Education Rights and Responsibilities:
Understanding Special Education in Illinois
A Guide for Parents
This guide was developed by the Illinois State Board of Education with assistance from the Parent Task Force on Accessible Special Education Materials. — The guide is for parents, teachers, administrators, and others to learn about the educational rights of children who have disabilities and receive special education and related services. — It has been revised to incorporate the changes made to the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act of 2004 and the Illinois special education rules and regulations which became effective June 28, 2007.
Special education laws and procedures are complicated and can be hard to understand. — This guide will clarify some of the procedures of special education; however, it is not a complete explanation of all the special education laws. — The guide does contain information about many of the most common things readers may want to know.