TIMELY INFORMATION
Available in PDF Format for Printing
July 2007
To: |
Parents of Parentally Placed Students with Disabilities in Elementary
and Secondary Nonpublic Schools |
From: |
James P. DeLorenzo  |
Subject: |
Important New Information Affecting How Your Child Will Receive Special
Education Services |
I am writing
to inform you of new federal and State requirements regarding special education
services for parentally placed nonpublic school children. These changes
are the result of changes to the federal Individuals with Disabilities Education
Act (IDEA), which now requires all states to ensure that the school district
where the nonpublic school is located will now be responsible for special education
services for your child, including individual evaluations, Committee on Special
Education (CSE) meetings and development of an individualized education services
program (IESP). An IESP must be developed in the same manner and with
the same contents as an Individualized Education Program (IEP). It is
called an IESP to distinguish it from the IEP that would be developed if you
were to reenroll your child in the public school district where you live.
The following information
is important for you to know:
- If you place your child in a nonpublic school and wish your child to
receive special education services while enrolled in that school, you
must request those services in writing no later than June 1 before the
school year in which services are to be provided. This year you have until August
18, 2007 to provide this written request to the school district where
the nonpublic school is located. If you had requested
services from the school district where you reside, with your consent,
your written request to the school district will be forwarded to the
school district where the nonpublic school is located.
- If you have placed your child in a nonpublic school and, while the
child is enrolled in that school, you suspect that your child has a disability
and you wish to have your child evaluated to determine if special education
services are needed, you must contact the school district where the nonpublic
school is located to request an evaluation to determine your child's
eligibility for special education services.
- The school district where you reside and the school district where
the nonpublic school is located must have your written consent in order
for the districts to share special education information (such as your
child's IEP) with one another.
- If the nonpublic school where you place your child is located within
the geographic boundaries of your public school district, that same school
district will continue to provide requested special education services
to your child, pursuant to an IESP.
- If your child had an IEP developed at an annual review meeting prior
to June 30, 2007 by the CSE of the school district where you reside,
with your written consent, the IEP will be shared with the district where
the nonpublic school is located. That IEP will become the IESP, unless
the school district where the nonpublic school is located develops a
new IESP for your child.
- If the nonpublic school where you place your child is located within
the geographic boundaries of another public school district, the public
school district in which the nonpublic school is located will arrange
for and provide the recommended services for your child. The school
district must consult with nonpublic school representatives and parent
representatives about how and where special education services will be
provided.
- If you are a resident of New York State and the nonpublic school where
you place your child is located in another state, your child may not
be entitled to any or all of the IEP services he/she might have received
if enrolled in a public school. In this case you must contact the school district
in the other State where the school is located and they must determine your
child’s eligibility for services and develop a Service Plan which
will indicate the services to which you are entitled.
-
If you are a resident of another state and your child
attends a non-public school in New York State, your child is not entitled
to all of the IEP services he/she might have received if you were a New
York State resident. Services
to out-of-State students will be provided pursuant to a Services Plan
developed by the school district where the school is located based on
a proportionate share of available federal funds for such purpose.
-
Transportation requests to and from your child's home to the nonpublic
school should continue to be submitted to the school district where you
legally reside by April 1 of the school year before transportation is to
be provided.
-
If you have a dispute regarding special education evaluations or services
provided for your child, you should pursue resolution of these disputes
with the school district that conducted the evaluation or developed the
IESP (district where the nonpublic school is located).
If you
have any questions regarding these new requirements, please contact the appropriate
Special Education Quality Assurance Office at:
Eastern Regional Office
NYS Education Department
VESID Special Education Quality Assurance
Room 1619 One Commerce Plaza
Albany, New York 12234
(518) 486-6366
Western Regional Office
NYS Education Department
VESID Special Education Quality Assurance
2A Richmond Avenue
Batavia, New York 14020
(585) 344-2002
Hudson Valley Regional Office
Albany Site
NYS Education Department
VESID Special Education Quality Assurance
Room 1619 One Commerce Plaza
Albany, New York 12234
(518) 473-1185
Yorktown Heights Site
NYS Education Department
VESID Special Education Quality Assurance
1950 Edgewater Street
Yorktown Heights, New York 10598
(914) 245-0010
Long Island Regional Office
NYS Education Department
VESID Special Education Quality Assurance
The Kellum Educational Center
887 Kellum Street
Lindenhurst, New York 11757
(631) 884-8530
New York City Regional Office
NYS Education Department
VESID Special Education Quality Assurance
55 Hanson Place, Room 545
Brooklyn, New York 11217
(718) 722-4544
Central Regional Office
NYS Education Department
VESID Special Education Quality Assurance
State Office Building
333 East Washington Street, Suite 527
Syracuse, New York 13202
(315) 428-3287