Individuals with Disabilities Education Act

The Individuals With Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) (1990) is the legislation previously known as the Education for All Handicapped Children Act (EAHCA) (1975). Prior to this act, children with disabilities, particularly those with severe disabilities, did not receive a public education. Before IDEA, the main role of a school psychologist was to determine whether a child was eligible for public education or needed to be excluded from the public school because he or she was too difficult to teach. Special education teachers were generally for children with mild mental retardation. Few schools provided services for children with learning disabilities or emotional disturbance.

There is no fundamental right to an education under the U.S. Constitution (Jacob-Timm & Hartshorne, 1998). Education is a property right and states have ...