Chicago Public Schools has restored instructional support funding to more than 800 students with disabilities in Catholic schools, the Archdiocese of Chicago said Thursday.
The reversal follows an announcement from the archdiocese last week accusing CPS of ending services for Catholic school students under the Individual with Disabilities Education Act, or IDEA, just two months before the last day of school. The district and Catholic school administrators had traded blame over who was at fault.
In a statement Thursday, however, the archdiocese said it was “delighted” to announce that funding would restart Monday and continue through May 22 as originally planned.
“We appreciate the efforts of CPS CEO Dr. Macquline King and her staff to restore these important services,” the archdiocese said. “We also appreciate the outpouring of support we heard from parents and others in recent days.”
It’s not immediately clear what the amount and source of the restored funding are. A CPS spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The archdiocese operates nearly 150 Catholic schools in the Chicago area. Though the students attend private schools, they are entitled to federally funded support services under IDEA.
CPS distributes the funding to Catholic schools within its attendance boundaries. That money can go to services such as specialized instruction, classroom aides and assistive technology.
The archdiocese said that as recently as March 25, CPS officials said funding would be provided through the end of the school year. But with “no prior warning,” the district informed Catholic school administrators that funding would run dry beginning Monday this week, according to the archdiocese.
CPS disputed that account, instead arguing that it was the archdiocese’s decision to wind down disability services due to funding constraints. The district said it had repeatedly warned administrators that spending was outpacing available funds.
A CPS spokesperson said the district had been “proactive and transparent in the duty of distributing funds.”
This fiscal year, the district received $115.9 million in IDEA funding. Nationally, IDEA funding has remained relatively flat over the past decade, even as the share of students with disabilities has grown.
“The archdiocese looks forward to working with CPS in the months ahead to ensure that students with disabilities receive the academic support they need and deserve, whether they attend public or nonpublic schools,” the archdiocese said in its Thursday statement.