Private and Home School Students

Pursuant to IDEA Regulations at 34 C.F.R. §300.131, school districts must identify, locate, and evaluate all unilaterally placed private school children, including children who are unilaterally placed in a home-school program in the geographic area served by the district. If a unilaterally placed child is determined eligible as a child with a disability, the district is responsible for providing equitable services. This can be accomplished through one of the following:

• The student is enrolled in a district in order to receive special education and related services.

• The student remains in the unilateral placement and receives equitable services determined by a proportionate share through a “services plan” which may provide a limited amount of special education and related services as determined by the district.

The district has an obligation under 34 C.F.R. §300.131 and 300.303 (b), to conduct a reevaluation while the student is attending a private or homeschool.

If a student with a disability who previously attended a private/home school returns to the school district, the district is obligated to convene an IEP meeting and develop an appropriate IEP for that child. If a re-evaluation was not conducted while the child attended a private or home school, the district must conduct a re-evaluation upon re-enrollment in public school. As with any re-evaluation, depending on the child’s functioning, this may not require the administration of tests or other formal measures. However, the IEP team must thoroughly review all relevant data when determining each child’s evaluation needs (OSEP Letter to Goldman, 2009).

Students who are in private school or home school settings are served via a Service Plan. This only applies to students who attend private schools or are home schooled within our district. Students who live in Clarksville but are attending schools outside of our county would receive services from the school district in that county. 

The district contact for private school or home school special education services is Dr. Carolyn Kennedy. She can be reached at carolyn.kennedy@cmcss.net.

Parents interested in the Individualized Education Account (IEA) Program may contact Tavis Massey. She can be reached at tavis.massey@cmcss.net or (931) 542-5068. Additional information is available here: https://www.tn.gov/education/iea.html.