Legal Rights In Educating A Special Needs Child In Georgia
Many children with disabilities have needs which must be met in order to have educational success. To ensure that schools meet those needs, several federal laws give children and their parents specific rights.
By: Atlanta Legal Aid Society
Advocating for Your Child's Education
(Separate Website)
This manual provides you with information about the laws that may be useful to you as you advocate for your child’s right to a free and appropriate public education.
By: Georgia Advocacy Office
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Spanish / Español
No Child Left Behind
(Separate Website)
No Child Left Behind is designed to change the culture of America's schools by closing the achievement gap, offering more flexibility, giving parents more options, and teaching students based on what works.
Under the act's accountability provisions, states must describe how they will close the achievement gap and make sure all students, including those who are disadvantaged, achieve academic proficiency. They must produce annual state and school district report cards that inform parents and communities about state and school progress. Schools that do not make progress must provide supplemental services, such as free tutoring or after-school assistance; take corrective actions; and, if still not making adequate yearly progress after five years, make dramatic changes to the way the school is run.
By: Georgia Department of Education
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Spanish / Español
Babies Can't Wait
(Separate Website)
Babies Can't Wait (BCW) is Georgia's statewide interagency service delivery system for infants and toddlers with developmental delays or disabilities and their families. BCW is established by Part C of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) which guarantees all eligible children, regardless of their disability, access to services that will enhance their development.
By: Georgia Division of Public Health
The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act and Children with Diabetes
(Separate Website)
The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, known as "IDEA," is a federal law that requires states to provide a "free, appropriate public education" to children with disabilities so that they can be educated to the greatest extent possible along with all other children. Qualifying children are entitled to special education and related services at no cost to their parents. This web site provides more information.
By: Disability Rights Education and Defense Fund
Education-Related Information for Children and Adults with Disabilities
(Separate Website)
Find education-related information from the Federal government for people with disabilities from this section of the DisabilityInfo.gov web site, including: Adult Education and Literacy, Higher Education, Early Childhood and Elementary Education, Educational Rights, Middle and High School, Parent Resources, Research & Statistics, School to Work, Special Education, and Infants and Toddlers.
By: First Gov - Your First Click is the U.S. Government
Exceptional Students (Special Education)
(Separate Website)
This program exists to help local school systems provide special education and related services so that all children with disabilities can develop into productive and successful citizens.
By: Georgia Department of Education
Rights and Responsibilities of Parents and Students in Public Schools One of the most important things you can do for your children is to be involved in their education. You need to know the school principal and your child's teachers, so you can discuss your child's progress. You need to know the school's rules and what the school expects from parents and students. You also need to know the school's procedures and your rights in case a problem arises. This document discusses those rights and procedures.
By: Atlanta Legal Aid Society
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Korean / 한국어
,
Spanish / Español
Rules of the State Board of Education
(Separate Website)
This web site contains the existing and proposed rules for the State Board of Education for the State of Georgia.
By: Georgia Department of Education
Your Child Should Still Get Medicaid
Even if social security decides your child is no longer disabled, your child should still get Medicaid. This document contains more information about your child's rights to receive Medicaid.
By: Georgia Legal Services Program®
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Korean / 한국어
,
Spanish / Español
Georgia's Katie Beckett Program for Children - What Can You Do If Your Child's Medicaid Coverage Is Being Terminated?
Georgia children with severe disabilities (mental or physical) can qualify for Medicaid under the so-called Katie Beckett waiver. These children are in families with incomes too high to qualify for other Medicaid. This brochure explains the waiver and rights.
By: Georgia Legal Services Program®
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Do you have a Katie Beckett Medicaid Appeal pending? What to do...
The medicaid agency is beginning to process Katie Beckett appeals that have been pending. Some appeals have been referred to private attorneys to represent the agency in the appeals.
By: Georgia Legal Services Program®
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Katie Beckett Medicaid -- A Successful Model Care Plan Katie Beckett Medicaid covers severely disabled and fragile children. The child has medically complex conditions which would require treatment in a healthcare facility by healthcare professionals if the child was not cared for at home or in the community.
By: Georgia Legal Services Program®
Katie Beckett Medicaid Hearings: Meeting the Criteria Katie Beckett Medicaid covers severely disabled and fragile children. The child must meet the Institutional Level of Care Criteria, which is defined as: The child has medically complex conditions which would require treatment in a healthcare facility by healthcare professionals if the child was not cared for at home or in the community.
