Those students with current special needs or a documented special education diagnosis that may require additional support or staffing time in the areas of learning or behavior may be enrolled on a probationary status, on a case-by-case basis.If the staff determines that we are not able to successfully meet the needs of the child due to:

1. The amount of time needed to provide adequate support for the child’s learning seriously impacts the time available for meeting the needs of other students.
2. The child’s behavior is seriously disrupting the ability of others to learn and the teacher’s ability to teach.
3. The parents are not providing the support, information or cooperation needed by staff to be successful with the child.
4. The parents are asking for accommodations that are not available, are excessive, interfere with the learning of other students, are not within the school’s financial means or are not in keeping with best practices.
5. The student’s behavior becomes a threat to the safety of other students or staff members.

The school reserves the right if one or more of the above conditions are observed and documented to withdraw the student.

Tuition will cease to accrue from the point of withdrawal. No reimbursement will be made for days missed for disciplinary actions or a reduced day schedule prior to the student’s withdrawal.

Should a student enroll without a diagnosis and the staff find a reason to believe that there may be a need to consider a medical or psychological assessment, as a result of observed difficulty with learning, retention of information, or behavior, the staff will inform parents that they need to seek outside professional evaluation. Parents will be asked to share the results of this assessment and any accommodations or interventions that are recommended.

Staff members will fill out any required paperwork, encourage classroom observations, provide samples of work and any other documentation that may be needed to assist in this assessment.

Based on the results of the assessment, staff members and parents will determine whether it is in the child’s best interest to enroll in another program that has more resources and specialized staff members who can provide the type of support that is recommended for the child or if the staff at St. Mary’s will be able to continue to work with the child in the existing program with some accommodations. The student will be placed on probation at this time and his or her progress will be monitored on a regular basis.

The conditions for ongoing attendance at this point will follow the same procedure as it does for those who enroll with already identified special needs.

Should a parent select to move the child to a public school or to another private program or if it is determined that we is not going to be able to serve the child at St. Mary’s, tuition will cease to accrue, (starting 30 calendar days from the point that the decision is made).

If a parent refuses to seek outside professional evaluation, withholds information from the evaluation or refuses to follow the recommendations that are outlined by the professionals, the school reserves the right to terminate the enrollment contract at any time. Should the tuition be prepaid, the parent will be refunded the amount remaining 30 days subsequent to the notification that the student can no longer be served by the school.

Adopted by School Advisory Council August 28, 2004