Autism Vox

Public or Private?

by Kristina Chew, PhD on October 9th, 2006

Governor Joe Corzine has included $20 million of the New Jersey state budget for school districts to develop in-district special ed programs. As reported in today’s Star-Ledger, New Jersey has nearly 200 private and public specialized schools. Some 20,000 students—9% of New Jersey special ed students—-attend specialized schools, for a total of more than $850 million spent on out-of-district placements for New Jersey students last year. (New Jersey spends $3.3 billion on special education overall.)

My son Charlie was one of those out-of-district students from December 2005-June 2006. He had to be; the town we used to live in simply had no program that could educate him. For just over six months, Charlie had a 45-minute ride in a red minivan to school with two kindly, older women as the driver and the aide (who knew English, though not fluently). Unfortunately, Charlie’s private autism school closed forever in June. We have since moved to another town (and in with my husband’s parents), where there is an in-district public school autism program that, so far, has been exactly what Charlie has needed. Now he takes a yellow schoolbus with his classmates, a bus matron, and a thoughtful driver and his ride is through his own local neighborhoods.

Charlie’s old private school had its advantages. It was very small and very open to parental input and observations; there was always a trained behavior consultant with a BCBA present. In his new, in-district public school classroom, he sees non-autistic children (Charlie is not mainstreamed) in the hallways, assemblies, the bus line, and at PTA events for the whole school. He is a student in our town’s school district just like any child who lives here. Charlie is clearly a member of the community we, and he, lives in and I am ready and willing to do what it takes to make sure that he is a visible and active part of our town.

If a spot in one of certain New Jersey private autism schools were offered to Charlie, would we take it? Yes, you can be sure. But: Charlie was rejected at the private autism schools that we found most appropriate for him in part because of his age—-Charlie was all of 8 years old when we sought admission for him at these schools, which tend primarily to enroll younger, preschool-age children.

Was Charlie, all of 9 years old, able to get into a very good public school program? Yes, soon as we moved to the town we now live in.

Is public education provided for any and every student? Yes, it is. And that is a very good thing.

Go here to read The high cost of special education.

Share This

Related Stories

Public or Private?
Special Ed, For Profit
Public Funding, Private School, Lots of Need
Public or private?
Who pays for what? (3): In this case, New York

POSTED IN: Disability Rights, Education, Legal Issues, Legislation