US SUPREME COURT-- On Monday, the US Supreme Court ruled parents of special education students can seek government reimbursement for private school tuition. In the 6-to-3 ruling, Justice John Paul Stevens who wrote the majority opinion said, “We conclude that IDEA authorizes reimbursement for the cost of private special education services when a school district fails to provide a FAPE (blog author note: free and appropriate education) and the private school placement is appropriate, regardless of whether the child previously received special education or related services through the public school.”
Increasingly, families turn to costly private schools specializing in serving students with emotional or learning disabilities when their children are unable to obtain services in the public school system or are ineligible for public school services. In the US, approximately 90,000 special needs students attend private schools.
SOURCES:
Court Affirms Reimbursement for Special Education
http://www.usnews.com/blogs/on-education/2009/06/24/court-ruling-helps-special-needs-students.html
Court Ruling Helps Special-Needs Students
http://www.usnews.com/blogs/on-education/2009/06/24/court-ruling-helps-special-needs-students.html
31 comments:
This is really a victory for parents of special needs students to be reimbursed for private school tuition. This should have happened long ago. Students with special needs in public schools seem to get pushed through the system. The teachers just seem to babysit instead of accommodating. They sometimes do not even get a education. In a private setting there is more structure and catering to their individual needs. The parents can monitor their success through their mentors, getting assurance they are getting the appropriate education. This action in the Supreme court is really refreshing in the steps taken to help ones with special needs. Rebecca Griffith
This is really good! It's about time students with disablities get good education. This gain will be excellent for the parents of disabled students who find it difficult sometimes to provide a good education for thier child. Kudos to everyone involved to het this to pass. E.G.
I commend the Supreme Court for favoring students with disabilites in respects to reimbursement for tuition. All parents that have children with disabilities should be able to provide the best learning opportunity for their children without having to worry about financial strain. Also, the parents of the children could use that money for other materials or things their child may need either in the home or school environment. I would have been better if this had happened a long time ago, but I am delighted in the progress!
Amy G.
Finally Good News!!!
I believe this is great becasue it was done for the best of children who need special education. I think not all public schools have the best education for children with disabilities. When I shadowed a special ed teacher some time before, all she basically did was babysitting.
Gabriela L.
I am so grateful for the parents and the children with disabilities.
The cost of private tutors that a lot of parents provide for their children with special needs are very high. These parents are adding the extra help needed for their children. The level of attention and education received in several public schools is not good.Finally they are receiving economic support to provide their children with private education. My believe is that this is going to be very beneficial for them, and for society in general.
Mary Carmen T.
I think that it is a really good thing that parents of children with special needs have other alternatives. I think that if they find that the public school is not providing their child with the adequate education seeking other alternatives such as private schools that can provide them maybe with a more one on one attention is a great thing. I think that children with special needs deserve every opportunity possible for a great education!
Anabel Ponce
REHS 6300
It is great that the Supreme Court decided to reimburse parents or students with special needs for private school tuition. This will provide a better learning experience for students with disabilities. School staff will be able to better assist and accommodate students with disabilities in a private school settig. Public schools tend to put students with disabilities in a mainstream class setting which are not properly accommodating and students are left behind to either sink or swim. Financial strain will no longer be a burden on the parents shoulders and they can rest asure that their child will aquire a proper education.
I think this is a great opportunity for many parents who have children with special needs. They can now choose whether they want their children to go through public or private schools. I have always been in favor of private schooling because they tend to structure the education on an individual basis, in most cases. I was in private school up until about the 5th grade, however, I don't recall there being any special education students in my classrooms. If this law had passed back in the day, maybe I would have seen some students of special education in my private school. It’s about time a law like this is passed.
Gary Garcia
REHS 6300
I think that this is long overdue for students with disabilities. I have experienced how frustrating it can be for a parent to obtain a quality education for their children with special needs. Sadly enough, some teachers may not focus as much on providing these services to children with special needs as they do to children without. I observed an incident where an Autistic child was punished for pushing another girl in class. The fact that he was Autistic was clearly ignored and teachers only focused on his punishment. This shows that not all teachers are specifically trained to handle those needs therefore services to children with special needs are useless. A private education is often what is needed in order to ensure that children with special needs will be afforded an equal education.
