Understanding Special Education and 504 Plans
Yesterday you might barely have known about many of the laws, regulations, rules and practices that govern special education. Today you might be trying your best to parse the jargon, understand your rights and how best to navigate a complex educational system, with little time to truly understand it all before needing to make potentially life-altering decisions for your child.
Learning the ins and outs of special education isn't easy. Our hope is that we can help make this a little quicker with explanations written by parents for parents along with many links for you to follow to get more information.
Provides an overview of the laws governing special education and short descriptions covering most of the principal topics
Provides a more detailed explanation of Section 504 Plans
Provides a more detailed explanation of Individual Education Plans, or IEPs, broken out into several detail pages covering the IEP team, document and meetings, transition planning and the role of educational advocates
Advice from parents to parents on how to effectively collaborate with educators to create the most effective outcome for our children
Covers discipline in relation to special education including legal safeguards
Covers bullying, including legal safeguards and requirements on schools both for general education students and specific to students with special needs
Covers procedural safeguards that exist where parents and schools are unable to collaborate effectively and the various remedies available including facilitation, mediation and hearings