HB5214 EngrossedLRB102 23868 CMG 33061 b

1    AN ACT concerning education.
 
2    Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
3represented in the General Assembly:
 
4    Section 5. The School Code is amended by changing Section
514-8.02 as follows:
 
6    (105 ILCS 5/14-8.02)  (from Ch. 122, par. 14-8.02)
7    (Text of Section before amendment by P.A. 102-199)
8    Sec. 14-8.02. Identification, evaluation, and placement of
9children.
10    (a) The State Board of Education shall make rules under
11which local school boards shall determine the eligibility of
12children to receive special education. Such rules shall ensure
13that a free appropriate public education be available to all
14children with disabilities as defined in Section 14-1.02. The
15State Board of Education shall require local school districts
16to administer non-discriminatory procedures or tests to
17English learners coming from homes in which a language other
18than English is used to determine their eligibility to receive
19special education. The placement of low English proficiency
20students in special education programs and facilities shall be
21made in accordance with the test results reflecting the
22student's linguistic, cultural and special education needs.
23For purposes of determining the eligibility of children the

 

 

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1State Board of Education shall include in the rules
2definitions of "case study", "staff conference",
3"individualized educational program", and "qualified
4specialist" appropriate to each category of children with
5disabilities as defined in this Article. For purposes of
6determining the eligibility of children from homes in which a
7language other than English is used, the State Board of
8Education shall include in the rules definitions for
9"qualified bilingual specialists" and "linguistically and
10culturally appropriate individualized educational programs".
11For purposes of this Section, as well as Sections 14-8.02a,
1214-8.02b, and 14-8.02c of this Code, "parent" means a parent
13as defined in the federal Individuals with Disabilities
14Education Act (20 U.S.C. 1401(23)).
15    (b) No child shall be eligible for special education
16facilities except with a carefully completed case study fully
17reviewed by professional personnel in a multidisciplinary
18staff conference and only upon the recommendation of qualified
19specialists or a qualified bilingual specialist, if available.
20At the conclusion of the multidisciplinary staff conference,
21the parent of the child shall be given a copy of the
22multidisciplinary conference summary report and
23recommendations, which includes options considered, and be
24informed of his or her right to obtain an independent
25educational evaluation if he or she disagrees with the
26evaluation findings conducted or obtained by the school

 

 

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1district. If the school district's evaluation is shown to be
2inappropriate, the school district shall reimburse the parent
3for the cost of the independent evaluation. The State Board of
4Education shall, with advice from the State Advisory Council
5on Education of Children with Disabilities on the inclusion of
6specific independent educational evaluators, prepare a list of
7suggested independent educational evaluators. The State Board
8of Education shall include on the list clinical psychologists
9licensed pursuant to the Clinical Psychologist Licensing Act.
10Such psychologists shall not be paid fees in excess of the
11amount that would be received by a school psychologist for
12performing the same services. The State Board of Education
13shall supply school districts with such list and make the list
14available to parents at their request. School districts shall
15make the list available to parents at the time they are
16informed of their right to obtain an independent educational
17evaluation. However, the school district may initiate an
18impartial due process hearing under this Section within 5 days
19of any written parent request for an independent educational
20evaluation to show that its evaluation is appropriate. If the
21final decision is that the evaluation is appropriate, the
22parent still has a right to an independent educational
23evaluation, but not at public expense. An independent
24educational evaluation at public expense must be completed
25within 30 days of a parent written request unless the school
26district initiates an impartial due process hearing or the

 

 

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1parent or school district offers reasonable grounds to show
2that such 30-day time period should be extended. If the due
3process hearing decision indicates that the parent is entitled
4to an independent educational evaluation, it must be completed
5within 30 days of the decision unless the parent or the school
6district offers reasonable grounds to show that such 30-day
7period should be extended. If a parent disagrees with the
8summary report or recommendations of the multidisciplinary
9conference or the findings of any educational evaluation which
10results therefrom, the school district shall not proceed with
11a placement based upon such evaluation and the child shall
12remain in his or her regular classroom setting. No child shall
13be eligible for admission to a special class for children with
14a mental disability who are educable or for children with a
15mental disability who are trainable except with a
16psychological evaluation and recommendation by a school
17psychologist. Consent shall be obtained from the parent of a
18child before any evaluation is conducted. If consent is not
19given by the parent or if the parent disagrees with the
20findings of the evaluation, then the school district may
21initiate an impartial due process hearing under this Section.
22The school district may evaluate the child if that is the
23decision resulting from the impartial due process hearing and
24the decision is not appealed or if the decision is affirmed on
25appeal. The determination of eligibility shall be made and the
26IEP meeting shall be completed within 60 school days from the

