There is a well-kept secret in Pennsylvania that involves our educational system. Its a secret that every parent of a special needs child should be made aware of. Unfortunately, most public school officials want to keep it under wraps.
Understanding The Secret
The secret is called APS. Even the acronym suggests something mysterious that only an insider can understand. APS stands for Approved Private Schools. There are thirty-five institutions under the banner of APS and they are a gold mine for many parents and children. Each of these schools are dedicated to serving specific clients with varying special needs. They are scattered across the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and are, in reality, an extension of the public school system. Approved Private Schools are intended to offer educational programs, support services, and specialized training for our children whose diagnoses create natural barriers for learning opportunities within their local public schools.
I call this a "secret" because an amazing number of parents with special needs children have never heard of the APS. Not that its their fault, mind you. The Public School officials ought to bring up the subject during IEP meetings and parent-teacher conferences. They ought to - - but typically do not. Instead, our schools claim they can meet the needs of every child, including those with special needs and disabilities, either through learning support programs or Intermediate Unit classes. But as a general rule the subject of an APS will not come up.
What a shame! These schools under the APS label are truly a blessing to the families they serve. The faculty and staff members are highly trained in their specialized field to deal with the unique dynamics represented by these students. Now, I am not suggesting that the public schools and IU staff are incompetent. By no means. I have certainly met some fine people who work in these places. For some families, they provide the necessary educational environment for their child to succeed. But let's be honest. The umbrella of special needs is so broad that it defies description. Autism alone involves a huge spectrum of diagnoses from those with unusually high IQ's but extremely impaired social skills, to IQ levels that are so low they qualify for mental retardation. Some are very verbal and high functioning in many ways. Others are non-verbal and live in their own world. And that's just autism. Each label has its own degrees of variance.
We are talking about a highly specialized approach to education. In the public school there is, by its very nature, a need to be all things to all kids. Bless their hearts, our public school teachers assume a tremendous responsibility and receive few words of appreciation. They do what they can, and generally they do a commendable job. But they are limited in what they can do because they must serve such a wide spectrum of students.
Cafeteria vs. Specialty Restaurant
Think of this in terms of a cafeteria. Most cafeterias serve a somewhat limited menu because it is more efficient to serve a choice of two different soups to hundreds of people than to attempt to offer eight or ten varieties that would satisfy the tastes of each customer. Its simple economics. The same is true in education. Public schools offer a limited number of options and specialties due to their ever-scrutinized budgets and resources. Let's say the Hometown School District has a total of 300 hundred students with special needs, including Asperger's Syndrome, PDD-NOS, Tourettes Disorder, Cerebral Palsy, Downs Syndrome, Muscular Dystrophy, blindness and deafness. Now remember these students are anywhere from Kindergarten to 12th grade. So not only do the diagnoses demand specialized training,m but the age requirements also dictate unique approaches. It simply is not financially feasible for the Hometown School District to have qualified faculty and support staff to address the huge range of needs represented by such a population.
Here is where the APS comes into play. They deal with a small, very specific population of students. They do not need to be a general cafeteria trying to serve generic meals to a large customer base. Instead, they are comparable to a specialty restaurant. One might be an Italian Deli known for their pizza. Another may be a burger and fries drive through. Another, a fine French Restaurant. And on it goes - - you get the picture. The Approved Private Schools are designed to offer the specialized approach needed to meet the needs of the child. Each school is chartered to serve a particular targeted population. Rather than trying to offer all things to all students, they are focused on one or two diagnoses and trained to deal just with them. The result is SUCCESS, at a level unmatched by public schools and IU's.
Why The Secrecy?
If this is such a successful approach, why don't all parents of special needs children know about it? Honestly, there are several reasons. One is pride. Some school officials simply cannot admit that they are unable to meet the needs of their students. Another is cost. Since the APS are not supported by public tax dollars they must charge tuition for each student. The tuition, according to State Law, must be paid by the home school district. Not only so, but the home school district is also responsible fro transportation. Yes, this translates into higher costs. But we must ask the question: How do you place a dollar figure on a child's education? How much is his or her future worth? If we can't invest in our children what kind of life do we have?
Understand that the APS system was established by federal mandate during the Kennedy Administration of the early 1960's. It requires that the needs of every child must be apropriately addressed. Parents of special needs children may request that their child be enrolled in an APS designed to address the unique needs of the student. With proper medical and behavioral documentation such requests must be met by the home school district.
A Personal Testimony
I became familiar with all of this in 2000 when my son was diagnosed with autism, nonverbal learning disability, sensativity integration disorder and a few other supporting disorders. We were fortunate to be in the Pottstown School District at the time. An angel (she could not have been anything else) working as a school psychologist informed us about the APS option. She directed us to resources that provided us with more details. Within two years our son was enrolled at the Vanguard School in Paoli. He was entering 6th Grade at the time. Immediately he began to turn his academic career around.
When we moved to the Ephrata School District in 2006 we met a new challenge. They were unwilling to keep our young man in Vanguard, insisting that they could meet his needs themselves with the help of the IU. We listened and we attending the proposed classroom. What a tragedy! The room has several code violations including no windows, no direct access to the hallway without going through another room, too little square feet per student. and more. Only after we secured legal counsel from an attorney specializing in Special Education Law did we finally get their attention. Jonathan (our son) was allowed to continue at Vanguard all the way through High School graduation.
Whatever It Takes
It's just not right! It should not have to take the threat of legal action to make the public school do its job. It is a travesty that we are willing to sweep our disabled citizens under the rug and out of the way so we look "normal" and appear to be competent. But such experiences cause me to become all the more determined to fight for the rights of those who can not speak up for themselves. I want to get the secret out in the open so everyone knows and understands what kind of services are available and guaranteed by law. Whatever it takes, we must help each other to achieve the highest potential.
This article is a bit longer than I intended. Sorry. But it still only skims the surface. Let's keep the conversation going and learn from each other for the sake of our special, precious children.
G. D. Gehr
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