Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA)

The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) ensures two basic rights of eligible students with disabilities: (1) the right to a free appropriate public education (FAPE), and (2) the right to that education in the least restrictive environment (LRE).

The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act of 1997 (IDEA 97) was reauthorized and is now known as the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act of 2004 (IDEIA or IDEA).

The new IDEIA amendments resulted in significant changes in the way public schools refer, evaluate, identify, serve, and discipline students with disabilities. IDEIA incorporates most of the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) requirements for students with disabilities and emphasizes school accountability for ensuring they have access to, and are successful in, the regular education curriculum.