- private schools

[Guest guest]

,

There is a way to get the school to pay for the private school, but it

will take some work. Any school that cannot (or will not) provide an

appropriate education for a child can be made to pay for the child to

attend a private school. Believe it or not, some schools would rather

pay than make accommodations. As said, call protection and

advocacy in your state and indicate that your child's need are not being

accommodated, and that you have found a school and can and will, and you

need their help. Then call for an IEP. A parent can call for an IEP at

any time, and the school has only so many days to respond. Make your

request in writing (if you are concerned about their response, send it

certified). At the IEP, with P & A there, you need to state what it is

that the school is not providing, and what it is Caitlin needs in order

to receive an appropriate education. Indicate that you have found a

program that you believe would meet her needs. You might find at this

point that the school is very willing to provide the services you have

requested. If they are not, you can request a due process hearing. It

is at this hearing that you will bring in people from the private school

and ask the hearing officer to order the school to pay for her tuition.

The people from P & A can really give you a lot better advice than I can,

but that is the general outline of how it can go.

I realize more and more that it is not that the people in the schools

are unkind or not willing to do what they think is best, it is that all

their thinking is along the lines of what they have always done. They

have certain programs that they believe are of good quality (and they

generally are), and they expect all children to fit into those

programs. We see how much more could be done with some flexibility and

creativity, and this offends them. We get identified as " problem

parents " and a lot of ill well develops. It's really sad.

Tim Hartshorne, father of