Source: New York Times
Many private programs across the country offer Special Education vouchers for families with disabled children to join private institutions, and many families choose to partake and accept those vouchers.
However, in accepting those scholarships, families will lose their protection under the federal Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), the 1975 civil rights law. The rights they lose vary from program to program, including the right to have a state-certified or college-educated teacher; the right to have the same quality of special-education services as a public school, among other things. These rights are waived in several states across the nation once a family accepts the voucher.
“Some private schools end up with students they are not equipped to handle, sometimes asking them to leave,” which is not against the law, reported New York Times.
While many families are satisfied with the educational services their children receive, it is also the case that some families are not told that they will lose their IDEA rights, and are trapped in those programs, sometimes having to pay additional private school hidden fees of up to $23,000, leaving families feeling helpless or without additional resources.
Read full story at: New York Times