Special Education and Student Support Services
The legal frame
IDEA guarantees a free appropriate public education (FAPE) in the least restrictive environment (LRE) for eligible students with disabilities. Eligibility requires a full and individual evaluation, parental consent, and a disability that adversely affects educational performance with a resulting need for specially designed instruction. Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act covers any student with a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits a major life activity; it provides accommodations and does not require specially designed instruction. That distinction is the single most common trap in this domain.
The IEP
Required components include present levels of academic achievement and functional performance, measurable annual goals, a statement of special education and related services, progress measurement and reporting, and least restrictive environment explanation. Transition planning begins by age 16 in Oklahoma. Extended school year, assistive technology, and related services (speech, OT, PT, counseling) must be considered, not assumed.
Behavior and discipline
A functional behavioral assessment identifies the function of behavior (attention, escape, access, sensory); the behavior intervention plan matches the function. A manifestation determination review follows a disciplinary change of placement beyond ten cumulative school days, asking whether the conduct was caused by or directly related to the disability.
Support roles
Know boundaries: a speech-language pathology assistant implements plans under supervision and does not diagnose; school psychologists interpret cognitive and behavioral assessments; counselors handle academic, career, and social-emotional programming while respecting confidentiality under FERPA and ethical codes.
Rule of thumb
If the student needs instruction that is different, think IEP. If the student can access the same instruction with a modification of conditions - extended time, preferential seating, a reduced-distraction setting - think 504.