The Joy of FAPE.
FAPE means a Free Appropriate Public Education.
Free: The educational services that are necessary for your child must be at no cost to you. "At no cost" means that specially designed instruction is provided without cost to the parent or guardian. 34 CFR 300.39 (b)(1).
Appropriate: The educational services must be specially designed to help your child progress and appropriate for his or her needs.
"Special education" means specially designed instruction, provided at no cost to the parents, that is intended to meet the unique needs of a child with a disability, including: 1) instruction conducted in the classroom, in the home, in hospitals and institutions, and in other settings; and 2) instruction in physical education. 34 CFR 300.39 (a)(1). The term includes: 1) speech-language pathology services, or any other related service, if the service is considered special education rather than a related service under state standards; 2) travel training; and 3) vocational education. 34 CFR 300.39 (a)(2).
Public: The public school district in which the parent or guardian resides is the “Local Education Agency” (LEA) and it is responsible for providing the services or ensuring that they are provided with a private placement in which the public agency picks up the cost.
Education: Specially designed instruction" means adapting, as appropriate to the needs of an eligible child, the content, methodology, or delivery of instruction -- 1) to address the child's unique needs resulting from the disability; and 2) ensuring the child's access to the general curriculum so that the child can meet the educational standards that apply to all children within the jurisdiction of the public agency. 34 CFR 300.39 (b)(3).
So what is FAPE really?
It is different for each individual child. It means that your child has a program that is specially designed to meet his or her unique needs without cost to you. For a school to provide FAPE it must provide an appropriate program that is offered through an IEP that contains appropriate:
Extended School Year Services (if necessary)
It must be a program and plan that helps your child progress and is designed to do so. It must include an IEP that has your child’s accurate levels of present performance across academic and functional areas, specialized instruction, goals across areas of need, extended school year and behavior plans if necessary, and an appropriate placement for your child.