Basic Rights for Parents

As the parent of a child with a disability (or a child not yet evaluated but thought to have a disability), special education laws ensure you the opportunity to protect the right of your child to a free and appropriate public education (FAPE) by providing you with procedural safeguards.

The school has the duty to inform parents of these procedural safeguards throughout the process, including:

• Upon initial referral for evaluation
• Upon each notification of an IEP
• Upon the reevaluation of a child who has been receiving a special education program
• Upon the district's receipt of your request for a due process hearing

Additionally the law requires parents to be informed:

• When the school proposes to change the identification, evaluation, educational placement, or the provision of a free appropriate public education
• If the school refuses your request to change the identification, evaluation, educational placement, or the provision of a free appropriate public education
• Of your child's progress toward annual IEP goals at least as often as progress is reported for students in general education
• Of the procedures to maintain the privacy of your child's education records. Only those who need to work with your child will see his or her records. If requested, your school district must show you its policy about student records and confidentiality. In addition, detailed information on confidentiality will be described in the notice given you in those instances listed above.