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SUBJECT: IDEA 2004 Final Federal Regulations
Released
SOURCE: Pam Williams, Coordinator, Special Education Services
INTENDED AUDIENCE: SELS listserv members
DATE: August 11, 2006
Final federal regulations for the Individuals with Disabilities Education
Act of 2004 were released August 3, 2006. The U.S. Department of Education
has posted an unofficial copy of the final regulations on its website at
http://www.ed.gov/policy/speced/guid/idea/idea2004.html.
An official copy of the regulations is expected to be published in the
Federal Register on August 14, 2006. The regulations will become effective
60 days after their publication in the Federal Register. At the same time
that the regulations are published, the Office of Special Education Programs
(OSEP) will be making available various model forms.
The Division of Special Education, OSEP, and several professional
organizations are currently preparing technical assistance and training
materials to assist responsible public agencies, parents, advocates, and
other interested parties in learning the provisions of the final
regulations. Some of the resources that will be coming out in the near
future are topical briefs, a video, policy papers, and CDs. The Division of
Special Education has been notified by the National Association of State
Directors of Special Education (NASDSE) that they will be, in the near
future, disseminating to each state agency a side-by-side comparison of the
1997 and 2004 regulations. The Division of Special Education is working with
NASDSE to provide a copy of the side-by-side to each responsible public
agency in the state. When the specifics of this arrangement are determined,
agencies will be notified via SELS of how they can access a copy of the
side-by-side comparison.
The Division of Special Education participated in a conference call with
U.S. Department of Education officials last week to get preliminary
information on the regulations. Department officials shared their plans for
assisting state staff in learning about the provisions of the new
regulations. Several Division staff will be receiving training from OSEP at
the end of August, as well as participating in any upcoming teleconferences
and web trainings. The Division of Special Education is currently developing
a plan for disseminating information on the new regulations to the field.
The Division has an IDEA 2004 section on its webpage and will be posting
information as it becomes available. The Division will send regular SELS
messages when new information on the final regulations has been posted to
our website. The Division is also planning to provide regional trainings on
the new regulations this fall and winter. These trainings will be provided
through the RPDCs. The schedule for these trainings will be published via
SELS, posted on the Division website, and advertised by each RPDC. Agencies
are advised to check the IDEA 2004 section of the Division website on a
regular basis and to watch for the announcement of the trainings to ensure
that critical staff are in attendance.
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