Webinar Focuses on Legal Standards for a Free and Appropriate Public Education

Lehigh University Autism Services is sponsoring a webinar as part of their Community Learning Series titled, From IEP to Advocacy: Legal Standards for a Free and Appropriate Public Education (FAPE) and Alternative Avenues for Decisions on October 30 from noon to 1 p.m.

The central obligation of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) is providing eligible children with a Free and Appropriate Public Education (FAPE) via an individualized education program (IEP). If parents contest whether the district is providing their child with FAPE, the three relevant dimensions for a decision are (1) procedural (i.e., did the school district violate one or more of the required procedures of the IDEA?); (2) substantive (i.e., was the IEP sufficiently good?), and (3) implementation (i.e., did the district implement the provisions of the IEP?). For a binding decision on these or other IDEA issues, the parent has three alternative avenues: (1) filing for a due process hearing, (2) initiating the state complaint process, or (3) filing a complaint with the Office for Civil Rights. This session will explain these three FAPE dimensions and three legal forums.

Guest speaker Perry A. Zirkel is professor emeritus of education and law at Lehigh University. He has a Ph.D. in Educational Administration and a J.D. from the University of Connecticut, and a Master of Laws degree from Yale University. He has written more than 1,700 articles on various aspects of school law, with an emphasis on legal issues in special education. He has received numerous awards for his outstanding work in Special Education law. 

Feel free to share this invitation with anyone who may be interested. The session will be held via Zoom (registration required). Register for the webinar at https://bit.ly/3OBZOt6.