Source: https://www.everycrsreport.com/files/20180730_R41833_919289b16964a9ffcb46e78cf5aeeee9027c34c9.html
Timestamp: 2020-05-31 05:41:15
Document Index: 583890549

Matched Legal Cases: ['art 1', 'art 2', 'art 3', 'art 3', '§794', '§12101', '§1401', '§601', '§1412', '§612', '§1412', '§612']

Updated July 30, 2018 (R41833)
In the 2016-2017 school year, 6.8 million children ages 3 through 21, approximately 13% of all public school students, received educational services under Part B of the IDEA. To be covered under IDEA, a child with a disability must meet the categorical definition of disability in the act, and the child must require special education and related services as a result of the disability in order to benefit from public education. Once a child meets IDEA's eligibility criteria, FAPE is implemented through the Individualized Education Program (IEP), which is the plan for providing special education and related services by the local educational agency (LEA). The IEP is developed by an IEP team composed of school personnel and the child's parents or guardian. IDEA requires that children with disabilities be educated in the least restrictive environment. That is, to the maximum extent appropriate they are to be educated with children who are not disabled. In the fall of 2016, approximately 63% of all school-aged children with disabilities served by IDEA spent 80% or more of their time in a regular classroom.
To implement IDEA, states and other entities (i.e., the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the Bureau of Indian Education, the outlying areas, and the freely associated states) receive grants based on a statutory formula. In FY2017, $13.4 billion was appropriated for IDEA. Most of the federal funds received by states are passed on to LEAs based on a statutory formula. IDEA also contains state and local maintenance of effort (MOE) requirements and supplement, not supplant (SNS) requirements aimed at increasing overall educational spending, rather than substituting federal funds for education spending at the state and local levels.
The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) is the main federal statute governing special education for children from birth through age 21.1 IDEA protects the rights of children with disabilities to a free appropriate public education (FAPE). It also supplements state and local funding to pay for some of the additional or excess costs of educating children with disabilities. IDEA is administered by the Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) in the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services (OSERS) in the Department of Education (ED). In the 2016-2017 school year (SY), 6.8 million children ages 3 through 21 received special education and related services under Part B of the IDEA.2 In SY2016-2017, approximately 13.4% of all public school students ages 3 through 21 received services under the IDEA.3
IDEA was originally enacted in 1975 as the Education for All Handicapped Children Act, P.L. 94-142.4 At that time, Congress found that more than half of all children with disabilities were not receiving appropriate educational services and that 1 million children with disabilities were excluded entirely from the public school system. Further, Congress found that many of the children participating in regular school programs were prevented from having a successful educational experience because their disabilities were undiagnosed.5 In addition to the awareness of the difficulties faced by children with disabilities, there were three other factors that precipitated the enactment of P.L. 94-142: (1) judicial decisions that found constitutional requirements for the education of children with disabilities, (2) the inability of states and localities to fund education for children with disabilities, and (3) potential long-term benefits of educating children with disabilities.
Since 1975, IDEA has been the subject of numerous reauthorizations to extend services and rights to children with disabilities. The most recent reauthorization was P.L. 108-446 in 2004.6 Funding for Part B, Assistance for Education of all Children with Disabilities, is permanently authorized. Funding for Part C, Infants and Toddlers with Disabilities, and Part D, National Activities, was authorized through FY2011.7 Funding for the programs continues to be provided through annual appropriations acts.
a. Of this amount, $381.1 million, or 2.9% of the total IDEA FY2017 appropriation, was appropriated for the state grants program for preschool children with disabilities (Section 619).
To be covered under IDEA, a child with a disability must meet two criteria. First, the child must be in one of several categories of disabilities, and second, the child must require special education and related services as a result of the disability in order to benefit from public education.10 If a child meets the two criteria, he or she would be eligible to receive specially designed instruction or special education in which the content or the delivery of the instruction is adapted to the needs of the child.
