Skip to content

TITLE 2. ELEMENTARY AND SECONDARY EDUCATION 33000-64100›DIVISION 4. INSTRUCTION AND SERVICES 46000-64100›PART 30. SPECIAL EDUCATION PROGRAMS 56000-56865›CHAPTER 1. General Provisions 56000-56070›ARTICLE 2. Definitions 56020-56035

§ 56031

California Education Code · 2018-11 edition · updated 2026-10-04 · California

(a) “Special education,” in accordance with Section 1401(29) of Title 20 of the United States Code, means specially designed instruction, at no cost to the parent, to meet the unique needs of individuals with exceptional needs, including instruction conducted in the classroom, in the home, in hospitals and institutions, and other settings, and instruction in physical education.

(b) In accordance with Section 300.39 of Title 34 of the Code of Federal Regulations, special education includes each of the following, if the services otherwise meet the requirements of subdivision (a):

(1) Speech-language pathology services, or any other designated instruction and service or related service, pursuant to Section 56363, if the service is considered special education rather than a designated instruction and service or related service under state standards.

(2) Travel training.

(3) Vocational education.

(c) Transition services for individuals with exceptional needs may be special education, in accordance with Section 300.43(b) of Title 34 of the Code of Federal Regulations, if provided as specially designed instruction, or a related service, if required to assist an individual with exceptional needs to benefit from special education.

(d) Individuals with exceptional needs shall be grouped for instructional purposes according to their instructional needs.

(Amended by Stats. 2007, Ch. 454, Sec. 6. Effective October 10, 2007.)

Get a plain-English answer with a citation back to this text.

Ask AI about this code
▸Contents — California Education Code

GoCodebook provides public access, search, citation, multilingual explanation, and practical interpretation of legally adopted building regulations. It is not a substitute for the official ICC or California code publications.