EdLaw
Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (20 U.S.C. §1400 et seq.)
The special-education statute behind every IEP in US public schools (originally the Education for All Handicapped Children Act of 1975; IDEA since 1990, last comprehensively reauthorised 2004). It conditions federal funds on states providing a free appropriate public education to children with disabilities. This folder extracts the EdTech-relevant core: the definitions, the evaluation/IEP machinery, and the confidentiality provision.
Applicability to EdTech
- Technology enters IEPs as "assistive technology": an assistive technology device is "any item, piece of equipment, or product system … used to increase, maintain, or improve functional capabilities of a child with a disability" (§1401(1)), with "assistive technology service" covering evaluation, provision, training and technical assistance (§1401(2)). Every IEP Team must "consider whether the child needs assistive technology devices and services" (§1414(d)(3)(B)(v)) — a product written into an IEP becomes something the district is legally committed to provide.
- IEP and evaluation data is a distinct confidentiality regime: §1417(c) requires protection of "the confidentiality of any personally identifiable data, information, and records collected or maintained" under the Act, in accordance with FERPA (§1417(c)); ED's Part B rules (34 CFR §§300.610–300.627) add consent, access-log, safeguard and destruction duties beyond baseline FERPA. Vendor products touching IEP content carry this heavier regime.
- "Universal design" has the Assistive Technology Act meaning (§1401(35)) and appears in state-level procurement preferences.
Contents
| Document | Covers |
|---|---|
| DEFINITIONS.md | 20 U.S.C. §1401 — all definitions |
| EVALUATIONS-AND-IEPS.md | §1414 — evaluations, eligibility, IEPs (incl. the assistive-technology consideration), placements |
| ADMINISTRATION-AND-CONFIDENTIALITY.md | §1417 — administration and the confidentiality mandate |
Scope note: FAPE and state/LEA eligibility (§§1412–1413), procedural safeguards (§1415), and ED's Part B regulations (34 CFR Part 300, incl. the §§300.610–300.627 confidentiality rules) can be added with the same tooling when needed.
Key obligations at a glance
- IEP Teams must consider assistive technology for every child (§1414(d)(3)(B)(v)).
- Personally identifiable IDEA data must be kept confidential in accordance with FERPA (§1417(c)).
Enforcement
ED's Office of Special Education Programs supervises states (funds conditions); parents enforce through the §1415 due-process machinery and the courts. Vendors feel IDEA through district obligations and contract terms, not direct liability.
Related
- FERPA — §1417(c) incorporates it; Part B adds stricter rules for special-education records
- Section 504 / 508 — the civil-rights accessibility side of the same population
- PPRA — evaluations touching protected categories can trigger both regimes
Sources
- govinfo — 20 U.S.C. chapter 33 (2024 edition)
- 34 CFR Part 300 — IDEA Part B regulations
- US Department of Education — IDEA site
Meta
Statute text in the content documents is reproduced verbatim from the govinfo.gov USCODE-2024 edition and built/re-verified mechanically by tools/govinfo/build_us_statutes.py (verify mode; do not hand-edit; bump the edition deliberately; §1401 uses the numbered-first label hierarchy configured per-section in the builder). Anchors derived from printed labels ({#sec-1414-d-3-B-v}).