 

 

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1date of written parental consent. In those instances when
2written parental consent is obtained with fewer than 60 pupil
3attendance days left in the school year, the eligibility
4determination shall be made and the IEP meeting shall be
5completed prior to the first day of the following school year.
6Special education and related services must be provided in
7accordance with the student's IEP no later than 10 school
8attendance days after notice is provided to the parents
9pursuant to Section 300.503 of Title 34 of the Code of Federal
10Regulations and implementing rules adopted by the State Board
11of Education. The appropriate program pursuant to the
12individualized educational program of students whose native
13tongue is a language other than English shall reflect the
14special education, cultural and linguistic needs. No later
15than September 1, 1993, the State Board of Education shall
16establish standards for the development, implementation and
17monitoring of appropriate bilingual special individualized
18educational programs. The State Board of Education shall
19further incorporate appropriate monitoring procedures to
20verify implementation of these standards. The district shall
21indicate to the parent and the State Board of Education the
22nature of the services the child will receive for the regular
23school term while awaiting waiting placement in the
24appropriate special education class. At the child's initial
25IEP meeting and at each annual review meeting, the child's IEP
26team shall provide the child's parent or guardian with a

 

 

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1written notification that informs the parent or guardian that
2the IEP team is required to consider whether the child
3requires assistive technology in order to receive free,
4appropriate public education. The notification must also
5include a toll-free telephone number and internet address for
6the State's assistive technology program.
7    If the child is deaf, hard of hearing, blind, or visually
8impaired or has an orthopedic impairment or physical
9disability and he or she might be eligible to receive services
10from the Illinois School for the Deaf, the Illinois School for
11the Visually Impaired, or the Illinois Center for
12Rehabilitation and Education-Roosevelt, the school district
13shall notify the parents, in writing, of the existence of
14these schools and the services they provide and shall make a
15reasonable effort to inform the parents of the existence of
16other, local schools that provide similar services and the
17services that these other schools provide. This notification
18shall include without limitation information on school
19services, school admissions criteria, and school contact
20information.
21    In the development of the individualized education program
22for a student who has a disability on the autism spectrum
23(which includes autistic disorder, Asperger's disorder,
24pervasive developmental disorder not otherwise specified,
25childhood disintegrative disorder, and Rett Syndrome, as
26defined in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental

 

 

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1Disorders, fourth edition (DSM-IV, 2000)), the IEP team shall
2consider all of the following factors:
3        (1) The verbal and nonverbal communication needs of
4    the child.
5        (2) The need to develop social interaction skills and
6    proficiencies.
7        (3) The needs resulting from the child's unusual
8    responses to sensory experiences.
9        (4) The needs resulting from resistance to
10    environmental change or change in daily routines.
11        (5) The needs resulting from engagement in repetitive
12    activities and stereotyped movements.
13        (6) The need for any positive behavioral
14    interventions, strategies, and supports to address any
15    behavioral difficulties resulting from autism spectrum
16    disorder.
17        (7) Other needs resulting from the child's disability
18    that impact progress in the general curriculum, including
19    social and emotional development.
20Public Act 95-257 does not create any new entitlement to a
21service, program, or benefit, but must not affect any
22entitlement to a service, program, or benefit created by any
23other law.
24    If the student may be eligible to participate in the
25Home-Based Support Services Program for Adults with Mental
26Disabilities authorized under the Developmental Disability and

 

 

