{"id":14043,"date":"2012-10-11T13:48:47","date_gmt":"2012-10-11T17:48:47","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/florida\/?p=14043"},"modified":"2012-10-12T17:00:38","modified_gmt":"2012-10-12T21:00:38","slug":"read-the-florida-department-of-educations-advice-for-placing-students-with-disabilities","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/florida\/2012\/10\/11\/read-the-florida-department-of-educations-advice-for-placing-students-with-disabilities\/","title":{"rendered":"Read the Florida Department of Education’s Advice For Placing Students With Disabilities"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Matthew Burpee \/ Flickr<\/p>

The federal Individuals with Disabilities Education Act lays out how school districts should place students. The "strong preference" is in general education classrooms, according to a Florida Department of Education memo.<\/p><\/div>\n

Yesterday we told you about Henry Frost, a Tampa student with autism seeking to enroll in his neighborhood school<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The school district wants Frost to attend a specialized program at another school, his family says, and are asking him to take tests and provide evidence he can handle life at his neighborhood school before enrolling him.<\/p>\n

Privacy laws prevent Hillsborough County school officials from commenting on Frost’s case. The district says it follows all federal and state laws for placing students with disabilities.<\/p>\n

Below is a Florida Department of Education memo advising school districts on the requirements of the federal Individuals with Disabilities Education Act.<\/a><\/p>\n

The big highlight? There is a “strong preference” for placing students with disabilities in general education classrooms. And the burden is on the school district to prove the student is better served somewhere else — not on the student to prove they can handle the work or environment.<\/p>\n

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Attorney Ann Siegel with Disability Rights Florida<\/a> says too often, school districts put the burden of proof on students and their family.<\/p>\n

Parents feel “they (school districts) want my child to earn their way in,” Siegel said. “It’s almost a harder standard for a student with a disability.<\/p>\n

“I wish it worked the way the law says, but unfortunately it doesn’t always.”<\/p>\n