Last night I was privileged to be a guest speaker for parents and staff at Horizon Academy , a specialized program to educate students with learning disabilities. Horizon Academy's goal is to help students with basic skills and to learn strategies so that they can successfully return to a traditional school. The student body is coeducational and serving students from first grade through high school.

I love that school. The entire community feels energized. Parents who had given up hope find a caring, dedicated and sophisticated staff eager to help their child succeed.

My presentation focused on the special education rights of students in private schools. Students in private schools might access services from the public school district where the private school is located. However, federal law limits the budget available for those services.

States are allowed to go beyond the minimal federal requirements. For example, in Kansas students in private schools can still get special education services from the school district where they reside.