I feel this ruling will make school districts work harder to meet the needs of students with disabilities knowing that the parents will now have a choice between public school and private school. This comes about because there are many problems with special education programs around the country. School districts are overworked and scraping by to meet the law, but not working above and beyond to better the educational experience of students with special needs. I just hope this option is used wisely and that parents are not going to be coerced to move their children out of public school if that school is making progress in the education of that child. In addition, what monitoring of the private schools will be done? Who are they accountable to? Cindy V.
This is really great news! I think that parents should have the right to place their children in private schools, especially if they feel that public schools aren't doing their jobs. And why should it be any different for children with disabilities. This finally gives parents of children with disabilities the opportunity to provide their children with the best education possible.
It is only fair that parents of special education students be allowed to seek tuition reimbursement when free and appropriate education is not available through pulic schools in their district. EVERY child deserves a quality education and it's a shame that it has taken this long for a law like this to be approved,but the progress is most definitely welcomed and commended!
M.G.Garza
6300
As a previous special education teacher (6 years) and currently special education administrator I am actually caught whether this is a good or "bad" thing... glad that parents now have the option to have their children educated through private schools because for now most kids will get a more structured "small group instruction" through the private schools, but worry that the same thing will happen that did once related services, like speech and occupational therapy, were billable through medicaid. In and out of the school i have seen children miss out on the education they need by being pulled out for "30 minutes" therapy sessions, and sadly it takes a kid with special needs more time to get to and from the location for therapy than the actual therapy; and believe it or not i have even seen physical therapists walk around a campus and call that therapy (wow)... n e ways what i am trying to get across is that eventually you are ganna get the same thing as the school districts now... not enough "properly prepared" staff to provide students with the services they really need. There is a shortage of certified teachers in public schools, mind you to teach in a private school you do not have to have a college education and the pay is a lot less. Just some food for thought. I honestly think the state needs to revise the pressure placed on students with the TAKS testing and let teacher teach...
adriana correa
Wow! I think that this ruling is really going to help out the parents that have children with disabilities. Its about time that they get the same education that the other children who do not have disabilities. In a private setting they will get the attention that they they need.
Miguel Garza
I would like to comment on M.G. Garza's comment, I agreethat it's about time disabled student parents get reinburst for high quality education for there children. Now these children have a way of getting a good education not just babysat. E.G.
When I read this I was so excited to hear this unfortunetly here in the valley there are no private schools with special education. Private tution ranges from $4,254-$13,112 a yr. (Digest of Education Statistics 2007, National Center for Education Statistics.) As Rebecca stated this should have happened a long time ago. Unfortuntely students with disabilities,at least what I have seen in public school systems in the valley are not accomodating as they should be. I felt so bad walking into the room and a child was in the corner waiting to be taught or even talked to.(this is not the case in every school) As soon as they saw me they knew they were going to learn a new skill or a song about the presidents, states,and do puzzles to encourage motor function. I was so big on that, while some assistants would help for 20 minutes then would gather and disuss their own lives. Now I do have to say i have seen some teachers who are just amazing and encourage the students to learn, but i have also had experiences where I cant believe what I was seeing. I am very passionate when it comes to issues such as these and I am thrilled that something has been done.
gabby
I put that there are no private schools with special education programs in the valley. There are, but not all students with disabilities can be accomodated in certain schools.
gabby
I agree with Rebbeca that it is about time disabled students get a shot at good reliable education. I also think it's a great victory for parents of special need children. I also belive it should have been done a long time ago. Students with special needs have always been treated as 2nd class citizens not to recive a good education. I belive thet just babysit.E.G.
I think that students with special needs and their parents have received the short end of the stick for WAY too long, and it's about time something was done about it. I remember seeing children and adolescents with special needs in public schools that were there to "learn" to be in school and nothing more. There was no real sense of education being provided to them. I have been exposed to enough students from different school districts who are have special needs who seem to "just get by" and really have had no training and/or education. It’s sad to think that there have been so many people that have gone through public school special education programs who have not benefited from the services because sometimes the staff is mediocre or the funding just isn't there. Kudos to the parents of these children, for taking this issue seriously and now will watch their children receive the appropriate training and education they deserve!
