Parents’ Rights
The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) is a law ensuring services to children with disabilities throughout the nation.
IDEA requires school districts to provide a “free appropriate public education” to eligible children with disabilities. A free appropriate public education means that special education and related services are to be provided as described in an individualized education program (IEP) and under public supervision to your child at no cost to you. Working in partnership with multiple Southern California area school districts, the Haynes Education Center is a free appropriate public education option for children with disabilities.
As a parent, you have a right to participate in any decision-making meeting regarding your child special education program. You have the right to participate in IEP team meetings about the identification (eligibility), assessment, or educational placement of your child and other matters regarding your child’s education.
The Haynes Education Center’s experienced and knowledgeable staff is always available to discuss student and parent rights and procedural safeguards.
Parents’ Resources Links
The following websites are provided as resources for learning more about the laws and regulations governing schools, which constitute student and parent rights:
- California Department of Education- cde.ca.gov
- CA Board of Education- cde.ca.gov/be
- Office of Administrative Law: California Code of Regulations – http://ccr.oal.ca.gov
- CA Legislative Information – leginfo.ca.gov
- CA State Assembly – assembly.ca.gov
- CA State Senate – sen.ca.gov
- S. Department of Education – www.ed.gov
- Local Government Offices – www.countyoffice.org
- CA Special Education Division: Information, Publications, etc. – cde.ca.gov/sp/se/sr
- Links to Site Related to Special Education National and State Laws and Regulations – cde.ca.gov/sp/se/sr/selinks.asp
- CA Dept. of Ed, Special Education Division – cde.ca.gov/sp/se
- CA Special Education Programs: A Composite of Laws – cde.ca.gov/sp/se/sr/selinks.asp
- CA Advisory Commission on Special Education – cde.ca.gov/sp/se/as/acse.asp
- CA Quality Assurance Process – cde.ca.gov/sp/se/qa
- CA Focused Monitoring Technical Assistance Contact Information – cde.ca.gov/sp/se/qa/fmtacncnt.asp
- Transition to Adult Living: A Guide for Secondary Education – cde.ca.gov/sp/se/sr/documents/transitiongde.pdf
- S. Department of Education – www.ed.gov
- Office of Special Education and Rehabilitation Services – ed.gov/about/offices/list/osers
- Code of Federal Regulations – gpoaccess.gov/cfr/index.html
- No Child Left Behind – cde.ca.gov/nclb
- Western Regional Resource Center – rrfcnetwork.org.wrrc
- National Dissemination Center for Children with Disabilities – nichcy.org
- Counsel for Exceptional Children – ideapractices.org
Q&A for Non Public Schools
