Why Your School District Could Be Paying to Send Students to Private Schools

School districts in Oklahoma may have to start paying for some kids to go to private school. That's according to a new ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court.

Tuesday, June 23rd 2009, 6:04 pm

By: News 9


By Amy Lester, NEWS 9

OKLAHOMA CITY -- School districts in Oklahoma may have to start paying for some kids to go to private school. That's according to a new ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court.

This is about kids with learning disabilities, in special education classes. The court says, if public schools aren't doing enough, they may have to pay for the kids to attend private schools.

Nick Rohde has autism and instead of going to public school, he's tutored at home.

"We have been battling the school districts for several years and we just couldn't get anywhere there so we decided to pull him out of school and provide a home program for him," Nick Rohde's father Wayne Rohde said.

Parents like Wayne Rohde may now have another option. The Supreme Court just ruled in favor of a teen with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder saying, since the public school did not address his learning problems, the district should pay for his private school education.

Wayne Rohde believes that will spark more legal action here.

"There will be, I believe there will be some more parents that seek a court remedy for their situation, however it will not be a cheap course of action," Wayne Rohde said. "It will be an expensive course of action; it will be an expensive course of action."

That's exactly what concerns local school districts.

"This ruling, I think what it will become for schools is a little problematic," Jeff Mills with the Oklahoma State School Board Association said.

Defending the district in a legal battle is costly and if the court follows the Supreme Court decision, siding with the parents, footing the bill for private school could take a financial toll.

"The districts would have to come up with the funds from their local and whatever state dollars they get, federal dollars they get and local dollars," Mills said.

A scary prospect for school districts but, Wayne Rohde says, it all comes down to giving children an education, and a future.

"A lot of these children can actually become self-sufficient adults and be taxpayers in the future, if we don't do that we make it more difficult for them they're going to be totally dependent on our society," Wayne Rohde said.

The Oklahoma State School Board Association is watching this issue closely, as are lawyers for districts across the country.

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