General SPED Info

Click below for the NH SPED Procedural Safeguards Handbook which is based off of the Individuals with Disabilities Act of 2004 and the NH Standards for the Education of Children with Disabilities effective March 24, 2017. This handbook has been developed to provide parents, adult students with disabilities, educators and others with information about parent/child rights in the special education process. These rights are called “procedural safeguards.” Parents are integral members of the IEP Team. The IEP Team is the group that makes most of the major decisions about a child’s special education needs and services. Parents are full members of the IEP Team.

NH Special Education Procedural Safeguards Handbook

The IEP team determines evaluation, eligibility, the Individualized Education Program (IEP), and educational placement of the child. The formal name of the Team is the IEP Team, but it may be referred to by other names depending on the function or activity being addressed. You are an important member of the IEP Team; your voice needs to be included. The special education process offers parents an opportunity to share their knowledge and expertise about their child with others on their child’s Team. The law was established to offer opportunities for parents to participate in the special education process and promote communication between schools and parents on behalf of their child. The special education process is most effective when parents and school personnel are well informed and able to work together. It is particularly important that parents and others involved in the special education process understand their rights and be aware of the statutes of limitations and other restrictions in order to fully access a free appropriate education at public expense (FAPE). The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA 2004) requires that school districts provide parents a copy of the procedural safeguards (parental rights) only one time a school year. There are additional times when a copy must be given to you: (1) upon initial referral or parent request for evaluation; (2) upon receipt of the first State complaint or the first due process complaint in a school year; (3) when a decision is made to take a disciplinary action that constitutes a change of placement; and (4) upon parent request.

Common SPED acronyms you may hear in meetings:

IEP - Individual Education Plan

LEA - Local Educational Agency. LEA is the person who is there to represent the school district. This person should know what resources are available to the district and have the authority to allocate such resources.

FAPE - Free and Appropriate Public Education

IDEA - Individuals with Disabilities Act

LRE - Least Restrictive Environment

SLD - Specific Learning Disability

OHI - Other Health Impairment

DHH - Deaf and/or Hard of Hearing

DD - Developmental Delay

FBA - Functional Behavior Assessment

BIP - Behavior Intervention Plan

WPN - Written Prior Notice