Families living in wealthy neighborhoods are filing more claims for private school reimbursement than those living elsewhere in the nation’s largest school district and they’re often doing so before trying public school.
New York City’s Department of Education spent $116 million last year sending special education students to private schools, in some cases forking over $90,000 or more per student.
In many cases, parents secured funding after suing the school district alleging that it could not provide an appropriate education for their child internally. About half of claims come from families of children who have not first tried public school.
With more claims coming from parents living in affluent neighborhoods, school officials suggest that suing is simply a way for parents who would likely choose private school regardless to have the public pay instead.
Advocates who work on behalf of families, however, say they represent children coming from a variety of economic backgrounds in efforts to gain private school reimbursement. What’s more, they insist that federal education law requires free and appropriate schooling to be provided to all students whether or not their families have the means to independently pay for it, reports The Wall Street Journal. To read more click here.
I urge you to read the full article – and the comments – before coming to any conclusion based on the above. The situation is not rich parents getting DOE to pay for Canterbury Prep – it’s DoE shluffing off their obligation to FAPE – and reflects the fact that parents with $$$ can initiate costly reimbursement efforts (how can any non-Rockefeller afford to lay out $5000+ in retainers, plus carry the expenses inherent in parenting a spec-need child?) Consider, also, current practice on covering legal costs in these cases. A cavil: do these numbers include residential placements? ‘Cause that’s where the numbers are REALLY loaded. While I think people should get what they need, I also would like to see a bit more responsibility from the upper income levels: get rid of the tax breaks & dodges!