student twenty-one (21) or 22 years of age.

  • My student is 21 now and will turn 22 on or before August 15, 2024.

➢ The 2023-2024 contract year is their last year in the program.

  • My student is 21 now and will turn 22 on or after August 16, 2024.

➢ This student can enroll in the program next year (2025-26).

➢ This student can stay in the program through the end of the 2024-25 contract year.

  • My student is 22 now.

➢ The 2023-2024 contract year is their last year in the program.

➢ This student can stay in the program through the end of the 2023-24 contract year.

After reaching 22 years of age or graduating with a regular diploma from high school, unused funds in an IEA can be used for the next four (4) consecutive years if the student attends or takes courses from an eligible post-secondary institution. To use IEA funds in post-secondary, the account holder would need to complete a timely IEA renewal application. The student will be enrolled in the IEA Program and use existing funds toward qualifying expenses but will not receive any new funds. See Chapter 5 of the IEA Account Holder Handbook for more information on post-secondary coursework and approved expenses.

For complete information on withdrawal from the IEA Program, see Chapter 8 of the IEA Account Holder Handbook.