If a child has a disability, but does not require special education to benefit from public education, he or she would not be covered under IDEA. The child might be covered, however, under two other acts that address the rights of individuals with disabilities: Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act11 and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).12 These two acts provide broad nondiscrimination protection not limited to education and have identical functional definitions of disability (i.e., disabilities related to such functions as seeing, hearing, walking, thinking) rather than the categorical definition used in the IDEA. "Several of the most common disabilities of students included under Section 504 and the ADA, but not always covered under IDEA, are attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), diabetes, and asthma."13
Figure 1 shows the distribution of students with disabilities ages 3 through 21 receiving special education and related services in the fall of 2016. Approximately 34% of students with disabilities have specific learning disabilities (SLD).14 Learning disabilities include such conditions as dyslexia, perceptual disabilities, and developmental aphasia.15
Source: U.S. Department of Education, EDFacts Data Warehouse (EDW): "IDEA Part B Child Count and Educational Environments Collection," 2016-2017, http://www2.ed.gov/programs/osepidea/618-data/index.html.
Notes: Percentages may not add to 100% because of rounding. The total number of students is 6.8 million.
A child who has been identified as having (or possibly having) a disability must be evaluated by the local education agency (LEA),20 before receiving special education and related services to determine whether a child is a child with a disability and to determine the educational needs of the child.21 Either the parent or the LEA may request an initial evaluation.22 In general, the LEA must obtain informed consent from the parent before conducting an initial evaluation.23 Parental consent for an evaluation cannot be construed as consent for special education and related services.24 The initial evaluation must take place within 60 days of receiving parental consent or within an alternative time frame established by the state.25
Reevaluations are required if the child's teacher or parent makes a request or if the LEA determines that the child's educational and service needs, academic achievement, or functional performance warrant a reevaluation. For example, a reevaluation might be warranted if the child's performance in school significantly improves, suggesting that he or she no longer requires special education and related services, or if the child is not making progress toward the goals in his or her IEP, indicating that changes are needed in the education or related services the LEA is providing. In general, parental consent is required for reevaluations as well as for the initial evaluation.31 In addition, the LEA cannot change the eligibility of a child until a reevaluation is done, unless the child graduates from high school with a regular diploma or reaches the age at which state law no longer provides for FAPE.32 A reevaluation may not be done more than once a year unless the parent and LEA agree to an additional reevaluation, and a reevaluation must be done at least once every three years, unless the parent and the LEA agree that a reevaluation is not necessary.33
In general, the group members who determine whether a child has an SLD must include the child's parents, the child's regular education teacher, and at least one person qualified to conduct individual diagnostic examinations of children (e.g., a school psychologist, speech-language pathologist, or remedial reading teacher).39 The group may determine that a child has an SLD if three criteria are met40
SEAs must ensure that each special education teacher who teaches elementary or secondary school meets several requirements. The IDEA requires that all special education teachers: (1) obtain full state special education teaching certification or pass the state special education teacher licensing examination, or fulfill requirements in a state's charter school law for teachers in charter schools; (2) have not had any certification requirements waived on an emergency, temporary, or provisional basis; and (3) have at least a bachelor's degree.70 The IDEA maintains similar certification requirements for related services personnel but does not require related services personnel to hold a bachelor's degree.71 In addition, paraprofessionals and assistants, who assist in the provision of special education and related services to children with disabilities, must be appropriately trained and supervised, in accordance with state law, regulation, or other written state policy, to meet the requirements of Part B of the IDEA.72
IDEA requires that children with disabilities be educated in the least restrictive environment possible.73 In other words, to the maximum extent that is appropriate they are to be educated with children who are not disabled. Further, special classes, separate schooling, or other removal of children with disabilities from the regular educational environment can occur only when the nature or severity of the disability of a child is such that education in regular classes with the use of supplementary aids and services74 cannot be achieved satisfactorily. Supplementary aids and services could include such things as additional time to take tests or complete assignments, slower-paced instruction, personal aides, peer tutors, and use of a computer.
