A Parent's Guide to Special Education in NYS for Children 3-21

This guide contains comprehensive information on the special education process in New York State, beginning with the initial referral for special education services. Special education means specially designed individualized or group instruction or special services or programs to meet the unique needs of students with disabilities. Special education services and programs are provided at no cost to the parent. 

Disability Resources

Information about disability-related programs, services, laws, and regulations. The Justice Center provides links to resources from local, state, federal, and national agencies, as well as nonprofit organizations. We seek to provide a wide range of information that may be helpful to people with disabilities, their families, caregivers, and advocates.

NEED FURTHER ASSISTANCE?

If you cannot find the information you need, call a Disability Navigator toll-free at 1-800-624-4143 or email infoassistance@justicecenter.ny.gov.  

Early Childhood Family and Community Engagement Centers (EC FACE Centers)

There are 14 Early Childhood Family and Community Engagement Centers (EC FACE Centers) in New York State. EC FACE Centers are part of the regional teams that use an intensive team approach. The Regional Teams, which include Regional Partnership Centers (RPC), Early Childhood Family and Community Engagement (FACE) Centers and School-age FACE Centers, provide technical assistance and professional development. Families, approved preschool and school-age programs, public schools and districts, and community partners are encouraged to contact the RPC and Early Childhood and School-age FACE Centers in their region of the State for assistance and training.

Please use the MS Navigator Mapping Tool to locate the Early Childhood FACE Center contact information for your location.

Interagency Case Resolution Unit

The Interagency Case Resolution Unit works to assist caregivers and individuals in receiving the most appropriate community-based or residential services; minimize delays in arranging services or placements, and resolves barriers that impede timely service delivery or placement. 

The Interagency Case Resolution Unit becomes involved ONLY after all program options and dispute resolution procedures have been exhausted at the local and regional levels, or if a caregiver feels their child's needs are not being met by existing systems. 

How to Make a Referral

The agent making a referral on behalf of a child must provide the Council with the following:

• a completed Intake Form and a signed Release of Information Form;
• a description of the barriers encountered in attempting to provide appropriate services or placement;
• a record of the efforts that have been made by the referral source or others to secure services and/or placements for the child; and
• background information on the child's special needs.

A referral containing all of the information mentioned above may be submitted to:

Jill Chaifetz Education Helpline

Advocates for Children of New York (AFC)’s Jill Chaifetz Education Helpline is your resource for information and guidance on all education-related matters in New York City.
 
Parents can spend an enormous amount of time researching different programs or simply trying to understand their child’s education-related rights. If your child is struggling in school or experiencing school discrimination of any kind, our education specialists will assess your problem and provide you with free assistance, ranging from information you can use to advocate successfully on your own to assigning an education specialist or attorney to work with you directly.

New York Systems Change and Inclusive Opportunities Network (NY SCION)

On October 21, 2021, New York State (NYS) Governor Kathy Hochul announced a commitment of $11.1 million in federal workforce development funding over the next three years to expand the already successful network of Disability Resource Coordinators (DRCs) to all 33 Local Workforce Development Areas (LWDAs) to increase the capacity of their service delivery and better serve individuals with disabilities.

This initiative is being referred to as the New York Systems Change and Inclusive Opportunities Network (NY SCION).  The word “scion” is often used in gardening, and it refers to a process by which new plants are grown from old ones.  Similarly, NY SCION builds upon the work of four rounds of federal Disability Employment Initiative (DEI) pilot funding and the Disability Program Navigator before it.  These two initiatives sought to improve education, training, and employment opportunities and outcomes for youth and adults with disabilities including those receiving Social Security disability benefits. NY SCION will do the same – only taken to scale in nearly every LWDA across NYS.

NYS Special Education Quality Assurance (SEQA) Program

Regional associates at the Quality Assurance office located in your school district will answer questions about special education. Within each office, Regional Associates, who are employees of the State Education Department, are assigned to specific school districts and special education programs. The Regional Associate oversees preschool and school-age special education services and serves as a resource to parents, school district personnel, and private providers. Responsibilities include:

• Conduct Quality Assurance Reviews of public and private special education programs. The purpose of the review is to determine compliance with federal and State special education laws and regulations. Areas of strength and weakness in regard to effective evaluation and instructional practices are identified as part of the review process. The goal of the review is to make programs more effective and to positively affect student results.
• Provide technical assistance to parents, school district personnel, and special education programs.
• Provide general information regarding services for students with disabilities to parents, school district personnel, private providers, and other stakeholders.
• Oversee certain grant applications for the expenditure of federal IDEA  funds.
• Investigate complaints alleging a public or private special education program's noncompliance with federal or state law or regulation pertaining to the education of students with disabilities.

The Special Education Quality Assurance Regional Offices. When contacting the regional office, please identify your county, school district, or special education program so that you may be directed to the appropriate Regional Associate.

Office of Federal Acknowledgement Peer TA - Strengthening Self-sufficiency Pathways

OFA Peer TA facilitates the sharing of information across state and local agencies implementing the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program. The goal of Peer TA is to establish linkages among TANF agencies and their partners serving TANF and low-income families at the state, county, local, and tribal level. The Peer TA website acts as a dissemination and communications vehicle, supporting the Peer TA Network in the provision of technical assistance, facilitating a dialogue among organizations serving TANF and low-income families, and helping organizations learn about innovative programs and the latest research around effective strategies to successfully support TANF and low-income families on a path to self-sufficiency.

Out-of-District Placement: How it Works

This web page discusses options that are available if your child's special education services are not being met. It provides information on things to take into consideration when deciding on an out-of-district placement and provides some key takeaways.

Placements of Students with Disabilities in Approved Out-of-State Residential Schools

The purpose of this memorandum is to provide updated procedures, forms and policy relating to a school district's responsibility to submit timely and complete applications, as prescribed in section 200.6(j) of the Regulations of the Commissioner of Education, for approval of State reimbursement of tuition costs for placements of students with disabilities in out-of-State approved residential programs. The information in this memorandum updates guidance previously issued in April 2011, March 2012, and March 2013.