STRIDE - Know Your Rights

Known Your Rights

Understanding your rights as a student, parent, guardian, or individual is an essential first step in effective advocacy of any kind.

This section is designed to help students, parents, guardians, and individuals access official laws, policies, and protections, and understand how those rights apply within school systems, special education processes, and educational planning.

STRIDE does not interpret law or provide legal advice. Instead, this resource hub connects users to authoritative sources and provides guidance on how to use publicly available information to support informed participation in IEP, 504, and school communication processes.

How to Find Education Rights and Official Information Online

Many families know their rights exist, but struggle to find clear, official sources or understand what to search for. Below is a simple guide to help you locate accurate information online.

Start with official sources

When searching for education law or policy, always prioritize:

.gov websites (U.S. government)
state department of education websites
school district official pages
military or federal education agencies

Avoid relying only on blogs, forums, or social media for legal or policy information.

Use specific search terms

Instead of searching:

“IEP rights”

Try:

“IDEA special education rights parent site:ed.gov”
“Section 504 accommodations OCR FAQ”
“MIC3 enrollment protections military children”
“DoWEA special education policy”

Look for primary documents

When possible, look for:

official policy pages
procedural safeguards notices
statutes (laws written by government)
agency guidance documents
downloadable PDFs from official sites

These are more reliable than summaries or interpretations.

Verify what you are reading

Before using information, check:

Is it from an official source?
Is it current or outdated?
Is it explaining law or just opinion?
Does it match other official sources?

If information conflicts, trust the official .gov or agency source.

Organize what you find

If you find a resource you plan to reference often, consider saving it as a PDF on your device. This is especially useful for Department of War education regulations and DoDEA/DoWEA administrative instructions, as documents may be updated, relocated, or removed when websites are reorganized. Keeping a local copy ensures continued access when reviewing policies or preparing for meetings.

Save helpful resources by:

bookmarking pages
downloading PDFs
creating a simple folder (IEP, 504, PCS, etc.)
noting key sections or quotes for meetings

Additional Resources Coming Soon

This section will continue to expand as new official resources, updates, and guidance materials are added.

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