Special Education Law Is Complicated and Confusing!

"Ignorance of the law can be as damaging as the child’s disability," says attorney Pete Wright, author of the special education bestseller, Wrightslaw: Special Education Law. "Although parents represent their children’s interests, few parents understand their rights and responsibilities."

Wrightslaw: Special Education Law!

(ISBN: 1-892320-03-7; 386 pages; 1999; $29.95)

List:

$29.95 (Standard edition) $39.95 (Deluxe edition with Legal Companion CD-ROM)

Summary

If you are the parent, family member or advocate of a child with a disability, you need to understand the child’s right to a free appropriate education and the rights and responsibilities of parents and schools.

If you are a teacher or special education service providers, you’ve probably received confusing, conflicting information about the special education laws. This information may be inaccurate, incomplete – or wrong.

Parents, teachers, special education providers, and advocates need to know what the laws say about evaluations, reevaluations, independent evaluations, and eligibility decisions. You need to know about IEP requirements, IEP teams, IEP meetings, mainstreaming, inclusion, least restrictive environment, and placement decisions. You need to know about discipline, suspensions and expulsions, mediation, due process hearings, confidentiality, and other hot topics.

You’ll find answers to many of your questions in Wrightslaw: Special Education Law that includes the full text of special education laws and regulations:

• The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act of 1997
• Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act
• Family Educational Records and Privacy Act
• U. S. Supreme Court Decisions
• Analysis & Interpretation

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Table of Contents

Section One – Law

Chapter 1 – Why This Book?
Chapter 2 – Overview of Law
Chapter 3 – A Short History of Special Education Law

Section Two: The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA)

Chapter 4 – An Overview of IDEA
Chapter 5 – The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act of 1997
Chapter 6 – The IDEA Regulations

Section Three: The Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (Section 504)

Chapter 7 – Overview of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (Section 504)
Chapter 8 - The Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (Section 504)
Chapter 9 – Section 504 Regulations

Section Four: Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA)

Chapter 10 – Overview of the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA)
Chapter 11 - Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA)
Chapter 12 – FERPA Regulations

Section Five: Caselaw

Chapter 13 – Overview of Special Education Caselaw
Chapter 14 – Casebook of Decisions from the U. S. Supreme Court

About the Authors
Index

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Reviews

"One of most important how-to manuals ever written."  Thom Hartmann

"The Special Education ‘Bible’" Sonja Kerr, Esq. Minnesota

"A great resource for parents and professionals!" Michael B. Brown, Ph. D, North Carolina

"Excellent guide. Well organized." Bill Matthew, Ph.D., Director of Special Education, California

"Brings special education law into focus with clear, concise use of normal language." Margaret Kay, Ed.D. Pennsylvania

"A must have for any parent fighting for services!" Steven Metz, New York

"What I would have given for such a wonderful resource at IEP meetings for my sons!" Sandra Britt, Past President, Learning Disabilities Association of America

"Makes you feel you have an attorney at the IEP table with you!" Janie Bowman, Washington.

"Don't go to a hearing or school IEP meeting without it!" William Laviano, Esq. Connecticut

"Most useful all around resource for special ed advocates." Judith A. Gran, Esq., Pennsylvania

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Sample Chapters

You can download the Table of Contents, the first four chapters, and the comprehensive Index from the Harbor House Law Press site.

Table of Contents [toc_law_book1.pdf]
Chapter 1 – Why This Book [ch1_introduction.pdf]
Chapter 2 – Overview of Law [ch2_law_overview.pdf]
Chapter 3 – A Short History of Special Education Law [ch3_history_spedlaw.pdf]
Chapter 4 – An Overview of IDEA [ch4_idea_overview.pdf]
Index [index_law_book1.pdf]

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Features

When we designed Wrightslaw: Special Education Law, we included several important features that make this book more useful and "user-friendly."

The comprehensive Index saves valuable time!

A reference book is only as good as the index – you must be able to find the information you need quickly and easily.

There’s room for your notes!

When you use a legal reference, you need a place to add your notes and commentary. We designed Wrightslaw: Special Education Law to have more "white space" in the statute sections – so you have room for your notes.

We designed a strong, sturdy book!

You’ve heard the old saying "You can’t judge a book by its cover." Well, maybe you can. We had the cover of Wrightslaw: Special Education Law printed on extra-heavy stock – and then had the cover laminated. (We even had the printer shrink-wrap the books so they won’t get scuffed or scratched during shipping.)

The book stays open!

One minor irritation is trying to do research in a book that refuses to stay open. Some books close s-l-o-w-l-y. Others snap shut. To keep these books open, you have to put weights on both sides. Wrightslaw: Special Education Law is specially bound so when you open it, it lays flat!

The book is hard to lose, easy to find!

Our office contains thousands of books - so it’s hard to find a specific book when we need it. When we designed Wrightslaw: Special Education Law, we made it hard to lose - and easy to find. To see what we mean, take a look at the cover!

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Related Products

Wrightslaw: Special Education Law, Deluxe Edition.

You had ideas. We listened.

You said, "I need to find information fast -- I wish you had a digital version of Wrightslaw: Special Education Law. " 

You said, "I wish Wrightslaw: Special Education Law included the invaluable commentary about the federal IDEA regulations from the Federal Register." 

You said, "My state is out of compliance with the IDEA. I wish I had a searchable version of the IDEA Compliance Report, "Back to School on Civil Rights," so I could educate the decision makers in my state." 

On June 1, Harbor House Law Press published the deluxe edition of Wrightslaw: Special Education Law with Legal Companion CD-ROM. The Legal Companion CD-ROM includes several hundred pages of legal reference information and thousands of hyperlinks in the following document collections:

Wrightslaw: Special Education Law – All (entire book as one PDF file)

Wrightslaw: Special Education Law – By Chapter (each chapter is a separate PDF file)

IDEA Compliance Report, "Back to School on Civil Rights," published on January 25, 2000 by the National Council on Disabilities; and

Federal Register (Vol. 64, No. 48) published on March 12, 1999, includes the final IDEA Regulations with extensive commentary, explanations, and attachments. 

The Legal Companion CD-ROM is indexed for Acrobat Search, a powerful search engine that allows users to do full-text searches of PDF document collections.

Wrightslaw: Tactics and Strategy Manual

Special education services are often intensive - and expensive. What can parents do if the school balks at providing the services your child needs?

Wrightslaw: Tactics and Strategy Manual [add link] (published in January 2000) teaches parents how to use tactics and strategies to anticipate problems, manage conflict, and avoid crises! (ISBN: 1-892320-18-5, 140 pages, 8.5 x 11", loose-leaf, 3 hole-punched)

Hard copy: $19.95

Digital version: $14.95

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Harbor House Law Press
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If you have a question about your order, read our Customer Service FAQs. You can also call our toll-free orders number at 877-LAW-IDEA (877-529-4332)