Elizabeth C.P. (6300)
i consider this to be an incredible victory for parents of children with special needs. Education expenses for children with disabilities can be tremendous and if the Supreme Court can alleviate some of those expenses for families around the country than kudos to them. Great news!
Jeanette G.
I really agree with the rulings made. I think it is an excellent idea to re-emburse parents who have had to have their children attend private schools because public school is just not cutting it. Private schools can be extremely expensive and not everyone can afford to attend. Growing up, I attended public school and I can not remember a time where students who were had disabilities were treated appropriately. By this I mean that people with disabilities were not given the chance to learn anything that would be useful to them as adults. Just because someone cant afford an expensive education does not mean that they shouldnt have the same level of education. Also, with all the laws that have been passed within years, I am surprised that this type of ruling is just happening. Aissa S.
This is a good decision for parents and their children. It is never good for someone to feel penalized because their child has special needs. Every child deserves an excellent education, and if he is unable to receive it at a public school, well then he should be afforded one at a private school, thus being reimbursed - plain and simple.
Vanessa C. (6300)
This is great. Makes me feel like there is hope. I just read a blog on cutting funds and budgets that affect PWD and now I read this. It is so good to see that parents of students with special needs have this type of help of reimbursement for private school tuition. Parents want what is best for their child and private school may be the better way for their children's education. Supreme Court Justice was touched by God to take this action. Private schooling gives the children a wider structure of learning by focusing mainly on them rather than being pushed away or babysat like they are or could be in public school. So good to hear this!!!!
Idalia
I think that its good that parents with children who have disabilities are receiving the assistance/and reimbursement that they need. Sometimes I wonder why it took the government to do this.
-alina l. REHS 6300
This news is great to hear about children finally recieving the education that they deserve. Many families in the past have had to find other opitions of education for the goodness of thier child. Many of these families have probaly expierenced some sort of financial crisis. It is good to know that these issues are going to be resolved with the reimburstment to the parents.
This advancement is truly an account that the government is taking notice of the lack of services being provided to children with disabilities. Having worked in the educational system, I have seen the gaps in which children may fall. I think providing parents with the resources to give their children an opportunity to reach educational success is truly an accomplishment and one that will only launch more programs to follow in the same direction.
Maggie Ybarra
REHS 6300
This advancement is truly an account that the government is taking notice of the lack of services being provided to children with disabilities. Having worked in the educational system, I have seen the gaps in which children may fall. I think providing parents with the resources to give their children an opportunity to reach educational success is truly an accomplishment and one that will only launch more programs to follow in the same direction.
Maggie Ybarra
REHS 6300
YAY!!! There are not many times that I favor or agree totally with the Supreme Court. However, this is by far one of the best reasons to. IWD need to be able to have their voices heard without them needing to scream. I am glad that the Supreme Court is able to see that the rights of IWD is of upmost importance. It is imperative to not allow those rights to be trampled on or taken away.
I think that this is a great accomplishment. Parents can feel more confident about their children's education and students with disabilities are given the chance to obtain the necessary education based on their needs. I think that if a public school is not doing its job in providing the right education to PWD, then being able to chose a private school is a great advantage.
-Claraly Pena
REHS 6300
Thaat is a great outcome becasue in the school they really don't do much teaching only the basics and stop there. that is really sad becasue they can learn more. I done work for the special education clases before and I not at teacher for them but I think I did more then the teacher in the class room becasue I gave as much lesson that I could. Student with special needs need to have a teacher that will have the patients ad the ability to teach. It is important that they get the education that they deserve.
This is really exiting for people and parents with children with dissabilities. There are so many needs that sometimes public schools just do not have the means to provide children with the proper education. WIthout this ruling parents would be susceptable to putting thier children through a situation that would not be optimal for long term sucess. This is a great rulling and a victory for parents and children.
Eddie Reyes
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