Education Laws & Regulations

The 2004 Annual Report to Congress has two volumes - Volume 1 focuses on the children and students being served under the IDEA and provides profiles of individual states' special education environment. Volume 2 of the report contains the state-reported data tables.

As part of the celebration of the 30th anniversary of the IDEA, the U.S. Department of Education's Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services (OSERS) presents an overview on the history and accomplishments of this landmark law. Document is in .pdf format. Also available in Word format.

Report of the President's Commission on Excellence in Special Education, the most expansive review of special education in the 27-year history of the Individuals With Disabilities Education Act.

Fact sheet from the U.S. Department of Justice and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission with answers to common questions regarding the ADA.

The U.S. Department of Justice provides information about the ADA through a toll-free information line (1-800-514-0301). This service permits businesses, state and local governments and others to ask questions about general or specific ADA requirements and order ADA technical assistance materials.

Discusses the procedures for resolving ADA complaints through the U.S. Department of Justice Mediation Program.

Final U.S. Department of Justice rules concerning nondiscrimination on the basis of disability in state and local government services.

U.S. Department of Justice regulations regarding nondiscrimination on the basis of disability by public accommodations and in commercial facilities.

U.S. Department of Justice fact sheet concerning ADA requirements for privately-run child care centers.

Technical assistance for state departments of education, parents and school administrators using mediation and other collaborative strategies to resolve disagreements about special education and early intervention programs.

Online form for filing a complaint that an educational institution or other covered entity has discriminated on the basis of disability.

Amendments to the regulations governing the Disability and Rehabilitation Research Programs as part of the President's Regulatory Reinvention Initiative to remove unnecessary regulations, clarify program requirements and improve the selection criteria.

Answers from the U.S. Department of Education about educational requirements under Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act.

Answers to common questions about educating children with disabilities, including the differences between the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973.

The U.S. Department of Education has released preliminary guidance to help states and school districts ensure that every homeless child or youth receives the same educational opportunities, including public preschool education, as other children.

Information on the program that provides financial assistance through state education agencies to schools with high numbers of poor children so that all children meet state academic content and achievement standards.

Information on the program that provides financial assistance to local education agencies and schools with high numbers of poor children to help ensure that all children meet challenging state academic standards.

Information on FAPE, one of four projects funded by the U.S. Department of Education to reach parents, administrators, service providers and policymakers nationwide with information about implementing the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA).

Information about filing a complaint about discrimination with the U.S. Department of Education's Office of Civil Rights.

Overview of 11 federal laws and links to federal agencies to contact for more information.

Assists educators, parents and state and local educational agencies in implementing the requirements of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) regarding IEPs for children with disabilities.

Information about the Impact Aid Law, now Title VIII of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA), which provides assistance to local school districts with concentrations of children residing on Indian lands, military bases, low-rent housing properties or other federal properties.

Information and resources about the IDEA from the National Dissemination Center for Children with Disabilities (NICHCY).

List of resource links from the Department of Education for parents of children with disabilities, including physical, intellectual and developmental disabilities.

Comprehensive Web site of the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB), which contains the most sweeping changes to the Elementary and Secondary Education Act since it was enacted in 1965.

An online resource from the U.S. Department of Education designed to help school district officials and parents understand how the reauthorized Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) provides for students with disabilities enrolled by their parents in private elementary schools and secondary schools. Document is in Word format.

Links to information on No Child Left Behind (NCLB) and the U.S. Department of Education's budget and strategic plan.

Amendments to regulations governing the State Vocational Rehabilitation Services Program.

Information from the U.S. Department of Education regarding the placement of students with disabilities in elementary and secondary schools under Section 504 and Title II of the ADA.