Jon Peterson Scholarship and Homeschooling in Ohio: What Special Needs Families Must Know

If you're homeschooling a child with an IEP in Ohio, you may be eligible for a scholarship that covers between $9,585 and $32,445 in private therapies, intervention services, and behavioral counseling every year. Most families searching for information about the Jon Peterson Special Needs Scholarship don't realize it's available to home-educated students — and many don't know about a significant 2025 policy change that affects older students.

This post explains how the Jon Peterson scholarship works for homeschoolers, what it covers, how to access the funds, and what the age-18 cutoff means for families with severely disabled students.

What Is the Jon Peterson Special Needs Scholarship?

The Jon Peterson Special Needs (JPSN) Scholarship is an Ohio state scholarship program specifically for students with documented disabilities. It exists because Ohio law, while granting families the right to homeschool under any circumstances, does not entitle home-educated students to receive free special education services from their public school district. When a family withdraws from the public system, they leave behind the occupational therapists, speech pathologists, intervention specialists, and behavioral counselors that the district was providing under the IEP.

The JPSN scholarship is how Ohio partially bridges that gap.

Eligibility Requirements

To qualify for the Jon Peterson Special Needs Scholarship, the student must:

• Be between the ages of 5 and 21
• Have an active, finalized Individualized Education Program (IEP) issued by their local school district
• Apply through a participating business provider approved by the Ohio Department of Education and Workforce

The IEP requirement is important: it must be a current, finalized IEP from the local district. An IEP from a previous district that was never updated, or a 504 plan (which is an accommodation plan, not a special education plan), does not qualify. If your child has been homeschooled for several years without any district involvement, they likely do not have an active IEP on file — obtaining one requires re-engaging with the district's evaluation process.

How Much Is the Scholarship Worth?

The scholarship amount ranges from $9,585 to $32,445 annually, determined by the severity of the student's disability classification in their Evaluation Team Report (ETR). The ETR is the formal assessment document that underlies the IEP — it categorizes the student's disability according to state and federal definitions.

Students with more severe disability classifications receive higher scholarship amounts. The Ohio Department of Education and Workforce maintains the current scholarship tier amounts on its JPSN program page.

What Can the Funds Be Used For?

This is where the JPSN scholarship becomes genuinely valuable for homeschooling families. Parents can use JPSN voucher funds to pay for:

• Private speech-language therapy
• Occupational therapy
• Physical therapy
• Behavioral intervention (ABA therapy and similar approaches)
• Intervention specialist services
• Other approved specialized services related to the student's disability

The key operational requirement: to access these funds, the parent must formally enroll with a participating business provider. These are approved entities — typically therapy practices, educational service centers, or specialized schools — who can receive the state scholarship payments and deliver the services to the student. The parent remains the primary educator; the business provider is the conduit for the scholarship funds and the delivery mechanism for the specific services.

You cannot simply hire a private therapist of your choice and submit for reimbursement. The provider must be approved and enrolled in the program.

The Autism Scholarship: A Related Option

Ohio also offers a separate Autism Scholarship program for students with a diagnosed autism spectrum disorder. Like the JPSN, it requires an IEP and provides funding for services through approved providers. Families with a child on the autism spectrum should investigate both the Jon Peterson and the Autism Scholarship to determine which applies to their situation — they have different eligibility criteria and funding structures.

A Critical 2025 Policy Change: The Age-18 Cutoff

This is essential information that many families do not discover until it is too late.

As of July 1, 2025, the Ohio Department of Education and Workforce issued a directive stating that home-educated students receiving the Jon Peterson Special Needs Scholarship or the Autism Scholarship will lose their funding following the academic year in which they turn 18.

The legal rationale: Ohio's compulsory education law applies through age 18. When a student turns 18, their legal status as a "home-educated student" under ORC §3321.042 terminates automatically — and with it, their eligibility for these scholarships.

Under federal law (IDEA), the right to special education services can extend to age 22. But Ohio's new policy means that severely disabled home-educated students lose state scholarship funding at 18, forcing a difficult choice: re-enroll in the public school district (or an approved private school) to retain therapeutic services until age 22, or lose access to those services.

For families of students who are approaching 18 and depend on JPSN or Autism Scholarship funding for essential therapies, this is an urgent planning issue. Families in this situation should be in direct contact with the Ohio Department of Education and Workforce and, ideally, an attorney or advocate familiar with Ohio special education law.

How This Intersects with the Withdrawal Process

Here is a critical nuance that surprises many families: there are no additional homeschooling regulations for students with special needs in Ohio. The standard Exemption Notification under ORC §3321.042 applies to every family equally — whether the child has an IEP, a 504 plan, a disability diagnosis, or no special designation at all. There is no supplemental form, no additional approval process, and no requirement to notify the district of the child's disability status when homeschooling.

However, applying for the Jon Peterson Scholarship after withdrawal requires the student to have an active, finalized IEP. If you withdraw your child and let the IEP lapse, you may disqualify them from the scholarship. Families who intend to use JPSN funding should apply for the scholarship before or concurrent with withdrawal, not after the IEP has expired.

The timing of withdrawal matters. Getting the Exemption Notification legally correct — filed within five days of withdrawal, sent via certified mail with a return receipt — is the foundation of everything else. The Ohio Legal Withdrawal Blueprint covers the exact process, including how the notification requirement works for families who are also navigating special education transitions.

What to Do If You're Considering Withdrawing a Child with an IEP

1. Do not let the IEP lapse before you understand your options. The IEP is your scholarship eligibility document.

2. Contact the Ohio Department of Education and Workforce about current JPSN scholarship availability, approved providers in your area, and the application timeline.

3. Identify participating business providers before you finalize your withdrawal. Provider availability varies by region.

4. Understand the age-18 cliff if your student is 15 or older. Plan accordingly.

5. File your Exemption Notification correctly — the legal foundation cannot be an afterthought.

The Jon Peterson scholarship does not change Ohio's fundamental homeschool framework. It is a funding mechanism layered on top of an already accessible system. But for families whose children need ongoing therapeutic services, understanding and accessing it can mean the difference between sustainable homeschooling and an untenable financial burden.

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