HB0039a -1- HB 39
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HOUSE BILL NO. 39
IN THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF ALASKA
THIRTY-FOURTH LEGISLATURE - FIRST SESSION
BY REPRESENTATIVE ALLARD
Introduced: 1/17/25
Referred: Prefiled
A BILL
FOR AN ACT ENTITLED
"An Act relating to public school students who are deaf or hard of hearing." 1
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF ALASKA: 2
* Section 1. AS 14.30.272 is amended by adding new subsections to read: 3
(c) A school district shall, in collaboration with the department and to the 4
maximum extent possible, 5
(1) provide a parent of a child who is deaf or hard of hearing, or who 6
the school district suspects may be deaf or hard of hearing, with comprehensive, 7
neutral, and unbiased information regarding 8
(A) hearing technology, including hearing aids, bone-anchored 9
hearing aids, cochlear implants, and remote microphone systems; 10
(B) different methods of communication for a child who is deaf 11
or hard of hearing, including listening and spoken language, a bilingual 12
approach, cued speech, and total communication; 13
(C) services and programs that are designed to meet the needs 14
of children who are deaf or hard of hearing; and 15 34-LS0199\A
HB 39 -2- HB0039a
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(D) support and advocacy services offered by public and 1
private agencies and other entities knowledgeable about the needs of children 2
who are deaf or hard of hearing; 3
(2) allow the parent of a child who is deaf or hard of hearing, or who 4
the school district suspects may be deaf or hard of hearing, to choose the method of 5
communication that the parent determines is most appropriate for the child and 6
provide services using the parent's chosen method of communication for the child; and 7
(3) deliver services to a child who is deaf or hard of hearing, or who 8
the school district suspects may be deaf or hard of hearing, through professionals with 9
training, experience, and a background in the chosen method of communication. 10
(d) A school district shall inform a parent of a child who is deaf or hard of 11
hearing, or who the school district suspects may be deaf or hard of hearing, of the 12
school district's duties and of the parent's rights provided under (c) of this section. 13
(e) In this section, 14
(1) "bilingual approach" means the development of both sign language 15
and English language literacy skills as a child's mode of receptive and expressive 16
communication; 17
(2) "cued speech" means a visual communication system that uses 18
hand shapes and placements in combination with the mouth movements of speech to 19
identify the phonemes of spoken language that look similar to one another; 20
(3) "deaf" means possessing hearing levels that, with or without 21
hearing technology, substantially affect a child's ability to understand spoken 22
language; 23
(4) "hard of hearing" means possessing hearing levels that, with or 24
without hearing technology, affect a child's ability to understand spoken language; 25
(5) "listening and spoken language" means communication that 26
focuses on maximizing listening through the use of hearing technologies, professional 27
intervention, and family involvement and support to facilitate the acquisition and 28
development of the spoken language of the child's home and community; 29
(6) "total communication" means the combined use of signs, speech, 30
speech-reading, auditory training, visual aids, manual gestures, and writing to convey 31 34-LS0199\A
HB0039a -3- HB 39
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information. 1
* Sec. 2. AS 14.30.276 is amended by adding a new subsection to read: 2
(b) The department shall support one or more programs for the deaf to be 3
made available to deaf students in the state. The program may provide residential 4
services as part of its educational program in consultation and collaboration with a 5
nongovernmental organization that provides services to people who are deaf and hard 6
of hearing. If a school district operates a program, the school district shall annually 7
submit a plan of operations to the department for approval and shall perform all duties 8
of a local school district related to special education under state and federal law, 9
except that the school district is only required to offer transportation to students who 10
reside in the district. If a school district determines that placement in the program is 11
appropriate for a child who resides in the district, the school district that makes the 12
placement retains the school district's responsibilities for special education for that 13
child under state and federal law. 14