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Above is a breakdown of the abbreviation of FAPE

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In this video, there is an in depth breakdown of FAPE along with common misconceptions surrounding FAPE. This resource gives parents/families a quick and informative explanation on who is entitled to FAPE and what an "appropriate" education is defined as, these are commonly overlooked terminology in Special Education. The video states, "Educational services are to meet the educational needs of students with special needs as adequately as they do for students without special needs" (Special Education Resource, 2019). This video would be most beneficial to be used as an introductory video to FAPE. Without an understanding of FAPE, parents/families would be left in the dark and face possible manipulation to pay for Special Education services, when this is most certainly a myth.

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FAPE | Free Appropriate Public Education | Special Education Decoded

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Understood.org is a website that allows you to find resources and content that best fits what you're searching for. For example, you can enter if you are a parent/caregiver, educator, or for yourself. Once you've entered this information you can select various resources from many different categories and subjects (focus and attention, following instructions, stress and anxiety, etc). FAPE guarantees to meet the needs of each individual student, regardless of differences in learning and thinking styles. "FAPE is a powerful legal right for students. Knowing what it covers can help parents and caregivers advocate for the services and the supports their kids need" (Lee, 2021). FAPE requires that all public schools provide specially designed instruction to best fit the needs of its learners. For example, a student who may be struggling with oral skills and is receiving Special Education services would be enrolled in speech to assist their oral fluency as well as be given multiple ways to respond in the classroom setting. It's crucial for parents/families to know what is covered under FAPE to ensure that their child is receiving the proper services and supports provided through public schooling. This resource  has many different resources within, all you have to do is click on the underlined phrases and you'll be brought to many different outside resources that will help understand FAPE and what to expect.

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Find out what FAPE requires schools to do (and what it doesn’t require schools to do) for kids who qualify for special education services.

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Within this article, it becomes clear how IDEA, FAPE, General Education, and Section 504 fit together. This article is geared more towards parents, as it discusses how FAPE is determined for a student with disabilities. This is a great resource for parents as it gives more user friendly language that simplifies the intricate Special Education Law. It is critical for parents to be aware of their rights to be involved with the IEP team. "Under IDEA, FAPE focuses on a student making progress based on their own potential" (Ask Resource Center, 2021). After reading this resource, parents can use the essential questions provided in the article to support their advocacy while attending the IEP meetings. Some questions that may be useful in determining FAPE in a IEP meeting are as follows, "Does this IEP include challenging goals? Is the student making progress toward those goals?" (Ask Resource Center, 2021)

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CLICK HERE FOR PDF
All school-age children with disabilities who are eligible for a 504 or an Individualized Education Program (IEP) are entitled to a Free and Appropriate Public Education (FAPE). FAPE requires students with disabilities receive the services they need to benefit from their education.

FAPE is required under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act but the details of each are different.

FAPE and 504

Under Section 504, FAPE focuses on effective services providing access. Students eligible for a 504 plan must receive educational services as effective as those their non-disabled peers receive. A 504 plan "reasonably accommodates" a student's need order to participate in and benefit from school activities.

FAPE gives each student eligible for a 504 plan the right to educational services that:

Are public expense and supervision

Are no additional cost to the parents

Meet Iowa department of education standards

Meet the unique needs of each student

Provide preschool-high school, ages 3-21

Include students who have been suspended

Include related services and supports

Include participation in school sponsored and extracurricular activities

FAPE and IDEA

Under IDEA, FAPE focuses on a student making progress based on their own potential. IDEA requires an IEP that is written to enable a student to make progress appropriate for the student's circumstances. The student's IEP should provide "a chance to meet challenging objectives" which prepares for future living, learning and working.

General Education, IDEA, Section 504 and FAPE fit together

All students who qualify under IDEA are also covered under 504 because students eligible for IEP's also meet the 504 qualification requirements. The biggest difference between IDEA and 504 is that an IEP comes with specially designed instruction.

Determining FAPE

The FAPE requirement does not guarantee successful outcomes but instead, services sufficient for the student to make progress. Information from tests, progress charts and assessments provide teams with information to help determine if a student is receiving FAPE.

When a student with an IEP is not making progress in school, the team should consider making program changes needed to ensure a student is receiving FAPE.

Listed below are essential questions that can help IEP or 504 teams make sure a student is receiving FAPE.

Essential Questions about FAPE for IEP teams

Does this IEP includes challenging goals?

Will this IEP assist the student in making progress?

How will the student's progress be measured?

Is the student making progress towards those goals?

Essential Questions about FAPE for 504 teams

Will this student have access to the same education and extra-curricular opportunities as other students?

What accommodations should be provided to protect this student from discrimination?

Related Resources

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Free and Appropriate Public Education (FAPE)

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CLICK HERE FOR PDF All school-age children with disabilities who are eligible for a 504 or an Individualized Education Program (IEP) are entitled to a Free and Appropriate Public Education (FAPE). FAPE requires students with disabilities receive the services they need to benefit from their education.

