If your child has an Individualized Education Program (IEP) through the Lee County School District, you are navigating one of the most important and complex aspects of raising a child with a disability or developmental difference. You are also doing so during a year of significant change, both in how the district delivers services and in the state-level scholarship landscape that affects how families can fund private therapy. Here, we’re offering a bit of insight into what is happening, what it means for your child, and a few ways FOCUS Therapy can help support your child’s academic journey.

What Is Happening in Lee County Schools Right Now

In 2025, an independent audit of the Lee County School District’s Exceptional Student Education (ESE) program flagged some concerns, with two areas in particular requiring immediate attention: the development and delivery of ESE services and accommodations, and ESE delivery consistency and maturity. A review of 40 IEPs identified 467 services and accommodations that were not being consistently delivered or documented. In response, the district launched a centralized dashboard system to track IEP services in real time.

More recently, in March 2026, the district announced a significant structural change: a shift to a “cluster school model” for ESE service delivery. This means some students with disabilities will be reassigned to different schools, ones designated to serve their specific needs, rather than receiving services at their home school. The district’s stated goal is to enhance student outcomes, better support ESE staff, and address a teacher shortage that is, in their own words, “acutely impacting the ability to meet demands.”

For many families, that’s going to mean a new school, a new routine, and likely more than a few questions.

The Family Empowerment Scholarship: What It Means for Your Family

Florida’s Family Empowerment Scholarship for Students with Unique Abilities (FES-UA), administered through Step Up For Students, is one of the most powerful (and underutilized) tools available to Lee County families of children with disabilities. Established under Florida law (Section 1002.394, Florida Statutes) and expanded significantly by HB 1 in 2023, the FES-UA provides eligible families with an Education Savings Account averaging approximately $10,000 per year, and up to $22,000 to $34,000 annually for students with the highest levels of need.

Critically, those funds can be used for private therapies, including speech-language pathology, occupational therapy, and ABA therapy, in addition to private school tuition, tutoring, curriculum, and other approved educational expenses. Students are eligible if they have a current IEP issued by a Florida school district or a qualifying diagnosis from a licensed physician or psychologist. Children as young as 3-years-old can qualify.

One important thing families must understand: students who choose to access the ESA option of FES-UA cannot simultaneously remain enrolled in a Florida public school. This is a big decision that affects your child’s IEP rights and school-based services. It is not the right choice for every family. But for some, it opens meaningful access to private therapeutic services that might otherwise be out of reach financially.

Applications for the 2026–27 school year opened February 1, 2026, with a priority renewal deadline of April 30, 2026. If you have not yet explored this scholarship for your child, we encourage you to visit stepupforstudents.org to learn whether your family qualifies.

Where FOCUS Therapy Fits In

FOCUS Therapy does not provide school-based services — and we want to be clear about that distinction, because it matters legally and practically. What we do provide is private therapy services complementary to what your child receives at school. While there are wonderful, dedicated school-based therapy providers throughout Southwest Florida, the reality is they are also grappling with sizable caseloads, staffing shortages, and the inherent limitations of a school environment.

At a private pediatric therapy clinic like FOCUS Therapy, your child’s therapists will have significantly more 1:1 time with them than a school-based therapist. We get to know them as a whole person: their learning style, their triggers, their strengths, and their specific areas of challenge in a way that a school-based provider rotating across dozens of children often cannot. That depth of knowledge is one of the most valuable things we can offer when the time comes for your child’s next IEP meeting.

Upon request and on a case-by-case basis in consideration of the complexity of the issues and our own availability, FOCUS Therapy offers IEP assistance and planning services at reasonable hourly rates. This service is usually paid out of pocket by families. Our team, led by FOCUS Founder Jennifer Voltz-Ronco, MS-CCC/SLP — herself a former school-based speech therapist who has worked within the Lee County system — can help you prepare for your child’s IEP meeting, review proposed goals to ensure they are appropriately ambitious, and (as our availability allows) advocate alongside you for the services and accommodations your child needs.

A private therapist attending your child’s IEP meeting is not an adversarial presence. If we do attend, our role is simply to ensure that the team developing your child’s education plan has the most complete, accurate picture of who your child is and what they are capable of when they are well-supported.

The Wrap-Around Approach: Why It Matters

The most successful long-term outcomes for children with disabilities happen when the professionals working with them from a young age are sharing information, aligning their strategies, and reinforcing the same skills across every setting — clinic, home, and school. At FOCUS, we call this a “wrap-around” approach, and it is at the heart of how we think about your child’s care.

Research consistently supports this. A 2019 systematic review published in the American Journal of Occupational Therapy (Clark, Watling, Parham & Schaaf) found that children with autism who received therapy goals collaboratively developed and implemented across both clinic and school settings made measurably greater gains than those receiving services in isolation. Communication between providers is not a bonus — it is a clinical advantage.

Whether your child is receiving services through the Lee County School District, through the FES-UA scholarship at a private school, or through a combination of both, FOCUS Therapy is here to be your partner in that process. We welcome communication with school-based providers, and we are ready to advocate for your child in the settings where they spend the majority of their days.

If you have an upcoming IEP meeting and would like to discuss how FOCUS can help you prepare, please talk to your child’s therapist our contact our team at (239) 313-5049 or visit focusflorida.com/iep-assistance-planning to learn more.

FOCUS Therapy is a comprehensive pediatric therapy clinic in Fort Myers, FL, offering ABA therapy, ADOS testing, occupational therapy, speech-language therapy, IIEP Planning & Assistance, and behavior consulting.

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