EXPLAINER — SCHOOLS, CHILDREN & ACCESS
For a child in private school, “call the district” can mean two different districts.
The district where a child lives and the district where a nonpublic school is located may not be the same. New York’s rules give those districts different roles—and families should not have to learn that only after being passed between offices.
Start by naming the two districts
The district of residence is the public school district tied to the child’s home address. The district of location is the public school district whose geographic boundaries contain the nonpublic school. If the child attends a private school outside the home district, those are two separate systems.
New York State Education Department guidance says the district of location is responsible for child-find activities for students parentally placed in nonpublic schools within its boundaries. That includes procedures to identify, locate, and evaluate students suspected of having disabilities, within required timelines and at no cost to parents. Read NYSED’s nonpublic-school guidance ↗
Evaluation and services are related—but not identical steps
A parent may make a written special-education referral. New York regulations generally require an initial evaluation to be completed within 60 days after the district receives parental consent, subject to limited exceptions. Read the State referral and evaluation rules ↗
For a New York resident enrolled by a parent in a nonpublic school, the district of location develops an Individualized Education Services Program, or IESP, when the student is eligible and services are requested. NYSED says the written request for services is generally due to the district of location by June 1 before the school year. When a child is first identified after June 1 and before April 1 of that school year, the guidance provides a 30-day window after identification.
Records do not automatically move between the two districts
If the nonpublic school is outside the district of residence, parental consent is required before personally identifiable special-education information is shared between the district of location and the district of residence. NYSED specifically includes evaluations, IEPs, IESPs, and other special-education records in that rule.
That is one reason a family may hear from more than one public district without either being interchangeable. The district of location handles the IESP process for a parentally placed nonpublic-school student; the district of residence remains relevant in other circumstances, including when a family seeks public-school enrollment or raises a claim about the offer of a free appropriate public education.
A practical starting sequence
- Write down the child’s district of residence and the nonpublic school’s district of location.
- Send evaluation and service requests in writing, keep a dated copy, and ask the receiving office to confirm receipt.
- Ask which office handles CSE and IESP matters for parentally placed nonpublic-school students—not only the general enrollment office.
- Use the Rockland BOCES component-district directory to reach the official site for any of Rockland’s eight public school districts.
This is a public-record map, not legal advice or a prediction about a child’s eligibility, placement, or services. Responsibility can vary with the child’s residence, school location, placement, and the relief a family is seeking. Families should ask the relevant district for written procedural-safeguards information and individualized guidance.
Sources: New York State Education Department regulations and guidance; Rockland BOCES component-district directory. Public pages checked August 25, 2026.