Opinion ID: 1355189
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Background of Relevant Law

Text: The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) provides federal funds to assist state and local educational agencies in educating disabled children. [1] The award of these funds is predicated on the state's compliance with certain goals and procedures. The Kentucky General Assembly has enacted a number of statutes to implement the IDEA requirements. [2] Both the IDEA and the corresponding Kentucky regulations require schools to make available to disabled children a free and appropriate education (FAPE). [3] The primary vehicle for delivery of a FAPE is the development and implementation of an IEP. [4] The IEP is a written document developed by the child's parents, the child's teachers, and local school division representatives, in which the specific educational services to be provided, the annual goals, and the objective criteria for evaluation are delineated. [5] A central tenet of the IDEA is the belief that disabled children should be taught with non-disabled children to the maximum extent possible; this belief is expressed in the IDEA's requirement that the disabled child be placed in the least restrictive environment (LRE) consistent with the child's needs. [6] Procedural safeguards exist for the benefit of the student. Under the IDEA, parents who complain about the adequacy of their child's IEP may request a due process hearing to be conducted by the local educational agency. [7] Appeal of this decision may be taken by the state educational agency, which is required to conduct an impartial review of the local educational agency's decision. [8] In Kentucky, a local hearing officer conducts this initial due process hearing, which may then be appealed to the Exceptional Children Appeals Board. [9] The IDEA mandates that, after exhausting the state's administrative procedures, the parents may bring a civil suit in either federal district court or in a state court of competent jurisdiction. [10] Kentucky law requires the appeal be taken to the circuit court. [11]