The
Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA 2004) is our nation’s
special education law. The IDEA was initially enacted by Congress in
1975 and named the Education for All Handicapped Children Act or Public
Law 94-142. This law was created to ensure that children with
disabilities receive the same educational rights as their non-disabled
peers. The law has been revised over the years with the most recent
reauthorization IDEA 2004 signed into law by President George W. Bush on
December 3, 2004. The new regulations in IDEA 2004 went into effect on
October 13, 2006.
Parents and school districts are encouraged to
work together to resolve issues regarding a student’s exceptional
student education (ESE) needs. When concerns or disagreements regarding a
student’s exceptional educational needs arise, it is helpful for the
parent to immediately speak with the student’s teacher, guidance
counselor, staffing specialist, or school principal. It is often
necessary to convene the IEP Team to work through concerns and come to a resolution in the best interest of the child.
After working with
the school team to address concerns, parents who feel they were unable to resolve the concerns, may contact the district’s ESE office to
request assistance using the parent support ticket button below or they may explore various other options that are available to resolve these disputes. Information about other options can be found on the Florida Department of Education's (FLDOE) webpage.
