Make Every Eligible Child Count
November brings plenty of things to a school leader's desk. The annual IDEA private school child count deserves a place near the top. An accurate count helps determine the federal funding that must be reserved for special education and related services for eligible nonpublic school students.
What is coming up?
Under IDEA, each local educational agency, or LEA, must conduct its annual count of parentally placed private school children with disabilities on a selected date between October 1 and December 1, inclusive. That count informs the required equitable services spending for the following fiscal year. December 1 is the end of the federal window; your district may have selected an earlier count date.
Who should be included?
The count includes children determined eligible under IDEA who attend qualifying private schools within the LEA's boundaries, including eligible children who are not currently receiving equitable services. A services roster alone may leave children out.
Responsibility rests with the LEA where the private school is located, regardless of where the children live. Students should not be overlooked simply because their families live in another district or state.
What should the LEA be doing?
The LEA should coordinate the count through timely and meaningful consultation, communicate its selected date and collection process, and work toward an accurate count. Its child find responsibilities also include locating, identifying, and evaluating children suspected of having disabilities in private schools within its boundaries.
What can your school do this week?
Confirm the date. Ask for the district's selected count date, requested submission deadline, and contact person. If the count date has passed, ask how discrepancies can be reviewed.
Reconcile your records. Compare current enrollment and IDEA eligibility information with the district's records. Review newly enrolled students, withdrawals, and eligible students who do not receive equitable services.
Separate eligibility from pending concerns. Identify students awaiting evaluation or eligibility decisions and follow up on their status. A suspected disability or medical diagnosis alone does not establish IDEA eligibility.
Confirm the secure submission process. Ask what information the district needs and how student records should be shared.
Keep a written record. Document what your school submitted, any discrepancies identified, and how the LEA resolved them.
The question to ask in writing
"Please confirm your selected annual private school child count date and the process for reconciling our records with yours. How will you ensure that all IDEA eligible children enrolled in our school are included, including those who are not currently receiving equitable services?"
Dates to keep on your radar
Every accurate record represents a child whose needs deserve consideration. Taking time now to get the count right supports better planning for the year ahead.
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