Expert: Tim Runner - 7/10/2009

Question
I have a son with autism that we put in private school. How
can we get our school district to pay his tuition? I saw in
the newspaper something about to Supreme Court addressing
this.

Answer
Over the years I have represented a number of students requiring placements in non-public schools (NPS) and residential treatment centers (RTCs). I have enabled a significant number of parents to receive reimbursements for what they have paid. The recent Supreme Court Ruling does a good job of defining the circumstances in which school districts have to pay for these private placements. The parents still have to show that the student requires special education and that the school district failed to meet his or her unique needs. The law says that every special education student is to receive a F.A.P.E. (Free Appropriate Public Education). The student's advocate has to show that the student did not receive a F.A.P.E. and as a result, needed to be placed in a non-public school to meet his or her needs. In some cases, I also have to show that the student should have qualified for special education when they were not qualified by the school district.

Even with this ruling, I find that the parents usually have to file for a Due Process Hearing before they can be reimbursed for what they have paid to the NPS or RTC. I have been successful in getting reimbursements for my clients prior to this ruling, and I expect this ruling to enable more parents to be reimbursed in the future.

I wish you and your son the best,
Tim Runner, Education Advocate
Email: timrunner@cox.net
Phone: (949) 582-3601
You can learn more at my web site:
www.special-education-answers.com
www.education-advocates.com (for DSL and phone)