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1Mental Disability Services Act upon becoming an adult, the
2student's individualized education program shall include plans
3for (i) determining the student's eligibility for those
4home-based services, (ii) enrolling the student in the program
5of home-based services, and (iii) developing a plan for the
6student's most effective use of the home-based services after
7the student becomes an adult and no longer receives special
8educational services under this Article. The plans developed
9under this paragraph shall include specific actions to be
10taken by specified individuals, agencies, or officials.
11    (c) In the development of the individualized education
12program for a student who is functionally blind, it shall be
13presumed that proficiency in Braille reading and writing is
14essential for the student's satisfactory educational progress.
15For purposes of this subsection, the State Board of Education
16shall determine the criteria for a student to be classified as
17functionally blind. Students who are not currently identified
18as functionally blind who are also entitled to Braille
19instruction include: (i) those whose vision loss is so severe
20that they are unable to read and write at a level comparable to
21their peers solely through the use of vision, and (ii) those
22who show evidence of progressive vision loss that may result
23in functional blindness. Each student who is functionally
24blind shall be entitled to Braille reading and writing
25instruction that is sufficient to enable the student to
26communicate with the same level of proficiency as other

 

 

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1students of comparable ability. Instruction should be provided
2to the extent that the student is physically and cognitively
3able to use Braille. Braille instruction may be used in
4combination with other special education services appropriate
5to the student's educational needs. The assessment of each
6student who is functionally blind for the purpose of
7developing the student's individualized education program
8shall include documentation of the student's strengths and
9weaknesses in Braille skills. Each person assisting in the
10development of the individualized education program for a
11student who is functionally blind shall receive information
12describing the benefits of Braille instruction. The
13individualized education program for each student who is
14functionally blind shall specify the appropriate learning
15medium or media based on the assessment report.
16    (d) To the maximum extent appropriate, the placement shall
17provide the child with the opportunity to be educated with
18children who do not have a disability; provided that children
19with disabilities who are recommended to be placed into
20regular education classrooms are provided with supplementary
21services to assist the children with disabilities to benefit
22from the regular classroom instruction and are included on the
23teacher's regular education class register. Subject to the
24limitation of the preceding sentence, placement in special
25classes, separate schools or other removal of the child with a
26disability from the regular educational environment shall

 

 

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1occur only when the nature of the severity of the disability is
2such that education in the regular classes with the use of
3supplementary aids and services cannot be achieved
4satisfactorily. The placement of English learners with
5disabilities shall be in non-restrictive environments which
6provide for integration with peers who do not have
7disabilities in bilingual classrooms. Annually, each January,
8school districts shall report data on students from
9non-English speaking backgrounds receiving special education
10and related services in public and private facilities as
11prescribed in Section 2-3.30. If there is a disagreement
12between parties involved regarding the special education
13placement of any child, either in-state or out-of-state, the
14placement is subject to impartial due process procedures
15described in Article 10 of the Rules and Regulations to Govern
16the Administration and Operation of Special Education.
17    (e) No child who comes from a home in which a language
18other than English is the principal language used may be
19assigned to any class or program under this Article until he
20has been given, in the principal language used by the child and
21used in his home, tests reasonably related to his cultural
22environment. All testing and evaluation materials and
23procedures utilized for evaluation and placement shall not be
24linguistically, racially or culturally discriminatory.
25    (f) Nothing in this Article shall be construed to require
26any child to undergo any physical examination or medical

 

 

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1treatment whose parents object thereto on the grounds that
2such examination or treatment conflicts with his religious
3beliefs.
4    (g) School boards or their designee shall provide to the
5parents of a child prior written notice of any decision (a)
6proposing to initiate or change, or (b) refusing to initiate
7or change, the identification, evaluation, or educational
8placement of the child or the provision of a free appropriate
9public education to their child, and the reasons therefor.
10Such written notification shall also inform the parent of the
11opportunity to present complaints with respect to any matter
12relating to the educational placement of the student, or the
13provision of a free appropriate public education and to have
14an impartial due process hearing on the complaint. The notice
15shall inform the parents in the parents' native language,
16unless it is clearly not feasible to do so, of their rights and
17all procedures available pursuant to this Act and the federal
18Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act of
192004 (Public Law 108-446); it shall be the responsibility of
20the State Superintendent to develop uniform notices setting
21forth the procedures available under this Act and the federal
22Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act of
232004 (Public Law 108-446) to be used by all school boards. The
24notice shall also inform the parents of the availability upon
25request of a list of free or low-cost legal and other relevant
26services available locally to assist parents in initiating an

