On February 14, 2020, ISBE issued notice that it will no longer provide reimbursement for students placed at non-approved special education facilities, even if the placement is ordered by a hearing officer. In a brief memorandum to Illinois special education due process hearing officers and state directors of special education, ISBE announced the change, which is effective immediately. This change will have important impacts on Illinois public schools.
In Illinois, districts can receive reimbursement from the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) for students placed at “approved” private day and residential schools. To be approved, the private school must meet the eligibility standards set out in Part 401 of the Illinois Administrative Code. These requirements were amended in March 2018, and the stricter rules meant that many residential schools that had previously been approved no longer were. Many districts found it difficult to place students in appropriate and approved residential placements given the decrease in availability.
We had great participation in our IAASE session last week on this topic, with the audience voting electronically to weigh in on their anticipated outcomes of cases. If you missed it, here are our main takeaways.
We all know that out-of-state residential placements are a big deal in special education, because we work in schools every day and support these challenging decisions made by school personnel. Now, the issue is garnering attention outside of the schoolhouse. A recent