SCH CD-SPECIAL ED SERVICES

Amends the Children with Disabilities Article of the School Code. Provides that, for the Chicago School District only, beginning with the 2019-2020 school year, the school district shall, in collaboration with its primary office overseeing special education policies, publish on the school district's publicly available website any proposed changes to its special education policies, which must be available at least 45 days before the adoption of that policy change. Provides that the school district must make the entirety of its special education Procedural Manual and any other guidance documents pertaining to special education publicly available, in print and on the school district's website, in both English and Spanish. With regard to individualized education program meetings, provides that no later than 5 school days before a child's individualized education program eligibility meeting or meeting to review a child's individualized education program, a school board or school personnel must provide the child's parent or guardian with copies of all relevant information collected about the child so that the parent or guardian may participate as a fully-informed team member of the meeting. Provides that the State Board of Education must (rather than may) create a telephone hotline to address concerns regarding the provision of special education services in a school district. Makes other changes. Effective July 1, 2019. House Committee Amendment No. 1 Adds reference to: 105 ILCS 10/2 from Ch. 122, par. 50-2 Replaces everything after the enacting clause. Reinserts the provisions of the introduced bill with the following changes. Provides that the Chicago school district shall publish on the district's publicly available website any proposed changes to its special education policies, directives, guidelines, or procedures that impact the provision of educational or related services for students with disabilities or the procedural safeguards afforded to students with disabilities or their parents or guardians (rather than any proposed changes to its special education policies, which must include any proposed policy changes made by the school district or school board); makes conforming changes. Provides that the State Board of Education may add additional reporting requirements for the school district if the State Board determines it is in the best interest of students enrolled in the district receiving special education services. Provides that local education agencies (rather than only the Chicago school district) must make related service logs (rather than service logs) that record (rather than detail) the types of related services (rather than services) administered under a child's individualized education program and the minutes of each type of related service that has been administered. Provides that a local education agency must inform a child's parent or guardian within 20 school days from the beginning of the school year or upon establishment of an individualized education program (rather than at least once per school year) of his or her ability to request those logs. Makes other changes. Amends the Illinois School Student Records Act to include in the definition of "Student Temporary Record" information contained in service logs maintained by a local education agency under the Children with Disabilities Article of the School Code. Effective July 1, 2019. Senate Floor Amendment No. 1 Adds reference to: 105 ILCS 5/14-8.02g new Further amends the School Code. Provides that a school district must utilize response to scientific, research-based intervention or multi-tiered systems of support as part of an evaluation procedure to determine if a child is eligible for special education services due to a specific learning disability and may utilize the data generated in an evaluation to determine if a child is eligible for services due to any category of disability; defines "response to scientific, research-based intervention" or "multi-tiered systems of support". Provides that the parent or guardian of a student must be involved in the data sharing and decision-making processes of support and the State Board of Education may provide guidance to a school district and identify available resources related to facilitating parental or guardian participation. Makes other changes. Changes the effective date to immediate (rather than July 1, 2019).