Rep. Michelle Mussman

Filed: 3/27/2024

 

 


 

 


 
10300HB0340ham001LRB103 03867 RJT 70238 a

1
AMENDMENT TO HOUSE BILL 340

2    AMENDMENT NO. ______. Amend House Bill 340 by replacing
3everything after the enacting clause with the following:
 
4    "Section 5. The School Code is amended by changing
5Sections 14-8.02 and 14-8.02f as follows:
 
6    (105 ILCS 5/14-8.02)  (from Ch. 122, par. 14-8.02)
7    Sec. 14-8.02. Identification, evaluation, and placement of
8children.
9    (a) The State Board of Education shall make rules under
10which local school boards shall determine the eligibility of
11children to receive special education. Such rules shall ensure
12that a free appropriate public education be available to all
13children with disabilities as defined in Section 14-1.02. The
14State Board of Education shall require local school districts
15to administer non-discriminatory procedures or tests to
16English learners coming from homes in which a language other

 

 

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1than English is used to determine their eligibility to receive
2special education. The placement of low English proficiency
3students in special education programs and facilities shall be
4made in accordance with the test results reflecting the
5student's linguistic, cultural and special education needs.
6For purposes of determining the eligibility of children the
7State Board of Education shall include in the rules
8definitions of "case study", "staff conference",
9"individualized educational program", and "qualified
10specialist" appropriate to each category of children with
11disabilities as defined in this Article. For purposes of
12determining the eligibility of children from homes in which a
13language other than English is used, the State Board of
14Education shall include in the rules definitions for
15"qualified bilingual specialists" and "linguistically and
16culturally appropriate individualized educational programs".
17For purposes of this Section, as well as Sections 14-8.02a,
1814-8.02b, and 14-8.02c of this Code, "parent" means a parent
19as defined in the federal Individuals with Disabilities
20Education Act (20 U.S.C. 1401(23)).
21    (b) No child shall be eligible for special education
22facilities except with a carefully completed case study fully
23reviewed by professional personnel in a multidisciplinary
24staff conference and only upon the recommendation of qualified
25specialists or a qualified bilingual specialist, if available.
26At the conclusion of the multidisciplinary staff conference,

 

 

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1the parent of the child and, if the child is in the legal
2custody of the Department of Children and Family Services, the
3Department's Office of Education and Transition Services shall
4be given a copy of the multidisciplinary conference summary
5report and recommendations, which includes options considered,
6and, in the case of the parent, be informed of his or her right
7to obtain an independent educational evaluation if he or she
8disagrees with the evaluation findings conducted or obtained
9by the school district. If the school district's evaluation is
10shown to be inappropriate, the school district shall reimburse
11the parent for the cost of the independent evaluation. The
12State Board of Education shall, with advice from the State
13Advisory Council on Education of Children with Disabilities on
14the inclusion of specific independent educational evaluators,
15prepare a list of suggested independent educational
16evaluators. The State Board of Education shall include on the
17list clinical psychologists licensed pursuant to the Clinical
18Psychologist Licensing Act. Such psychologists shall not be
19paid fees in excess of the amount that would be received by a
20school psychologist for performing the same services. The
21State Board of Education shall supply school districts with
22such list and make the list available to parents at their
23request. School districts shall make the list available to
24parents at the time they are informed of their right to obtain
25an independent educational evaluation. However, the school
26district may initiate an impartial due process hearing under

 

 

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1this Section within 5 days of any written parent request for an
2independent educational evaluation to show that its evaluation
3is appropriate. If the final decision is that the evaluation
4is appropriate, the parent still has a right to an independent
5educational evaluation, but not at public expense. An
6independent educational evaluation at public expense must be
7completed within 30 days of a parent's parent written request
8unless the school district initiates an impartial due process
9hearing or the parent or school district offers reasonable
10grounds to show that such 30-day time period should be
11extended. If the due process hearing decision indicates that
12the parent is entitled to an independent educational
13evaluation, it must be completed within 30 days of the
14decision unless the parent or the school district offers
15reasonable grounds to show that such 30-day period should be
16extended. If a parent disagrees with the summary report or
17recommendations of the multidisciplinary conference or the
18findings of any educational evaluation which results
19therefrom, the school district shall not proceed with a
20placement based upon such evaluation and the child shall
21remain in his or her regular classroom setting. No child shall
22be eligible for admission to a special class for children with
23a mental disability who are educable or for children with a
24mental disability who are trainable except with a
25psychological evaluation and recommendation by a school
26psychologist. Consent shall be obtained from the parent of a

