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Illinois School Districts Sent Kids to a For-Profit Out-of-State Facility That Isn't Vetted or Monitored
https://www.propublica.org/article/illinois-shrub-oak-schools-students-special-educationIllinois School Districts Sent Kids to a For-Profit Out-of-State Facility That Isn’t Vetted or Monitored
by Jodi S. Cohen and Jennifer Smith Richards
May 17, 5 a.m. EDT
A state law was meant to help families by allowing the use of public money to fund students’ tuition at special education boarding schools around the country. But in solving one problem, lawmakers created another.
Two years ago, Illinois lawmakers tried to help students with extreme needs who had a limited number of schools available to them.
They changed state law to allow public money to fund students’ tuition at special education boarding schools, including those out of state, that Illinois had not vetted and would not monitor. School districts, not the Illinois State Board of Education, would be responsible for oversight.
In solving one problem, however, Illinois created another: Districts now can send students to residential schools that get no oversight from the states in which they are located.
[...]
by Jodi S. Cohen and Jennifer Smith Richards
May 17, 5 a.m. EDT
A state law was meant to help families by allowing the use of public money to fund students’ tuition at special education boarding schools around the country. But in solving one problem, lawmakers created another.
Two years ago, Illinois lawmakers tried to help students with extreme needs who had a limited number of schools available to them.
They changed state law to allow public money to fund students’ tuition at special education boarding schools, including those out of state, that Illinois had not vetted and would not monitor. School districts, not the Illinois State Board of Education, would be responsible for oversight.
In solving one problem, however, Illinois created another: Districts now can send students to residential schools that get no oversight from the states in which they are located.
[...]