An Updated Primer of Special Education Law

Teachers and parents often find special education law complex and confusing. As one step for a basic foundation in special education law, a previous TEC article (Zirkel, 2005) provided a snapshot of the “top 5 case concepts” based on 10 decisions from the Supreme Court. Each of these decisions interpreted either (a) the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) or (b) the overlapping pair of civil rights acts prohibiting disability discrimination—Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).