Parents' Rights & Responsibilities

Parents of students eligible for special education services have legal rights which are defined in Federal and State regulations. Parent rights fall into three general categories:

•    The right to be notified of any actions taken by the district regarding special education.
•    The right to consent or refuse consent for evaluation and provision of special education.
•    The right to resolve disagreements with the district using due process procedures.

In addition the student has a right to a Free Appropriate Public Education.

In Washington State the regulations are in the Washington Administrative Code (WAC). All special education regulations begin with 392-172A and then have an extension of numbers identifying each regulation. These regulations define the parents’ rights, the students’ rights and other regulations which direct the actions of school districts.

Procedural Safeguards

The OSPI Procedural Safeguards, adopted August 2007, is a document for parents, surrogate parents, and adult students. The school district that provides your child with special education services is required by federal law, Individuals with Disabilities Act - IDEA, to provide you with written notice of your procedural safeguards, and provide sources to help you understand them.