It depends. The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA 2004) – the special education law – does not apply to individuals placed in private schools by their parents. Private schools are not covered under IDEA 2004.

If a public school places a child in a private school with an Individualized Education Program (IEP) – a part of the IDEA program, then the public school is responsible for ensuring that the private school implements the child’s IEP. Children attending public schools are entitled to a free appropriate education and an IEP funded by the federal government. Private schools do not receive funding and are not required to provide a free appropriate education or an IEP. They are not required to provide any special education services to children with disabilities.

However, private schools are bound by Section 504 – the civil rights law. Section 504 prohibits discrimination against individuals with disabilities and ensures that the child with a disability has equal access to an education and is not discriminated against for reasons related to his/her disability. Private schools are only responsible for providing modifications, accommodations, and access to educational opportunities (such as a ramp for a child in a wheelchair). Public schools have few responsibilities for children with disabilities enrolled in private schools by their parents.

It is the responsibility of public school districts to identify and evaluate all children who may have disabilities under IDEA’s Child Find mandate. If you have a student in a private school who is struggling academically and has not been evaluated, read what IDEA says about Child Find. http://www.wrightslaw.com/info/child.find.index.htm#sthash.PbV6gYdD.dpuf

“Child Find is a major component of IDEA that requires states to identify, locate, and evaluate all children with disabilities ages three to 21 needing early intervention or special education services. Child Find involves a continuous process of public awareness activities, screenings, and evaluations in order to locate, identify, and refer children as early as possible.”

The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act – 2004, or IDEA, states very clearly that students enrolled in private schools and identified with disabilities through Child Find may receive publicly funded special education services. It also states that students enrolled in private institutions by their parents do not have the same legal rights to special education services and may not receive as many services as the students enrolled in public school. Public school offerings differ from state to state and county to county, but IDEA does not.

Each year, public school districts designate some monies from the state and federal governments to fund special education students attending private schools. Public school districts will meet with the administrators of private schools in their LEA (local education area) to discuss the services they will/can provide. Funds vary from year to year, but the amount is usually insufficient to provide a substantial number of services.

According to IDEA, the public school district in your LEA must provide the following for students attending non-public schools. The public school district must:

Once an evaluation is complete and the ISP written, it is up to the public school administrators to decide which services they will/can provide. Should the district decide to provide services to the private school student, the district cannot use the private school’s personnel to provide the services. Public school personnel must provide services at a public facility.

IDEA regulations regarding special education services for students attending private school are too extensive to cover in this article. The links provided within, and following the end of this article, will take you to parent-friendly sites with discussions, explanations, and “translations” of IDEA regulations regarding public special education services to students placed in private school by their parents.

If your child is attending a private school and you, or your child’s teacher, suspect he/she may need screening for special education services, consult your school’s principal. He/she will know the procedures in contacting the public school personnel in charge of Child Find.

The following articles will give you a better understanding of how students placed in private school by their parents may receive public school special education services.

The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act: Provisions Related to Children with Disabilities Enrolled by Their Parents in Private Schools (PDF) https://www2.ed.gov/admins/lead/speced/privateschools/idea.pdf

Children Enrolled by Their Parents in Private Schools http://idea.ed.gov/explore/view/p/%2Croot%2Cdynamic%2CTopicalBrief%2C5%2C

Questions and Answers on Serving Children with Disabilities Placed by Their Parents at Private Schools (April 2011) http://idea.ed.gov/explore/view/p/,root,dynamic,QaCorner,1,