DREDF: Six Principles of IDEA

Six Principles of IDEA Don't miss details for our April 2025 Adult Transition: The Big Leap online training below!

March 2025 Tip: Keep these principles in mind as you advocate for your child. The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) is built on six principles that help ensure that children with disabilities have meaningful access to education in the United States.  Principle 1: Free Appropriate Public Education (FAPE)Eligible students with disabilities have a legal right to a free appropriate public education, commonly referred to as FAPE. Free: Special education and related services are provided to eligible students with disabilities at the government’s expense, meaning there is no cost to the family. Families are responsible for fees that other families might need to pay like club dues, sports team fees, or field trip costs. Appropriate: Children who qualify for special education get an Individualized Education Program (IEP) designed to meet their unique needs. Public: Public schools are responsible for the education of students with disabilities. Education: Children with disabilities are entitled to an education. For children with IEPs, education is specialized and often includes services like occupational therapy and speech therapy.   Principle 2: Appropriate Evaluation To find out if a child is eligible for special education and an IEP, the school needs to evaluate the child to identify their education needs. Evaluations are conducted by professionals and different types of assessments may be given. The results of the evaluation are shared and discussed with the IEP team, which includes parents, administrators, general and special education teachers, and the professionals who conducted the assessments.   Principle 3: Individualized Education Program (IEP) Individualized is the key in an Individualized Education Program (IEP). When a student is found eligible for special education they must have a written IEP that lays out their specific educational goals, and the special instruction and services that will help the student realize those goals and thrive at school. The IEP team develops the IEP, and the IEP must be updated at least once a year.   Principle 4: Least Restrictive Environment (LRE) IDEA states that, “To the maximum extent appropriate, children with disabilities, including children in public or private institutions or other care facilities, are educated with children who are nondisabled.”   In more straightforward terms this means that disabled children should, as much as possible, be in the same classrooms as children who do not have IEPs. IEP teams must first consider how to support a child with a disability in the same classroom as other children before considering other options. If a student does not spend all their time in a classroom with nondisabled students, the IEP must explain why and how much of their time is outside of that classroom.   Principle 5: Parent and Student Participation in Decision Making IDEA recognizes that parent and guardian participation is critical to the successful education of children with disabilities. In fact, Congress found that the education of children with disabilities can be made more effective by: “strengthening the role and responsibility of parents and ensuring that families of such children have meaningful opportunities to participate in the education of their children at school and at home;” Parents and youth, as much as possible and when appropriate, must be members of the IEP team and make decisions about the student’s education, including but not limited to placement and planning for their transition to adulthood.   Principle 6: Procedural Safeguards Parents and students’ legal rights under IDEA are protected by a set of procedural safeguards. Some of the procedural safeguards require that schools: Give parents a written notice that provides information about special education, procedural safeguards, parent and student involvement, and student and parent rights Obtain a parents’ consent before evaluating their child for special education Give written notice of IEP meetings Provide prior written notice when a school proposes to change a student’s placement, or when a school is going to deny services Give parents access to or copies of their child’s school records For more on procedural safeguards, check out Understood’s 10 key procedural safeguards in IDEA.   Parent Training and Information Centers (PTIs) throughout the country can give you information about any of the Six Principles of IDEA. Find your local PTI →   Special Education Resources: General Special Education Resources | DREDF Find Your Parent Center Key Definitions in IDEA | A Reference List OSEP English-Spanish Glossary Parents' Rights - Quality Assurance Process | CA Dept of Education Sample Letters and Forms | DREDF SERR: Special Education Basics Toolkit | Disability Rights California 17 Special Education Advocacy Tips | Disability Rights California The Important Role of Parents in Special Education Parents on the IEP Team | Center for Parent Information and Resources Get Involved! Join Your Special Education Community Advisory Committee (CAC)   As busy as we all are, it is important to pay forward what we learn in advocating for our child to make special education work better for everyone. Learn about opportunities to work to improve the special education system for all families, educators, and students, and partner with schools and community partners for more funding, services, and professional development. Contact your school's special education administrator to learn more.   CAC Resources: Parent Engagement and the Community Advisory Committee | SELPA Administrators of California Find Your SELPA: California Special Education Local Plan Areas - Administration & Support | CA Dept of Education Upcoming Online Trainings (Using Zoom) We offer all our DREDF Special Education trainings in Spanish and post other trainings that DREDF is participating but not hosting on our website. Visit DREDF’s Special Education Training page for more information. Adult Transition: The Big Leap Date: Monday, April 14, 2025 Time: 7:00 pm – 8:45 pm PT This webinar focuses on supporting disabled youth, and how to partner with and support them to develop a plan for life after high school that is individualized to their goals, interests and priorities. All are welcome to attend, but youth aged 13-22 are especially encouraged to attend.   Registration is required ↓ Registration Link Interpretation/Accommodations: If you need accommodations to participate in any of our training or presentations, please contact pti@dredf.org or call 510 644-2555 as soon as possible. We generally need 10 days to arrange these, and we want to make sure you are included! Note: We offer all our DREDF Special Education training in Spanish and post other training that may be of interest where we are participating but not hosting on our website as well. Visit DREDF's Special Education Trainings page for more information. Need to talk with an Education Advocate? To contact the PTI, call 510-644-2555, ext. 5227, or email us at iephelp@dredf.org. The education advocates at DREDF's Parent Training & Information Center (PTI) are available to answer calls and emails though there may be delays due to the needs of staff working from home. Thank you for your understanding! Acronyms/Glossary: ADR — ALTERNATIVE DISPUTE RESOLUTION: an informal way of settling disagreements directly with the school or district. FAPE — Free Appropriate Public Education. IDEA — Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. The federal law that creates special education rights for students and youth with disabilities 0-22. IEP — Individualized Educational Program. A legal document that explains how a school will meet the disability-related needs of a student eligible for special education. LEA — Local Education Agency. Public Schools including Charter Schools, County Schools LRE — Least Restrictive Environment. The requirement in federal law that students with disabilities receive their education, to the maximum extent appropriate, with non-disabled students and that special education students are not removed from regular classes unless, even with special education support, education in regular classes doesn’t meet their needs. PARENT — the person(s) legally authorized to make educational decisions on behalf of a student. At 18 in most states, the student holds their own education rights unless a court limits them. NOTICE OF PARENT RIGHTS/PROCEDURAL SAFEGUARDS —Important safeguards that protect the rights of parents and disabled students. Also, give families and school systems several mechanisms through which to resolve their disputes. Parental Rights under IDEAsummarizes these safeguards. PTI — Parent Training and Information Centers are places families can get free help to understand their student with a disability’s education rights and learn to use them effectively. SELPA — Special Education Local Plan Area (CA only) CONTACT the PTI at DREDF: iephelp@dredf.org 3075 Adeline Street, Suite 210 Berkeley, CA 94703 510.644.2555 v 510-841-8645 fax 800-348-4232     Donate to DREDF     Share Tweet Forward

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