IDEA
Individuals with Disabilities Education Act
So what is IDEA and who does it covered?
The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act is viewed as a "Bill of Rights" for children who have disabilities and their families. It is a federal law that requires schools to serve educational needs of students who have a disability. It protects students who have disabilities and gives the parents a voice in their child's education. Everyone is covered under IDEA.
14 Mandates of IDEA
- FAPE (Free and Appropriate Public Education)
- Categories of Disabilities
- Special Education
- Related Services
- Child Identification/Child Find
- Full Educational Opportunities Goals
- Physical Education
- Priorities
- IEP
- Due Process
- Protection in Evaluation Procedures
- LRE (Least Restricted Environment
- Confidentially of Information
- Transition
Amendments of 1997
In 1997, President Clinton signed amendments to the Individuals with Disabilities Act that targeted on improving the education of children with disabilities by
- Identifying children with special needs before they enter school and providing services to help them,
- Developing individualized education programs (IEPs) that focus on improving educational results through the general curriculum,
- Educating children with disabilities with their nondisabled peers,
- Setting higher expectations for students who are disabled and ensuring schools are held accountable,
- Strengthening the role of parents and fostering partnerships between parents and schools,
- Reducing unnecessary paperwork and other burdens.
Amendments of 2004
In December 2004, George W. Bush reauthorized the Individuals with Disabilities Act with No Child Left Behind. Some of the revision included:
- Having high qualified special education teachers
- Schools use scientific research based intervention as well the evaluation process
- Requiring IEP's have measurable goals that are annual
- Description of child's progress towards the goals
Amendments of 2008
The 2008 Amendments focused primarily on:
- Having parental consent to continue special education and related services
- Non-attorney representation at due process hearing, state monitoring, technical assistance and enforcement
- Efforts to employ individuals with disabilities
- Allocation of funds
Additional Comments
- The most recent amendment was passed by Congress in December 2004
- It is a four part A-D piece of American Legislation
- IDEA is composed of 6 main elements that capture its main point