As with identification and evaluation, the child's parents must be notified in writing within a reasonable time before the placement.77 If the parents disagree with the placement decision, they may use the procedural safeguards, such as the mediation and due process complaints discussed in the "Procedural Safeguards " section of this report.
Notes: Percentages by disability may not add to 100% because of rounding. The total number of children ages 3 through 21 is 6.81 million.
As shown in Table 2, which contains the most recent data available, 63% of children with disabilities ages 6 through 21 spend 80% or more of their time in the regular classroom; 18% spend between 40% and 79%; 13% spend less than 40%; and 5% are educated in other environments. Other environments are a separate school, a residential facility, a private school placement by the parent, a correctional facility, and a home or hospital. Of all children with disabilities ages 6 through 21, 3% receive their education in a separate school and an additional 1.4% are parentally placed in a private school. As also shown in Table 2, 71% of children with SLDs and 87% with speech and language impairments spend 80% or more of their classroom time in the regular classroom, while 17% of children with intellectual disabilities spend 80% or more of their time in the regular classroom.
Children with Disabilities in Private Schools78
A child with a disability may be placed in a private elementary or secondary school by an LEA as part of an IEP if the IEP team determines that a private school placement is needed to fulfill the FAPE requirements for the child. In this situation, the private school placement is made at no cost to the parents, and the child has all of the rights of a child with a disability who is served in a public school.79
A child with a disability may also be unilaterally placed in a private elementary or secondary school by his or her parents.80 In this situation, the "parentally placed" child is not entitled to FAPE, and the cost of the private school placement is not paid by the LEA unless a court or hearing officer makes certain findings.81 The LEA must, however, spend a share of its IDEA funds to provide services to children enrolled with disabilities by their parents in private schools located in the LEA based on the proportion of parentally placed children to the total number of children with disabilities in the LEA.82 Except where there is a court order, the LEA makes the final decision about the services to be provided to parentally placed private school children.83 In making this decision, the LEA must engage in a consultation process with the private school officials and representatives of parents.84 The LEA is also responsible for devising a service plan for every parentally placed child with a disability receiving special education or related services from the LEA.85
Procedural safeguards86 are provisions protecting the rights of parents and children with disabilities regarding FAPE. The various types of procedures include parental rights to
present and resolve complaints through the due process complaint procedures, which include a right to file suit in federal district court;93 and
The due process complaint procedure begins with filing a due process complaint, which is in effect a request for a due process hearing, on matters relating to the identification, evaluation, or educational placement of a child with a disability, or the provision of FAPE to the child. Generally, unless the SEA or LEA and the parent otherwise agree, the child must remain in his or her current educational placement pending the outcome of the due process complaint procedures or of a court proceeding. This requirement is referred to as "stay put."96
Either a parent or an LEA may file a due process complaint.97 The due process complaint must allege a violation that occurred not more than two years before the date the parent or public agency knew or should have known about the alleged action that forms the basis of the due process complaint, or, if the state has an explicit time limitation for filing a due process complaint, occurred in the time period allowed by state law.98
The due process hearing is conducted by an impartial hearing officer.100 The decision of the hearing officer is final, except that any party in a state where the hearing is conducted by the LEA may appeal the findings and decision to the SEA, who in turn must conduct an impartial review. If the hearing was held in a state where the SEA conducted the hearing, then either party can file a civil lawsuit. The party filing the lawsuit has 90 days from the date of the decision of the hearing officer or, if applicable, the decision of the state review official, to file the lawsuit; or, if the state has an explicit time limitation for bringing civil action, the lawsuit must be filed in the time period allowed by state law.101
Unlike requests for mediation or for complaints filed under due process procedures, where only a parent or an LEA can file a complaint, a state complaint can be filed by any organization or individual, including those from another state. State complaint procedures must ensure that complaints will be resolved within 60 calendar days from the date the complaint is filed unless an extension is permitted.104
