When Paul Hinkle retired from the California Department of Education the wonderful Composite of Special Education Laws was no longer published.

CDE then created a system where you could put in a subject such IEP and sections of law would come up that included IEPs.  It was extremely time consuming and frustrating.  It was helpful to have the last edition of the Composite of Laws.  You could use the Composite to determine the sections of law you were looking for.  It took a significant amount of time to locate the applicable sections.  It became necessary to print the sections of law that you were looking for.

The published Composite of Special Education Laws was a resource that was easy for parents, school district staff and others to access special education laws.  The Composite was a valuable resource for parents and others attempting to research applicable sections of law.  Because one has a computer does not mean they are capable of navigating a complex system to find the laws pertinent to there situation.

Access to California Special Education laws on the CDE website at this time is almost impossible.  This denies parents and others the ability to locate special education laws.

Disability Rights California provides easy access to the wonderful Special Education Rights and Responsibilities.  It is written for parents in an easy to use question and answer format.  When laws change SERR is updated with current information Click here to see the DRC Website        The DRC website is www.disabilityrightsca.org.  SERR is downloadable by chapter.

SERR is not a replacement for the Composite of Laws.  However, it is a very valuable resource for parents, school administrators, teachers, social workers, counselors and many others.  Any agency, program or church that provides support to families dealing with disability issues should be familiar with the SERR manual.  A significant number of families that agencies and organizations work with will have a child with a disability. It is critically important that a family’s support network provide them with accurate information so that they can advocate for a Free Appropriate Public Education for their child.