The US Department of Education has issued guidance in the form of FAQs regarding key aspects of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). Those areas, along with links to the FAQs, are as follows:

Discipline - Provides guidance on discipline policies enacted for school-age students to personnel in state educational agencies (SEAs) and local educational agencies (LEAs), and families.
http://idea.ed.gov/explore/view/p/%2Croot%2Cdynamic%2CQaCorner%2C7%2C

Disproportionality - provides information regarding the IDEA requirements relating to disproportionality determinations.
http://idea.ed.gov/explore/view/p/%2Croot%2Cdynamic%2CQaCorner%2C9%2C

Procedural Safeguards - gives questions and answers on Procedural Safeguards and Due Process Procedures for Parents and Children with Disabilities issued in January 2007.
http://idea.ed.gov/explore/view/p/%2Croot%2Cdynamic%2CQaCorner%2C6%2C

Technical Assistance and Enforcement - provides information on IDEA requirements relating to monitoring, technical assistance, and enforcement.
http://idea.ed.gov/explore/view/p/%2Croot%2Cdynamic%2CQaCorner%2C4%2C

Secondary Transition - lists questions and answers regarding transition services for special education students.
http://idea.ed.gov/explore/view/p/%2Croot%2Cdynamic%2CQaCorner%2C10%2C

There are many free and low-cost events offered this fall for parents and families of children with disabilities and other special needs.

The FCPS Parent Resource Center offers many resources for families. Check out the center  at http://www.fcps.edu/cco/prc/index.htm

The Parent Resource Center has posted the Back to School resource packet http://www.fcps.edu/cco/prc/documents/BacktoSchoolResourcePacket.pdf

* Here are several fall 2010 workshop offerings from the FCPS Parent Resource Center:

Thursday, September 30, 2010, 7- 9 p.m. Stress-Free Homework - Tips, Tools & Strategies at Dunn Loring Center for Parent Services. More information at http://www.fcps.edu/cco/prc/documents/StressFreeHomeworkflyer.pdf

First Friday - October 1, 2010 , 10:00 a.m. - noon I Didn't Know It Did That! Microsoft Word Strategies for All Students at Dunn Loring Center for Parent Services. More information at http://www.fcps.edu/cco/prc/documents/IDidntKnowItDidThatflyer.pdf

Saturday, October 2, 2010, Morning Session: 10 a.m. - noon; Afternoon Session: 1 - 4 p.m. Celebrate Calm ~ 10 Ways to Guarantee Your Child's Success Luther Jackson Middle School. More information at http://www.fcps.edu/cco/prc/documents/WorkshopFlyer--FairfaxPRCv4.pdf

All PRC workshops are FREE.
For a complete list of upcoming workshops and activities go to the PRC web site http://www.fcps.edu/cco/prc/workshops.htm, or contact them by phone at 703-204-3941 or email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

* Other conferences and meetings in the area include:

Wednesday, October 6, 2010 at 7:30pm. New Family Open House
Where: The Hospitality Center of The Arc of Northern Virginia, 98 N. Washington St., Falls Church, VA 22046
It can be overwhelming when your child is diagnosed with a disability.
Introductory resource information on the different disabilities along with some important information on schools and county services will be provided with numbers to call and a path to take to start you on your way to providing your child and family all the services they might need. This presentation is for families affected by any special need and is intended for adults only as our space is limited and our numbers are growing. Feel free to spread the word.
Please RSVP to The Arc Office at 703-532-3214 ext 101 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
The Virginia Ability Alliance is a Northern Virginia based coalition of fourteen non-profit organizations that support and advocate for individuals with disabilities.

Free Webinars this Summer- The Advocacy Institute, a non-profit, tax-exempt organization dedicated to the development of products, projects and services that work to improve the lives of people with disabilities, is pleased to offer unlimited access to a selection of our Advocate Academy Webinar archives during Summer 2010. Each archive will be available for 2 weeks. Archives are 90 minutes in length. The schedule is available at http://www.advocacyinstitute.org/academy/SummerSchool2010/index.shtml