IDEA's disciplinary provisions are intended to "balance school safety issues with the need to ensure that schools respond appropriately to a child's behavior that was caused by, or directly and substantially related to, the child's disability."106 IDEA addresses both the school's authority in disciplining students with disabilities and the rights of the students to receive FAPE. In general, a child with a disability is not immune from disciplinary procedures; however, these procedures are not identical to those for children without disabilities.107
placing the child in an interim alternative education setting for up to 45 school days for situations involving weapons or drugs, or if the student has inflicted serious bodily injury on another person while at school;109 and
This determination is referred to as a "manifestation determination." The reason for the determination is IDEA's recognition "that a child with a disability may display disruptive behaviors characteristic of the child's disability and the child should not be punished for behaviors that are a result of the child's disability."112
If the child's behavior is not a manifestation of a disability, long-term disciplinary action such as expulsion may occur, except that educational services may not cease.113 If the behavior is a manifestation of the disability, the IEP team must conduct a functional behavior assessment and implement a behavior intervention plan for the child, if this has not been done before.114 If there was a behavioral intervention plan, it must be reviewed and modified as necessary to address the behavior.115
Except for certain circumstances involving weapons, illegal drugs, or serious bodily injury, when the conduct is a manifestation of the disability, the child must return to the placement from which he or she was removed unless the parent and the LEA agree to a change of placement as part of the modification of the behavioral intervention plan.116 If the parent of a child with a disability disagrees with any decision regarding placement or the manifestation determination, or an LEA believes that maintaining the current placement of the child is substantially likely to result in injury to the child or others, either may request a due process hearing.117
Actual and proposed grants to states are often discussed in terms of the percent of the "excess costs" of educating children with disabilities that the federal government will pay.119 The metric for determining this excess cost is based on the national average per-pupil expenditure (APPE). In 1975, with the enactment of the Education for All Handicapped Children Act (P.L. 94-142), it was determined that the federal government would pay up to 40% of APPE to assist with this excess cost.120 This 40% of APPE is often referred to as "full funding." In FY2018, the Part B grants to states appropriation of $12.3 billion provided approximately 15% of APPE.121
Of the funds appropriated for IDEA, the Secretary of Education first reserves (1) not more than 1% of the appropriation for the outlying areas and freely associated states,122 (2) funds for services for Indian children with disabilities,123 and (3) not more than one-half of 1% of the appropriation up to a maximum of $25 million, adjusted for inflation, to provide technical assistance to improve the capacity of states to meet data collection requirements.124 The remainder of the funds are allocated by a formula to the 50 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico. If the amount available for allocations to states for a fiscal year is equal to or greater than the amount allocated to the states for the preceding fiscal year, the formula125 first requires that each state receive a base grant, which is the amount received by the state for FY1999. The next step is to distribute 85% of the remaining funds among the states based on states' shares of total population ages 3 to 21126 and 15% of the remaining funds based on states' shares of poor children in that age range. The third step ensures that states do not receive less than certain minimum amounts or more than certain maximum amounts.127 If the amount available for allocation to states decreases from the prior year, any amount available for allocation to states above the 1999 level is allocated based on the relative increases in funding that the states received between 1999 and the prior year. If there is a decrease below the amount allocated for 1999, each state's allocation is ratably reduced from the 1999 level.128
A state may reserve funds from their grants for administration129 and for a variety of other statewide activities. These include two mandatory activities: (1) monitoring, enforcement, and complaint investigation, and (2) establishing and maintaining a parental mediation process.130 Other allowable state-level activities include improving the use of technology in the classroom, developing transition programs, and assisting LEAs in meeting personnel shortages.131 In addition, for the purpose of assisting LEAs in addressing the needs of high-need children (i.e., children who require expensive services, including certain medical expenses), states may establish a risk pool or "high cost" fund. If a state chooses to establish a risk pool, it may use 10% of the funds it reserved for state-level activities.132 States using a risk pool must develop and annually review a state plan in which the state determines which children with disabilities are high need, sets out the procedures by which LEAs participate in the risk pool, and determines how funds are distributed.133 Funds distributed from the risk pool must only pay for "direct special education and related services" for high need children with disabilities134 and may not be used for legal fees or related costs.135 If some funds reserved for the risk pool are not distributed for services for high-need children, they are to be distributed to LEAs according to the substate formula.136
