Related Policies & Laws
Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA)
The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) is the Federal Government's special education law. IDEA provides supplementary Federal funds to assist States and local communities in providing educational opportunities for approximately 6 million students with varying degrees of disability who participate in special education. As a requirement for receiving IDEA Federal funding, States must offer free, appropriate public education in the least restrictive environment.
Statistically, students in a correctional facility are more than three times as likely to have a learning disability than their counterparts in general education. Some 33.4% of incarcerated juveniles have been identified to have a disability that qualifies them for special education and related services under IDEA, compared to roughly 10% of the general education population.(1)
- Read the official IDEA Legislation or visit ED’s Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP).
- Learn more about IDEA and the Juvenile Justice System
- Visit our Students with Special Needs page for more on special education.
(1) National Center on Education, Disability, and Juvenile Justice. (2005, February). EDJJ Notes, 4(1).
Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA)
The prime piece of Federal legislation regarding the sharing of educational information is the Federal Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 (FERPA) that was enacted in order to prevent the unnecessary disclosure of students’ educational records.
- Access the FERPA regulations
- Visit ED’s Privacy Technical Assistance Center Web site
- Read the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention’s 1997 Guide to the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act and Participation in Juvenile Justice Programs
