Schools get a lot of money to provide the supports that Individualized Education Plans (IEPs) or 504 plans specify. These plans are supposed to ensure that students receive a Free Appropriate Public Education (FAPE) by schools receiving federal funds.
I have heard stories from families about special needs children who aren’t getting the services they need from public schools:
- A 7th grade student who can’t read and the school isn’t trying to teach him — “Don’t worry, he can use text-to-speech.”
- A student who “graduated” from her IEP and still can’t read
- Students who now are homeschooled and don’t need costly services in order to learn
But this was a new story to me, explained in this article: Why Parents Are Choosing School Choice Instead of Fighting the System
[The path to get needed services] inside the public school system often leads to mediation and due process. In practice, they are exhausting, adversarial, time-consuming, and expensive.
They point out that schools practically have unlimited funds to challenge parent claims, while parents are forced to pay expensive legal fees. And it takes a lot of time — months and sometimes years — while the child still struggles.
It would be much cheaper and effective if the schools focused on teaching children to read.
This Freedom to Learn podcast interviewed Jenny Clark, the founder of Love Your School, an education navigator (similar to EdOpt) in Arizona and two other states, and mother of five, two of whom have learning disabilities.
Jenny and Ginny Gentles, who also has a child with disabilities, talked about waste that occurs around special ed, a school that blamed Jenny for their children not learning to read, a school that refused to test for dyslexia, how difficult it is to navigate schools to meet your needs, and how Education Savings Accounts have helped.
One of the things I learned is that, according to federal law, anyone can have their child tested for special needs at their local public school, whether they are enrolled in that school or not. The school doesn’t have to provide services, but they do have to test if a parent makes a request.
Take a listen.
You have options. Talk to us if you want guidance.
EdOpt Fair Schedule
Look for our EdOpt Fairs during National School Choice Week, the last week of January 2026.
- Claremont: Monday, January 26 from 5-7pm. Claremont Savings Bank Community Center, 152 South Street. Sign up here.
- Dummer: Wednesday, January 28 from 6-8pm. Dummer Town Hall. Sign up here.
- Dover: date tbd
Children’s Scholarship Fund of NH is also holding a National School Choice Showcase & Fair on Wednesday, January 28, from 10am to noon at the Grappone Conference Center, Granite Ballroom. Be prepared to be entertained!
We’re also starting to plan EdOpt Fairs for the spring. Look for fairs in Nashua, Moultonborough, and other places. Let us know if you want to organize one in your area!
Let your friends know about these fairs. Word of mouth is the best way to advertise. Follow us and share our events and posts on Facebook, too.
Media Appearances
Learn more about EdOpt through our media appearances. These are interviews or presentations that were recorded. Some are videos, and some are audio from radio shows.
Please share them with your friends. Help us spread the word that you have options.
EdOpt’s Goals
EdOpt’s aim is to help families understand all their education options, from non-traditional (homeschooling, homeschool co-ops, microschools) to traditional (charter schools, private schools, tech centers, dual enrollment, learn everywhere). Our website lists the education providers options around the state that we know about (please let us know if we’re missing any!) so you can investigate the ones that you’re interested in. EdOpt also provides guidance to help you understand your options. Set up a FREE Education Options consultation today.
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