Laws about the Education of Children with Disabilities

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The laws are clear that you as the parent should have a choice in the discussions and decisions about your child's education. As your child grows older, their participation becomes essential. Once your child is 14, they are included in meeting to help make decisions about their education.

Before deciding that your child is not eligible for exceptional student education, a team of people must conduct an individual evaluation of your child's educational strengths and needs. The evaluation will include measuring your child's response to instruction and interventions over time, interview, observation, and an analysis of all information about your child and their educational needs. The law provides several protections to make sure that once your child is identified as a child with a disability, they are reevaluated from time to time to find out if your  child continues to have a disability and if their educational program or services should be changed

An IEP is a written agreement that tells you, your child, their teachers, and other school  and service providers what services the school will provide to help your child meet their educational needs

Every student receiving ESE services has the right to a free appropriate public education. This means that the local public school district must provide services designed to help your child meet the annual goals and make progress in the general curriculum at no cost to you.