IDEA 2004 Regulations:
Comments & Public Meetings

On December 3, 2004, the President signed the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act into law.

The U. S. Department of Education is requesting comments and recommendations from the public and conducting public meetings before they develop and publish draft regulations for IDEA 2004.

If you decide to provide comments and / or recommendations, make your comments as specific as possible. Include the following information:

* Your area of involvement (e.g., special education, regular education or early intervention)
* Your role (e.g., parent, teacher, student, service provider, administrator, or researcher).

You may send your comments and recommendations by mail to:

Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services
U.S. Department of Education
400 Maryland Avenue, SW
Potomac Center Plaza, Room 5126
Washington, DC 20202-2641

You may also send your comments by email to comments@ed.gov
In the subject line of your email, please type Comments on IDEA-2004.

Note: If you decide to provide comments, you should read the full text of the notice in the Federal Register, December 29, 2004 (Volume 69, Number 249) for more information about this process. http://www.regulations.gov/freddocs/04-28503.htm

Deadline: Comments and recommendations must be received by February 28, 2005.

Public Meetings

The U. S. Department of Education also announced plans to hold informal public meetings in several cities to seek comments and suggestions from the public before developing and publishing proposed regulations to implement the reauthorized IDEA. The first meeting will be in Delaware:

The Secretary announces plans to hold the first of a series of
informal public meetings to seek comments and suggestions from the
public prior to developing and publishing proposed regulations to
implement programs under the recently revised Individuals with
Disabilities Education Act.

The first public meeting will be in Newark, Delaware on Friday, January 28.

Where: University of Delaware, University of Delaware Conference Center, John M. Clayton Hall, Room 106, 100 Pencader Way, Newark, DE 19716.

When: Friday, January 28, 2005 from 3:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. and from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.

For more information: Contact Troy R. Justesen. Telephone: (202) 245-7468.

Meetings will also be held in:

* Atlanta, GA
* Boston, MA
* Columbus, OH
* San Diego, CA
* Laramie, WY
* Washington, DC

Information about these public meetings will be available soon.

For more information about these issues, please contact Troy Justesen at (202) 245-7468. If you use a telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD), you may call the Federal Relay Service (FRS) at 1-800-877-8339.

Learn More about IDEA 2004

Please visit the IDEA 2004 Page for articles, information, and commentary about changes in the law.