SITE IN DEVELOPMENT - WORKING NOTES BELOW

Emotional upset and trauma can lead to disruption of the normal flow of life, including education. To the extent  possible, it is good to return to those things that encourage continued growth and enrichment  of life, including life and practical skills as well as more formal education.

School aged children who have been diagnosed with schizophrenia may have special needs, and therefore, have rights to services, or special education, in school. Children are entitled to the least restrictive environment (LRE), which, usually means being in a regular class room. In order to be considered for special education, a child must be evaluated and found to have a disability. The evaluation must be offered at no cost, and where you disagree with the evaluation, you may request that the school system pay for an independent evaluation. The major federal law covering special education is the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA).

 

Among the special services offered include speech and language ,  adapted physical education , behavior intervention, counseling and guidance,, parent counseling and training, psychological services, social worker services, vocational education, heath and nursing services. These services can be offered in a variety of  settings, such as a smaller class with a special education teacher,  a resource class for extra help in a particular subject, or  individually individually. National PTA web site, http://www.pta.org/advocacy/content.cfm?ItemNumber=3715&navItemNumber=3728.
 

Post high school, protections  are provided by the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act.  More responsibility falls on students and their advocates to request and design their accommodations.
There are three main federal laws which govern education.The Individuals With Disabitlities Act (IDEA) OF 1997 is a federal law that governs all special education services for children in the United States. Under this law children with disabilities are guaranteed a free and appropriate public education. The service delivery vehicle for this law is the Individual Education Plan(IEP). The Individuals With Disabitlities Education Improvement Act OF 2004 aligns IDEA closely with the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB).
 

Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act Of 1973 is a civil rights statute that requires that schools not discriminate against persons with disabilities and provide them with reasonable accommodations. It covers all programs or activities, whether public or private, that receive federal financial assistance. Under section 504, any person who has an impairment that substantially limits a major life activity is considered disabled. Postsecondary school is not required to provide Free Appropriate Public Education. Rather, your postsecondary school is required to provide appropriate academic adjustments as necessary to ensure that it does not discriminate on the basis of disability. In addition, if your postsecondary school provides housing to nondisabled students, it must provide comparable, convenient, and accessible housing to students with disabilities at the same cost. Academic adjustments may include auxiliary aids and services, as well as modifications to academic requirements as necessary to ensure equal educational opportunity. Examples of adjustments are: arranging for priority registration; reducing a course load; substituting one course for another; extended time for testing.
 

Title II of  the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) requires all educational institutions, other than those operated by religious organizations, to meet the educational needs of children in a non-discriminatory manner. The ADA prohibits the denial of educational services, programs or activities to students with disabilities and prohibits discrimination against all such students.
http://www.ncld.org/parents-child-disabilities/ld-rights/knowing-your-childs-rights; http://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ocr/transition.html.