In general, a state may not reduce the amount of its financial support for special education and related services for children with disabilities below the amount of that support for the preceding fiscal year.138 In any fiscal year in which a state does not meet this MOE requirement, the Secretary of Education is required to reduce the state's subsequent year grant by the same amount by which the state fails to meet the requirement.139 The Secretary may grant a waiver for one fiscal year at a time in the case of "exceptional or uncontrollable circumstances" such as a natural disaster or a "precipitous and unforeseen decline in the financial resources of the state."140 In addition, waivers can be granted if the state can provide "clear and convincing evidence" that FAPE is available for all children with disabilities.141 If a state does not meet its MOE requirement for any year, including any year for which the state was granted a waiver, the state financial support required in future years is not reduced. That is, the state must provide the amount that would have been required in the absence of failing to meet MOE in the previous year.142
LEAs may use IDEA funds only for the excess costs143 of educating children with disabilities, and may not reduce the level of expenditures for the education of children with disabilities made by the LEA from local funds below the level of those expenditures for the preceding fiscal year.144 In general, the SEA must determine that an LEA meets this requirement (for purposes of establishing the LEA's eligibility for an award for a fiscal year). If the LEA assures the SEA that it will provide at least the same total or per capita amount from either local funds only or a combination of state and local funds for the most recent prior year for which the data are available, then the LEA would be eligible for funds.145 IDEA specifies in statute four circumstances in which an LEA may legally reduce its local expenditures. These are in cases of
(1) voluntary departure, by retirement or otherwise, or departure for just cause, of special education personnel; (2) a decrease in the enrollment of children with disabilities; (3) the termination of the obligation of the agency ... to provide a program of special education to a particular child with a disability that is an exceptionally costly program ... ; or (4) the termination of costly expenditures for long-term purchases, such as the acquisition of equipment or the construction of school facilities.146
The regulations establish a fifth circumstance under which an LEA may reduce its local expenditures. If a state establishes a risk pool (i.e., high cost fund) and the state assumes the costs associated with "high cost" children in the LEA, the LEA may reduce its expenditures.147
In addition, with some exceptions, an LEA may reduce its local expenditures in certain fiscal years in which its federal allocation exceeds the amount received in the previous fiscal year by not more than 50% of the excess amount.148 These funds must be used to carry out activities authorized under ESEA.149 Exceptions include the following: (1) the state is required to prohibit an LEA from reducing its MOE if the SEA has taken responsibility for providing FAPE in the LEA because the LEA is unable to establish and maintain programs of FAPE, or the state has taken action against the LEA under IDEA's enforcement provisions;150 (2) if in its annual determination on the performance of LEAs, a state determines that an LEA does not meet requirements (i.e., the LEA needs assistance, intervention, or substantial intervention), the state must prohibit the LEA from reducing its MOE;151 and (3) the amount of funds expended by an LEA for CEIS152 must count toward the maximum amount of the reduction in expenditures the LEA may make.153 Consequently, any LEA that is required to use 15% of its allocation on CEIS because the state has determined that "significant disproportionality"154 based on race and ethnicity is occurring would be prohibited from reducing its MOE.155
Both states and LEAs must use IDEA funds to supplement state, local, and other federal funds and not to supplant them.156 As with the state MOE requirement, the Secretary of Education has authority to grant a waiver of the state-level SNS requirement if the state provides "clear and convincing evidence" that all children with disabilities in the state have FAPE available.157 If an LEA (or state) maintains its level of local, or state and local, expenditures for special education and related services from year to year, then the LEA has met its MOE and SNS requirements. There are no SNS or MOE waiver provisions for LEAs.158
