Education Programs: K–12 Residential Schools

In 1974, Congress enacted the Education for All Handicapped Children Act (Public Law 94-142) to support states and localities in protecting the rights of children with disabilities and their families and in ensuring that the individual needs of those children are met. This landmark legislation was modified and enacted as the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) in 1997, and it was reauthorized in 2004. Under IDEA, there are two legally recognized rights for children with disabilities: (a) the right to a free and appropriate, public education (FAPE); and (b) the right of students with disabilities to be educated “to the maximum extent appropriate” in the general education classroom. Note, however, the IDEA distinction between “appropriate” public education and “most appropriate” education. Students with disabilities ...