KSAT

Time is running out to gather the necessary documentation for students with disabilities to receive the extra benefits entitled through the Texas Education Freedom Accounts program. Families of students with disabilities could receive up to an additional $30,000, but only if they have completed a recent Individualized Education Program (IEP). “It has to be within the last three years, it has to be from Texas, and it has to explain what services, what needs the child has,” said Inga Cotton, the Executive Director of the nonprofit School Discovery Network. The catch: Cotton said only public school psychologists from the school district where a student is zoned can perform an IEP assessment, even if they don’t attend public school. With such a short window, Cotton said an additional burden will be placed on public school psychologists who are already short-staffed to perform a lengthy process.