I got an email from the Massachusetts Board of Ed special services department and in it was this question and answer page on private school students getting special ed help. Just wondering if anyone has had experience with this and how I get the public school to use federal funds??
“What services is a public school district required to provide to eligible private school students?
Every eligible student enrolled in a private school has the right to have special education services offered that are responsive to that student’s individual needs and “comparable in quality and scope” to services provided to eligible students enrolled in a public school. Public school districts may meet the requirement of providing a comparable “opportunity to participate” by providing services in a flexible manner with qualified individuals. For instance, some services may be provided using federal funds and if so, those services may be provided on the grounds of the private school, making the services more easily accessible. If state and local funds are used, services may be provided only at a public school or neutral site. Public schools may be able to accommodate eligible private school students in special education instructional groups that are provided early or late in the school day and that, therefore, create fewer scheduling barriers for students who attend private schools.
What is the federal “proportionate share?”
Federal law also requires public school districts to spend an amount on special education and related services for private school students that is at least the same proportion of the public school district’s total federal funds as the number of private school students residing in the public school district is to the total number of eligible students residing in the public school district. This amount is commonly referred to as the “proportionate share.”
The proportionate share (PSHARE) for a public school district is calculated as follows:
(# of eligible private school students) % (# of ALL eligible students (public & private)) = __% X ($federal entitlement) = PSHARE
The public school district divides the number of eligible private school students by the total of all eligible students (public and private) to obtain a certain percentage value. This percentage value represents the proportion that eligible private school students represent relative to the total of all eligible students. Subsequently, when the public school district becomes aware of the amount of federal special education entitlement funds it will receive it must identify that same proportion of those funds as the “proportionate share” that must be spent on services for eligible private school students. An example follows.
order to meet its obligation under IDEA-97 during the 1999-2000 school year.”
http://www.doe.mass.edu/sped/2000docs/guidancexpnse.html , that is the link to the entire article.
Thanks K.
Re: Has anyone gotten public special ed help in a private sc
What services were you offered by the public school and where were the services to be delivered? In our town, several students in parocial school receive speech therapy (transported by the parents) at our public elementary school in Mass. The private schools in our area are known for high achievement, and I don’t think they would admit students with special needs.
Re: Has anyone gotten public special ed help in a private sc
Just ask the director of special education of the public school district in which you live.
We were offered the minimum that they could legally get away with, which was twenty 30 minute sessions when our child was in a private placement. I didn’t take it as it wasn’t worth it and it was disruptive. She did much better where I had her placed privately that what they could have provided. She was attending school at a specialized learning center and got 1 hour one on one every day besides being in a smaller class of 8 students.