Colorado
Colorado special education hub
Starter orientation for Colorado families and staff. Our Texas section is deeper today. Everything here points to official Colorado Department of Education and federal sources.
Overview
Special education in Colorado runs on the federal Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) plus state rules administered by the Colorado Department of Education. Local districts deliver the services.
Colorado uses the federal vocabulary. The team that writes the plan is the IEP team, and the plan is the IEP. Texas terms such as ARD are Texas specific and do not describe Colorado practice, so we do not use them on these pages.
We do not publish Colorado day counts or deadline numbers. Timelines have exceptions and they are updated by rule. Confirm anything time sensitive with Colorado Department of Education materials and with your district in writing.
Colorado P&A is now Disability Justice (formerly Disability Law Colorado), per the NDRN member agency list, verified October 2026.
Pages in this hub
- IEP meetings in Colorado
Who is on the team, what the meeting covers, and how parents take part.
- Asking for an evaluation
How evaluation requests usually start, and where to confirm current Colorado timelines and forms.
- Parent rights and safeguards
An orientation to the procedural safeguards notice. It is an overview, not a replacement for the notice itself.
For parents in Colorado
Follow the parent journey, then see For Parents. New to the vocabulary? Read the glossary terms IEP, FAPE, LRE, and procedural safeguards. National companions live in Guides.
For Colorado schools
District and building leaders can start with For Schools, then use Colorado Department of Education guidance and your regional support system for state specific training.
Official starting points
- Colorado Department of Education
- IDEA (U.S. Department of Education)
- PEAK Parent Center: the parent training and information center for Colorado.
- Disability Justice (formerly Disability Law Colorado): the protection and advocacy agency for Colorado.
- Center for Parent Information and Resources
Looking for another state? See all state sections.
Not legal advice. Not medical advice.