Virginia
Virginia special education hub
Starter orientation for Virginia families and staff. Our Texas section is deeper today. Everything here points to official Virginia Department of Education and federal sources.
Overview
Special education in Virginia runs on the federal Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) plus state rules administered by the Virginia Department of Education. Local districts deliver the services.
Virginia 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 Virginia practice, so we do not use them on these pages.
We do not publish Virginia day counts or deadline numbers. Timelines have exceptions and they are updated by rule. Confirm anything time sensitive with Virginia Department of Education materials and with your district in writing.
Pages in this hub
- IEP meetings in Virginia
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 Virginia 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 Virginia
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 Virginia schools
District and building leaders can start with For Schools, then use Virginia Department of Education guidance and your regional support system for state specific training.
Official starting points
- Virginia Department of Education
- IDEA (U.S. Department of Education)
- Parent Educational Advocacy Training Center (PEATC): the parent training and information center for Virginia.
- disAbility Law Center of Virginia: the protection and advocacy agency for Virginia.
- Center for Parent Information and Resources
Looking for another state? See all state sections.
Not legal advice. Not medical advice.