Bill Text: CA AB87 | 2023-2024 | Regular Session | Introduced

NOTE: There are more recent revisions of this legislation. Read Latest Draft

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Bill Title: Pupils: Section 504 plans: meetings and team meetings.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)

Status: (Passed) 2023-07-21 - Chaptered by Secretary of State - Chapter 81, Statutes of 2023. [AB87 Detail]

Download: California-2023-AB87-Introduced.html

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CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE— 2023–2024 REGULAR SESSION

Assembly Bill

No. 87

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Introduced by Assembly Member Quirk-Silva

January 04, 2023

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An act to amend Section 56341.1 of the Education Code, relating to special education.

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST

AB 87, as introduced, Quirk-Silva. Special education: Section 504 plans: team meetings.

Existing law requires a special education local plan area submitting a local plan to the Superintendent of Public Instruction to ensure that it has in effect policies, procedures, and programs that are consistent with state laws, regulations, and policies governing, among other things, compliance assurances, including general compliance with Section 504 of the federal Rehabilitation Act of 1973. That federal law prohibits an otherwise qualified individual with a disability, solely by reason of their disability, from being excluded from the participation in, denied the benefits of, or subjected to discrimination under any program or activity receiving federal financial assistance.

Existing law requires local educational agencies to identify, locate, and assess individuals with exceptional needs and to provide those pupils with a free appropriate public education in the least restrictive environment, with special education and related services as reflected in an individualized education program. Existing law authorizes the parent, guardian, or local educational agency of those pupils to audio record the proceedings of individualized education program team meetings.

This bill would extend the authorization of audio recordings of individualized education program team meetings by a parent, guardian, or local educational agency to team meetings for pupils with an adopted plan pursuant to Section 504 of the federal Rehabilitation Act of 1973.

Digest Key

Vote: MAJORITY   Appropriation: NO   Fiscal Committee: NO   Local Program: NO  

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Bill Text

The people of the State of California do enact as follows:

SECTION 1.

 Section 56341.1 of the Education Code is amended to read:

56341.1.

 (a) When developing each pupil’s individualized education program, the individualized education program team shall consider the following:

(1) The strengths of the pupil.

(2) The concerns of the parents or guardians for enhancing the education of the pupil.

(3) The results of the initial assessment or most recent assessment of the pupil.

(4) The academic, developmental, and functional needs of the child.

(b) The individualized education program team shall do the following:

(1) In the case of a pupil whose behavior impedes his or her the pupil’s learning or that of others, consider the use of positive behavioral interventions and supports, and other strategies, to address that behavior.

(2) In the case of a pupil with limited English proficiency, consider the language needs of the pupil as those needs relate to the pupil’s individualized education program.

(3) In the case of a pupil who is blind or visually impaired, provide for instruction in braille, and the use of braille, unless the individualized education program team determines, after an assessment of the pupil’s reading and writing skills, needs, and appropriate reading and writing media, including an assessment of the pupil’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 pupil.

(4) Consider the communication needs of the pupil, and in the case of a pupil who is deaf or hard of hearing, consider the pupil’s language and communication needs, opportunities for direct communications with peers and professional personnel in the pupil’s language and communication mode, academic level, and full range of needs, including opportunities for direct instruction in the pupil’s language and communication mode.

(5) Consider whether the pupil requires assistive technology devices and services as defined in Section 1401(1) and (2) of Title 20 of the United States Code.

(c) If, in considering the special factors described in subdivisions (a) and (b), the individualized education program team determines that a pupil needs a particular device or service, including an intervention, accommodation, or other program modification, in order for the pupil to receive a free appropriate public education, the individualized education program team shall include a statement to that effect in the pupil’s individualized education program.

(d) The individualized education program team shall review the pupil’s individualized education program periodically, but not less frequently than annually, to determine whether the annual goals for the pupil are being achieved, and revise the individualized education program, as appropriate, to address, among other matters, the following:

(1) A lack of expected progress toward the annual goals and in the general education curriculum, where appropriate.

(2) The results of any reassessment conducted pursuant to Section 56381.

(3) Information about the pupil provided to, or by, the parents or guardians, as described in subdivision (b) of Section 56381.

(4) The pupil’s anticipated needs.

(5)  Any other relevant matter.

(e) A regular education teacher of the pupil, who is a member of the individualized education program team, shall participate, consistent with Section 1414(d)(1)(C) of Title 20 of the United States Code, in the review and revision of the individualized education program of the pupil.

(f) The parent or guardian shall have the right to present information to the individualized education program team in person or through a representative and the right to participate in meetings, relating to eligibility for special education and related services, recommendations, and program planning.

(g) (1) Notwithstanding Section 632 of the Penal Code, the parent or guardian or local educational agency shall have the right to audio record the proceedings of individualized education program team meetings. meetings and team meetings held pursuant to Section 504 of the federal Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (29 U.S.C. Sec. 794). The parent or guardian or local educational agency shall notify the members of the individualized education program team of his, her, or its the parent’s, guardian’s, or local educational agency’s intent to audio record a meeting at least 24 hours prior to before the meeting. If the local educational agency initiates the notice of intent to audio record a meeting and the parent or guardian objects or refuses to attend the meeting because it will be audio recorded, the meeting shall not be audio recorded.

(2) The Legislature hereby finds as follows:

(A) Under federal law, audio recordings made by a local educational agency are subject to the federal Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 (20 U.S.C. Sec. 1232g), and are subject to the confidentiality requirements of the regulations under Sections 300.610 to 300.626, inclusive, of Title 34 of the Code of Federal Regulations.

(B) Parents or guardians have the right, pursuant to Sections 99.10 to 99.22, inclusive, of Title 34 of the Code of Federal Regulations, to do all of the following:

(i) Inspect and review the audio recordings.

(ii) Request that the audio recordings be amended if the parent or guardian believes that they contain information that is inaccurate, misleading, or in violation of the rights of privacy or other rights of the individual with exceptional needs.

(iii) Challenge, in a hearing, information that the parent or guardian believes is inaccurate, misleading, or in violation of the individual’s rights of privacy or other rights.

(h) It is the intent of the Legislature that the individualized education program team meetings be nonadversarial and convened solely for the purpose of making educational decisions for the good of the individual with exceptional needs.