Are you considering sending your child with special needs to a private school? Many differences exist when it comes to sending your special needs child to private schools.
While public schools are required to offer special needs education, private schools aren’t. Public schools provide special needs students IEPs, whereas private schools may offer students Service Plans. But what is the difference between the two?
What Are IEPs?
When it comes to IEP, it is an Individualized Education Program offered by public schools for children with special needs. It offers students a way to get access to free appropriate public education.
It comprises everything that the school must have to ensure that a special needs child receives the support they need to get an education. Public schools create an effective special education classroom using specific measurements. All of these measurements are provided to the students without any cost.
More than that, you will find that the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) is the law that is supposed to be followed by public schools when it comes to providing special needs support for children. But who is qualified to receive these services? Let’s have a look.
- The child has one of the 13 disabilities mentioned in the IDEA
- The child requires special needs education to benefit from and get access to the regular curriculum
There are plenty of ways that schools can improve the learning opportunities for special needs students. For instance, the use of EdTech has proven to be quite helpful for such students. The IEPs are revised almost once a year to make sure it meets the requirements of your child.
What Are Service Plans?
On the other hand, we have Service Plans. These are paid plans by the local school district for private school-going children with disabilities. It is what the Local Education Agency (LEA) helps special needs children with.
Certain sections pertain to this from the IDEA as opposed to following all of the regulations. To meet the eligibility criteria, the child must have the following characteristics.
- The child is enrolled in the private school by the parents
- They have one of the 13 disabilities mentioned in the IDEA
- The child requires special needs education to benefit from and get access to the regular curriculum
Concluding Thoughts
Project-based learning is common when it comes to the content of the Service Plans. There are also apps and tools for Service Plans that are used to make it much more effective for the children.
You will find that each of the services offers children different learning. Public school is more easily accessible for children as it has an in-built structure for special needs students. However, your decision is made purely based on your child’s needs.
