The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) is a statute which protects the rights of students between the ages of three years old to twenty one years old who have learning disabilities. IDEA is a federal statute which applies in every state. This statute grants students who have a learning disability four basic rights: (1) free appropriate education (meaning the child is provided a free public education which meets his specific needs); (2) least restrictive environment (meaning, if possible, the student is educated in an environment with students who do not have learning disabilities); (3) the school provides the child with supplementary aids to help the child through the curriculum; and (4) the school performs an assessment on the child to determine his specific needs.
I.E.P. or Individualized Education Program consists of a group of school directors and administrators, teachers, and other support staff. This team completes an annual program centered around the needs of the individual student. Additionally, if a student has a recognized learning disability and he is placed in the I.E.P. he is granted very specific, important, and additional rights. If you have any questions regarding this statute or the I.E.P. process, please contact the attorneys at the Kelly Law Firm for a free consultation so you may become aware of your child’s rights.
