Free Appropriate Public Education

IDEA stipulates that students with disabilities have the right to receive appropriate public preschool, elementary and secondary education and related services, meeting state curriculum and standards requirements at no cost to the parents or guardians (although some related service charges for infants and toddlers below age 2 may be applied on a sliding scale). Appropriateness is individually defined according to the one's IEP, which delineates specialized individual instruction. Public school districts are responsible for identifying all students with disabilities within their districts, regardless of whether they are attending public schools, since private institutions may not be funded for providing accommodations under IDEA.