About Special Education Programs
According to the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), special education means specially designed instruction, provided at no cost to the parent, to meet the unique needs of a child with a disability. This specially designed instruction involves adapting, as appropriate to the needs of an eligible student, the content, methodology or delivery of instruction:
- To address the unique needs of the child that result from his/her disability; and
- To ensure access of the child to the general curriculum, so that the child can meet the educational standards within the district that apply to all children.
In Wyoming, children who are eligible for special education are entitled to a free appropriate public education (FAPE) in the least restrictive environment (LRE) from the age of three through the school year in which the student turns 21 years old. School districts ensure the provision of FAPE in the LRE for each eligible child through the development and implementation of an Individualized Education Program (IEP), which is updated at least annually.
The resources and helpful links below are included to provide detailed information regarding the ways in which the Wyoming Department of Education and our state’s local school districts fulfill the mandates of IDEA.