EDUCATION IS A CIVIL RIGHT
In 1954 the Supreme Court of the United States ruled in Brown v. Board of Education that every child is entitled to equal educational services. This was the foundation needed to fight for equality in educational rights. The court's finding in Brown that all children are entitled to the same education gave children with disabilities and their advocates a powerful weapon. Their right to a seat in the classroom with non-disabled peers was secured in 1975 when Congress passed the Education for All Handicapped Children Act. This legislation was later renamed the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, or IDEA. The purpose of the IDEA is "to ensure that all children with disabilities have available to them a free appropriate public education (FAPE) that emphasizes special education and related services designed to meet their unique needs and prepare them for further education, employment and independent living." See 20 U.S.C. section 1400(d)(1)(A). FAPE is to be provided in the least restrictive environment appropriate to each child's individual needs.
The term 'free appropriate public education' means special education and related services that are provided at public expense in conformity with the individualized education program (IEP) required under Section 1414(d) of 20 U.S.C. The IEP is a contract with the school of what they will provide to meet their obligation to your child under FAPE. Perhaps you disagree with the school concerning: Whether or not your child has a disability that is effecting his/her ability to learn, the correct identification of your child's disability, the measurements that are being used to chart your child's progress, whether or not the services that are being offered are effective in enabling your child to progress, the discipline that your child is receiving that does not take into account his/her disability, ect.
The effect of your child's education will dictate the course of his/her life and is a priority to you. As a parent of a child with a disability, you should not have to become an expert on education law to understand how these statutes and regulations can assist your child. This is the service that I provide so that you can focus on the other necessary things in life.
The term 'free appropriate public education' means special education and related services that are provided at public expense in conformity with the individualized education program (IEP) required under Section 1414(d) of 20 U.S.C. The IEP is a contract with the school of what they will provide to meet their obligation to your child under FAPE. Perhaps you disagree with the school concerning: Whether or not your child has a disability that is effecting his/her ability to learn, the correct identification of your child's disability, the measurements that are being used to chart your child's progress, whether or not the services that are being offered are effective in enabling your child to progress, the discipline that your child is receiving that does not take into account his/her disability, ect.
The effect of your child's education will dictate the course of his/her life and is a priority to you. As a parent of a child with a disability, you should not have to become an expert on education law to understand how these statutes and regulations can assist your child. This is the service that I provide so that you can focus on the other necessary things in life.