 

 

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1impartial due process hearing. The State Superintendent shall
2revise the uniform notices required by this subsection (g) to
3reflect current law and procedures at least once every 2
4years. Any parent who is deaf, or does not normally
5communicate using spoken English, who participates in a
6meeting with a representative of a local educational agency
7for the purposes of developing an individualized educational
8program, or attends a multidisciplinary conference, a 504
9meeting, a mediation session, or a due process hearing, shall
10be entitled to the services of an interpreter. The State Board
11of Education must adopt rules to establish the criteria,
12standards, and competencies for a bilingual language
13interpreter who attends an individualized education program
14meeting, a multidisciplinary conference, a 504 meeting, a
15mediation session, or a due process hearing under this
16subsection to assist a parent who has limited English
17proficiency.
18    (g-5) For purposes of this subsection (g-5), "qualified
19professional" means an individual who holds credentials to
20evaluate the child in the domain or domains for which an
21evaluation is sought or an intern working under the direct
22supervision of a qualified professional, including a master's
23or doctoral degree candidate.
24    To ensure that a parent can participate fully and
25effectively with school personnel in the development of
26appropriate educational and related services for his or her

 

 

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1child, the parent, an independent educational evaluator, or a
2qualified professional retained by or on behalf of a parent or
3child must be afforded reasonable access to educational
4facilities, personnel, classrooms, and buildings and to the
5child as provided in this subsection (g-5). The requirements
6of this subsection (g-5) apply to any public school facility,
7building, or program and to any facility, building, or program
8supported in whole or in part by public funds. Prior to
9visiting a school, school building, or school facility, the
10parent, independent educational evaluator, or qualified
11professional may be required by the school district to inform
12the building principal or supervisor in writing of the
13proposed visit, the purpose of the visit, and the approximate
14duration of the visit. The visitor and the school district
15shall arrange the visit or visits at times that are mutually
16agreeable. Visitors shall comply with school safety, security,
17and visitation policies at all times. School district
18visitation policies must not conflict with this subsection
19(g-5). Visitors shall be required to comply with the
20requirements of applicable privacy laws, including those laws
21protecting the confidentiality of education records such as
22the federal Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act and the
23Illinois School Student Records Act. The visitor shall not
24disrupt the educational process.
25        (1) A parent must be afforded reasonable access of
26    sufficient duration and scope for the purpose of observing

 

 

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1    his or her child in the child's current educational
2    placement, services, or program or for the purpose of
3    visiting an educational placement or program proposed for
4    the child.
5        (2) An independent educational evaluator or a
6    qualified professional retained by or on behalf of a
7    parent or child must be afforded reasonable access of
8    sufficient duration and scope for the purpose of
9    conducting an evaluation of the child, the child's
10    performance, the child's current educational program,
11    placement, services, or environment, or any educational
12    program, placement, services, or environment proposed for
13    the child, including interviews of educational personnel,
14    child observations, assessments, tests or assessments of
15    the child's educational program, services, or placement or
16    of any proposed educational program, services, or
17    placement. If one or more interviews of school personnel
18    are part of the evaluation, the interviews must be
19    conducted at a mutually agreed upon time, date, and place
20    that do not interfere with the school employee's school
21    duties. The school district may limit interviews to
22    personnel having information relevant to the child's
23    current educational services, program, or placement or to
24    a proposed educational service, program, or placement.
25(Source: P.A. 101-124, eff. 1-1-20; 102-264, eff. 8-6-21;
26102-558, eff. 8-20-21.)
 

