Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA)

The federal laws and regulations regarding special education can be difficult to navigate. The IDEA'97 Rules and Regulations Searchable Database and the Searchable Topic Index provide ways to search for information in these laws using key words or phrases. The Part B application contains important information about state policies and procedures that Pennsylvania provided to the United States Department of Education. The Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) Policy Letters also provide information about federal laws and regulations in response to specific questions. The OSEP letters are also searchable using key words or phrases.

IDEA '97 Rules and Regulations Searchable Database
The federal regulations are posted in a document called the Federal Register. This link provides access to the regulations as they were posted in the Federal Register in 1999, with the additional benefit of being able to search the regulations by words and phrases as well as by citing number and topic.

Searchable Topic Index
This website allows users to find topics in the regulations, simply by choosing the appropriate letter of the alphabet. For instance, if you want to read what the law says about "education records", click on "E".

IDEA-B PA - Policies and Procedures 2004
Special education is supported in part by federal funds. Each state must submit an application to the U.S. Department of Education in order to be eligible to receive these funds. The application must include important policies and procedures that the Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE) has in effect. When the application has been approved, PDE must post this information publicly. This is a link to policies and procedures as reported in the most recent approved state grant application.

OSEP Policy Letters Searchable Database
Periodically, the Office of Special Education (OSEP) of the U.S. Department of Education will respond to letters from various sources, such as State Directors of Special Education as well as other interested individuals. OSEP provides guidance, policy and information on the issue being addressed in the letter. There are more than 500 letters in this database, some of which pre-date the most current federal regulations issued in 1999. Therefore, you should keep in mind that there were changes made to the law after some of these letters were written. These letters are searchable by topic, date and recipient.