Special Education

The “Dear Colleague Letter” on Education Highly Mobile Children from the U.S. Dept of Education’s Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services (OSERS) includes important information about expedited evaluations and provision of comparable services when highly mobile students transfer districts.

United States Department of Education

This website contains the most up-to-date regulations written by the U.S. Department of Education for the implementation of IDEA.

New York State Education Department

Parents, individuals, or organizations may use this form if they believe a school district or public agency has violated a requirement of Part B of IDEA or New York State laws or regulations related to students with special needs. This model form, which includes the elements required by the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), may be used to submit a complaint to the New York State Education Department (SED).

Homeless children and youth face educational challenges that include a lack of basic necessities, such as food, clothing, and medical services; discontinuity of education due to mobility; and trauma caused by the chaos, poverty, and instability of their family’s circumstances, or in the case of an unaccompanied homeless youth, their own circumstances

There are fourteen state-funded parent training and information centers. Parent centers provide information and trainings to parents about special education issues. Some also provide advocacy and case management services in specific geographic regions.

There are six federally-funded parent training and information centers. Parent centers provide information and trainings to parents about special education issues. Some also provide advocacy and case management services in specific geographic regions.

New York State Education Department

This document provides the most up-to-date special education regulations from the New York State Education Department and includes information on IEP evaluations, school discipline, transportation, and other subjects. N.Y.C.R.R. § 200-201.

NCHE Brief

This document was created by the National Center for Homeless Education (NCHE) to provide information to parents about the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) and how it can help students in temporary housing with special needs.

The special education vocabulary includes many unique terms and abbreviations. These guides can be a helpful tool each time you encounter a new term each time you encounter a new term.

New York State Education Department

The NYSED Special Education Quality Assurance Regional Offices provide information and technical assistance to parents, school district personnel, and to private providers about special education services.

NCHE Brief

This document created by the National Center for Homeless Education (NCHE) provides information about how the Individual with Disabilities Education Act and the McKinney-Vento Act can work together to provide services to students in temporary housing with special needs.

This document was created by the National Association for the Education of Homeless Children and Youth (NAEHCY) and the National Association of State Directors of Special Education (NASDSE) to help school districts ensure that unaccompanied youth who are homeless and who have disabilities are able to access special education services.

The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) is federal legislation that addresses the public education of children and youth with special needs.