In the very near future I hope to introduce legislation that will change the name of Approved Private Schools to Approved Special Education Schools. An Approved Private School provides special education services for students with severe intellectual and physical disabilities who need additional services that their public school districts cannot provide. Because of their name, when people think of these schools, they often mistake them for traditional private schools. However, unlike traditional private schools where tuition is paid by parents, 98% of the funding is public, 40% comes from the state with another 58% coming from school districts. The name creates confusion and assumptions that prevent these schools from accurately conveying their mission and purpose that helps to grow their programs. They only accept students through cooperation with the students’ home district, educating students the home district cannot, making them a vital part of the public educational system. Currently, there are four chartered and 33 non-chartered approved private schools that serve more than 4,000 students throughout the state.
 
To address this issue, I am introducing a three-bill package that would update our statutes to change the name of these schools to Approved Special Education Schools. Specifically, my legislation will amend the Public School Code of 1949 to ensure that all current references in statute reflect this updated name. The affected schools agree and requested this name change because it most accurately reflects what they are and the students they educate.
 
Approved Special Education Schools help by ensuring the best education, learning environment, and care for students with significant needs. Please join me in supporting this important correction to eliminate confusion and wrong assumptions to reflect the true purposes of these schools.