What is a "FAPE?"

The term “FAPE” is shorthand for a “free and appropriate public education.” It is a term included in regulations published by the U.S. Department of Education under Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (Title 29 United States Code, Section 794) as well as under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act ("IDEA," Title 20 United States Code, Sections 1400, et seq.) which guarantees that each student will receive proper educational services so the student in question gets an equal educational opportunity. When a student suffers from a demonstrable disability, a FAPE may require special programs paid for at public expense. In some cases, if a public school district cannot (or does not) provide appropriate educational support, the student may be entitled to have the public school district pay for placement in a private facility in order to provide a free and appropriate educational opportunity. Parents are not bound by determinations made by local school officials and they have the right to have a court determine whether a given placement for their child is appropriate.