As of the 2013–2014 school year, about 2.5 million school-age students attended charter schools nationwide. Because charter schools are publicly funded entities, they are required to adhere to all federal nondiscriminatory laws as well as the Individuals With Disabilities Education Act. This legal brief provides an overview of charter schools, legal requirements associated with students with disabilities enrolled in charter schools, and recommendations for practice.
GardaR. A. (2012a). Culture class: Special education in charter schools. North Carolina Law Review, 90, 656–717.
10.
GardaR. A. (2012b). Disabled students’ rights of access to charter schools under the IDEA, Section 504, and ADA. Journal of the National Association of Administrative Law Judiciary, 32, 517–542.
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Individuals With Disabilities Education Act Regulations, 34 C.F.R. § 300.300 et seq. (1990).
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Individuals With Disabilities Education Improvement Act of 2004, 20 U.S.C. § 614 & 615 (2004) (reauthorization of the Individuals With Disabilities Education Act of 1990).
13.
James Jones, et al. v. Government of the District of Columbia, et al., No. 97-2402 (2013).
R. B. ex rel Parent v. Mastery Charter School, 762 F. Supp. 2d 745, 752-53 (E.D. Pa. 2010).
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RhimL. M.AhearnE. M.LangeC. M. (2007). Charter school statutes and special education: Policy answers or policy ambiguity?Journal of Special Education, 41, 50–63.
U.S. Government Accountability Office. (2012). Charter schools: Additional federal attention needed to help protect access for students with disabilities (GAO-12-543). Retrieved from http://www.gao.gov/assets/600/591435.pdf