AB674: Bill Text

AB674,42,3 (h) A statement of all of the following:

AB674,42,5 1. How the child's progress toward the annual goals described in par. (b) will be measured.

AB674,42,10 2. How the child's parents will be regularly informed, at least as often as parents are informed of their nondisabled children's progress, of their child's progress toward the annual goals and the extent to which that progress is sufficient to enable the child to achieve the goals by the end of the effective period of the individualized education program.

AB674,42,14 (3) Development. (a) In developing each child's individualized education program, the individualized education program team shall consider the strengths of the child, the concerns of the child's parents for enhancing the education of their child and the results of the initial evaluation or most recent reevaluation of the child.

AB674,42,15 (b) The individualized education program team shall do all of the following:

AB674,42,18 1. In the case of a child whose behavior impedes his or her learning or that of others consider, when appropriate, strategies, including positive behavioral interventions, and supports to address that behavior.

AB674,42,21 2. In the case of a child with limited English proficiency, consider the language needs of the child as such needs relate to the child's individualized education program.

AB674,43,2 3. In the case of a child who is visually impaired, provide for instruction in Braille and the use of Braille unless the individualized education program team determines, after an evaluation of the child's reading and writing skills, needs and appropriate reading and writing media, including an evaluation of the child's future needs for instruction in Braille or the use of Braille, that instruction in Braille or the use of Braille is not appropriate for the child.

AB674,43,8 4. Consider the communicative needs of the child, and, in the case of a child who is hearing impaired, consider the child's language and communicative needs, opportunities for direct communications with peers and professional personnel in the child's language and communicative mode, academic level and full range of needs, including opportunities for direct instruction in the child's language and communicative mode.

AB674,43,10 5. Consider whether the child requires assistive technology devices and services.

AB674,43,16 (c) The regular education teacher of the child, as a participant on the individualized education program team, shall, to the extent appropriate, participate in the development of the individualized education program of the child, including the determination of appropriate positive behavioral interventions and strategies and the determination of supplementary aids and services, program modifications and support for school personnel.

AB674,43,21 (d) If a child is attending a public school in a nonresident school district under s. 118.51, the individualized education program team for the child shall develop the child's individualized education program in collaboration with appropriate personnel designated by the school board of the school district in which the child resides.

AB674,43,24 (e) The local educational agency shall give a copy of the child's individualized education program to the child's parents with the notice of placement under s. 115.792 (2).

AB674,44,2 (4) Review and revision. (a) The individualized education program team shall do all of the following:

AB674,44,4 1. Review the child's individualized education program periodically, but at least annually, to determine whether the annual goals for the child are being achieved.

AB674,44,6 2. Revise the individualized education program as appropriate to address all of the following:

AB674,44,8 a. Any lack of expected progress toward the annual goals and in the general curriculum.

AB674,44,9 b. The results of any reevaluation conducted under s. 115.782.

AB674,44,11 c. Information about the child provided to or by the child's parents, as described in s. 115.782.

AB674,44,12 d. The child's anticipated needs.

AB674,44,13 e. Other matters.

AB674,44,16 (b) The regular education teacher of the child, as a participant on the individualized education program team, shall, to the extent appropriate, participate in the review and revision of the individualized education program of the child.

AB674,44,21 (5) Failure to meet transition objectives. If a participating agency, other than the local educational agency, fails to provide transition services in accordance with sub. (2) (g) 2., the local educational agency shall reconvene the individualized education program team to identify alternative strategies to meet the transition objectives for the child set out in the individualized education program.

AB674,44,25 (6) Children with disabilities in state prisons. (a) 1. The requirements relating to participation of children with disabilities in general assessments under sub. (2) (e) do not apply to a child with a disability who is convicted of a crime under state law and incarcerated in a state prison.

AB674,45,5 2. The requirements relating to transition planning and transition services under sub. (2) (g) 1. and 2. do not apply with respect to a child with a disability who is convicted of a crime under state law and incarcerated in a state prison and whose eligibility under this subchapter will end, because of his or her age, before he or she will be released from prison.

AB674,45,11 (b) If a child with a disability is convicted of a crime and incarcerated in a state prison, the child's individualized education program team may modify the child's individualized education program or placement notwithstanding the requirements of sub. (1) and s. 115.79 (1) if the department of corrections has demonstrated a bona fide security or compelling penological interest that cannot otherwise be accommodated.

AB674,45,15 (7) Construction. Nothing in this section requires the individualized education program team to include information under one component of a child's individualized education program that is already contained under another component of the individualized education program.

AB674,45,17 115.79 Educational placements. Each local educational agency shall ensure that all of the following occur:

AB674,45,19 (1) An evaluation is conducted under s. 115.782 before special education and related services are provided to a child with a disability.

