Kent County Public Schools (KCPS) would like to inform families that, under Maryland House Bill 702, students with disabilities who are enrolled in private schools by their parents may be eligible to receive special education services from KCPS.

These services are provided through a Service Plan, developed in collaboration with parents, and may include services such as speech therapy and/or occupational therapy. These services are provided for students ages 3-7. 

Kent County Public Schools is responsible for locating, identifying, and evaluating all children with disabilities who are enrolled by their parents in private, including religious, elementary and secondary schools as defined in 34 C.F.R. § 300.13 and 34 C.F.R. § 300.36. This responsibility is known as Child Find. 

2. What is a Service Plan?                     

A Service Plan is a written document developed by Kent County Public Schools for a student with a disability who is enrolled in a private school by their parents. The Service Plan is created by a team that includes the same types of professionals who typically participate in an IEP Team, along with the child’s parent or guardian. It outlines the specific special education and related services the student will receive from the public school system, based on available resources and the student’s individual needs. While it is not the same as an IEP, the Service Plan ensures the student receives equitable services as required under federal and state law. These services are provided at no cost to parents.                                                                                                                               

Kent County Public Schools works closely with private school representatives and parents of students with disabilities who are parentally placed in private schools to discuss how eligible students can participate in federally funded special education services. While this consultation helps guide service planning, KCPS currently provides only speech and occupational therapy services, each offered twice a month for 30 minutes at no cost to parents.

 

Under a service plan, services can be provided at the private/parochial school listed below or a local elementary school on an itinerant basis.

Students enrolled in Kent County Public Schools have access to a full range of special education and related services. However, students who are parentally placed in private schools may be eligible for equitable services, which are determined through the consultation process — but they do not have access to the full continuum of services offered in the public school setting.