The first deadline is quickly approaching for special education students and their families seeking financial aid to move from a public school to a private one. The special-needs scholarship program has been in place for Georgia students since 2007, enabling those who meet certain criteria to move more easily between schools, whether they’re public or private. “Parents have public school choice options, which means they can request a school other than the one that their child is zoned to attend either within their district or out of their district,” said Carmen Hernandez-Freemire, program manager for the special-needs scholarship with the state Department of Education.