It is vital for all professionals in the field of education to have a practical understanding of the laws that are in place to protect the children with whom they work. The Comprehensive Guide to Special Education Law is a detailed yet accessible introduction to federal law as it applies to the rights of children with special needs. Written in a user-friendly question and answer format, the book covers all of the key areas of special education law including parental rights of participation, the legal right to Free Appropriate Public Education (FAPE) and related services, and the complex issues of discipline and dispute resolutions. This book provides educators with knowledge of the requirements, history, and evolution of the laws that impact their daily working lives and gives them the information they need to help parents obtain better services for their children. This is an indispensible handbook that teachers, school management, and school counselors will refer to again and again.

Much has changed in the area of school law since the first edition of The Educator’s Guide was published in 1986. This new ninth edition offers an authoritative source on all major dimensions of Texas school law through the 2017 legislative sessions. Intended for educators, school board members, interested attorneys, and taxpayers, the ninth edition explains what the law is and what the implications are for effective school operations. It is designed to help professional educators avoid expensive and time-consuming lawsuits by taking effective preventive action. It is an especially valuable resource for school law courses and staff development sessions. The ninth edition begins with a review of the legal structure of the Texas school system, incorporating recent innovative features such as charter schools and districts of innovation. Successive chapters address attendance, the instructional program, service to students with special needs, the rights of public school employees, the role of religion, student discipline, governmental transparency, privacy, parent rights, and the parameters of legal liability for schools and school personnel. The book includes discussion of major federal legislation, such as the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, and the Every Student Succeeds Act. On the state level, the book incorporates new laws pertaining to cyberbullying and inappropriate relationships between students and employees. Key points are illustrated through case law, and a complete index of case citations is included.

To any professional concerned with exceptional children, it would be the greatest understatement to say that the courts and legislatures have had a tremendous impact on the field of speeial education. Especially in the last decade, a flood of litigation filed to develop and define the right to education of previously unserved handicapped children has left no special education teacher, school adminis trator, nurse, educational psychologist, or pediatrician unaffected-either be cause these professionals are daily called upon to help children, or because they may come forward as witnesses on behalf of children who are the subjects of special education meetings, individualized education programs, placement hear ings, or judicial proceedings. Thus, for these people, questions regarding a student's legal rights are immediate and pervasive. This book developed out of the need to provide nonlegal professionals with a lawyer's view of the huge body of court cases and federal laws and regulations that affect their practice as well as their students and clients. An introductory chapter provides the historical basis of the current interface between law and special education. The Education for All Handicapped Children Act of 1975 and Sec tion 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, and their regulations promulgated in 1977, are the major national laws in the field ~nd are therefore described in Chapters 2 and 3.

This book gives strategies for advocating for better provision of special education in schools. Cohen's insightful manual gives a practical vision of how a parent or a professional can become an advocate to achieve a more inclusive and rewarding education for the child with a disability.

School safety concerns, curriculum challenges, the ever-changing landscape of social media, and the COVID-19 crisis have made school leadership infinitely more complex, and familiarity with the law is essential. This edition provides the knowledge of education law principals need in this time of change. Includes tools to make better decisions, including a revamped design, examples, cases studies, new topics, and basic legal training for staff and teachers.