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The resource above can be beneficial to both parents/families as well as a student. Family Matters is an accessible fact sheet that lists what and what not is required to be provided by a school district under FAPE. An example of what a school district must provide is "Provide accommodations and modifications so your child can be in general education settings" (Family Matters, 2017). Not only does this resource give facts about FAPE, but it also provides hyperlinks within the PDF to assist in new terminology that are used frequently in Special Education and FAPE but may not be know to the reader. Providing these hyperlinks allows the readers, whether it's parents/families or a student, to become more knowledgeable and familiar with FAPE and Special Education terms to assist in their journey in advocating for themselves or their child. Family Matters touches upon what to do if your child/or you are not receiving FAPE. Lastly, the article concludes with a list of additional resources about inclusion of FAPE in the LRE (least restrictive environment) along with a center for parent information.

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The most challenging component of FAPE is defining appropriateness because what may be appropriate for one child may be inappropriate for another. The article explains, "This interpretation of the law holds that 'appropriate' education does not mean the 'best possible' education or the education that 'maximizes the child's educational potential'" (Smart Kids, 2021). Therefore, this is one of the most difficult parts of FAPE to understand because there is misinterpretation and confusion surrounding the word "appropriate". The article provides steps to apply the FAPE principles within your district that are in compliance with FAPE.  If you are in compliance with the law, you are not going above and beyond for your students, but rather just following the bare minimum of the law. However, there may be teachers who follow the spirit of the law, which means they will provide meaningful support and advocate with you for your child's best interest. This article will assist parents/families in becoming advocates because it helps diminish the mass confusion surround the word "appropriate" under FAPE.

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What Is An “Appropriate” Education? | Smart Kids

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Under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), every student with an Individualized Education Program (IEP) is entitled to a free...Read more

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How to ensure FAPE during COVID-19 Pandemic

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How to ensure FAPE during COVID-19 Pandemic

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This resource is a power point presentation that discusses ensuring FAPE during COVID-19. The power point presentation was created by COPAA (The Council of Parent Attorneys and Advocates). COPPA's main goal is "Protecting the civil rights of students with disabilities and their families since 1998" (COPPA 2021). Due to the pandemic, almost all classes were forced to move to some form of online instruction, yet FAPE and it's laws have not changed. Therefore, students with disabilities were faced with a lot of challenges to ensure that they were still receiving a free and appropriate education. This presentation discusses what to do when your child needs more academic support. One major takeaway to make sure your child does not need additional academic support is to constantly document both academic and behavioral difficulties and gather data/work samples. "Having specific data to share with the team will be helpful with this step" (COPPA, 2021). By using the data and documentation you've collected from your child will allow you to have the necessary knowledge into their academic and behavioral struggles that will assist you in advocating for your child. Providing this resource to parents is especially helpful during COVID to allow parents to be constantly aware and making sure that their child is receiving FAPE.

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Including a podcast within this toolbox allows for both parents/families and students to receive valuable information about FAPE and educational rights in a different modality than just reading an article. While listening to this podcast, you receive the insight from two advocates from ARC of Aurora who explain FAPE, IDEA (Individuals with Disabilities Eduction ACT) and LRE. Something that is not often discussed is what happens if a public school violates IDEA and FAPE. However, in this podcast it is explained what you can do if you feel that IDEA was violated. "You receive this handbook and it's your parental rights as they pertain to your child's Special Education within those parental rights you can find information on how to lodge complaints if you don't feel like your child's education is appropriate for their needs. You can also reach out to your ARC advocate who can help get you in the right direction" (THINK+Change). By providing this podcast to parents/families the advocates point out various ways to rectify the situation if your child is not receiving FAPE. Listening to this podcast provides families/parents with the knowledge to go about filing a complaint or a mediation hearing if they believe their child is not receiving a free and appropriate education.

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TRAININGS: E 9: Educational Rights - THINK+change Podcasts

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Learn the alphabet soup of resources that support free appropriate public education (FAPE) for students with disabilities, including IDEA, LRE, IEPs, and 504s. Additionally, learn what to do if you t

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What is Free and Appropriate Public Education?

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What is Free and Appropriate Public Education?

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Julie Swanson, Special Education Advocate, and Jennifer Laviano, Special Education Attorney break down each individual letter of FAPE to further explain meaning behind each word of Free and Appropriate Public Education. Laviano explains "We've moved to the place were we want children to get meaningful educational benefit from their program" (Laviano, 2019). Meaningful education varies depending on the individual and unique needs of each student. IEPs are designed to align with the student's unique needs but often they are not changed or updated to challenge the student. This is a great resource for parents and families as it chunks down each component of FAPE and provides an in depth explanation and examples. Having a background knowledge on the individual components of FAPE will benefit you in becoming a stronger advocate for yourself or your child.

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What is Free and Appropriate Public Education (FAPE) - IDEA Basics on the Learning Videos Channel