Parent Resources

• The Brain Injury Association of New York State (BIANYS) is a statewide organization providing assistance to families of children who have a brain injury.
• The Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO) is a nonpartisan, nationwide, nonprofit organization of public officials who head departments of elementary and secondary education in the states, the District of Columbia, the Department of Defense Education Activity, and five U.S. extra-state jurisdictions. CCSSO provides leadership, advocacy, and technical assistance on major educational issues.

• DisabilityInfo.org provides quick and easy access to comprehensive information about disability programs, services, laws and benefits. 

• The National Center for Education Statistics is the primary federal entity for collecting and analyzing data that are related to education in the United States and other nations. Find information on the Nation's Report Card which assesses the academic performance of fourth, eighth, and twelfth graders in a range of subjects. 
• The New York State PTA has more than 385,000 members statewide in over 1500 local units and councils in 16 districts. Members include parents, teachers, and other child advocates. This Website includes information on the New York State and National PTA convention, local and national PTA news, and legislative news.
• NYSARC, Inc.  is the largest not-for-profit agency in the nation supporting people with intellectual and other developmental disabilities, governed and led by family members. Through 55 Chapters, NYSARC offers services and supports encompassing all aspects of a person’s life, from birth through end-of-life care, including: early intervention, health care, education, preparation for employment, help in finding and keeping a job, independent living, skill training, and recreation activities.

The Individualized Education Program (IEP) is the tool that ensures a student has access to the general education curriculum and is provided the appropriate learning opportunities, accommodations, adaptations, specialized services and supports needed for the student to progress towards achieving the learning standards and to meet his or her unique needs related to the disability. Each student with a disability must have an IEP in effect by the beginning of each school year.  

The OSE Educational Partnership is a coordinated and cohesive network of support focused on enhancing services and supports for students with disabilities from early childhood and school-age education to engagement in post-school opportunities.

The Procedural Safeguards Notice must be provided to parents of a student with a disability at a minimum of one time per year and also upon:

• initial referral or parental request for evaluation;
• request by a parent;
• the first filing of a due process complaint notice to request mediation or an impartial due process hearing;
• a decision to impose a suspension or removal that constitutes a disciplinary change in placement; and
• receipt of a parent’s first State complaint in a school year.

Special Education Quality Assurance (SEQA) oversees preschool and school-age special education services through a quality assurance review process that emphasizes attainment of positive results for student with disabilities. Regional Associates, located in several quality assurance offices across New York State, coordinate the review process and also provide technical assistance to parents, school district personnel, and private providers.

Our regional offices are here to help you. If you have general questions about special education or have a specific question about special education services, please contact the Quality Assurance office located in your region. When contacting the regional office, please identify your county, school district or special education program so that you may be directed to the appropriate Regional Associate.

• The U.S. Department of Education provides information on the national educational priorities and new initiatives.
• The U.S. Department of Education's Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services (OSERS) provides information about the function of OSERS, IDEA amendments, and projects developed by the U.S. Department of Education.
• For assistance related to civil rights (including Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act), parents and guardians may contact the Office for Civil Rights (OCR) headquarters office in Washington D.C. or the OCR enforcement office serving their state or territory.
• IDEA Practices is a site which was developed as part of the IDEA Partnerships projects funded by the United States Department of Education in an effort to address parents, service providers, administrators and policy makers regarding the recent amendments to the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA).