Free Appropriate Public Education: IEPs and the IDEA

Download or read book Free Appropriate Public Education: IEPs and the IDEA written by LandMark Publications and published by . This book was released on 2017-07-27 with total page 532 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: THIS CASEBOOK contains a selection of U. S. Court of Appeals decisions that interpret and discuss the statutory mandate of a "free appropriate public education" (FAPE) for states receiving federal education funding under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). Individual needs are met through the development of an individualized educational program (IEP) for each student with a disability. The selection of decisions spans from 2014 to the date of publication.The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act ("IDEA") guarantees children with disabilities a free appropriate public education ("FAPE"). 20 U.S.C. � 1400(d)(1)(A).The IDEA contains numerous procedural safeguards that are designed to protect the rights of disabled children and their parents. See 20 U.S.C. � 1415. These safeguards are a central feature of the IDEA process, not a mere afterthought: "Congress placed every bit as much emphasis upon compliance with procedures giving parents and guardians a large measure of participation at every stage of the administrative process as it did upon the measurement of the resulting IEP against a substantive standard." Rowley, 458 U.S. at 205, 102 S.Ct. 3034. Because disabled children and their parents are generally not represented by counsel during the IEP process, procedural errors at that stage are particularly likely to be prejudicial and cause the loss of educational benefits. MC Ex Rel. MN v. Antelope Valley Union, ibid.