Local parent applauds ruling, plans to seek private education

A U.S. Supreme Court ruling was a dream come true for Caroline Sanchez-Rangen Monday.

"I've been praying for this," said Sanchez-Rangen, the mother of two autistic sons. "This is going to have a huge impact on the disabled."

Because of the court's ruling, families with special needs children could be reimbursed for a private school education if their public schools failed to provide an "appropriate education."

Sanchez-Rangen said she will be "one of the parents" pursuing a private school education for her children.

The Clark County School District educates nearly 32,000 children with special needs, or who have an "individualized education plan." They represent about 10 percent of the district's overall enrollment of 311,155.

Andrea Awerbach, a special education teacher for the school district, said its special education services are more comprehensive than in many parts of the country.

"I'm sure we could improve (the programs), but we do offer them," Awerbach said.

The school district has 10 specialized schools or alternative schools for special education. It has programs for the visual and hearing-impaired.

A child's "individualized education plan" is developed with the family, said Michael Rodriguez, a spokesman for the school district. Disagreements are heard by a special master. Rodriguez said it was rare for a case to go to litigation.

Sanchez-Rangen, however, said it's not because disagreements are resolved amicably. She said families lack the means to take the school district to court.

While the Supreme Court ruling seems to open up new opportunities, families might not find a lot of alternatives in Clark County.

"We don't have an abundance of private schools," Rodriguez said. "We don't anticipate this (Supreme Court ruling) will impact us very much."

There are about 100 private schools in Clark County, but many of them are preschools, have a narrow focus or have very few students. Altogether, the total private school enrollment is about 59,000 students, equal to 19 percent of the school district's enrollment.

Contact reporter James Haug at jhaug@reviewjournal.com or 702-374-7917.