There is no doubt in my mind that when the law says you must provide free and appropriate education for a child they really mean free or appropriate.
The federal law describing FAPE only applies to children with disabilities. They have a legally protected right to a free and appropriate education. Apparently, they're the only ones.
Some states have legislation on the books establishing FAPE for all exceptionalities, including gifted. Mine is one of those. We fought for three years because the education was not appropriate. It's not free, either. We had to pony up a $10 materials fee on day one.