 

 

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1    (Text of Section after amendment by P.A. 102-199)
2    Sec. 14-8.02. Identification, evaluation, and placement of
3children.
4    (a) The State Board of Education shall make rules under
5which local school boards shall determine the eligibility of
6children to receive special education. Such rules shall ensure
7that a free appropriate public education be available to all
8children with disabilities as defined in Section 14-1.02. The
9State Board of Education shall require local school districts
10to administer non-discriminatory procedures or tests to
11English learners coming from homes in which a language other
12than English is used to determine their eligibility to receive
13special education. The placement of low English proficiency
14students in special education programs and facilities shall be
15made in accordance with the test results reflecting the
16student's linguistic, cultural and special education needs.
17For purposes of determining the eligibility of children the
18State Board of Education shall include in the rules
19definitions of "case study", "staff conference",
20"individualized educational program", and "qualified
21specialist" appropriate to each category of children with
22disabilities as defined in this Article. For purposes of
23determining the eligibility of children from homes in which a
24language other than English is used, the State Board of
25Education shall include in the rules definitions for

 

 

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1"qualified bilingual specialists" and "linguistically and
2culturally appropriate individualized educational programs".
3For purposes of this Section, as well as Sections 14-8.02a,
414-8.02b, and 14-8.02c of this Code, "parent" means a parent
5as defined in the federal Individuals with Disabilities
6Education Act (20 U.S.C. 1401(23)).
7    (b) No child shall be eligible for special education
8facilities except with a carefully completed case study fully
9reviewed by professional personnel in a multidisciplinary
10staff conference and only upon the recommendation of qualified
11specialists or a qualified bilingual specialist, if available.
12At the conclusion of the multidisciplinary staff conference,
13the parent of the child and, if the child is in the legal
14custody of the Department of Children and Family Services, the
15Department's Office of Education and Transition Services shall
16be given a copy of the multidisciplinary conference summary
17report and recommendations, which includes options considered,
18and, in the case of the parent, be informed of his or her right
19to obtain an independent educational evaluation if he or she
20disagrees with the evaluation findings conducted or obtained
21by the school district. If the school district's evaluation is
22shown to be inappropriate, the school district shall reimburse
23the parent for the cost of the independent evaluation. The
24State Board of Education shall, with advice from the State
25Advisory Council on Education of Children with Disabilities on
26the inclusion of specific independent educational evaluators,

 

 

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1prepare a list of suggested independent educational
2evaluators. The State Board of Education shall include on the
3list clinical psychologists licensed pursuant to the Clinical
4Psychologist Licensing Act. Such psychologists shall not be
5paid fees in excess of the amount that would be received by a
6school psychologist for performing the same services. The
7State Board of Education shall supply school districts with
8such list and make the list available to parents at their
9request. School districts shall make the list available to
10parents at the time they are informed of their right to obtain
11an independent educational evaluation. However, the school
12district may initiate an impartial due process hearing under
13this Section within 5 days of any written parent request for an
14independent educational evaluation to show that its evaluation
15is appropriate. If the final decision is that the evaluation
16is appropriate, the parent still has a right to an independent
17educational evaluation, but not at public expense. An
18independent educational evaluation at public expense must be
19completed within 30 days of a parent written request unless
20the school district initiates an impartial due process hearing
21or the parent or school district offers reasonable grounds to
22show that such 30-day time period should be extended. If the
23due process hearing decision indicates that the parent is
24entitled to an independent educational evaluation, it must be
25completed within 30 days of the decision unless the parent or
26the school district offers reasonable grounds to show that

 

 

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1such 30-day period should be extended. If a parent disagrees
2with the summary report or recommendations of the
3multidisciplinary conference or the findings of any
4educational evaluation which results therefrom, the school
5district shall not proceed with a placement based upon such
6evaluation and the child shall remain in his or her regular
7classroom setting. No child shall be eligible for admission to
8a special class for children with a mental disability who are
9educable or for children with a mental disability who are
10trainable except with a psychological evaluation and
11recommendation by a school psychologist. Consent shall be
12obtained from the parent of a child before any evaluation is
13conducted. If consent is not given by the parent or if the
14parent disagrees with the findings of the evaluation, then the
15school district may initiate an impartial due process hearing
16under this Section. The school district may evaluate the child
17if that is the decision resulting from the impartial due
18process hearing and the decision is not appealed or if the
19decision is affirmed on appeal. The determination of
20eligibility shall be made and the IEP meeting shall be
21completed within 60 school days from the date of written
22parental consent. In those instances when written parental
23consent is obtained with fewer than 60 pupil attendance days
24left in the school year, the eligibility determination shall
25be made and the IEP meeting shall be completed prior to the
26first day of the following school year. Special education and

