Bill Text: NJ S497 | 2016-2017 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Requires DOE to train teachers and administrators and monitor districts on bias and discrimination in special education classification.
Spectrum: Bipartisan Bill
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2016-01-12 - Introduced in the Senate, Referred to Senate Education Committee [S497 Detail]
Download: New_Jersey-2016-S497-Introduced.html
STATE OF NEW JERSEY
217th LEGISLATURE
PRE-FILED FOR INTRODUCTION IN THE 2016 SESSION
Sponsored by:
Senator M. TERESA RUIZ
District 29 (Essex)
Senator DIANE B. ALLEN
District 7 (Burlington)
SYNOPSIS
Requires DOE to train teachers and administrators and monitor districts on bias and discrimination in special education classification.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
Introduced Pending Technical Review by Legislative Counsel.
An Act concerning special education and supplementing chapter 46 of Title 18A of the New Jersey Statutes.
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. a. The Department of Education shall establish inservice workshops and training programs for public school teachers and administrators on procedures to prevent the inappropriate overidentification or disproportionate representation by race and ethnicity of students who are classified eligible for special education programs and services. The department shall make the workshops and training programs available online through the department's website.
A board of education shall provide time for the inservice training during the usual school schedule and shall ensure that each teacher and administrator in the district receives the training.
b. A school district shall annually provide to the department data on the race and ethnicity of students in the district who are classified eligible for special education programs and services and such other related information as deemed appropriate by the department. The department shall monitor the data collected. If the department finds significant disproportionality based on race and ethnicity occurring in a school district with respect to the identification of students classified as eligible for special education programs and services or the placement in particular educational settings of these students, the department shall assist the district in taking appropriate action to address the situation.
c. The State Board of Education shall promulgate regulations pursuant to the "Administrative Procedure Act," P.L.1968, c.410 (C.52:14B-1 et seq.), to effectuate the provisions of this act.
2. This act shall take effect immediately.
STATEMENT
This bill requires the Department of Education to establish inservice workshops and training programs to train public school teachers and administrators on procedures to prevent the inappropriate overidentification or disproportionate representation by race and ethnicity of students classified eligible for special education programs and services. The workshops and training programs will be made available on the department's website. Boards of education are required to ensure that all teachers and administrators in the district are provided this special education training.
The bill also requires school districts to provide data to the department each year on the race and ethnicity of students in the district classified eligible for special education programs and services, along with such other related information as the department deems appropriate. The department must monitor this data and if it determines that there is significant disproportionality based on race and ethnicity occurring in the district with respect to the identification or placements of these students, the department must assist the district in taking appropriate action to address the situation.
