Parents have options as ECOT closes
January 18, 2018 / education
Recent news coverage has reported the closing of the Electronic Classroom of Tomorrow (ECOT) due to the loss of a sponsor. ECOT is the largest online school in Ohio and its closure would affect roughly 12,000 students. ECOT is a community/charter school, and is considered a public school. Students who have attended ECOT are enrolled in ECOT, not their local school district. If your child has a disability and an Individualized Education Program (IEP) and attends ECOT, you have several options as ECOT closes.
You should begin planning for your child’s educational placement and services now that ECOT is closing. Students with disabilities should not be without IEP services. Some of your options include:
- enrollment in your local school district (the district where you live)
- enrollment in another community/charter school (either online or a physical school building)
- using a scholarship (The Ohio Autism Scholarship or the Jon Peterson Special Needs Scholarship are available to students on IEPs.)
- using open enrollment options (only some school districts participate in open enrollment. You can contact the school district about whether it participates)
- enrollment in a career technical education program
An explanation of all options is available on the Ohio Department of Education's website.
During any transition in educational placement, your child should continue to receive the services on his or her IEP. If your child is not provided with the services on his or her IEP, your child may be eligible for services to make up for the services that were not provided. For more information about what to do if your child’s IEP services are not provided, visit the Special Education page in Disability Rights Ohio’s Self-Advocacy Resource Center or contact Disability Rights Ohio's Intake Department.