Terms you Need to Know

SEA: Your State Education Agency, otherwise known as your State Department of Education, which, when all is said and done, has the bottomline responsibility for educating your child.

LEA: Your Local Education Agency, otherwise known as your local school district.

Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA): provides a great deal of protection OF your child's records. Special records, such as special education, medical, etc. should be closely monitored for who views them. Districts require a signature when someone examines certain documents. You're guaranteed the right to examine any and all documents the district holds that pertains to your child, including teacher-to-teacher notes, discipline notes, cumulative files. Everything!

These files are sometimes scattered in different places, but you can always request the district bring everything together for you to examine. You have the right under FERPA to request that inaccurate, or opinionated information, be struck from the file. If the district will not do this, you can take it further or simply write a rebuttal and have it attached to the file. You're also entitled to a copy of your child's file. The district can charge a nominal fee, but in no case can such a charge keep a parent from obtaining a copy if it would cause financial hardship.

Rehabilitation Act of 1973: This act is part of the larger Civil Rights law. Every student in public school, or any school that receives any public funding, must abide by this law.

Basically, it addresses discrimination issues, including discrimination against disabilities. It's designed to make sure that any child with a disability has equal access to all services and activities that non-disabled peers have access to. From transportation to modifications and accommodations in the regular classroom, to any after-school activities such as clubs and field trips, all children are guaranteed equal access.

I think of it as a law that guarantees accessibility, including physical accessibility for wheelchairs, communication, etc. It's a procedural law rather than a substantive law. If you are asking "huh?" join the club. It's confusing. You would have to address quality of education (substantive issues) under IDEA law. At least, that's how it was explained to me. I understand that the line seems to be blurring a bit between the two and I think that's important, as accessibility without meaningful instruction seems rather useless.

504 Rehabilitation Act: A more common term for the Rehabilitation Act of 1973.

Office for Civil Rights: The office responsible for enforcing the Rehabilitation Act.

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