Parents report issues applying for Tennessee’s new school voucher program
State officials reported that more than 33,000 families applied on the first day that applications opened for the Education Freedom Scholarship.
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NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WSMV) – Update: The Tennessee Department has issued a statement following reported issues regarding applications for the new school voucher program.
“Due to enormous interest in the Education Freedom Scholarship Program, TDOE experienced a temporary issue with the email server yesterday that was resolved immediately. Every applicant who received an incorrect confirmation has received a correction email. In the process, no data or documents were compromised, and all personal information in the application portal is secure. Families will continue to receive confirmation in the normal course.
The rollout of the program was a stunning success with more than 33,000 applications received in the first day alone. Families experienced manageable wait times in the virtual queue and have shared positive feedback about the ease of application submission.
Families may log back into the application portal at any time to get a real-time status update.
We continue to encourage Tennessee families to apply at https://www.tn.gov/education/efs. Families may direct questions to efs.questions@tn.gov.”
Earlier: Some parents report problems with the new Education Freedom Scholarship (EFS) application process that rolled out in Tennessee on Thursday.
The Tennessee Department of Education reported more than 33,000 applications for the EFS within hours of its launch on Thursday, according to Governor Bill Lee.
But some Tennessee parents said the confirmation email they received from TDOE after submitting an application included an incorrect name for the student.
One parent, named Jennifer, reported receiving a confirmation message from the TDOE for a child named Jonathan. Jennifer does not have a son, she has two daughters.
Other parents reported the same issue, where the confirmation letter includes the correct parent’s name, but the student’s name in the letter is that of another child.
Efforts to reach the TDOE about the issue have, so far, been unsuccessful.
The program provides 20,000 scholarships for each school year, with half available to any student in the state, while the other half is reserved for families who qualify under a specific income formula. For example, a family of four would have to make less than $173,000 per year to qualify.
The EFS will provide eligible students with $7,295 to use toward tuition and fees. It has to be used at a registered Category I, II, or III non-public school in the state.
Both public school students and students who are currently enrolled in a private school can apply. Families can apply for more than one student, but will have to fill out a new application for each one.
The scholarship money must be used for tuition and fees, but anything left over can be used on other education expenses like textbooks, transportation, and tutoring.
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