8VAC20-40-30 (Applicability) currently limits applicability to students in public elementary and secondary schools.  Rather, the regulation should remove the word public, to define the applicability to elementary and secondary school students.  All gifted students legally residing in a local school districts should be eligible for taxpayer-funded gifted student programs, whether they take advantage of regular publicly-funded education, choose to pay extra for private education or are taught at home.  This revision is consistent with 8VAC20-40-40. (Identification), which permits referrals from "parents or legal guardians, other persons of related expertise, peer referral and self-referral of those students believed to be gifted," as long as they would otherwise meet the qualitative procedures for identification and service in mathematics, science, and humanities.  Further, no student should be required to pay a premium price for participation in these programs simply by not attending public schools.