 

 

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1child before any evaluation is conducted. If consent is not
2given by the parent or if the parent disagrees with the
3findings of the evaluation, then the school district may
4initiate an impartial due process hearing under this Section.
5The school district may evaluate the child if that is the
6decision resulting from the impartial due process hearing and
7the decision is not appealed or if the decision is affirmed on
8appeal. The determination of eligibility shall be made and the
9IEP meeting shall be completed within 60 school days from the
10date of written parental consent. In those instances when
11written parental consent is obtained with fewer than 60 pupil
12attendance days left in the school year, the eligibility
13determination shall be made and the IEP meeting shall be
14completed prior to the first day of the following school year.
15Special education and related services must be provided in
16accordance with the student's IEP no later than 10 school
17attendance days after notice is provided to the parents
18pursuant to Section 300.503 of Title 34 of the Code of Federal
19Regulations and implementing rules adopted by the State Board
20of Education. The appropriate program pursuant to the
21individualized educational program of students whose native
22tongue is a language other than English shall reflect the
23special education, cultural and linguistic needs. No later
24than September 1, 1993, the State Board of Education shall
25establish standards for the development, implementation and
26monitoring of appropriate bilingual special individualized

 

 

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1educational programs. The State Board of Education shall
2further incorporate appropriate monitoring procedures to
3verify implementation of these standards. The district shall
4indicate to the parent, the State Board of Education, and, if
5applicable, the Department's Office of Education and
6Transition Services the nature of the services the child will
7receive for the regular school term while awaiting placement
8in the appropriate special education class. At the child's
9initial IEP meeting and at each annual review meeting, the
10child's IEP team shall provide the child's parent or guardian
11and, if applicable, the Department's Office of Education and
12Transition Services with a written notification that informs
13the parent or guardian or the Department's Office of Education
14and Transition Services that the IEP team is required to
15consider whether the child requires assistive technology in
16order to receive free, appropriate public education. The
17notification must also include a toll-free telephone number
18and internet address for the State's assistive technology
19program.
20    If the child is deaf, hard of hearing, blind, or visually
21impaired or has an orthopedic impairment or physical
22disability and he or she might be eligible to receive services
23from the Illinois School for the Deaf, the Illinois School for
24the Visually Impaired, or the Illinois Center for
25Rehabilitation and Education-Roosevelt, the school district
26shall notify the parents, in writing, of the existence of

 

 

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1these schools and the services they provide and shall make a
2reasonable effort to inform the parents of the existence of
3other, local schools that provide similar services and the
4services that these other schools provide. This notification
5shall include, without limitation, information on school
6services, school admissions criteria, and school contact
7information.
8    In the development of the individualized education program
9for a student who has a disability on the autism spectrum
10(which includes autistic disorder, Asperger's disorder,
11pervasive developmental disorder not otherwise specified,
12childhood disintegrative disorder, and Rett Syndrome, as
13defined in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental
14Disorders, fourth edition (DSM-IV, 2000)), the IEP team shall
15consider all of the following factors:
16        (1) The verbal and nonverbal communication needs of
17    the child.
18        (2) The need to develop social interaction skills and
19    proficiencies.
20        (3) The needs resulting from the child's unusual
21    responses to sensory experiences.
22        (4) The needs resulting from resistance to
23    environmental change or change in daily routines.
24        (5) The needs resulting from engagement in repetitive
25    activities and stereotyped movements.
26        (6) The need for any positive behavioral

 

 

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1    interventions, strategies, and supports to address any
2    behavioral difficulties resulting from autism spectrum
3    disorder.
4        (7) Other needs resulting from the child's disability
5    that impact progress in the general curriculum, including
6    social and emotional development.
7Public Act 95-257 does not create any new entitlement to a
8service, program, or benefit, but must not affect any
9entitlement to a service, program, or benefit created by any
10other law.
11    If the student may be eligible to participate in the
12Home-Based Support Services Program for Adults with Mental
13Disabilities authorized under the Developmental Disability and
14Mental Disability Services Act upon becoming an adult, the
15student's individualized education program shall include plans
16for (i) determining the student's eligibility for those
17home-based services, (ii) enrolling the student in the program
18of home-based services, and (iii) developing a plan for the
19student's most effective use of the home-based services after
20the student becomes an adult and no longer receives special
21educational services under this Article. The plans developed
22under this paragraph shall include specific actions to be
23taken by specified individuals, agencies, or officials.
24    (c) In the development of the individualized education
25program for a student who is functionally blind, it shall be
26presumed that proficiency in Braille reading and writing is

