Chicago Autism Academy - Enrollment
Nonpublic special education programs provide educational, therapeutic and/or residential services to students with disabilities. In the continuum of services for eligible students, federal and state laws allow programmatic options for students who may require exceptional educational and/or clinical intervention to meet their needs. Nonpublic programs approved under Section 14- 7.02 of the School Code help serve and promote the continuation and improvement of Individualized Education Program (IEP) services for these students with disabilities.
Typically, students placed in 14-7.02 programs have such severe and perhaps complicated clinical and educational needs that school districts may opt to refer their students to outside district placements after exploring other least restrictive options. These placements can last anywhere from short periods of time (i.e. one semester), up to longer stretches (i.e. multiple years).
Parents who may be considering a nonpublic program for special education services should know the following:
• Unilateral parental placement – If a parent unilaterally places their child in a nonpublic special education program, educational services will be provided to the child at parental expense. The school district will not be required to accept financial responsibility for the service costs associated with such placement.
• District placement – ISBE Approved Nonpublic Special Education Programs are used when the IEP team from the public school has determined that the services the student needs can only be provided in a nonpublic setting. The public school district then pays the tuition for all special education and related services provided by the nonpublic school program. All the information on this page is related to these types of schools.
Once a referral has been made to our admissions team, the team will review the referral and supporting documents (most recent IEP and 3-year evaluation, outside service reports, and outside medical professional reports). The team will meet to review and determine if the student’s needs can be met in our facility and if we have a seat available for the student. Next, a team member will contact the district or family to advise if CAA will be moving forward with the admissions process or if the student will be offered a spot on our waiting list.
The next step in the process is setting up phone interviews with the district and guardians to determine why outside placement is being requested and to determine if all parties have shared values. Once these interviews take place, the team will meet again to discuss if CAA will be moving forward with the process. You will be contacted by a member of the team as to our decision or offered a spot on our waiting list.
If we proceed with the admissions process, we will then set up a tour for the district and the family together. We do ask that the student be present on the tour. The parties must get to know each other to determine if the educational relationship is a good fit for all. We understand that at times, this may not be possible; however, CAA cannot accept a student without meeting him or her in person. Accommodations to this may be made on a case-to-case basis. During this tour, the parties will get to tour our facility, meet relevant and available staff, discuss concerns, and ask questions. The tour is approximately 30-60 minutes in length.
After the tour, the admissions team will meet to discuss if a seat will be offered to the student, a spot on the waiting list, or if more information is required to make a decision. A member of the team will contact the parties with our decisions. Often, if more information is needed, CAA may request reports, data, or an observation of the student in their current environment. If a seat is open and being offered, the parties have 3 business days to accept the open seat. At that time of acceptance, the team, district, and parents will determine a start date and set up the entrance IEP meeting.
Once a placement has been made, the nonpublic program assumes responsibility to implement the entire IEP and collect/analyze data on progress. Although nonpublic schools will provide the necessary special education services as dictated by the IEP, the placing school district is ultimately responsible for their student(s) placed at these programs and ensuring that the student receives services appropriately.
Further, the placing school district is responsible for development, review, and revision of the IEP. Nonpublic schools and their professional and certified staff will provide educational, clinical, and when appropriate, vocational programming to students. The nonpublic school is responsible for developing a curriculum appropriate to the needs of the enrolled students that teach the branches of education taught to children of corresponding age and grade in the public schools. Transcript credits are agreed upon at the IEP meeting and are accepted by/awarded by the placing public school district.
For more information please visit the ISBE Nonpublic Special Education Programs page at https://www.isbe.net/Pages/Nonpublic-Special-Education-Programs.aspx