AB674,45,25 (2) An educational placement is provided to implement a child's individualized education program. Except as provided in s. 118.51 (12) (a) and (b) 2., if a child with a disability is attending a public school in a nonresident school district under s. 118.51, the school board of the school district that the child is attending shall provide an educational placement for the child and shall pay tuition charges instead of the school district in which the child resides if required by the placement.

AB674,46,3 (3) To the maximum extent appropriate, a child with a disability, including a child receiving publicly funded special education in a public or private institution or other care facility, is educated with nondisabled children.

AB674,46,7 (4) Special classes, separate schooling or other removal of a child with a disability from the regular educational environment occurs only when the nature or severity of the child's disability is such that education in regular classes with the use of supplementary aids and services cannot be achieved satisfactorily.

AB674,46,15 115.791 Reimbursement for private school placement. (1) If the parents of a child with a disability who previously received special education and related services under the authority of a local educational agency enroll the child in a private elementary or secondary school without the consent of or referral by the local educational agency, a court or a hearing officer may require the local educational agency to reimburse the parents for the cost of that enrollment if the court or hearing officer finds that the local educational agency had not made a free appropriate public education available to the child in a timely manner before that enrollment.

AB674,46,17 (2) The cost of reimbursement described in sub. (1) may be reduced or denied if any of the following applies:

AB674,47,2 (a) At the most recent individualized education program meeting that the parents attended before removal of the child from the local educational agency, the parents did not inform the individualized education program team of their concerns, their rejection of the placement proposed by the local educational agency to provide a free appropriate public education to their child and their intent to enroll the child in a private school at public expense; or at least 10 business days, including any holidays that occur on a business day, before the removal of the child from the local educational agency, the parents did not give written notice to the local educational agency of their concerns, their rejection of the placement and their intent to enroll the child in a private school at public expense.

AB674,47,7 (b) If, before the parents' removal of the child from the local educational agency, the local educational agency notified the parents under s. 115.792 of its intent to evaluate the child, including a statement of the purpose of the evaluation that was appropriate and reasonable, but the parents did not make the child available for the evaluation.

AB674,47,8 (c) A court finds the parents' actions unreasonable.

AB674,47,11 (3) Notwithstanding the notice requirement in sub. (2) (a), the cost of reimbursement may not be reduced or denied for failure to provide such notice if any of the following apply:

AB674,47,12 (a) The parent is illiterate and cannot write in English.

AB674,47,14 (b) Compliance with sub. (2) (a) would likely result in physical or serious emotional harm to the child.

AB674,47,16 (c) The local educational agency prevented the parent from providing such notice.

AB674,47,18 (d) The parents had not received notice, pursuant to s. 115.792, of the notice requirement in sub. (2) (a).

AB674,47,23 (4) Subject to s. 115.77 (1m) (d) and (e), this section does not require a local educational agency to pay the cost of education, including special education and related services, of a child with a disability at a private school or facility if the local educational agency made a free appropriate public education available to the child and the child's parents elected to place the child in a private school or facility.

AB674,48,3 115.792 Procedural safeguards. (1) Safeguards ensured. (a) The local educational agency shall establish and maintain procedures to ensure all of the following:

AB674,48,7 1. That the parents of a child may examine all records relating to the child and may participate in meetings about the identification, evaluation and educational placement of the child, and the provision of a free appropriate public education to the child, and may obtain an independent educational evaluation of the child.

AB674,48,13 2. That a child's rights are protected by the assignment of an individual, who shall not be an employe of the department, the local educational agency or any other agency that is involved in the education or care of the child, to act as a surrogate for the child's parents whenever the child's parents are not known; the local educational agency cannot, after reasonable efforts, locate the child's parents; or the child is a ward of the state.

AB674,48,15 3. That a child's parents are offered an opportunity to use mediation under s. 115.797.

AB674,48,22 (b) The local educational agency shall establish and maintain procedures to ensure that a child's parents are provided prior written notice whenever the local educational agency proposes to initiate or change, or refuses to initiate or change, the identification, evaluation or educational placement of the child, or the provision of a free appropriate public education to the child. In this paragraph, "local educational agency" includes the nonresident school district that a child is attending under s. 118.51.

AB674,48,25 (2) Notice. The notice required under sub. (1) (b) shall be in the native language of the child's parents unless the local educational agency determines that it clearly is not feasible to do so and shall include all of the following:

AB674,49,2 (a) A description of the action proposed or refused by the local educational agency.

AB674,49,4 (b) An explanation of why the local educational agency proposes or refuses to take the action.

AB674,49,6 (c) A description of any other options that the local educational agency considered and the reasons why it rejected those options.

AB674,49,8 (d) A description of each evaluative procedure, test, record or report that the local educational agency used as a basis for the proposed or refused action.

AB674,49,10 (e) If the notice proposes to evaluate or reevaluate the child, the qualifications of the evaluators and their names, if known.

