PARENTS > THE BIG PICTURE
Understanding You Have Options
Most students start in public schools and many school districts offer special education programs within the district. The NEARI School is a step beyond these programs, providing specialized care for students with significant social-emotional, behavioral and/or learning challenges. NEARI is a private day school meaning students commute to and from home each day, much like they would with an in-district public school. Beyond therapeutic day schools like NEARI, some students need round-the-clock care and find that residential options are a better fit.
There is a process for moving a student from public school to an out-of-district “approved Chapter 766 school” that’s regulated and licensed by the MA Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE). It starts with the identification of special education eligibility and an Individualized Education Plan (IEP), which occurs once a need for services is recognized (initiated by parent, school, or student) and it is agreed upon that the public school is unable to provide appropriate services. This “needs and services gap” is usually identified within a team meeting comprised of involved professionals working in the public school and the parents/legal guardians of the student.
Following the meeting or a series of meetings, the parents/legal guardians of the qualified student are provided with a referral from their school district to an out-of-district school. The district’s Special Education Director will, in most cases, provide referrals to schools that the team believes may meet the student’s needs. Parents/legal guardians are then encouraged to visit these schools, with or without the student, to decide which school best meets the student’s IEP goals and can best provide the IEP identified services. When visiting a school, parents/legal guardians should ask all the questions that occur to them, try to experience the culture and climate of the school, and feel free to ask to speak to other parents or professionals with a more intimate knowledge of each school.
Parents may gather information about out-of-district schools prior to having a referral, but unless a parent wants to pay a school’s tuition costs and provide transportation, enrollment requires a formal referral from the student’s sending school district. The team, including the parents/legal guardian, makes the final placement decision, although parents can reject the IEP if they do not approve of the team’s decision.
Given the complexity of the process, it’s not uncommon for parents to seek the aid of an advocate – someone who specializes in special education support. For a list of local advocates, you can contact one of the following:
The Federation for Children with Special Needs: www. fcsn.org
Friends of Children in Northampton, MA: www.friendsofchildreninc.org
Special Education Advocacy Network website: www.spanmass.org