Parents Win Appeal
State Impact is reporting the Akron School Board ok'd a one year accommodation to send a student with Autism Spectrum Disorder to the Monarch School in Cleveland.
Public school pays $101,972 to send Akron student to private school in Cleveland
The Monarch Center for Autism provides a comprehensive living and learning environment for children and adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). According to their website, Monarch School and Monarch Boarding Academy are grounded in a language-based treatment Model that is respectful, empowering and kind. The price of a year at the school exceeds $81k which puts it out of reach for most parents. Affordable treatment, therapy and educational accommodations is out of reach for many parents. The average spent by school districts nationwide to educate children with ASD is around $17k per child.
Accommodation Outside the Norm
Schools in Ohio generally give parents $20,000 a year if they want to take their children with Autism out of public school to help with costs. In this case, the parents appealed. The Akron district settled. Assistant Superintendent Ellen McWilliams told the Akron Beacon Journal., “You have to look at whether it’s good to continue fighting or not.” She says that in most cases, the schools are equipped to meet the needs of special needs children.
The accommodation is for one year, but could be renewed until the child ages out of the school system at age 22.
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