This school year has seen a marked shift in special education services in New York City for nonpublic schools. Despite past practice of not enforcing a June 1st deadline for parents to notify the NYC DOE that they want special education services for their children (Parental Notification of Intent or PNI), the DOE denied parents who missed this deadline for the first several months of this school year. In early December, the DOE began accommodating families who missed the June 1st deadline. Parents were given a two-week window to waive their right to request an impartial hearing, seek reimbursement, sue the city for compensatory services for the 2024-2025 school year, or request an enhanced rate for services. This waiver process marks a significant shift in how student services and legal protections are managed in New York City.
As this situation is starting to settle, we are hopeful that most students have received their P4 forms and that SETSS services are now in full swing. In addition, Related Service authorizations and transmittals are being released. We have seen a positive shift, with CSEs actively collaborating with schools to address any missing P4 forms. However, we understand that some schools may still be grappling with challenges in securing appropriate therapists and service providers. We encourage you to continue reaching out to us and keeping us informed about any issues or updates, so we can provide the necessary support and work together to overcome any obstacles you may be facing.
We are also aware that some independent contractors are currently experiencing delays in the processing of their W9 forms by the DOE, rendering them unable to provide services to students in need. Our team has established a strong working relationship with the Office of Related Services, and we’ve been actively collaborating with them to address these processing delays. If you have a service provider who is facing challenges with this issue, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us. We are ready to assist and help facilitate a resolution.
Parental Notices of Intent for the 2025-2026 school year are beginning to be sent out to schools by the CSE. We recommend that schools maintain close contact with parents and develop a tracking system to ensure that PNIs are signed and returned to the CSE before June 1, 2025, to avoid delays in services. One way to do this is to have parents cc staff at your school including special education coordinators as well as other school staff that can assist in maintaining this record of contact. Parents should also save the sent email as record of sending in the PNI.
Additionally, Title program needs assessments are in full swing across the city. Our team has already visited many schools and gained valuable insight into the unique needs of each school. If you have not yet scheduled a visit, we urge you to reach out to Daniella Rosenberg at rosenbergd@teachcoalition.com to arrange a convenient time to discuss the resources available for your school. We are committed to helping your school benefit from all government funded programs that are offered.