	Background

The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) is a grants and civil rights statute which provides federal funding to the states to help provide education for children with disabilities. More changes to these provisions were made by the 2004 reauthorization. 108-446

		Types of Private School Placements

A child with a disability may be placed in a private school by the LEA or the State Educational Agency (SEA) as a means of fulfilling the FAPE requirement for the child. Children with Disabilities Placed in Private Schools by their Parents

Generally, children with disabilities enrolled by their parents in private schools are to be provided special education and related services to the extent consistent with the number and location of such children in the school district served by a LEA pursuant to several requirements (§612(a)(10)(A)(I)). Second, a new provision relating to the calculation of the proportionate amount is added. P.L. Consultation Between the Local Educational Agency and Private School Officials

P.L. Compliance procedures also are added by P.L. 108-446 .
The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), as amended by P.L. 108-446, provides for services for children with disabilities in private schools. A child with a disability may be placed in a private school by the local educational agency (LEA) or the State Educational Agency (SEA) and costs are paid by the agency. Children with disabilities enrolled by their parents in private schools are treated differently; generally, they are to be provided special education and related services to the extent consistent with the number and location of such children in the school district served by a LEA pursuant to several requirements. These requirements include provisions relating to direct services to parentally placed private school children with disabilities, the calculation of the proportionate amount of funds, and a requirement for record keeping. Compliance procedures for these requirements were added by the 2004 reauthorization. For a general discussion of the changes made by P.L. 108-446, see CRS Report RL32716, Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA): Analysis of Changes Made by P.L. 108-446, by [author name scrubbed] and [author name scrubbed]. This report will be updated as necessary.