Know Your Rights as a Parent
As a parent of a child with a disability, you have powerful legal protections. This cheat sheet covers the key terms related to your rights under federal law.
Key Terms (9)
The federal law that guarantees all children with disabilities access to a free appropriate public education (FAPE). IDEA requires schools to find, evaluate, and serve children with disabilities fr...
A civil rights law that prohibits discrimination against individuals with disabilities in any program receiving federal funding. In schools, Section 504 requires that students with disabilities rec...
A broad civil rights law that prohibits discrimination based on disability in employment, public services, and public accommodations. In the school setting, the ADA works alongside Section 504 and ...
The right of every child with a disability to receive special education and related services at no cost to the family. "Appropriate" means the education must be reasonably calculated to enable a ch...
A set of rights guaranteed to parents under IDEA that protect their ability to participate in decisions about their child's education. These include the right to written notice before changes, acce...
A written document that the school must provide to parents whenever it proposes or refuses to initiate or change the identification, evaluation, educational placement, or provision of FAPE to a chi...
A federal law that protects the privacy of student education records. Parents have the right to inspect and review their child's records, request corrections, and control disclosure of personally i...
The legal obligation under IDEA requiring every state and school district to identify, locate, and evaluate all children with disabilities who may need special education services — regardless of th...
The standard for FAPE established by the Supreme Court in Endrew F. v. Douglas County School District (2017). The Court held that an IEP must be "reasonably calculated to enable a child to make pro...
Parent Tips
IDEA gives you the right to participate in every decision about your child's education.
The school must give you Prior Written Notice before making ANY change to your child's identification, evaluation, placement, or services.
You have the right to inspect and copy ALL of your child's educational records within 45 days of your request.
The Endrew F. standard (2017) means your child's IEP must be "reasonably calculated to enable progress appropriate in light of the child's circumstances" — not just minimal.
"Child Find" means the school has a legal duty to identify and evaluate children who may have disabilities — even if you haven't requested it.
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