 

 

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1related services must be provided in accordance with the
2student's IEP no later than 10 school attendance days after
3notice is provided to the parents pursuant to Section 300.503
4of Title 34 of the Code of Federal Regulations and
5implementing rules adopted by the State Board of Education.
6The appropriate program pursuant to the individualized
7educational program of students whose native tongue is a
8language other than English shall reflect the special
9education, cultural and linguistic needs. No later than
10September 1, 1993, the State Board of Education shall
11establish standards for the development, implementation and
12monitoring of appropriate bilingual special individualized
13educational programs. The State Board of Education shall
14further incorporate appropriate monitoring procedures to
15verify implementation of these standards. The district shall
16indicate to the parent, the State Board of Education, and, if
17applicable, the Department's Office of Education and
18Transition Services the nature of the services the child will
19receive for the regular school term while awaiting waiting
20placement in the appropriate special education class. At the
21child's initial IEP meeting and at each annual review meeting,
22the child's IEP team shall provide the child's parent or
23guardian and, if applicable, the Department's Office of
24Education and Transition Services with a written notification
25that informs the parent or guardian or the Department's Office
26of Education and Transition Services that the IEP team is

 

 

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1required to consider whether the child requires assistive
2technology in order to receive free, appropriate public
3education. The notification must also include a toll-free
4telephone number and internet address for the State's
5assistive technology program.
6    If the child is deaf, hard of hearing, blind, or visually
7impaired or has an orthopedic impairment or physical
8disability and he or she might be eligible to receive services
9from the Illinois School for the Deaf, the Illinois School for
10the Visually Impaired, or the Illinois Center for
11Rehabilitation and Education-Roosevelt, the school district
12shall notify the parents, in writing, of the existence of
13these schools and the services they provide and shall make a
14reasonable effort to inform the parents of the existence of
15other, local schools that provide similar services and the
16services that these other schools provide. This notification
17shall include without limitation information on school
18services, school admissions criteria, and school contact
19information.
20    In the development of the individualized education program
21for a student who has a disability on the autism spectrum
22(which includes autistic disorder, Asperger's disorder,
23pervasive developmental disorder not otherwise specified,
24childhood disintegrative disorder, and Rett Syndrome, as
25defined in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental
26Disorders, fourth edition (DSM-IV, 2000)), the IEP team shall

 

 

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1consider all of the following factors:
2        (1) The verbal and nonverbal communication needs of
3    the child.
4        (2) The need to develop social interaction skills and
5    proficiencies.
6        (3) The needs resulting from the child's unusual
7    responses to sensory experiences.
8        (4) The needs resulting from resistance to
9    environmental change or change in daily routines.
10        (5) The needs resulting from engagement in repetitive
11    activities and stereotyped movements.
12        (6) The need for any positive behavioral
13    interventions, strategies, and supports to address any
14    behavioral difficulties resulting from autism spectrum
15    disorder.
16        (7) Other needs resulting from the child's disability
17    that impact progress in the general curriculum, including
18    social and emotional development.
19Public Act 95-257 does not create any new entitlement to a
20service, program, or benefit, but must not affect any
21entitlement to a service, program, or benefit created by any
22other law.
23    If the student may be eligible to participate in the
24Home-Based Support Services Program for Adults with Mental
25Disabilities authorized under the Developmental Disability and
26Mental Disability Services Act upon becoming an adult, the

 

 

