Graduate Program

Educational Administration

Degree Name

Education Specialist (EdS)

Semester of Degree Completion

2000

Thesis Director

Freddie A. Banks, Jr.

Abstract

Any educational decision regarding evaluation, placement, or instruction of special education students involves legal liability and accountability for a school district. Without the special education legal knowledge from primary legal sources needed to make prudent education decisions, school districts are vulnerable to legal challenges. Too often, educators provide services to special education students without critical knowledge of the educators' role in the special education legal process.

In this study, just the preliminary phase of constructing a special education law World Wide Web (W3) site for Illinois educators was considered. There were two objectives in this study. The first objective was to locate the relevant special education constitutional law, statutes, case law, regulations and sub-regulatory guidance for Illinois. The second objective was to construct a W3 site of special education law accessible to educators in Illinois. This qualitative study had four phases. There was first a gearing-up phase, second an initial design phase, third an iterative design phase, and finally a system installation phase.

On this W3 site, hyperlinks connect the primary special education constitutional law, legislative statutes, case law and regulatory laws and sub-regulatory guidance applicable to Illinois to this site. The U. S. Constitution and Illinois Constitution are available on this W3 site. The Federal statutes available on this site include the Individuals with Disabilities Act (IDEA) 1997 Amendments, Section 504 of the 1973 Rehabilitation Act, the Family Education Rights Privacy Act (FERPA), the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), and these statutes respective implementing regulations. The Illinois Compiled Statutes (ILCS) and its implementing regulations are available on this W3 site. Sub-regulatory guidance consisting of memorandum, directives, and policy statements from the U. S. Department of Education (DOE) and the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) are available on this site. Finally, judicial opinions from the U. S. Supreme Court, U. S. Appellate Courts, U. S. District Courts and the Illinois Supreme Court, Illinois Appellate Courts, and Illinois Circuit Courts are available on this W3 site.

Download

Share

COinS