What is IDEA?

Image of woman in a blue coat and a man who is using a white cane with sunglasses. The two have their arms linked and are crossing a street. At the bottom of the image is a black box with white text reading “WHAT IS IDEA?”. Above the bottom black box is a white box with dark blue text reading “LEARN MORE” with a blue and orange cursor icon graphic to the right.

Navy blue rectangle with a white, thick, horizontal bar at the top. Over the white is navy blue text that reads: "KNOW YOUR SPECIAL EDUCATION RIGHTS: A GUIDE FOR PARENTS & STUDENTS IN KANSAS." Over the navy blue is white text that reads: "The flyer below and to the left is part of a series of one-page flyers covering over 30 Special Education topics. They are designed to give you "just in time" information for each step of the Special Education process. You can download the whole series in the form of an extensive booklet, or simply choose the topics and view the individual flyers as you need them." Under the text is an orange rectangle with white text reading: "SEE THE WHOLE SERIES HERE" with a white icon of a computer mouse inside of a navy blue circle.

Full Guide of all 30+ Flyers (Compiled as a Booklet).

Versión en Español en PDF: ¿Qué es Ley de Educación para Individuos con Discapacidades (IDEA)?

IDEA stands for Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA).

Why is IDEA important?

IDEA is the ground-breaking civil rights law that guaranteed the right of students with disabilities to attend public school. IDEA provides numerous rights to eligible students with disabilities. Those rights are detailed in the various flyers of this series.

IDEA has six important elements. These are:

1) Individualized Education Program (IEP)
2) Free Appropriate Public Education (FAPE)
3) Least Restrictive Environment (LRE)
4) Appropriate Evaluation
5) Parent and Student Participation
6) Procedural Safeguards

What does IDEA do?

The federal IDEA law makes sure that any eligible child with a disability has access to a Free Appropriate Public Education (FAPE).

See more: What is FAPE under Special Education?

The IDEA also says that every eligible child with a disability must have special education and related services that meet their individual needs.

How does IDEA work in Kansas?

Kansas schools must follow the IDEA. Kansas also has extra rules and regulations that help the State carry out the IDEA. Schools also have to follow those rules.

Read more about the IDEA in Kansas at KSDE's Parent Guide to Special Education.

Sources & Additional Resources:

Kansas Special Education Process Handbook. Kansas State Department of Education.

Disclaimer: This fact sheet is not intended to provide specific legal advice. If you need legal advice, please contact an attorney. Only an attorney can give you specific legal advice based on your particular situation. We try to update our materials regularly, but the law can change frequently. This publication is based on the law at the time that it was written. Future changes in the law could make information in this fact sheet inaccurate.