By: Georgia Legal Services Program®
Watch a Video Update about Katie Beckett Medicaid Eligibility
(Separate Website)
Katie Beckett is a Medicaid eligibility category that provides Medical Assistance coverage for certain children under age 19 who have long-term disabilities or complex medical needs and who live at home. Katie Beckett eligibility enables these children to be cared for at home instead of in an institution. With Katie Beckett, only the child's income and resources, not the parents', are taken into account during the application process.
By: Georgia Legal Services Program®
Disability Programs (Social Security Online)
(Separate Website)
These web pages describe the different disability programs administered by the social security program including information about how to apply for benefits, how to manage the benefits you are receiving now, the different forms of health insurance that are available and other information.
By: Social Security Administration
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Spanish / Español
Adoption Assistance Information for Special Needs Children AND Form for Requesting Benefits This flyer provides information for relatives adopting children with special needs. There is also a form used to apply for these benefits. Talk to a lawyer about any adoption.
By: Georgia Legal Services Program®
Red Book - Reference for Employment-Related Programs of Social Security Administration
(Separate Website)
The Red Book serves as a general reference source about the employment-related provisions of Social Security Disability Insurance and the Supplemental Security Income Programs for educators, advocates, rehabilitation professionals, and counselors who serve people with disabilities. The Red Book is from the Social Security Administration web site.
By: Social Security Administration
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Spanish / Español
Working While Disabled - A Guide to Achieving Self-Support
(Separate Website)
What Is A Plan For Achieving Self--Support?
Basically, a plan for achieving self--support, or PASS for short, is a plan for your future. Many people with disabilities want to work, and you're probably one of them. But maybe you need to go back to school before you can get a job. Or, maybe you'd like to start your own business, but you don't have the money. Whatever your work goal may be, a PASS can help you reach it. This web page explains how the PASS works, how to apply for a PASS, and how a PASS affects your Social Security benefits. Thje website from the Social Security Administration provides help for disabled individuals on work-related issues.
By: Social Security Administration
Read this in:
Spanish / Español
Children's Medical Services
(Separate Website)
The mission of Children's Medical Services (CMS) is to assure that eligible children with chronic health conditions who are residents of the state of Georgia receive specialty medical care. Go to this site for more information. After you reach the site, look on the tool bar on the left hand side of the web page for a list of Children's Medical Services Coordinators near you.
By: Georgia Department of Public Health
Georgia's Toll-Free School Safety Hotline
(Separate Website)
Mission of Georgia's School Safety Program: To provide a safe and secure school environment conducive to learning with the cooperation of students, parents, teachers, school administrators, and the community.
The Toll-free School Safety Hotline: 1-877-SAY-STOP
On August 14, 1998 the Georgia Department of Education announced the arrival of Georgia's toll-free, anonymous 1-877-SAY-STOP (1-877-729-7867) school safety hotline. 1-877-SAY-STOP is the nation's first state-sponsored school safety hotline and is one example of the Georgia Safety and Violence Task Force's accomplishments.
By: Georgia Department of Education
When Someone with Mental Illness is Arrested in Georgia
(Separate Website)
This handbook is designed for anyone who wants information about helping a person with mental
illness who is arrested in Georgia. Although there are general procedures within the criminal justice
system that apply everywhere in the state, there are many facets of the justice system that vary from county to county. Furthermore, in some areas ( ie, Atlanta, Decatur, Savannah) there may be city
systems as well. It can be very confusing, especially to someone who has never been involved with the criminal justice system before.
The purpose of this handbook is to allow you to ask the right questions to get the information you need, should allow you to help bring the information you have to the attention of the court system to bring about a better resolution to the criminal case.
By: Georgia Public Defender Standards Council, Mental Health Advocacy Division
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Information Not Legal Advice
LegalAid-GA.org provides general information only. This is not legal advice and cannot replace legal advice. You can get legal advice only from a lawyer. Deadlines are extremely important in most legal matters. You may lose important legal rights if you do not hire an attorney immediately to advise you. Viewing this web site or sending an e-mail message through this web site does NOT create an attorney-client relationship.
LegalAid-GA is a project of the Atlanta Legal Aid Society, the Georgia Legal Services Program and the Pro Bono Project of the State Bar of Georgia. This website was produced with funding from the Legal Services Corporation.
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