Questions to ask when touring a special education school in Arizona

What should I ask about who will teach my child?

Ask who plans your child's teaching, who teaches your child day to day, and what training each person has. Private schools run their own programs: Arizona's ESA law gives no government agency power to control or supervise them (ARS 15-2404(A)). So the school itself is your best source. Ask for roles and credentials, not general labels.

The Arizona Department of Education (ADE) puts the choice of providers with families too. Its handbook makes it the family's job to make sure an educational service provider, such as a tutor, has the proper accreditation or credentials (ADE, ESA Parent Handbook 2025-2026, p. 13). These questions help:

• Who writes my child's plan, and who teaches my child each day? Is it the same person every day?
• What training do staff have in autism, behavior support and communication, including augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) devices?
• How much of the day is one-to-one, and how much is in a group?
• What happens when my child's teacher is out?
• How are new staff trained and supervised?

What should I ask about my child's IEP or 504 plan?

Ask what the school will do with your child's current individualized education program (IEP) or 504 plan. At a private school you choose, your child's support comes from what the school offers. Your child doesn't have an individual right to the special education services they would get in public school (ADE, ESA Parent Handbook 2025-2026, pp. 34 and 35). So ask what the school does instead: what its own plan is called, which accommodations carry over, who writes the plan, and how often it's reviewed with you.

Paying with an ESA? Our guide to ESA vs IEP in Arizona covers what changes for your child's IEP.

• What plan will you write for my child, and which of my child's IEP accommodations will you provide?
• How often will you review the plan with me?
• Are you nonprofit or for-profit? At a nonprofit private school, your child might still get some special education services from the school district. At a for-profit private school, ESA students aren't eligible for those district services (ADE, ESA Parent Handbook 2025-2026, p. 35).
• Do you receive any federal funding? Section 504, a federal disability rights law, covers a private school that receives federal financial assistance. Such a school may not turn a child away because of a disability if the child could get an appropriate education there with minor adjustments (34 CFR 104.39(a)).

What should I ask about safety and hard moments?

Ask what staff do when your child is overwhelmed, and how they help your child calm down. Then ask whether the school has a written policy on restraint and seclusion, and ask to see it. It's normal to ask this on a tour. Asking about the plan for a hard day doesn't mean you expect one.

Arizona's restraint and seclusion law covers private schools (ARS 15-105(G)(2)). It sets strict limits on both. A school may use either one only when two things are both true: your child's behavior presents "an imminent danger of bodily harm", and less restrictive steps appear insufficient (ARS 15-105(A)).

The law also keeps you informed. If restraint or seclusion is ever used, the school must tell you the same day, or within 24 hours if circumstances prevent same-day notice. Within a reasonable time, it must also give you written documentation of what happened, including the technique used and how long it lasted (ARS 15-105(D)(1) and (D)(2)).

• How do you keep a hard moment from escalating? Where does my child go to calm down?
• Who is trained to use restraint or seclusion? The law requires trained staff unless an emergency leaves no time to call them (ARS 15-105(B)(3)).
• Do you have a written policy? May I see it, and a blank copy of the incident report you would send me?
• What happens after repeated incidents? The law requires the school to review its approach, including whether your child needs a functional behavioral assessment (ARS 15-105(D)(3)).
• Are all staff fingerprinted, and do they hold a fingerprint clearance card from the Arizona Department of Public Safety?
• Who gives medication, and how is it recorded? Are staff trained in CPR and first aid?

What should I ask about ESA and costs?

Ask whether the school takes ESA payments, what tuition covers, which fees are extra, and what happens if funds arrive late. For ESA to pay tuition, the school must require fingerprinting of all teaching staff and personnel who have unsupervised contact with students (ARS 15-2402(B)(4)(a)). A school also may not "share, refund or rebate" ESA money with you in any manner (ARS 15-2402(J)).

