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Madison Metropolitan School District

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Students with disabilities attending private or parochial schools

With the enactment of IDEA 2004 the MMSD has the responsibility for implementing the IDEA requirements for parentally placed private school students with disabilities who attend state recognized private or parochial (PP) (elementary & secondary) schools within the MMSD boundary, regardless of their district of residency.

 IDEA requirements for parentally placed PP students with disabilities in WI apply to students in grades K4 through grade 12.

Students transferring from MMSD public school to MMSD private/parochial schools:
Students who transfer to a private or parochial school  served by MMSD are still considered MMSD students.  For students who meet eligibility for one or more disability areas, MMSD is responsible for offering 3 year reevaluations, and determining if any services will be offered to the private school via a Service Plan.  It is not necessary to obtain written parental consent to share information between MMSD public and MMSD private/parochial schools. 

  • If the services the student received at MMSD are within the array of services offered at private schools, the parent is notified and a service plan can be developed to outline the services
  • If the services the student received at MMSD are not within the array of services, MMSD will discuss with the parent that no services are available in the private school, but that the student remains entitled to services should they enroll in the public schools.

Note* DPI now recognizes/accepts private diagnoses of Dyslexia.  However, the DPI disability eligibility criteria does not assess for Dyslexia.  Eligibility criteria exists for Specific Learning Disabilities in Reading, Writing, and Math.  So, just like a student with ADHD may/may not meet the DPI eligibility criteria of OHI, a student with Dyslexia may/may not meet the DPI eligibility criteria of SLD.

Students transferring from private/parochial schools to MMSD public schools:
Students who transfer into an MMSD public school from a private schools would be considered in in-district transfer (as opposed to students who come in from another district).  If the student is a prior MMSD public school student who returns to the MMSD public schools, their IEP would be reinstated, or if expired, would be developed.