The Arizona Department of Education pays for the educational services for students in institutional and residential settings through the voucher system.
Institutional vouchers are for students who receive services through state institutions such as the Arizona State Schools for the Deaf and the Blind (ASDB).
Residential vouchers are for students who are placed in residential treatment centers by state placing agencies and IEP teams. When a state placing agency places a student in a residential treatment center, it is the responsibility of the home school district to determine if the student is eligible or non-eligible for special education per A.R.S. §15-765(E) and A.R.S. §15-1183(B).
"Home school district" means the (age-appropriate) school district or charter school that the child last attended or, if the child has not previously attended a public school in this state, the school district in which the person resides who has legal custody of the child, as provided in section 15-824, subsection B. If the child is a ward of this state and a specific person does not have legal custody of the child or is a ward of this state and the child is enrolled in an accommodation school pursuant to section 15-913, the home school district is the district that the child last attended or, if the child has not previously attended a public school in this state, the school district within which the child currently resides.
Institutional and Residential Vouchers are different than Universal Vouchers and the Empowerment Scholarship Account (ESA) Program. For more information go to the Empowerment Scholarship Account website, you may also contact (602) 364-1969 or [email protected].
Reporting Special Education Students Attending Secondary Transition Programs and October 1 Child Counts
On February 13, 2024, Public Education Agencies (PEAs) were notified that new school sites must be created if they meet specific criteria. In the process, it became necessary for PEAs to report students in Secondary Transition programs located in businesses or colleges, including creating new entities for these programs.
The Center for Technical Assistance for Excellence in Special Education (TAESE), in partnership with ADE/ESS, is pleased to offer Saturday Mornings with the NRCP to paraeducators, related service providers, teachers, and administrators working in Arizona public education agencies.
