[blindkid] Charter School

[Richard Holloway]

This is a complicated topic. It absolutely varies from state to state and perhaps district to district, and specific details seem hard to come by. I would not work from an assumption that a blind child will be a financial burden on a school. It appears that many charter schools are part of the county (or city, etc.) school system where they are created, and the therefore the same district's funding, the same physical equipment, and in some cases the very same personnel may be utilized for needed services.

I was fascinated to hear that, in our case, they thought they wouldn’t be able to serve our child as the only blind student in a particular charter school when she has been, in fact, the only blind student in each of two other (pubic) schools in the same system for a combined 7 years now. We will see how this works out for us, but clearly the rationalization that they can’t help because there are no other blind students in the school is absurd. It simply doesn’t work that way, and in our case, that approach isn’t just unethical, I’m fairly certain it is illegal.

From what we are reading with a charter school we have been researching here, it seems that some Charter Schools are actually their own LEA, while others remain part of a County School System (or similar LEA). This, apparently has a lot to do with the issue of a county continuing to pay and provide for the services our kids require.

A charter school may have very understandable concerns (Braille Needs, a TVI, O&M, etc.) which might be entirely covered without issue by the school system, so check before you back away over such concerns, if you think the charter school might be a good option for your child. 

Again, we are still researching this for our situation here, but we got some initial feedback which may have been inaccurate from the county, suggesting they “COULD NOT" pay for certain services and needs where I believe they may actually be legally REQUIRED to pay. Always check and be certain they are being accurate and honest. 

Remember that any time a parent just accepts what they are told by the School / LEA, and fails to make use of what they are legally entitled to, the system just got what it wanted, with only a simple "mis-statement" (be that statement  intentional or otherwise). Our kids are often better off in these situations when we double-check what the systems generally want to present as “fact”. 

“We don’t have to...” from the LEA, often means “We’d rather not.” 

From where I sit, “I’d rather my daughter not have to deal with blindness.” That doesn’t solve the problem from our end either, right. It isn’t simply about what is convenient for any of us. It is about treating all students fairly, ethically, and lawfully.

This is a helpful thread. I look forward to reading more of what others have experienced when researching charter school options in their own areas.



On Feb 17, 2014, at 8:53 PM, Erin Teply <eteply at cfl.rr.com> wrote: