Sen. Dan Kotowski

Filed: 5/6/2013

 

 


 

 


 
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1
AMENDMENT TO HOUSE BILL 1288

2    AMENDMENT NO. ______. Amend House Bill 1288 by replacing
3everything after the enacting clause with the following:
 
4    "Section 5. The School Code is amended by changing Section
514-8.02a and by adding Section 14-8.02e as follows:
 
6    (105 ILCS 5/14-8.02a)
7    Sec. 14-8.02a. Impartial due process hearing; civil
8action.
9    (a) This Section shall apply to all impartial due process
10hearings requested on or after July 1, 2005. Impartial due
11process hearings requested before July 1, 2005 shall be
12governed by the rules described in Public Act 89-652.
13    (a-5) For purposes of this Section and Section 14-8.02b of
14this Code, days shall be computed in accordance with Section
151.11 of the Statute on Statutes.
16    (b) The State Board of Education shall establish an

 

 

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1impartial due process hearing system in accordance with this
2Section and may, with the advice and approval of the Advisory
3Council on Education of Children with Disabilities, promulgate
4rules and regulations consistent with this Section to establish
5the rules and procedures for due process hearings.
6    (c) (Blank).
7    (d) (Blank).
8    (e) (Blank).
9    (f) An impartial due process hearing shall be convened upon
10the request of a parent, student if at least 18 years of age or
11emancipated, or a school district. A school district shall make
12a request in writing to the State Board of Education and
13promptly mail a copy of the request to the parents or student
14(if at least 18 years of age or emancipated) at the parent's or
15student's last known address. A request made by the parent or
16student shall be made in writing to the superintendent of the
17school district where the student resides. The superintendent
18shall forward the request to the State Board of Education
19within 5 days after receipt of the request. The request shall
20be filed no more than 2 years following the date the person or
21school district knew or should have known of the event or
22events forming the basis for the request. The request shall, at
23a minimum, contain all of the following:
24        (1) The name of the student, the address of the
25    student's residence, and the name of the school the student
26    is attending.

 

 

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1        (2) In the case of homeless children (as defined under
2    the federal McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act (42
3    U.S.C. 11434a(2)), available contact information for the
4    student and the name of the school the student is
5    attending.
6        (3) A description of the nature of the problem relating
7    to the actual or proposed placement, identification,
8    services, or evaluation of the student, including facts
9    relating to the problem.
10        (4) A proposed resolution of the problem to the extent
11    known and available to the party at the time.
12    (f-5) Within 3 days after receipt of the hearing request,
13the State Board of Education shall appoint a due process
14hearing officer using a rotating appointment system and shall
15notify the hearing officer of his or her appointment.
16    For a school district other than a school district located
17in a municipality having a population exceeding 500,000, a
18hearing officer who is a current resident of the school
19district, special education cooperative, or other public
20entity involved in the hearing shall recuse himself or herself.
21A hearing officer who is a former employee of the school
22district, special education cooperative, or other public
23entity involved in the hearing shall immediately disclose the
24former employment to the parties and shall recuse himself or
25herself, unless the parties otherwise agree in writing. A
26hearing officer having a personal or professional interest that

 

 

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1may conflict with his or her objectivity in the hearing shall
2disclose the conflict to the parties and shall recuse himself
3or herself unless the parties otherwise agree in writing. For
4purposes of this subsection an assigned hearing officer shall
5be considered to have a conflict of interest if, at any time
6prior to the issuance of his or her written decision, he or she
7knows or should know that he or she may receive remuneration
8from a party to the hearing within 3 years following the
9conclusion of the due process hearing.
10    A party to a due process hearing shall be permitted one
11substitution of hearing officer as a matter of right, in
12accordance with procedures established by the rules adopted by
13the State Board of Education under this Section. The State
14Board of Education shall randomly select and appoint another
15hearing officer within 3 days after receiving notice that the
16appointed hearing officer is ineligible to serve or upon
17receiving a proper request for substitution of hearing officer.
18If a party withdraws its request for a due process hearing
19after a hearing officer has been appointed, that hearing
20officer shall retain jurisdiction over a subsequent hearing
21that involves the same parties and is requested within one year
22from the date of withdrawal of the previous request, unless
23that hearing officer is unavailable.
24    Any party may raise facts that constitute a conflict of
25interest for the hearing officer at any time before or during
26the hearing and may move for recusal.

 

 

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1    (g) Impartial due process hearings shall be conducted
2pursuant to this Section and any rules and regulations
3promulgated by the State Board of Education consistent with
4this Section and other governing laws and regulations. The
5hearing shall address only those issues properly raised in the
6hearing request under subsection (f) of this Section or, if
7applicable, in the amended hearing request under subsection
8(g-15) of this Section. The hearing shall be closed to the
9public unless the parents request that the hearing be open to
10the public. The parents involved in the hearing shall have the
11right to have the student who is the subject of the hearing
12present. The hearing shall be held at a time and place which
13are reasonably convenient to the parties involved. Upon the
14request of a party, the hearing officer shall hold the hearing
15at a location neutral to the parties if the hearing officer
16determines that there is no cost for securing the use of the
17neutral location. Once appointed, the impartial due process
18hearing officer shall not communicate with the State Board of
19Education or its employees concerning the hearing, except that,
20where circumstances require, communications for administrative
21purposes that do not deal with substantive or procedural
22matters or issues on the merits are authorized, provided that
23the hearing officer promptly notifies all parties of the
24substance of the communication as a matter of record.
25    (g-5) Unless the school district has previously provided
26prior written notice to the parent or student (if at least 18

 

 

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1years of age or emancipated) regarding the subject matter of
2the hearing request, the school district shall, within 10 days
3after receiving a hearing request initiated by a parent or
4student (if at least 18 years of age or emancipated), provide a
5written response to the request that shall include all of the
6following:
7        (1) An explanation of why the school district proposed
8    or refused to take the action or actions described in the
9    hearing request.
10        (2) A description of other options the IEP team
11    considered and the reasons why those options were rejected.
12        (3) A description of each evaluation procedure,
13    assessment, record, report, or other evidence the school
14    district used as the basis for the proposed or refused
15    action or actions.
16        (4) A description of the factors that are or were
17    relevant to the school district's proposed or refused
18    action or actions.
19    (g-10) When the hearing request has been initiated by a
20school district, within 10 days after receiving the request,
21the parent or student (if at least 18 years of age or
22emancipated) shall provide the school district with a response
23that specifically addresses the issues raised in the school
24district's hearing request. The parent's or student's response
25shall be provided in writing, unless he or she is illiterate or
26has a disability that prevents him or her from providing a

 

 

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1written response. The parent's or student's response may be
2provided in his or her native language, if other than English.
3In the event that illiteracy or another disabling condition
4prevents the parent or student from providing a written
5response, the school district shall assist the parent or
6student in providing the written response.
7    (g-15) Within 15 days after receiving notice of the hearing
8request, the non-requesting party may challenge the
9sufficiency of the request by submitting its challenge in
10writing to the hearing officer. Within 5 days after receiving
11the challenge to the sufficiency of the request, the hearing
12officer shall issue a determination of the challenge in writing
13to the parties. In the event that the hearing officer upholds
14the challenge, the party who requested the hearing may, with
15the consent of the non-requesting party or hearing officer,
16file an amended request. Amendments are permissible for the
17purpose of raising issues beyond those in the initial hearing
18request. In addition, the party who requested the hearing may
19amend the request once as a matter of right by filing the
20amended request within 5 days after filing the initial request.
21An amended request, other than an amended request as a matter
22of right, shall be filed by the date determined by the hearing
23officer, but in no event any later than 5 days prior to the
24date of the hearing. If an amended request, other than an
25amended request as a matter of right, raises issues that were
26not part of the initial request, the applicable timeline for a

 

 

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1hearing, including the timeline under subsection (g-20) of this
2Section, shall recommence.
3    (g-20) Within 15 days after receiving a request for a
4hearing from a parent or student (if at least 18 years of age
5or emancipated) or, in the event that the school district
6requests a hearing, within 15 days after initiating the
7request, the school district shall convene a resolution meeting
8with the parent and relevant members of the IEP team who have
9specific knowledge of the facts contained in the request for
10the purpose of resolving the problem that resulted in the
11request. The resolution meeting shall include a representative
12of the school district who has decision-making authority on
13behalf of the school district. Unless the parent is accompanied
14by an attorney at the resolution meeting, the school district
15may not include an attorney representing the school district.
16    The resolution meeting may not be waived unless agreed to
17in writing by the school district and the parent or student (if
18at least 18 years of age or emancipated) or the parent or
19student (if at least 18 years of age or emancipated) and the
20school district agree in writing to utilize mediation in place
21of the resolution meeting. If either party fails to cooperate
22in the scheduling or convening of the resolution meeting, the
23hearing officer may order an extension of the timeline for
24completion of the resolution meeting or, upon the motion of a
25party and at least 7 days after ordering the non-cooperating
26party to cooperate, order the dismissal of the hearing request

 

 

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1or the granting of all relief set forth in the request, as
2appropriate.
3    In the event that the school district and the parent or
4student (if at least 18 years of age or emancipated) agree to a
5resolution of the problem that resulted in the hearing request,
6the terms of the resolution shall be committed to writing and
7signed by the parent or student (if at least 18 years of age or
8emancipated) and the representative of the school district with
9decision-making authority. The agreement shall be legally
10binding and shall be enforceable in any State or federal court
11of competent jurisdiction. In the event that the parties
12utilize the resolution meeting process, the process shall
13continue until no later than the 30th day following the receipt
14of the hearing request by the non-requesting party (or as
15properly extended by order of the hearing officer) to resolve
16the issues underlying the request, at which time the timeline
17for completion of the impartial due process hearing shall
18commence. The State Board of Education may, by rule, establish
19additional procedures for the conduct of resolution meetings.
20    (g-25) If mutually agreed to in writing, the parties to a
21hearing request may request State-sponsored mediation as a
22substitute for the resolution process described in subsection
23(g-20) of this Section or may utilize mediation at the close of
24the resolution process if all issues underlying the hearing
25request have not been resolved through the resolution process.
26    (g-30) If mutually agreed to in writing, the parties to a

 

 

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1hearing request may waive the resolution process described in
2subsection (g-20) of this Section. Upon signing a written
3agreement to waive the resolution process, the parties shall be
4required to forward the written waiver to the hearing officer
5appointed to the case within 2 business days following the
6signing of the waiver by the parties. The timeline for the
7impartial due process hearing shall commence on the date of the
8signing of the waiver by the parties.
9    (g-35) The timeline for completing the impartial due
10process hearing, as set forth in subsection (h) of this
11Section, shall be initiated upon the occurrence of any one of
12the following events:
13        (1) The unsuccessful completion of the resolution
14    process as described in subsection (g-20) of this Section.
15        (2) The mutual agreement of the parties to waive the
16    resolution process as described in subsection (g-25) or
17    (g-30) of this Section.
18    (g-40) The hearing officer shall convene a prehearing
19conference no later than 14 days before the scheduled date for
20the due process hearing for the general purpose of aiding in
21the fair, orderly, and expeditious conduct of the hearing. The
22hearing officer shall provide the parties with written notice
23of the prehearing conference at least 7 days in advance of the
24conference. The written notice shall require the parties to
25notify the hearing officer by a date certain whether they
26intend to participate in the prehearing conference. The hearing

 

 

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1officer may conduct the prehearing conference in person or by
2telephone. Each party shall at the prehearing conference (1)
3disclose whether it is represented by legal counsel or intends
4to retain legal counsel; (2) clarify matters it believes to be
5in dispute in the case and the specific relief being sought;
6(3) disclose whether there are any additional evaluations for
7the student that it intends to introduce into the hearing
8record that have not been previously disclosed to the other
9parties; (4) disclose a list of all documents it intends to
10introduce into the hearing record, including the date and a
11brief description of each document; and (5) disclose the names
12of all witnesses it intends to call to testify at the hearing.
13The hearing officer shall specify the order of presentation to
14be used at the hearing. If the prehearing conference is held by
15telephone, the parties shall transmit the information required
16in this paragraph in such a manner that it is available to all
17parties at the time of the prehearing conference. The State
18Board of Education may, by rule, establish additional
19procedures for the conduct of prehearing conferences.
20    (g-45) The impartial due process hearing officer shall not
21initiate or participate in any ex parte communications with the
22parties, except to arrange the date, time, and location of the
23prehearing conference, due process hearing, or other status
24conferences convened at the discretion of the hearing officer
25and to receive confirmation of whether a party intends to
26participate in the prehearing conference.

 

 

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1    (g-50) The parties shall disclose and provide to each other
2any evidence which they intend to submit into the hearing
3record no later than 5 days before the hearing. Any party to a
4hearing has the right to prohibit the introduction of any
5evidence at the hearing that has not been disclosed to that
6party at least 5 days before the hearing. The party requesting
7a hearing shall not be permitted at the hearing to raise issues
8that were not raised in the party's initial or amended request,
9unless otherwise permitted in this Section.
10    (g-55) All reasonable efforts must be made by the parties
11to present their respective cases at the hearing within a
12cumulative period of 7 days. When scheduling hearing dates, the
13hearing officer shall schedule the final day of the hearing no
14more than 30 calendar days after the first day of the hearing
15unless good cause is shown. This subsection (g-55) shall not be
16applied in a manner that (i) denies any party to the hearing a
17fair and reasonable allocation of time and opportunity to
18present its case in its entirety or (ii) deprives any party to
19the hearing of the safeguards accorded under the federal
20Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act of
212004 (Public Law 108-446), regulations promulgated under the
22Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act of
232004, or any other applicable law. The school district shall
24present evidence that the special education needs of the child
25have been appropriately identified and that the special
26education program and related services proposed to meet the

 

 

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1needs of the child are adequate, appropriate, and available.
2Any party to the hearing shall have the right to (1) be
3represented by counsel and be accompanied and advised by
4individuals with special knowledge or training with respect to
5the problems of children with disabilities, at the party's own
6expense; (2) present evidence and confront and cross-examine
7witnesses; (3) move for the exclusion of witnesses from the
8hearing until they are called to testify, provided, however,
9that this provision may not be invoked to exclude the
10individual designated by a party to assist that party or its
11representative in the presentation of the case; (4) obtain a
12written or electronic verbatim record of the proceedings within
1330 days of receipt of a written request from the parents by the
14school district; and (5) obtain a written decision, including
15findings of fact and conclusions of law, within 10 days after
16the conclusion of the hearing. If at issue, the school district
17shall present evidence that it has properly identified and
18evaluated the nature and severity of the student's suspected or
19identified disability and that, if the student has been or
20should have been determined eligible for special education and
21related services, that it is providing or has offered a free
22appropriate public education to the student in the least
23restrictive environment, consistent with procedural safeguards
24and in accordance with an individualized educational program.
25At any time prior to the conclusion of the hearing, the
26impartial due process hearing officer shall have the authority

 

 

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1to require additional information and order independent
2evaluations for the student at the expense of the school
3district. The State Board of Education and the school district
4shall share equally the costs of providing a written or
5electronic verbatim record of the proceedings. Any party may
6request that the due process hearing officer issue a subpoena
7to compel the testimony of witnesses or the production of
8documents relevant to the resolution of the hearing. Whenever a
9person refuses to comply with any subpoena issued under this
10Section, the circuit court of the county in which that hearing
11is pending, on application of the impartial hearing officer or
12the party requesting the issuance of the subpoena, may compel
13compliance through the contempt powers of the court in the same
14manner as if the requirements of a subpoena issued by the court
15had been disobeyed.
16    (h) The impartial hearing officer shall issue a written
17decision, including findings of fact and conclusions of law,
18within 10 days after the conclusion of the hearing and send by
19certified mail a copy of the decision to the parents or student
20(if the student requests the hearing), the school district, the
21director of special education, legal representatives of the
22parties, and the State Board of Education. Unless the hearing
23officer has granted specific extensions of time at the request
24of a party, a final decision, including the clarification of a
25decision requested under this subsection, shall be reached and
26mailed to the parties named above not later than 45 days after

 

 

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1the initiation of the timeline for conducting the hearing, as
2described in subsection (g-35) of this Section. The decision
3shall specify the educational and related services that shall
4be provided to the student in accordance with the student's
5needs and the timeline for which the school district shall
6submit evidence to the State Board of Education to demonstrate
7compliance with the hearing officer's decision in the event
8that the decision orders the school district to undertake
9corrective action. The hearing officer shall retain
10jurisdiction for the sole purpose of considering a request for
11clarification of the final decision submitted in writing by a
12party to the impartial hearing officer within 5 days after
13receipt of the decision. A copy of the request for
14clarification shall specify the portions of the decision for
15which clarification is sought and shall be mailed to all
16parties of record and to the State Board of Education. The
17request shall operate to stay implementation of those portions
18of the decision for which clarification is sought, pending
19action on the request by the hearing officer, unless the
20parties otherwise agree. The hearing officer shall issue a
21clarification of the specified portion of the decision or issue
22a partial or full denial of the request in writing within 10
23days of receipt of the request and mail copies to all parties
24to whom the decision was mailed. This subsection does not
25permit a party to request, or authorize a hearing officer to
26entertain, reconsideration of the decision itself. The statute

 

 

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1of limitations for seeking review of the decision shall be
2tolled from the date the request is submitted until the date
3the hearing officer acts upon the request. The hearing
4officer's decision shall be binding upon the school district
5and the parents unless a civil action is commenced.
6    (i) Any party to an impartial due process hearing aggrieved
7by the final written decision of the impartial due process
8hearing officer shall have the right to commence a civil action
9with respect to the issues presented in the impartial due
10process hearing. That civil action shall be brought in any
11court of competent jurisdiction within 120 days after a copy of
12the decision of the impartial due process hearing officer is
13mailed to the party as provided in subsection (h). The civil
14action authorized by this subsection shall not be exclusive of
15any rights or causes of action otherwise available. The
16commencement of a civil action under this subsection shall
17operate as a supersedeas. In any action brought under this
18subsection the Court shall receive the records of the impartial
19due process hearing, shall hear additional evidence at the
20request of a party, and, basing its decision on the
21preponderance of the evidence, shall grant such relief as the
22court determines is appropriate. In any instance where a school
23district willfully disregards applicable regulations or
24statutes regarding a child covered by this Article, and which
25disregard has been detrimental to the child, the school
26district shall be liable for any reasonable attorney's fees

 

 

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1incurred by the parent in connection with proceedings under
2this Section.
3    (j) During the pendency of any administrative or judicial
4proceeding conducted pursuant to this Section, including
5mediation (if the school district or other public entity
6voluntarily agrees to participate in mediation), unless the
7school district and the parents or student (if at least 18
8years of age or emancipated) otherwise agree, the student shall
9remain in his or her present educational placement and continue
10in his or her present eligibility status and special education
11and related services, if any. If mediation fails to resolve the
12dispute between the parties, the parent (or student if 18 years
13of age or older or emancipated) shall have 10 days after the
14mediation concludes to file a request for a due process hearing
15in order to continue to invoke the "stay-put" provisions of
16this subsection (j). If the hearing officer orders a change in
17the eligibility status, educational placement, or special
18education and related services of the student, that change
19shall not be implemented until 30 days have elapsed following
20the date the hearing officer's decision is mailed to the
21parties in order to allow any party aggrieved by the decision
22to commence a civil action to stay implementation of the
23decision. If applying for initial admission to the school
24district, the student shall, with the consent of the parents
25(if the student is not at least 18 years of age or
26emancipated), be placed in the school district program until

 

 

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1all such proceedings have been completed. The costs for any
2special education and related services or placement incurred
3following 60 school days after the initial request for
4evaluation shall be borne by the school district if the
5services or placement is in accordance with the final
6determination as to the special education and related services
7or placement that must be provided to the child, provided that
8during that 60 day period there have been no delays caused by
9the child's parent.
10    (k) Whenever the parents of a child of the type described
11in Section 14-1.02 are not known, are unavailable, or the child
12is a ward of the State, a person shall be assigned to serve as
13surrogate parent for the child in matters relating to the
14identification, evaluation, and educational placement of the
15child and the provision of a free appropriate public education
16to the child. Persons shall be assigned as surrogate parents by
17the State Superintendent of Education. The State Board of
18Education shall promulgate rules and regulations establishing
19qualifications of those persons and their responsibilities and
20the procedures to be followed in making assignments of persons
21as surrogate parents. Surrogate parents shall not be employees
22of the school district, an agency created by joint agreement
23under Section 10-22.31, an agency involved in the education or
24care of the student, or the State Board of Education. Services
25of any person assigned as surrogate parent shall terminate if
26the parent becomes available unless otherwise requested by the

 

 

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1parents . The assignment of a person as surrogate parent at no
2time supersedes, terminates, or suspends the parents' legal
3authority relative to the child. Any person participating in
4good faith as surrogate parent on behalf of the child before
5school officials or a hearing officer shall have immunity from
6civil or criminal liability that otherwise might result by
7reason of that participation, except in cases of willful and
8wanton misconduct.
9    (l) At all stages of the hearing the hearing officer shall
10require that interpreters be made available by the school
11district for persons who are deaf or for persons whose normally
12spoken language is other than English.
13    (m) If any provision of this Section or its application to
14any person or circumstance is held invalid, the invalidity of
15that provision or application does not affect other provisions
16or applications of the Section that can be given effect without
17the invalid application or provision, and to this end the
18provisions of this Section are severable, unless otherwise
19provided by this Section.
20(Source: P.A. 94-1100, eff. 2-2-07.)
 
21    (105 ILCS 5/14-8.02e new)
22    Sec. 14-8.02e. State complaint procedures. The State Board
23of Education shall adopt State complaint procedures,
24consistent with Sections 300.151, 300.152, and 300.153 of Title
2534 of the Code of Federal Regulations. The State Board of

 

 

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1Education, by rule, shall establish State complaint procedures
2consistent with this Section. A school district or other public
3entity shall be required to submit a written response to a
4complaint within the time prescribed by the State Board of
5Education following receipt of the complaint. A copy of the
6response and all documentation submitted by the respondent to
7the State Board of Education must be simultaneously provided by
8the respondent to the complainant or to the attorney for the
9complainant. If the complaint was filed by an individual other
10than a parent of a child who is the subject of the complaint
11(or the child if the child has reached majority or is
12emancipated and has assumed responsibility for his or her own
13educational decisions) and the complaint is about a specific
14identifiable child or children, then appropriate written
15signed releases must be obtained prior to the release of any
16documentation or information to the complainant or the attorney
17representing the complainant.
 
18    Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon
19becoming law.".