ABSTRACT
This chapter provides the main laws and regulations from the federal government. These laws provided by the federal government are the minimum standards required for implementation. In order for any special education administrator to effectively perform his or her job it is important to stay abreast of recent developments in case law. The original title of the law was the Education for All Handicapped Children’s Act. Congress was very specific that all children who were eligible for special education were to receive services, as it was legal in many states prior to the passage of the law to deny educational services to students with disabilities. There are three main federal laws governing the education of students with disabilities, Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, and the Family Education Rights and Privacy Act. The fundamental concept behind the IDEA is every student is entitled to a free appropriate education at public expense.
