CSDE Transition Bill of Rights
Connecticut State Department of Education Transition Bill of Rights
For Parents of Students Receiving Special Education Services
A student with an individualized education program (IEP) has certain rights under both Federal and State laws. This Transition Bill of Rights for Parents of Students Receiving Special Education Services, developed by the Connecticut State Department of Education (CSDE), will help parents1 and students understand these rights and other important issues regarding the transition to life after high school. School districts will provide this document annually at a planning and placement team (PPT) meeting to all parents of students who are receiving special education services in grades 6-12, as well as to students who are 18 years of age or older (adult student).
Parents and adult students also have the right to receive a copy of the Procedural Safeguards Notice Required Under IDEA Part B, which explains the rights and responsibilities set forth in the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act of 2004 (IDEA). This publication describes a student’s right to a free appropriate public education (FAPE) in the least restrictive environment (LRE) through specially designed instruction and related services in the student’s IEP.
Students with an IEP have a right to:
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Receive secondary transition planning and services through their IEP starting at age 14, or younger if determined appropriate by their PPT, which thereafter must be updated annually.
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Receive appropriate, individualized special education and related services through the end of the school year during which they turn age 22 (when they reach the maximum age of eligibility) or until they graduate with a regular high school diploma, whichever occurs first. Determinations regarding continuing eligibility for special education are made by their PPT.
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Attend all PPT meetings, including those pertaining to transition planning, to represent their needs, strengths, preferences, and interests, as they relate to their transition goals and services.
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Assist in developing realistic and specific postsecondary outcome goal statements related to postsecondary education or training, and employment, and, if appropriate, independent living skills. Postsecondary goals are written as measurable statements that are generally understood to refer to those goals that a student will do or achieve after leaving secondary school and are based upon age-appropriate transition assessments.
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Receive transition services2 that will reasonably enable them to meet their postsecondary outcome goals.
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Assist in developing their IEP annual goals and objectives, which may include but are not limited to areas in the Connecticut CORE Transition Skills (i.e., health care, transportation, self-determination, social skills).
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Assist in the development of their IEP supplementary aids and services (e.g., accommodations, modifications, assistive technology, adult support), which are designed to meet their unique needs.
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Identify, explore, and connect with outside agencies as appropriate including, but not limited to, the following adult service agencies: the Department of Children and Families (DCF), the Department of Developmental Services (DDS), the Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services (DMHAS), the Department of Labor (CTDOL), the Department of Public Health (DPH), the Department of Social Services (DSS), and the Department of Aging and Disability Services (ADS), which includes the Bureau of Education and Services for the Blind (BESB) and the Bureau of Rehabilitation Services (BRS). See Easing into Secondary Transition. School districts, to the extent appropriate and with the consent of the parent or adult student, must invite a representative of an outside agency likely to be responsible for providing transition services to attend PPT meetings to participate in transition planning.
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Be informed on or before their 17th birthday that all parental rights will transfer to them when they reach the age of 18. Under Connecticut law, an adult student may notify the school district (in writing) that their parent(s) shall continue to have the right to make educational decisions on their behalf.
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Request consideration for receiving transition-only services (for students with disabilities who have completed all academic requirements for graduation) if all transition goals and objectives have not been met during their previous year in high school. The PPT makes the recommendation for transition-only services, which must be reviewed at least annually.
PPT Considerations When Determining the Need for Transition-Only Services for a Student:
a. Transition-only services may be discussed at the first PPT meeting when a student reaches the age of 14 but not later than the PPT meeting that occurs approximately two years prior to a student’s anticipated exit from school.
b. Transition-only services must be a coordinated set of individualized activities but do not need to be a specialized “program”.
c. Transition-only services should be based in the local community to the greatest extent possible in order to prepare students for life after high school.
d. Transition-only services should provide students with the opportunity to maximize their time with nondisabled peers.
e. Transition-only services are not required for graduation but may include academic, vocational, and independent living activities that will help students meet their postsecondary goals.
f. Students are entitled to participate in graduation exercises and related activities upon completion of academic requirements or at the conclusion of transition-only services. This decision is made by the PPT.
g. If students participate in transition-only services, the date on their diploma will be the date that they exit high school due to graduating with a regular high school diploma. A parent/adult student may request that the date on the student’s diploma reflect the date that the student fulfilled academic requirements to graduate. This request should be made to the school district just prior to the student’s exit from special education.
a. Transition-only services may be discussed at the first PPT meeting when a student reaches the age of 14 but not later than the PPT meeting that occurs approximately two years prior to a student’s anticipated exit from school.
b. Transition-only services must be a coordinated set of individualized activities but do not need to be a specialized “program”.
c. Transition-only services should be based in the local community to the greatest extent possible in order to prepare students for life after high school.
d. Transition-only services should provide students with the opportunity to maximize their time with nondisabled peers.
e. Transition-only services are not required for graduation but may include academic, vocational, and independent living activities that will help students meet their postsecondary goals.
f. Students are entitled to participate in graduation exercises and related activities upon completion of academic requirements or at the conclusion of transition-only services. This decision is made by the PPT.
g. If students participate in transition-only services, the date on their diploma will be the date that they exit high school due to graduating with a regular high school diploma. A parent/adult student may request that the date on the student’s diploma reflect the date that the student fulfilled academic requirements to graduate. This request should be made to the school district just prior to the student’s exit from special education.
11. Actively participate in the development and revision of their Student Success Plan (SSP), which is required for all general education students beginning in grade 6 and progressing through grade 12. The SSP is a school wide effort designed to empower and help students achieve their postsecondary educational and career goals.
12. Receive, along with their parent:
- A Parent’s Guide to Special Education in Connecticut (upon formal identification and annually at a PPT meeting thereafter);
- Building A Bridge (upon formal identification and annually at a PPT meeting thereafter);
- Connecticut IEP Manual (upon formal identification and annually at a PPT meeting thereafter);
- Transition Bill of Rights (annually at a PPT meeting, for students in grades 6-12);
- Notice about the online listing of transition resources and transition services: Easing into Secondary Transition, and public transition programs: EdSight (annually at a PPT meeting, for students in grades 6-12); and
- Information about the full range of decision-making supports, including the Understanding Decision-Making Options online resource (annually at a PPT meeting, for students age 14+).
Each school district shall provide this required information translated into the primary language spoken by such student or parent if there is an apparent need or upon their request.
If students have questions or difficulty asserting any of these rights, they should first speak to their teacher, school case manager, school counselor, district transition coordinator, and/or parent. For additional help with secondary transition or special education, contact the CSDE Bureau of Special Education (BSE) Call Center by phone at 860-713-6966.
Students (or their parent) have the right to request a due process hearing, request mediation, or file a State complaint, which are outlined in the Complaint Resolution Process.
For assistance in understanding the provisions of the IDEA, please contact Connecticut’s federally designated Parent Training and Information Center, the Connecticut Parent Advocacy Center (CPAC), by phone at 860-739-3089, or by e-mail at cpac@cpacinc.org.
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