Growth of voucher and ESA (education savings account) programs
has drawn attention to the ways states
ensure accountability and transparency
to the public and prospective parents.
With over half of voucher and ESA
programs specifically designed for
students with disabilities, there is
interest in the information parents
receive about special education
services and rights when enrolling in a
choice program. GAO was asked to
examine these topics in more depth.
The GAO found that almost all of the 27 private school choice program websites provide a directory
of participating schools and some provide guidance on selecting schools.
However, GAO estimates that no more than half of all schools participating in
any type of voucher program mention students with disabilities anywhere on their
websites, according to GAO’s review of a nationally generalizable sample of
websites of private schools in voucher programs. Further, GAO estimates that no
more than 53 percent of private schools in voucher programs designed for
students with disabilities provide disability-related information on their websites.
GAO found private school choice programs inconsistently provide information on
changes in rights and protections under the Individuals with Disabilities
Education Act (IDEA) when parents move a child with a disability from public to
private school. In 2001, the U.S. Department of Education (Education) strongly
encouraged states and school districts to notify parents of these changes, but
according to Education, IDEA does not provide it with statutory authority to
require this notification. According to GAO’s review of information provided by
private school choice programs, and as confirmed by program officials, in school
year 2016-17, 83 percent of students enrolled in a program designed specifically
for students with disabilities were in a program that provided either no
information about changes in IDEA rights or provided information that Education
confirmed contained inaccuracies about these changes. Officials from national
stakeholder groups, private choice programs, and Education told GAO that some
parents do not understand that certain key IDEA rights and protections—such as
discipline procedures and least restrictive environment requirements—change
when parents move their child from public to private school. Ensuring that quality
information is communicated consistently and accurately to parents can help
address potential misunderstanding about changes in federal special education
rights.
The GAO recommended that Congress should consider requiring
states to notify parents/guardians
about changes in federal special
education rights when a parent moves
a child from public to private school. In
addition, GAO recommends Education
review and correct inaccurate IDEA-related
information provided by states.
Given the current policy debate about school choice and its impact upon the rights of students with disabilities, this is an important study to review. You can read the one page summary here. You can review the entire 53 page report here.