The Secretary monitors the implementation of IDEA through the oversight of states' required general supervision of the implementation of IDEA requirements, and through the states' required state performance plans (SPP).159 These plans evaluate a state's efforts to implement the requirements and purposes of IDEA and describe how the state will improve implementation.160 The Secretary must enforce IDEA161 and must also require states to monitor and enforce the implementation of IDEA by LEAs.162 The primary focus of federal and state monitoring is on improving educational results and functional outcomes for all children with disabilities and ensuring that states meet IDEA program requirements.163 IDEA specifies three priority areas that are to be monitored by the Secretary regarding states, and by states regarding LEAs, using quantifiable indicators to measure performance. These three monitoring priorities are
As part of an SPP,165 each state must establish measurable and rigorous targets for the indicators established by the Secretary in the three priority areas.166 Each state must use the targets established in its SPP and the three priority areas to analyze the performance of each LEA in the state.167 In addition, each state must report annually to the Secretary on the state's performance under the SPP.168 Annual state reporting of performance on the SPP indicators is done through the Annual Performance Report (APR).169 The state must report annually to the public on the performance of each LEA.170 This annual report must be made as soon as practicable, but no later than 120 days following the state's submission of its APR to the Secretary.171 The state must also make available through public means the state's SPP, APR, and the state's annual report on the performance of each LEA in the state. At a minimum, the state must post these items on the SEA's website and distribute them to the media and through public agencies.172
If the Secretary makes a determination that a state needs intervention or substantial intervention, the Secretary must provide notice and an opportunity for a hearing.173
If the Secretary determines that a state does not meet requirements, IDEA specifies a number of enforcement actions depending on the Secretary's specific determination. These actions range from advising the state of available sources of technical assistance, to requiring the state to prepare a corrective action plan, to withholding, in whole or in part, further IDEA funds to the state. Prior to withholding any funds, the Secretary must provide notice and an opportunity for a hearing.174 Whenever a state receives notice that the Secretary is proposing to take an enforcement action, the state must, at a minimum, post a notice of the pendency of an action on the SEA's website and distribute the notice to the media and through public agencies.175
The state must make the same four determinations about LEAs that the Secretary makes about the states.177 In its analysis of comments and changes in the regulations, ED comments that "States should have some discretion in making annual determination on the performance of their LEAs and, therefore, [ED] decline[s] to establish, in regulation, a uniform process for making annual determinations." ED further notes that it has advised states that in making determinations, they must consider (1) LEA performance on SPP compliance indicators,178 (2) whether data submitted by an LEA are valid and reliable for each indicator, (3) LEA-specific audit findings, and (4) an uncorrected noncompliance from any source. In addition, ED has advised states to consider performance on results indicators, such as an LEA's graduation and dropout rates or the participation rate of students with disabilities in state assessments.179 However, the consideration of performance indicators in LEA determinations is not required.
The regulations stipulate the specific enforcement mechanisms that a state must use if the LEA does not meet requirements.180 These mechanisms include a range of actions and are similar to those that the Secretary must use for state enforcement.181 The regulations also require that when a state identifies LEA noncompliance with IDEA, it must ensure that the noncompliance is corrected as soon as possible, and no later than one year after the state's identification of the noncompliance.182
The general purpose of Part C is to aid each state in creating and maintaining "a statewide, comprehensive, coordinated, multidisciplinary, interagency system that provides early intervention services for infants and toddlers with disabilities and their families."183 Services focus on children from birth through age two who are experiencing or have a high probability of experiencing "developmental delay" (as defined by the state) with respect to physical, mental, or other capacities, and on their families.184 Services are detailed for each child and his or her family in an Individualized Family Service Plan (IFSP). Services are to be provided, to the maximum extent feasible, in "natural environments," including the home, with other infants and toddlers who are not disabled. States are required to identify a state lead agency, which might be the state educational agency (SEA) but could be other state agencies, to coordinate the program.
