Special Education Directors’ Experiences of the Process Special education directors reported that when parents initiated the out-of-district placement, the process was adversarial and consumed significant amounts of time and resources. Specifically, special education directors expressed significant frustration over a practice whereby parents unilaterally placed students in private special education schools and then brought the case for tuition reimbursement after-the-fact. In many of these cases, special education directors disagreed with the placement, believing that students’ needs were being met in district, and that in-district offerings provided greater rigor and preparation for the world students would face post-high school. Special education directors frequently described that parents and advocates had a perception that private placements were superior to offerings, without sufficient information to compare programs. Directors of special education also noted a breakdown in communication and trust between parties when these types of out-of-district placement processes occurred. They described a process that was reduced to a battle over money rather than a focus on student needs. I work in an affluent school district. It is rare that we have students who actually require out of district placements to address their needs. More often, parents are advocating for private school placements at public expense and expend substantial resources for expert witnesses, advocates, and attorneys to make their case (Special education director in a small-sized school district). Districts are forced to place students as it is cheaper than litigation. The student's needs do not factor into the equation. It is very sad and not the best way to take care of kids (Special education director in a small -sized school district). The special education directors whose perspectives we heard throughout the course of this study suggested that it was the unilateral nature of this process that was the driving source of the conflict. Several of them were critical of the Bureau of Special Education Appeals for supporting unilateral placements.
Special Education Directors’ Experiences of the Process Special education directors reported that when parents initiated the out-of-district placement, the process was adversarial and consumed significant amounts of time and resources. Specifically, special education directors expressed significant frustration over a practice whereby parents unilaterally placed students in private special education schools and then brought the case for tuition reimbursement after-the-fact. In many of these cases, special education directors disagreed with the placement, believing that students’ needs were being met in district, and that in-district offerings provided greater rigor and preparation for the world students would face post-high school. Special education directors frequently described that parents and advocates had a perception that private placements were superior to offerings, without sufficient information to compare programs. Directors of special education also noted a breakdown in communication and trust between parties when these types of out-of-district placement processes occurred. They described a process that was reduced to a battle over money rather than a focus on student needs. I work in an affluent school district. It is rare that we have students who actually require out of district placements to address their needs. More often, parents are advocating for private school placements at public expense and expend substantial resources for expert witnesses, advocates, and attorneys to make their case (Special education director in a small-sized school district). Districts are forced to place students as it is cheaper than litigation. The student's needs do not factor into the equation. It is very sad and not the best way to take care of kids (Special education director in a small -sized school district). The special education directors whose perspectives we heard throughout the course of this study suggested that it was the unilateral nature of this process that was the driving source of the conflict. Several of them were critical of the Bureau of Special Education Appeals for supporting unilateral placements.
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