 

 

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1essential for the student's satisfactory educational progress.
2For purposes of this subsection, the State Board of Education
3shall determine the criteria for a student to be classified as
4functionally blind. Students who are not currently identified
5as functionally blind who are also entitled to Braille
6instruction include: (i) those whose vision loss is so severe
7that they are unable to read and write at a level comparable to
8their peers solely through the use of vision, and (ii) those
9who show evidence of progressive vision loss that may result
10in functional blindness. Each student who is functionally
11blind shall be entitled to Braille reading and writing
12instruction that is sufficient to enable the student to
13communicate with the same level of proficiency as other
14students of comparable ability. Instruction should be provided
15to the extent that the student is physically and cognitively
16able to use Braille. Braille instruction may be used in
17combination with other special education services appropriate
18to the student's educational needs. The assessment of each
19student who is functionally blind for the purpose of
20developing the student's individualized education program
21shall include documentation of the student's strengths and
22weaknesses in Braille skills. Each person assisting in the
23development of the individualized education program for a
24student who is functionally blind shall receive information
25describing the benefits of Braille instruction. The
26individualized education program for each student who is

 

 

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1functionally blind shall specify the appropriate learning
2medium or media based on the assessment report.
3    (d) To the maximum extent appropriate, the placement shall
4provide the child with the opportunity to be educated with
5children who do not have a disability; provided that children
6with disabilities who are recommended to be placed into
7regular education classrooms are provided with supplementary
8services to assist the children with disabilities to benefit
9from the regular classroom instruction and are included on the
10teacher's regular education class register. Subject to the
11limitation of the preceding sentence, placement in special
12classes, separate schools or other removal of the child with a
13disability from the regular educational environment shall
14occur only when the nature of the severity of the disability is
15such that education in the regular classes with the use of
16supplementary aids and services cannot be achieved
17satisfactorily. The placement of English learners with
18disabilities shall be in non-restrictive environments which
19provide for integration with peers who do not have
20disabilities in bilingual classrooms. Annually, each January,
21school districts shall report data on students from
22non-English speaking backgrounds receiving special education
23and related services in public and private facilities as
24prescribed in Section 2-3.30. If there is a disagreement
25between parties involved regarding the special education
26placement of any child, either in-state or out-of-state, the

 

 

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1placement is subject to impartial due process procedures
2described in Article 10 of the Rules and Regulations to Govern
3the Administration and Operation of Special Education.
4    (e) No child who comes from a home in which a language
5other than English is the principal language used may be
6assigned to any class or program under this Article until he
7has been given, in the principal language used by the child and
8used in his home, tests reasonably related to his cultural
9environment. All testing and evaluation materials and
10procedures utilized for evaluation and placement shall not be
11linguistically, racially or culturally discriminatory.
12    (f) Nothing in this Article shall be construed to require
13any child to undergo any physical examination or medical
14treatment whose parents object thereto on the grounds that
15such examination or treatment conflicts with his religious
16beliefs.
17    (g) School boards or their designee shall provide to the
18parents of a child or, if applicable, the Department of
19Children and Family Services' Office of Education and
20Transition Services prior written notice of any decision (a)
21proposing to initiate or change, or (b) refusing to initiate
22or change, the identification, evaluation, or educational
23placement of the child or the provision of a free appropriate
24public education to their child, and the reasons therefor. For
25a parent, such written notification shall also inform the
26parent of the opportunity to present complaints with respect

 

 

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1to any matter relating to the educational placement of the
2student, or the provision of a free appropriate public
3education and to have an impartial due process hearing on the
4complaint. The notice shall inform the parents in the parents'
5native language, unless it is clearly not feasible to do so, of
6their rights and all procedures available pursuant to this Act
7and the federal Individuals with Disabilities Education
8Improvement Act of 2004 (Public Law 108-446); it shall be the
9responsibility of the State Superintendent to develop uniform
10notices setting forth the procedures available under this Act
11and the federal Individuals with Disabilities Education
12Improvement Act of 2004 (Public Law 108-446) to be used by all
13school boards. The notice shall also include the content
14required under subsection (c) of Section 14-8.02f and inform
15the parents of the availability upon request of a list of free
16or low-cost legal and other relevant services available
17locally to assist parents in initiating an impartial due
18process hearing. The State Superintendent shall revise the
19uniform notices required by this subsection (g) to reflect
20current law and procedures at least once every 2 years. Any
21parent who is deaf or does not normally communicate using
22spoken English and who participates in a meeting with a
23representative of a local educational agency for the purposes
24of developing an individualized educational program or attends
25a multidisciplinary conference shall be entitled to the
26services of an interpreter. The State Board of Education must

