The Local Education Agency (LEA) in which the student’s private school is located is responsible for child find, child count, consultation, and provision of equitable services for parentally-placed private school students with disabilities.
In Missouri, a “parentally-placed private school student” refers to a student enrolled by their parents in a non-profit private school, homeschool, or religious/parochial school that meets the definition of an elementary or secondary school.
This applies regardless of where the student resides, as long as the private school or homeschool is located within CPS boundaries.
This does not apply to students placed in private schools by a public agency.
As required under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), Columbia Public Schools (CPS) consults with local private school representatives and representatives of parents of parentally-placed private school children with disabilities.
Consultation occurs before CPS makes decisions about the services that will be available and is an ongoing process throughout the school year, as needed.
Consultation includes discussion of child find, proportionate share funding, special education and related services to be provided, how and where services will be provided, how services will be provided if funds are insufficient, and how CPS will communicate decisions if there is disagreement.
After consultation, CPS makes the final decisions regarding the services to be provided to eligible parentally-placed private school students.
Columbia Public Schools is responsible for locating, identifying, and evaluating children with suspected disabilities within the district’s boundaries, including those enrolled by their parents in private, parochial/religious, or homeschool settings located within the district’s boundaries.
Columbia Public Schools Child Find activities include child find notices on the school district website; airing notices on radio or television; posted notices in school buildings and CPS administrative offices; and providing written information to parents of students enrolled in CPS.
Proportionate share is the amount of federal IDEA Part B funds CPS must reserve and spend to provide equitable services to eligible parentally-placed private, parochial/religious, and homeschooled students with disabilities.
The proportionate share calculation is based on the number of eligible parentally-placed private school students with disabilities attending private, parochial/religious, or homeschool settings located within CPS boundaries and included in the annual December 1 child count.
Each year, CPS uses the proportionate share calculation and required consultation process to determine what services will be made available to parentally-placed private school students.
Under IDEA, If CPS does not spend its required proportionate share of these funds in the current year, the district has an additional one-year carryover period to obligate and spend these funds.
Parentally-placed private, parochial, and homeschooled students with disabilities do not have an individual right to receive all of the special education and related services they would receive if enrolled in public school with an IEP.
Instead, eligible parentally-placed private school students may participate in the equitable services CPS has determined will be made available through consultation and based on the proportionate share funds available.
CPS makes the final decisions regarding the services to be provided to eligible parentally-placed private school students.
Special education and related services provided to parentally-placed private school students with disabilities:
must be provided by personnel meeting the same standards as personnel providing services in CPS;
may be a different amount of services than children with disabilities in public school receive; and
must be described in a Services Plan developed through a meeting that CPS must initiate and conduct.
Services are provided only to the extent they have been made available through the consultation process and proportionate share funding and are documented in the student’s Services Plan.
If CPS and private school officials cannot come to an agreement over provision of services, CPS will provide a written explanation of the reasons for its decision.
Because parentally-placed private, parochial, and homeschooled students do not have an individual right to IDEA services, due process hearing procedures are not applicable except for issues directly related to child find and evaluation.
Concerns about other parentally-placed private school requirements, such as consultation, proportionate share, Services Plan procedures, or equitable services requirements, may be addressed through the state complaint process.
Upon receiving written parental consent to evaluate, CPS has 60 days to complete the evaluation, convene a meeting to consider the evaluation results, and make an eligibility determination based on state criteria. Writtenparental consent is required to proceed with special education services.
A reevaluation must occur at least once every three years, unless the parent and the public agency agree that a reevaluation is unnecessary. A formal reevaluation or if agreed upon, a waiver of the evaluation, will be completed in consultation with the parent.
Parents may request an evaluation by contacting the special education department chair at the school the student would attend if enrolled in public school with CPS or by contacting the Special Services department at the CPS Aslin Administration Building. When a parent does this, a referral form requesting CPS consider a special education evaluation is completed by CPS staff and a copy of Procedural Safeguards is provided to the parent (within 5 school days).
When making the referral, parents will also be asked to provide demographic information for the purposes of partial enrollment. This step allows us to enter the student in our system for record keeping purposes. This request does not delay the referral process.
Note: If a student is found eligible, parents will be required to all normal enrollment documents (proof of residence, birth certificate, immunization, etc.) before the student can be fully enrolled in public school with an IEP or begin receiving services through a services plan
Upon receiving the request for an evaluation, CPS special education staff will begin gathering information on the student’s background and functioning and determine within 30 days if there is reason to suspect a disability and need for evaluation based on state guidelines and criteria.
If a disability is not suspected, CPS special education staff will communicate the decision with parents and provide them with documentation of the decision.
If a disability is suspected, the parents and private school (if applicable) will be contacted to review the existing data gathered and discuss a plan for the student’s evaluation. Written parental consent for the initial evaluation is required to proceed.
