At the direction of the Virginia General Assembly, the Secretaries of Education and Health and Human Resources convened a work group to develop a detailed plan to consider the administration and use of Children’s Services Act (CSA) funding for private special education day schools and residential facilities. The Virginia Department of Education (VDOE) and the Office of Children’s Services (OCS) co-hosted 12 work group meetings between June 25, 2021 and October 14, 2022 to develop this plan for consideration by the General Assembly. A draft report was prepared in October 2021.

The Performance Management Group (PMG) within the VCU L. Douglas Wilder School of Government and Public Affairs facilitated these meetings to support the CSA Work Group members in developing this plan. This plan is a result of the Work Group reviewing relevant special education information as well as engaging with representatives from specialty regional schools, private schools, and public schools.

This final report outlines the Work Group’s recommendations on the following topics:

1) A plan that may result in the transfer of CSA funds currently reserved for children requiring an educational placement in a private special education day school or residential facility to the VDOE;

2) The use of CSA funds to pay for services delivered directly to students with disabilities in a public school to enable those who are at risk of out-of-public-school placements to remain in the least restrictive environment;

3) The most effective use of CSA funds to transition students from out-of-public-school placements to public school, the transitional services that are appropriate direct services to be covered, the criteria for students to qualify for such funding, the necessity to modify the definition or criteria, and whether CSA funding should be expanded to include ongoing support for students with disabilities following the 12-month transition period; and

4) The types of direct services and supports that should be provided to students in the public school setting using CSA funds.