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1student's individualized education program shall include plans
2for (i) determining the student's eligibility for those
3home-based services, (ii) enrolling the student in the program
4of home-based services, and (iii) developing a plan for the
5student's most effective use of the home-based services after
6the student becomes an adult and no longer receives special
7educational services under this Article. The plans developed
8under this paragraph shall include specific actions to be
9taken by specified individuals, agencies, or officials.
10    (c) In the development of the individualized education
11program for a student who is functionally blind, it shall be
12presumed that proficiency in Braille reading and writing is
13essential for the student's satisfactory educational progress.
14For purposes of this subsection, the State Board of Education
15shall determine the criteria for a student to be classified as
16functionally blind. Students who are not currently identified
17as functionally blind who are also entitled to Braille
18instruction include: (i) those whose vision loss is so severe
19that they are unable to read and write at a level comparable to
20their peers solely through the use of vision, and (ii) those
21who show evidence of progressive vision loss that may result
22in functional blindness. Each student who is functionally
23blind shall be entitled to Braille reading and writing
24instruction that is sufficient to enable the student to
25communicate with the same level of proficiency as other
26students of comparable ability. Instruction should be provided

 

 

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1to the extent that the student is physically and cognitively
2able to use Braille. Braille instruction may be used in
3combination with other special education services appropriate
4to the student's educational needs. The assessment of each
5student who is functionally blind for the purpose of
6developing the student's individualized education program
7shall include documentation of the student's strengths and
8weaknesses in Braille skills. Each person assisting in the
9development of the individualized education program for a
10student who is functionally blind shall receive information
11describing the benefits of Braille instruction. The
12individualized education program for each student who is
13functionally blind shall specify the appropriate learning
14medium or media based on the assessment report.
15    (d) To the maximum extent appropriate, the placement shall
16provide the child with the opportunity to be educated with
17children who do not have a disability; provided that children
18with disabilities who are recommended to be placed into
19regular education classrooms are provided with supplementary
20services to assist the children with disabilities to benefit
21from the regular classroom instruction and are included on the
22teacher's regular education class register. Subject to the
23limitation of the preceding sentence, placement in special
24classes, separate schools or other removal of the child with a
25disability from the regular educational environment shall
26occur only when the nature of the severity of the disability is

 

 

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1such that education in the regular classes with the use of
2supplementary aids and services cannot be achieved
3satisfactorily. The placement of English learners with
4disabilities shall be in non-restrictive environments which
5provide for integration with peers who do not have
6disabilities in bilingual classrooms. Annually, each January,
7school districts shall report data on students from
8non-English speaking backgrounds receiving special education
9and related services in public and private facilities as
10prescribed in Section 2-3.30. If there is a disagreement
11between parties involved regarding the special education
12placement of any child, either in-state or out-of-state, the
13placement is subject to impartial due process procedures
14described in Article 10 of the Rules and Regulations to Govern
15the Administration and Operation of Special Education.
16    (e) No child who comes from a home in which a language
17other than English is the principal language used may be
18assigned to any class or program under this Article until he
19has been given, in the principal language used by the child and
20used in his home, tests reasonably related to his cultural
21environment. All testing and evaluation materials and
22procedures utilized for evaluation and placement shall not be
23linguistically, racially or culturally discriminatory.
24    (f) Nothing in this Article shall be construed to require
25any child to undergo any physical examination or medical
26treatment whose parents object thereto on the grounds that

 

 

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1such examination or treatment conflicts with his religious
2beliefs.
3    (g) School boards or their designee shall provide to the
4parents of a child or, if applicable, the Department of
5Children and Family Services' Office of Education and
6Transition Services prior written notice of any decision (a)
7proposing to initiate or change, or (b) refusing to initiate
8or change, the identification, evaluation, or educational
9placement of the child or the provision of a free appropriate
10public education to their child, and the reasons therefor. For
11a parent, such written notification shall also inform the
12parent of the opportunity to present complaints with respect
13to any matter relating to the educational placement of the
14student, or the provision of a free appropriate public
15education and to have an impartial due process hearing on the
16complaint. The notice shall inform the parents in the parents'
17native language, unless it is clearly not feasible to do so, of
18their rights and all procedures available pursuant to this Act
19and the federal Individuals with Disabilities Education
20Improvement Act of 2004 (Public Law 108-446); it shall be the
21responsibility of the State Superintendent to develop uniform
22notices setting forth the procedures available under this Act
23and the federal Individuals with Disabilities Education
24Improvement Act of 2004 (Public Law 108-446) to be used by all
25school boards. The notice shall also inform the parents of the
26availability upon request of a list of free or low-cost legal

