Lexy: My child has autism and has been receiving special education services through our school district since pre-k. I was told at the end of her 5th grade school year ARD meeting that for 6th grade she will be going to the resource room for all of her core classes and that I should look into getting her on a waiting list for placement in a group home after high school. School said she had reached a plateau in being able to learn.
I enrolled her for 6th grade in a private school for students with learning differences in our school district and she has been attending school there ever since. She is now in 10th grade. She has excelled at this private school and has consistently been an A-B honor roll student, a school ambassador, and she competes in varsity sports.
We still attend annual ARD/Service Plan meetings through our school district and every year since she started attending the private school the ARD committee recommends that she continue attending the private school – it is the best placement for her. The school district doesn’t provide her with the services they say she needs according to their evaluation. School says it is already incorporated into what her private school provides to all students since it’s a school for students with learning differences – or – that they are sorry but they just don’t have the funding to provide it.
I have asked every year if the school district can assist in any way with the $20,000 annual tuition it costs me for her to attend the private school. The response is either a laugh and a no or that it not something they do.
She just started her 5th school year at the private school and after this year she still has 2 more to go. I feel like I am at the mercy of the school district and whatever they say goes.
If anyone can provide any information that could help us in any way please let me know.
Contact me. cnoe59@hotmail.com