The Rights They Hope You Don’t Know

Description

Not every family knows what they’re entitled to when their child is navigating the school system — or a residential facility. The Rights They Hope You Don’t Know is a printable reference card built to close that gap, laying out your child’s rights and exactly what you can do to exercise them, in plain language, without the legal jargon.

The card covers rights on two fronts: within the school system, including Least Restrictive Environment, Free Appropriate Public Education (FAPE), written notice before any placement change, access to educational records, and the right to an Independent Educational Evaluation at public expense — and within residential settings, including the right to communicate with family, to be free from restraint or seclusion, to file grievances without retaliation, and to give informed consent for treatment. Alongside each right, it gives you the corresponding action: requesting an IEP meeting in writing, bringing an advocate, asking for Prior Written Notice, recording dates and names, and filing a complaint with your state education agency if needed.

It also includes a short section for when something feels off — reminders to trust your instincts, ask to see policies in writing, contact a parent advocacy center, and remember that you never have to agree to anything on the spot. It closes with a grounding message: systems aren’t designed to hand you power, but the law already gave it to you — along with a simple action step to put that into practice right away.

One printable page. No cost, no signup required — just the information families deserve to have going in.