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DESE maintains procedures for receiving, investigating and resolving complaints filed by any person or organization alleging that statutes, regulations or any other law implementing IDEA have been violated. A complaint must allege a violation by a public agency that occurred not more than one (1) year prior to the date that the complaint is received. The child complaint model form can be found here.

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The Missouri Office of Special Education publishes data and resources for parents, students, and educators on the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education website.

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The Compliance Section of DESE is responsible for ensuring local educational agencies (LEAs) implement all laws and regulations related to the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). This is done through monitoring special education programs for students with disabilities ages 3-21, in all public schools, providing technical assistance, and investigating child complaints.

This document from the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education is a brief summary of the rights rights entitled to parents regarding special education.  This document should be provided to you when your child is determined to be eligible for special education services or when the initial Individualized Education Plan (IEP) is developed.

English

English Audio

Spanish

American Sign Language

Other Languages

This document from the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education outlines parental rights, student rights, and the procedures for resolving issues.

English

Spanish

Americal Sign Language (Part 1) and (Part 2)

Other Languages

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The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) (20 U.S.C. § 1232g; 34 CFR Part 99) is a Federal law that protects the privacy of student education records. The law applies to all schools that receive funds under an applicable program of the U.S. Department of Education.

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The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) is a law that makes available a free appropriate public education to eligible children with disabilities throughout the nation and ensures special education and related services to those children.

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A civil rights statute which provides that: "No otherwise qualified individual with disabilities in the United States...shall, solely by reason of his/her disability, be excluded from the participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any program or activity receiving federal financial assistance or under any program or activity conducted by any Executive agency or by the United States Postal Service." (20 USC Section 794)

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Parents, advocates, educators, and attorneys come to Wrightslaw for accurate, up-to-date information about special education law and advocacy for children with disabilities.