Opinion ID: 2452988
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: The Individuals With Disabilities Education Act.

Text: The IDEA was enacted by Congress to ensure that all children with disabilities have available to them a free appropriate public education [11] and to ensure that the rights of children with disabilities and parents of such children are protected. [12] In relevant part, the IDEA defines child with a disability [13] and imposes affirmative duties upon states and school districts receiving federal aid for special education. [14] The child find duty requires that [a]ll children with disabilities residing in the State ... and who are in need of special education and related services, are identified, located, and evaluated.... [15] A parent, a state educational agency, or any other state agency or local educational agency may initiate a request for an evaluation to determine whether a child is a child with a disability under the IDEA. [16] The appropriate agency must conduct a full and individual initial evaluation within 45 school days after receiving parental consent to the evaluation. [17] To determine whether a child has a specific learning disability, a school district is not required to consider whether a child has a severe discrepancy between achievement and intellectual ability. [18] But school districts should review all existing evaluations of the child, including any private evaluations obtained by the parents. [19] The IDEA also requires agencies to establish procedures to ensure that children with disabilities and their parents are guaranteed procedural safeguards with respect to the provision of a free appropriate public education. [20] In 4 AAC 52.480 (2007), the State of Alaska adopted by reference the procedures set out in 34 C.F.R. § 300.504 (2007), the federal regulations adopted pursuant to the IDEA. In relevant part, 34 C.F.R. § 300.504 requires that a copy of the procedural safeguards available to the parents of a child with a disability be given to the parents once per school year and also upon initial referral or parent request for evaluation. [21] 4 AAC 52.190 (2007) also adopted by reference 34 C.F.R. § 300.503 (2006), which requires that written notice be given to parents of a child with a disability a reasonable time before a school district proposes to initiate or refuses to initiate identification or evaluation proceedings. [22] In addition, 20 U.S.C. § 1415(f), AS 14.30.193, and 4 AAC 52.550 (2007) provide that a parent of a child with a disability has the right to request, via written notice, an impartial due process hearing on any issue related to the identification, evaluation, or educational placement of the child.