 

 

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1adopt rules to establish the criteria, standards, and
2competencies for a bilingual language interpreter who attends
3an individualized education program meeting under this
4subsection to assist a parent who has limited English
5proficiency.
6    (g-5) For purposes of this subsection (g-5), "qualified
7professional" means an individual who holds credentials to
8evaluate the child in the domain or domains for which an
9evaluation is sought or an intern working under the direct
10supervision of a qualified professional, including a master's
11or doctoral degree candidate.
12    To ensure that a parent can participate fully and
13effectively with school personnel in the development of
14appropriate educational and related services for his or her
15child, the parent, an independent educational evaluator, or a
16qualified professional retained by or on behalf of a parent or
17child must be afforded reasonable access to educational
18facilities, personnel, classrooms, and buildings and to the
19child as provided in this subsection (g-5). The requirements
20of this subsection (g-5) apply to any public school facility,
21building, or program and to any facility, building, or program
22supported in whole or in part by public funds. Prior to
23visiting a school, school building, or school facility, the
24parent, independent educational evaluator, or qualified
25professional may be required by the school district to inform
26the building principal or supervisor in writing of the

 

 

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1proposed visit, the purpose of the visit, and the approximate
2duration of the visit. The visitor and the school district
3shall arrange the visit or visits at times that are mutually
4agreeable. Visitors shall comply with school safety, security,
5and visitation policies at all times. School district
6visitation policies must not conflict with this subsection
7(g-5). Visitors shall be required to comply with the
8requirements of applicable privacy laws, including those laws
9protecting the confidentiality of education records such as
10the federal Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act and the
11Illinois School Student Records Act. The visitor shall not
12disrupt the educational process.
13        (1) A parent must be afforded reasonable access of
14    sufficient duration and scope for the purpose of observing
15    his or her child in the child's current educational
16    placement, services, or program or for the purpose of
17    visiting an educational placement or program proposed for
18    the child.
19        (2) An independent educational evaluator or a
20    qualified professional retained by or on behalf of a
21    parent or child must be afforded reasonable access of
22    sufficient duration and scope for the purpose of
23    conducting an evaluation of the child, the child's
24    performance, the child's current educational program,
25    placement, services, or environment, or any educational
26    program, placement, services, or environment proposed for

 

 

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1    the child, including interviews of educational personnel,
2    child observations, assessments, tests or assessments of
3    the child's educational program, services, or placement or
4    of any proposed educational program, services, or
5    placement. If one or more interviews of school personnel
6    are part of the evaluation, the interviews must be
7    conducted at a mutually agreed-upon agreed upon time,
8    date, and place that do not interfere with the school
9    employee's school duties. The school district may limit
10    interviews to personnel having information relevant to the
11    child's current educational services, program, or
12    placement or to a proposed educational service, program,
13    or placement.
14    (h) In the development of the individualized education
15program or federal Section 504 plan for a student, if the
16student needs extra accommodation during emergencies,
17including natural disasters or an active shooter situation,
18then that accommodation shall be taken into account when
19developing the student's individualized education program or
20federal Section 504 plan.
21(Source: P.A. 102-199, eff. 7-1-22; 102-264, eff. 8-6-21;
22102-558, eff. 8-20-21; 102-813, eff. 5-13-22; 102-1072, eff.
236-10-22; 103-197, eff. 1-1-24; revised 1-30-24.)
 
