Improving Systems, Practices, and Outcomes

Procedural Safeguards: Family Rights, Confidentiality, and Dispute Resolution

Topic Editors: Sharon Walsh, Anne Lucas

sharon.walsh@unc.edu anne.lucas@unc.edu

The procedural safeguards required by the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) are intended to protect the interests of families and children with special needs, as well as the special education and the early intervention systems. Procedural safeguards are the checks and balances of the system, not a piece separate from the system.

Photograph: A preschool-aged girl runs across a grass field with a pink flower in her hand. (Photograph by Alex Lazara)