• How do you bill ESA? Families pay private schools through ClassWallet, the digital wallet that holds ESA funds, using an itemized invoice that ESA staff approve (ADE, ESA Parent Handbook 2025-2026, pp. 3, 43 and 47). Ask whether the school is registered there. Our ESA guide explains both ways to pay a school.
• What does tuition include? Are therapies, materials or other fees extra?
• Can my child start before our ESA funds arrive? What happens if funding is late, or if we leave mid-year?
• Getting to school: do you offer transportation? If not, ESA money can pay for public transportation or a rideshare service between your home and the school (ARS 15-2402(B)(4)(o)).
• Say no to: any offer of cash back, gift cards or credits tied to ESA money. The law doesn't allow it (ARS 15-2402(J)).

What should I ask about progress and communication?

Ask how the school measures progress, what reports you'll get, how often, and who will call you when something changes. For comparison, an IEP must describe how your child's progress toward annual goals will be measured and when you'll get progress reports (34 CFR 300.320(a)(3)). Ask whether the school's own plan does the same, and ask to see a sample report with names removed.

• Which tools do you use to measure where my child starts, and how they grow?
• How will you report progress on my child's goals, and how often?
• How often will I hear from my child's teacher, and how: calls, notes or an app?
• Who is my contact when I have a concern, and how fast do you reply?

What should I ask about the school day?

Ask for the daily schedule, and ask to watch a normal day rather than an empty building. Arizona requires every child from 6 to 16 to be taught at least reading, grammar, math, social studies and science (ARS 15-802(A)). So ask which subjects your child will study each day, how many hours a week they'll actually be taught, and by whom.

• Where does my child go when they need a break? How do you handle transitions?
• What do lunch, recess and group time look like?
• What does a typical week look like, and how many school days are in the year?
• For in-home or virtual learning: how many hours a week, and does a parent need to be home?

How do I know if the school is the right fit?

Ask the school which students do well there, and when it isn't the right fit. Each school keeps its own admissions policy, and taking ESA money doesn't change that (ARS 15-2404(C)). So if a school says it isn't the right fit, ask why. A good one tells you, and a clear answer helps you find the school that is. Ask whether your child can try a day before you commit, how long it takes to start, and whether there's a waitlist.

• May I talk with a current parent who has agreed to take calls?
• Which needs can't you meet well?
• Is there a trial or shadow day?
• How many days does it take from application to a start date? Is there a waitlist?
• Is the school accredited? By whom, and where can I check it?

What should I bring to the tour?

Bring this checklist and a pen. If you're comfortable sharing them, bring your child's current IEP or 504 plan and recent evaluations too, so the school can answer questions about your child in particular. You may want to tour without your child, then bring them back for a trial or shadow day. Ask every school the same questions, and write the answers down while they're fresh.

Section	Question to ask	Notes
Teaching	Who plans my child's teaching, and who teaches each day? What training do they have? How much of the day is one-to-one?
IEP or 504	What plan will you write, and which IEP accommodations will you provide? Are you nonprofit or for-profit? Do you receive federal funding?
Safety	Do you have a written restraint and seclusion policy I can see? How will you tell me after an incident? Are all staff fingerprinted?
ESA and costs	How do you bill ESA? What does tuition include, and which fees are extra? Can we start before ESA funds arrive?
Progress	How do you measure progress? Which reports will I get, and how often? Who is my contact?
The day	What does a normal day look like? Where does my child take a break? How many hours a week is my child taught?
Fit	Which needs can't you meet well? Is there a shadow day? How long until a start date, and is there a waitlist?

Source: the sections above, which cite ARS 15-105, 15-802, 15-2402 and 15-2404; 34 CFR 300.320 and 104.39; and ADE's ESA Parent Handbook 2025-2026, checked 7 October 2026.

Goodwin Learning Academy, 1307 E. Southern Ave, Ste. 300, Mesa, AZ 85204. (602) 539-0150.