Legal Issues and Special Populations

Catalog description

This course focuses on laws and policies that apply to the education of students with disabilities. The legal system, constitutional and statutory provisions of federal and state law, and the judicial decisions relating to the education of students with disabilities are reviewed. Students will examine the foundational concepts of equal protection, procedural and substantive due process in general and as they relate to special education specifically. Students will examine IDEA legislation and its six principles, The Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (Section 504) and the Family Education Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA). In addition, students will examine similar principles in Pennsylvania state legislation with particular emphasis on school practices in special education.