24    (105 ILCS 5/14-8.02f)
25    Sec. 14-8.02f. Individualized education program meeting

 

 

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1protections.
2    (a) (Blank).
3    (b) This subsection (b) applies only to a school district
4organized under Article 34. No later than 10 calendar days
5prior to a child's individualized education program meeting or
6as soon as possible if a meeting is scheduled within 10
7calendar days with written parental consent, the school board
8or school personnel must provide the child's parent or
9guardian with a written notification of the services that
10require a specific data collection procedure from the school
11district for services related to the child's individualized
12education program. The notification must indicate, with a
13checkbox, whether specific data has been collected for the
14child's individualized education program services. For
15purposes of this subsection (b), individualized education
16program services must include, but are not limited to,
17paraprofessional support, an extended school year,
18transportation, therapeutic day school, and services for
19specific learning disabilities.
20    (c) Beginning on July 1, 2020, no later than 3 school days
21prior to a meeting to determine a child's eligibility for
22special education and related services or to review a child's
23individualized education program, or as soon as possible if an
24individualized education program meeting is scheduled within 3
25school days with the written consent of the child's parent or
26guardian, the local education agency must provide the child's

 

 

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1parent or guardian copies of all written material that will be
2considered by the individualized education program team at the
3meeting so that the parent or guardian may participate in the
4meeting as a fully-informed team member. The parent or
5guardian shall have the option of choosing from the available
6methods of delivery, which must include regular mail and
7picking up the materials at school. The notice provided to the
8parent or guardian prior to the meeting pursuant to subsection
9(g) of Section 14-8.02 shall inform the parent or guardian of
10the parent's or guardian's right to receive copies of all
11written material under this subsection (c) and shall provide
12the date when the written material will be delivered or made
13available to the parent or guardian.
14    For a meeting to determine the child's eligibility for
15special education, the written material must include all
16evaluations and collected data that will be considered at the
17meeting. For a child who is already eligible for special
18education and related services, the written material must
19include a copy of all individualized education program
20components that will be discussed by the individualized
21education program team, other than the components related to
22the educational and related service minutes proposed for the
23child and the child's placement.
24    Parents shall also be informed of their right to review
25and copy their child's school student records prior to any
26special education eligibility or individualized education

 

 

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1program review meeting, subject to the requirements of
2applicable federal and State law.
3    (d) Local education agencies must make logs that record
4the delivery of related services administered under the
5child's individualized education program and the minutes of
6each type of related service that has been administered
7available to the child's parent or guardian at any time upon
8request of the child's parent or guardian. For purposes of
9this subsection (d), related services for which a log must be
10made are: speech and language services, occupational therapy
11services, physical therapy services, school social work
12services, school counseling services, school psychology
13services, and school nursing services. The local education
14agency must inform the child's parent or guardian within 20
15school days from the beginning of the school year or upon
16establishment of an individualized education program of his or
17her ability to request those related service logs.
18    (d-5) If, at a meeting to develop or revise a child's
19individualized education program, the individualized education
20program team determines that a certain service is required in
21order for the child to receive a free, appropriate public
22education and that service is not implemented within 10 school
23days after the service was to be initiated as set forth by the
24child's individualized education program, then the local
25education agency shall provide the child's parent or guardian
26with written notification that the service has not yet been

 

 

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1implemented. The notification must be provided to the child's
2parent or guardian within 3 school days of the local education
3agency's non-compliance with the child's individualized
4education program and must inform the parent or guardian about
5the school district's procedures for requesting compensatory
6services. In this subsection (d-5), "school days" does not
7include days where a child is absent from school for reasons
8unrelated to a lack of individualized education program
9services or when the service is available, but the child is
10unavailable.
11    (e) The State Board of Education may create a telephone
12hotline to address complaints regarding the special education
13services or lack of special education services of a school
14district subject to this Section. If a hotline is created, it
15must be available to all students enrolled in the school
16district, parents or guardians of those students, and school
17personnel. If a hotline is created, any complaints received
18through the hotline must be registered and recorded with the
19State Board's monitor of special education policies. No
20student, parent or guardian, or member of school personnel may
21be retaliated against for submitting a complaint through a
22telephone hotline created by the State Board under this
23subsection (e).
24    (f) A school district subject to this Section may not use
25any measure that would prevent or delay an individualized
26education program team from adding a service to the program or

 

 

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1create a time restriction in which a service is prohibited
2from being added to the program. The school district may not
3build functions into its computer software that would remove
4any services from a student's individualized education program
5without the approval of the program team and may not prohibit
6the program team from adding a service to the program.
7(Source: P.A. 100-993, eff. 8-20-18; 101-515, eff. 8-23-19;
8101-598, eff. 12-6-19; 101-643, eff. 6-18-20.)
 
9    Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon
10becoming law.".