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All Articles 10/16/06 Special Education Services to Students with
Disabilities The Broward County School district has an obligation to parentally placed children attending private schools within the district. Private schools include secular and religious schools serving students in kindergarten through twelfth grade. Home schools are not considered private schools in Florida. Applicable state and federal laws can be found at: "Child Find" Evaluations and Reevaluations The school district, in cooperation with private schools, is required to locate and identify students whose parents suspect may have a disability. At no cost to the parents and with their consent, the school district will provide a comprehensive evaluation to determine if a child has a disability and may need special education or related services. The school district will also conduct reevaluations every three years for children in private schools already determined to have a disability. Special Education and Related Services Parentally placed students in private schools are not entitled to a free, appropriate public education as provided by an individual education plan (IEP). However, the school district must allocate a proportionate share of its federal funds for services to students with disabilities for services to private school children with disabilities. The "proportionate share" is based on the amount of federal funds received by the District, the total number of children with disabilities served by the District, and the number of eligible children with disabilities in private schools. Before determining how the funds will be spent, the District must consult with representatives of private schools and parents. The district will determine which children with disabilities to serve, what services to offer, how, where, and who will provide the services. Services may be changed or discontinued based on the availability of funds during the year. Transportation, if desired by parents and needed to bring the child to a service location, will be provided with certain limitations. Services Plan The district will develop a Service Plan (SP) for each eligible parentally placed private school child it has determined to be eligible to receive services. Not all parentally placed private school children will receive a Service Plan. The Service Plan will be developed at a meeting that will include representatives of the school district, the parent, and a representative of the private school. The district may use teleconferencing to conduct the meeting. The Service Plan will include, as appropriate, information about the student’s present level of performance in the service area, the impact of the disability on education, annual goal(s). The Service Plan will describe the type, frequency, and duration of special education services to be provided. If services are provided directly to the child, the service plan will also include related services needed by the child to benefit from the services. The Service Plan will describe how parents will be informed of progress. A Service Plan will not extend past the last day of student attendance in the school district for the current school year. Complaints Parents have specific rights and procedural safeguards relating to the obligation of the school district for Child Find activities. The school district will provide parents with information about these rights and procedures. Private schools with complaints about the school district’s consultation and and determination of services and parents complaints about Service Plans should contact the Florida Department of Education. |