responsibility itself, contract with another public agency or make other arrangements. The Act does not permit parentally-placed private school children to be excluded from child find activities. Question B-3: What is the purpose of child find for parentally-placed private school children? Answer: The child find process for such children must be designed to ensure the equitable participation of parentally-placed private school children with disabilities and must ensure an accurate count of these children. Question B-4: What specific child count information must the LEA maintain and report to the SEA? Answer: The LEA must maintain in its records and provide to the SEA the number of parentally- placed private school children evaluated, the number of parentally-placed private school children determined to be children with disabilities under Part B of the Act, and the number of children provided equitable services. Question B-5: Why is it important to identify the number of parentally-placed private school children with disabilities located in the LEA where the private school is located? Answer: An accurate count of the number of eligible private school children with disabilities enrolled by their parents in private schools located in the LEA is needed to calculate the proportionate share of Part B funds that the LEA must expend annually for services for parentally- placed private school children with disabilities. Question B-6: Must the child find activities and the evaluation procedures for parentally- placed private school children be similar to the child find activities and evaluation procedures for children enrolled in public schools? Answer: Yes. The child find activities carried out by LEAs for parentally-placed private school children must be similar to activities undertaken for child find for children in public schools. Activities for child find must be completed in a time period comparable to those activities for public school students. This means that LEAs may not delay conducting child find, including individual evaluations, for parentally-placed private school children until after child find for public school children is conducted. In addition, evaluations of all children suspected of having disabilities under Part B of the Act, regardless of whether they are enrolled by their parents in private elementary schools or secondary schools, must be conducted in accordance with the requirements in Section 614(a) of the Act, which describes the procedures for evaluations and reevaluations for all children with disabilities. Question B-7: Can amounts expended for child find, including individual evaluations, be deducted from the required amount of funds to be expended on services for parentally- placed private school children with disabilities? Answer: No. There is a distinction under the Act between the obligation to conduct child find activities, including individual evaluations, for parentally-placed private school children with disabilities, and the obligation to use an amount of funds equal to a proportionate amount of the
Chapter 19 - Private Schools and Services, Desert/Mountain SELPA
Page 4
As of 11/25/2009
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