Lawyers Divided on Whether Charter Schools Can Turn Away Students with Disabilities
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| Tres Whitlock, 17, has cerebral palsy. He was told he cannot go to Pivot Charter School near Tampa because the school cannot provide all the services he needs. |
MIAMI (2011-21-12) -
This month, an investigation by StateImpact Florida and the Miami Herald revealed that more than 86 percent of Florida charter schools don't serve a single student with a severe disability. That's compared to half of traditional public schools.
State education officials say no school is required to take every student with every disability. But lawyers are divided on whether charter schools can legally turn kids away.
No one person decides where a student with disabilities can go to school.
That decision is made by a special education team.
Its made up of district staff, therapists, parents and sometimes the students