SPED 63103Special Education Law

Catalog

Federal laws mandating the provision of special education and related services to students with disabilities have been in effect since 1975. To understand the field of special education, it is essential that we be familiar with the history and development of these laws. Because special education has become a highly litigated area, it is important that special education teachers, administrators, and associated staff know the requirements of these laws. Moreover, the laws are in a constant state of development and refinement; therefore, we need to be able to locate the necessary information to keep abreast of these changes. Laws ensuring the provision of special education to students with disabilities are based on constitutional principles, written and enacted by legislatures, enforced by administrative agencies, and interpreted by the courts. It is through the interaction of the various components of the legal system, legislative and judicial, that special education law evolves.