The right to a Free Appropriate Public Education (FAPE) is an educational entitlement of all students in the United States who are identified as having a disability, guaranteed by the Rehabilitation Act of 1973[1][2] and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA).[3]
FAPE is a civil right rooted in the Fourteenth Amendment, which requires schools to provide students with disabilities special education and related services, at public expense, designed to prepare those students for the future.[4][5] The right to FAPE was developed via various statutes as well as case law, and its implementation has evolved over the years. FAPE is offered to students through the Individualized Education Program (IEP) and/or 504 process.
- ^ Rehabilitation Act of 1973.
- ^ "Free Appropriate Public Education under Section 504". Ed.gov. 2007-09-01. Retrieved 2010-09-11.
- ^ "Sec. 300.101 Free appropriate public education (FAPE)". Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. Retrieved 2020-05-23.
- ^ "20 U.S.C. §1401(9)". Cornell Law School. Retrieved 2008-07-21.
- ^ "20 U.S.C. §1400(c)(5)(A)(i)". Cornell Law School. Retrieved 2008-07-21.