Opinion ID: 398788
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: The Education for All Handicapped Children Act Generally

Text: 4 Congress enacted The Education for All Handicapped Children Act of 1975 in recognition of the facts that millions of handicapped children were not receiving appropriate educational services in public schools, that state and local educational agencies have both the ability and the responsibility to provide appropriate educational services for all handicapped children, but lack the financial resources to fulfill that duty, and that it is in the national interest for the federal government to assist state and local educational agencies' efforts to educate handicapped children. Harris v. Campbell, 472 F.Supp. 51, 53 (E.D.Va.1979). The Act provides for federal grants-in-aid in support of state efforts to educate the handicapped. 5 In order to receive federal financial assistance, a state must meet a number of requirements. A state must have in effect a policy that assures all handicapped children the right to a free appropriate public education, 20 U.S.C. § 1412(1). A state must develop a plan setting forth policies, procedures, facilities, personnel requirements and services necessary to meet that goal. 20 U.S.C. § 1412(2). The plan must set forth policies and procedures to assure that all children residing in the State ... who are in need of special education and related services are identified, located, and evaluated, and that a practical method is developed and implemented to determine which children are currently receiving needed special education and related services and which children are not.... 20 U.S.C. § 1412(2)(C). Local educational agencies must determine whether children are handicapped, and, where a child is classified as handicapped, must develop and annually revise an Individualized Educational Program (IEP) for that handicapped child. 20 U.S.C. §§ 1401(19), 1412(4), 1414(a)(5); 45 C.F.R. § 121a.343(d). In New York, the determination of whether a child is handicapped and the formulation of an IEP where necessary is the responsibility of the Committee on the Handicapped of the local school district. N.Y. Educ. Law (McKinney) § 4402.1. 6 Federal regulations require that the state provide the handicapped with regular or special education and related aids and services that are designed to meet the individual educational needs of handicapped persons as adequately as the needs of nonhandicapped persons are met.... 45 C.F.R. 84.33(b)(1) (i). That special help should be provided in the least restrictive environment responsive to the child's individual needs, 45 C.F.R. 121a.55; Stuart v. Nappi, 443 F.Supp. 1235, 1242 (D.Conn.1978). To the maximum extent appropriate, handicapped children should be educated with children who are not handicapped. The state must assure that special classes, separate schooling, or other removal of handicapped children from the regular educational environment occurs only when the nature or severity of the handicap is such that education in regular classes with the use of supplementary aids cannot be achieved satisfactorily. 20 U.S.C. § 1412(5)(B).