Under Subpart 1, competitive grants are made to SEAs for state personnel development grants to assist SEAs "in reforming and improving their systems for personnel preparation and professional development in early intervention, educational, and transitions services ..."186
Under Subpart 2, competitive grants are made to entities such as SEAs, LEAs, institutions of higher education (IHEs), and nonprofit organizations for personnel development to help ensure that there are adequate numbers of personnel with skills and knowledge needed to help children with disabilities succeed,187 for technical assistance and dissemination of material based on knowledge gained through research and practice,188 and for studies and evaluations.189
Under Subpart 3, competitive grants are made to nonprofit organizations for parent training and information centers, which provide parents of children with disabilities with needed training and information to work with professionals in meeting the early intervention and special education needs of their children.190 Also, under Subpart 3, competitive grants are made to entities such as SEAs, LEAs, IHEs, and nonprofit organizations for research, development, and other activities that promote the use of technology in providing special education and early intervention services.191
Clarissa Gregory provided assistance in the 2018 update of this report.
CRS calculation based on U.S. Department of Education data in footnote 2 and National Center for Education Statistics, Digest of Education Statistics, Enrollment in public elementary and secondary schools, by level and grade: Selected years, fall 1980 through fall 2026, Table 203.10, https://nces.ed.gov/programs/digest/d16/tables/dt16_203.10.asp.
For a discussion of the 2004 amendments made by P.L. 108-446, congressional Members and staff may request CRS Report RL32716, Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA): Analysis of Changes Made by P.L. 108-446. For an overview of the IDEA regulations from the Department of Education, congressional Members and staff may request CRS Report RL33649, The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA): Final Regulations for P.L. 108-446, and CRS Report R40055, The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act: Final Part B Regulations.
29 U.S.C. §794. For more information on Section 504, congressional Members and staff may request archived CRS Report RL34041, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973: Prohibiting Discrimination Against Individuals with Disabilities in Programs or Activities Receiving Federal Assistance.
42 U.S.C. §12101 et seq. For a more detailed discussion of the ADA, congressional Members and staff may request archived CRS Report 98-921, The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA): Statutory Language and Recent Issues.
20 U.S.C. §1401(9), P.L. 108-446 §601(9). For information on the legal aspects of FAPE, see CRS Legal Sidebar WSLG1785, Grading the Schools: Supreme Court Addresses What an "Appropriate" Education Entails Under the IDEA, and congressional Members and staff may request the following archived CRS reports: CRS Report RL33444, The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA): Supreme Court Decisions; CRS Report R40521, The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA): Selected Judicial Developments Following the 2004 Reauthorization; and CRS Report R40690, The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA): Statutory Provisions and Recent Legal Issues.
SEAs must require that related services personnel meet qualifications consistent with any state-approved or state-recognized certification, licensing, registration, or other comparable requirements that apply to the professional discipline in which those personnel are providing special education or related services and have not had any certification requirements waived on an emergency, temporary, or provisional basis; see 20 U.S.C. §1412(a)(14)(B), P.L. 108-446 §612(a)(14)(B).
20 U.S.C. §1412(a)(5), P.L. 108-446 §612(a)(5). For legal issues pertaining to least restrictive environment, congressional Members and staff may request archived CRS Report R40690, The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA): Statutory Provisions and Recent Legal Issues.
For information on the legal issues pertaining to procedural safeguards, including burden of proof, parental rights, attorneys' and expert witness fees, congressional Members and staff may request archived CRS Report R40690, The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA): Statutory Provisions and Recent Legal Issues.
For more information on IDEA disciplinary provisions, congressional Members and staff may request archived CRS Report RL32753, Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA): Discipline Provisions in P.L. 108-446, and for information on legal issues, see discussion of Honig v. Doe in CRS Report RL33444, The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA): Supreme Court Decisions.