The following Special Education laws will be addressed in this section:
In addition to assurances of civil rights of students with disabilities, other legislation exists that addresses their educational rights. The first major law that guaranteed the right to a public education for all children, ages 5 to 21, was the Education for All Handicapped Children Act of 1975.
The Education for all Handicapped Children Acts is more commonly known as the EHA; it had as its purpose:
To guarantee a Free and Appropriate Public Education (FAPE ) for all children with disabilities, ages 5-21
Special Education and related services must be free, provided by the public agency at no cost to the parents
Appropriate education is the provision of regular and special education and related services designed to meet students' individual educational needs.
To develop an Individualized Education Program (IEP ) for each child eligible for special education and related services; plan is based on multi-disciplinary assessment and includes a statement of specific special education and related services to be provided to the child
To the maximum extent appropriate, all children and youth with disabilities will be educated in the least restrictive education (LRE ) environment
Parents have the right to participate in every decision related to the identification, evaluation, and placement of their child. Parents must give consent for any initial evaluation, assessment or placement decision. Due process procedures assure parents rights to appeal.