AB674,49,12 (f) A description of any other factors that are relevant to the local educational agency's proposal or refusal.

AB674,49,17 (g) A statement that the parents of a child with a disability have procedural safeguards under this section and, if this notice is not an initial referral for evaluation, or reevaluation, or a notice of an individualized education program meeting, the way in which the parents may obtain a description of the procedural safeguards under sub. (3).

AB674,49,19 (h) Sources for parents to contact to obtain assistance in understanding this subchapter.

AB674,49,20 (i) The rights specified in s. 115.78 (4).

AB674,49,23 (3) Procedural safeguards notice. (a) In this subsection, "local educational agency" includes the nonresident school district that a child is attending under s. 118.51.

AB674,50,5 (b) The local educational agency shall give to the parents of a child with a disability, upon the child's initial referral for evaluation, upon each notification of an individualized education program meeting and upon reevaluation of the child, a full explanation written so as to be easily understood by the general public, and in the native language of the child's parents unless it clearly is not feasible to do so, of the procedural safeguards available under this section and under applicable federal law relating to all of the following:

AB674,50,6 1. Independent educational evaluation.

AB674,50,7 2. Prior written notice.

AB674,50,8 3. Parental consent.

AB674,50,9 4. Access to educational records.

AB674,50,10 5. Opportunity to present complaints.

AB674,50,11 6. The child's placement during pendency of due process proceedings.

AB674,50,13 7. Procedures for pupils who are subject to placement in interim alternative educational settings under 20 USC 1415 (k).

AB674,50,15 8. Requirements for the unilateral placement by parents of pupils in private schools at public expense.

AB674,50,16 9. Mediation.

AB674,50,17 10. Hearings under s. 115.80.

AB674,50,18 11. Civil actions.

AB674,50,19 12. Attorney fees.

AB674,50,20 115.797 Mediation. (1) Definitions. In this section:

AB674,51,2 (a) "Dispute" means any disagreement between parties concerning the proposal or refusal to initiate or change the evaluation, individualized education program or educational placement of a child with a disability or the provision of a free appropriate public education to such a child. "Dispute" includes any such disagreement between parties in which other processes, including a hearing under s. 115.80 or litigation, have been requested or commenced.

AB674,51,3 (b) "Mediation" has the meaning given in s. 802.12 (1) (e).

AB674,51,6 (c) "Party" means a competent adult pupil or the parent of a child or incompetent adult pupil who is the subject of a dispute, and the local educational agency.

AB674,51,11 (2) Request for mediation, consent of parties. (a) The division shall establish a program for the mediation of disputes between parties. A party may request the division to arrange for mediation of a dispute at any time. The request shall be in writing, shall briefly describe the dispute and shall identify both parties. Both parties may jointly request mediation.

AB674,51,14 (b) If only one of the parties requests mediation, within 5 business days after receiving the request the division shall notify the other party in writing of the request for mediation. The notice shall include all of the following:

AB674,51,15 1. An explanation of mediation and its advantages.

AB674,51,19 2. A statement that participation in mediation is voluntary and that agreement or refusal to participate will not affect the resolution of the dispute in any pending or potential adjudicative process, or the timing of that process, unless the parties agree otherwise.

AB674,51,22 3. A request that the party notify the division within 5 business days after receiving the notice regarding the party's consent or refusal to participate in mediation.

AB674,51,25 (c) If the division does not receive timely response under par. (b) 3. or if the other party notifies the division under par. (b) 3. of its refusal to participate in mediation, the division shall so notify the party that requested mediation.

AB674,52,4 (3) Appointment of mediator. (a) A party that requests mediation may nominate a mediator from the roster under sub. (4). If a party nominates a mediator, the division shall include in the notice under sub. (2) (b) the name of the nominated mediator.

AB674,52,7 (b) 1. If both parties nominate the same person as mediator, the division shall appoint that person as mediator if he or she is on the roster under sub. (4) and available to mediate.

AB674,52,9 2. If both parties request mediation but neither party nominates a mediator, the division shall propose a mediator from the roster under sub. (4).

AB674,52,13 3. If both parties consent to mediation but the party that requests mediation does not nominate a mediator, the nominated mediator is not available or the other party does not consent to the appointment of the nominated mediator, the division shall propose a mediator from the roster under sub. (4).

AB674,52,17 (c) Whenever the division proposes a mediator under par. (b) 2. or 3., it shall send information about the mediator's training and experience to both parties. Within 3 business days after receiving the information, either party may request the division to propose a different mediator from the roster under sub. (4).

AB674,52,20 (4) Roster of mediators. (a) In consultation with the council on special education, the division shall maintain a roster of mediators qualified to resolve disputes. The division may include a person on the roster if all of the following apply:

AB674,52,22 1. The division determines that the person has the appropriate skills and knowledge to act as a mediator under this section.