 

 

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1and other relevant services available locally to assist
2parents in initiating an impartial due process hearing. The
3State Superintendent shall revise the uniform notices required
4by this subsection (g) to reflect current law and procedures
5at least once every 2 years. Any parent who is deaf, or does
6not normally communicate using spoken English, who
7participates in a meeting with a representative of a local
8educational agency for the purposes of developing an
9individualized educational program, or attends a
10multidisciplinary conference, a 504 meeting, a mediation
11session, or a due process hearing, shall be entitled to the
12services of an interpreter. The State Board of Education must
13adopt rules to establish the criteria, standards, and
14competencies for a bilingual language interpreter who attends
15an individualized education program meeting, multidisciplinary
16conference, 504 mediation session, or a due process hearing
17under this subsection to assist a parent who has limited
18English proficiency.
19    (g-5) For purposes of this subsection (g-5), "qualified
20professional" means an individual who holds credentials to
21evaluate the child in the domain or domains for which an
22evaluation is sought or an intern working under the direct
23supervision of a qualified professional, including a master's
24or doctoral degree candidate.
25    To ensure that a parent can participate fully and
26effectively with school personnel in the development of

 

 

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1appropriate educational and related services for his or her
2child, the parent, an independent educational evaluator, or a
3qualified professional retained by or on behalf of a parent or
4child must be afforded reasonable access to educational
5facilities, personnel, classrooms, and buildings and to the
6child as provided in this subsection (g-5). The requirements
7of this subsection (g-5) apply to any public school facility,
8building, or program and to any facility, building, or program
9supported in whole or in part by public funds. Prior to
10visiting a school, school building, or school facility, the
11parent, independent educational evaluator, or qualified
12professional may be required by the school district to inform
13the building principal or supervisor in writing of the
14proposed visit, the purpose of the visit, and the approximate
15duration of the visit. The visitor and the school district
16shall arrange the visit or visits at times that are mutually
17agreeable. Visitors shall comply with school safety, security,
18and visitation policies at all times. School district
19visitation policies must not conflict with this subsection
20(g-5). Visitors shall be required to comply with the
21requirements of applicable privacy laws, including those laws
22protecting the confidentiality of education records such as
23the federal Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act and the
24Illinois School Student Records Act. The visitor shall not
25disrupt the educational process.
26        (1) A parent must be afforded reasonable access of

 

 

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1    sufficient duration and scope for the purpose of observing
2    his or her child in the child's current educational
3    placement, services, or program or for the purpose of
4    visiting an educational placement or program proposed for
5    the child.
6        (2) An independent educational evaluator or a
7    qualified professional retained by or on behalf of a
8    parent or child must be afforded reasonable access of
9    sufficient duration and scope for the purpose of
10    conducting an evaluation of the child, the child's
11    performance, the child's current educational program,
12    placement, services, or environment, or any educational
13    program, placement, services, or environment proposed for
14    the child, including interviews of educational personnel,
15    child observations, assessments, tests or assessments of
16    the child's educational program, services, or placement or
17    of any proposed educational program, services, or
18    placement. If one or more interviews of school personnel
19    are part of the evaluation, the interviews must be
20    conducted at a mutually agreed upon time, date, and place
21    that do not interfere with the school employee's school
22    duties. The school district may limit interviews to
23    personnel having information relevant to the child's
24    current educational services, program, or placement or to
25    a proposed educational service, program, or placement.
26(Source: P.A. 101-124, eff. 1-1-20; 102-199, eff. 7-1-22;

 

 

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1102-264, eff. 8-6-21; 102-558, eff. 8-20-21; revised
210-14-21.)
 
3    Section 95. No acceleration or delay. Where this Act makes
4changes in a statute that is represented in this Act by text
5that is not yet or no longer in effect (for example, a Section
6represented by multiple versions), the use of that text does
7not accelerate or delay the taking effect of (i) the changes
8made by this Act or (ii) provisions derived from any other
9Public Act.
 
10    Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon
11becoming law.