Fort Polk  Exceptional Family Member Program

The IDEA requires that all states and territories provide special education and related services to eligible children between the ages of 3 and 21. Each local school district has a special education director, and each school should have an individualized education program team or school-based committee that attends to students with special education needs.

The IDEA requires that if a child transfers to a different district in the same state, the receiving school must provide a free, appropriate public education, including comparable services, until the new school adopts the previously held individualized education program or develops, adopts and implements a new individualized education program. If a child transfers to another state, the receiving district must provide comparable services until the receiving district completes an evaluation and creates a new individualized education program, if appropriate.

If you are moving and your child receives special education and related services, you should hand-carry all pertinent school and medical documents, including the individualized education program and current evaluation reports. Hand-carrying these documents ensures that they are not lost and allows the new school district to begin the process as soon as you move.

The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, or IDEA, requires all states and territories to provide early intervention services to children from birth to 3 years of age who have, or are at risk for having, developmental delays. Local school districts or health departments often provide these early intervention services. The program is called different names in different areas, but it is often referred to as Part C (because Part C is the section of the law that pertains to early intervention). The national Early Childhood Technical Assistance Center provides a list of state Part C coordinators and funded programs on their website. Also, Military OneSource can assist you in identifying early intervention programs in your area. When moving, you should hand-carry copies of your child's individual family service plan and the most current evaluation reports to your new home to ensure they are not lost.

Parent Training and Information Centers serve families and adults with special needs from birth to age 26. They assist families in getting appropriate education and services for their children, work to improve education services for all children, train and inform parents and professionals, resolve problems between families and schools or other agencies and connect those with disabilities to community resources. Find out more at the Center for Parent Information and Resources website.

Army Regulation 608-75, 7 Dec 93, requires the Army to carefully consider the availability of facilities to care for and educate Exceptional Family Members in deployment locations. It also requires the enrollment of all Exceptional Family Members in the Exceptional Family Member Program. Public Law 94-142, 1975, requires Free Appropriate Education to all handicapped children. Public Law 95-561, Defense Department Act, 1978, mandates DOD schools to implement Public Law 94-142 in overseas locations.

In layman's terms this means that while the laws mandate that handicapped children are guaranteed appropriate facilities, the Exceptional Family Member Program is designed to include all eligible family members (children, spouses, and dependent relatives) with special needs - regardless of age.