What resources are available from the school?
A. Once your child has been evaluated, there are several options for him or her, depending on the specific needs. If special education services are needed, and if your child is eligible under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), the school district must develop an “individualized education program” specifically for your child within 30 days.
If your child is not eligible for special education services, he or she is still entitled to “free appropriate public education,” available to all public school children with disabilities under Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. Your child is entitled to this regardless of the nature or severity of his or her disability.
The U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights enforces Section 504 in programs and activities that receive Federal education funds. For more information about Section 504, please see http://www.ed.gov/about/ offices/list/ocr/504faq.html.
More information about programs for children with disabilities is available at http://www.ed.gov/parents/needs/ speced/edpicks.jhtml?src=ln.
