Terminology

The federal law governing special education is called the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, or IDEA.  It is codified in Title 20, United States Code, starting at section 1400.  It was initially passed in 1975.  A number of major reauthorizations have taken place.  The two most recent were in 1997 and in December 2004.  The December 2004 changes took effect, for the most part, on July 1, 2005. The changes made in the 2004 Act are numerous and varied, but perhaps not revolutionary.

In early 2002, President Bush signed the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) which is intended to ensure quality education and a high level of accountability.  Many of the provisions of NCLB had an uncertain impact on IDEA 1997.  Hence, IDEA 2004 attempts to clarify the impact of NCLB.

The IDEA speaks in terms of a State Education Authority (SEA) and a Local Education Authority (LEA).  In Connecticut, the SEA is the State Department of Education.  The LEA is generally the local school district, which is referred to as the district or the Board.  In this context, the Board refers to the district’s administration, not to the actual Board of Education and its elected members.

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