The Committee decides, and the IEP records it
The CSE or CPSE must decide, from the student's unique needs, whether assistive technology devices or services are required for FAPE. That includes school-purchased technology used at home when it is necessary.
When the Committee determines a device or service is needed, the IEP must include that determination. A parent-created draft cannot substitute for the Committee-issued IEP, which is the single most useful fact on this page.
What a request should establish
A school AT request should identify present function, needed function, the settings involved, curriculum and communication access, training, and integration. If approved, the IEP has to describe the technology's functions and features.
If an AT evaluation forms part of an initial evaluation or a reevaluation, the parent must receive prior written notice identifying assistive technology as a proposed evaluation area.
Why this matters before an OPWDD request
Where the school is the legally responsible payer, an OPWDD request for the same device is likely to be the wrong route. Establishing the school's position first is not a delay; it is the step that makes any later request coherent.
What Kit can do
Kit can research which route an expense belongs to, preserve the sources it relies on, and prepare a draft request for your review. It cannot approve anything, and neither a Kit page nor a provider listing is an OPWDD or Fiscal Intermediary decision.
One useful answer
What if the district says no?
A Committee decision, including a refusal, is a document with procedural rights attached to it. It also changes the evidence available to any other route. Kit records it rather than treating it as the end of the question.
Where this comes from
- NYSED §200.4 — referral, evaluation, IEP development and review
- NYSED — Assistive Technology for Students with Disabilities (policy brief)
Kit quotes the governing document. OPWDD and your Fiscal Intermediary decide your request.