| 1 | 1 | | 1.1 A bill for an act |
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| 2 | 2 | | 1.2 relating to education; modifying requirements for interpreters; amending Minnesota |
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| 3 | 3 | | 1.3 Statutes 2022, section 122A.31, subdivision 1. |
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| 4 | 4 | | 1.4BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA: |
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| 5 | 5 | | 1.5 Section 1. Minnesota Statutes 2022, section 122A.31, subdivision 1, is amended to read: |
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| 6 | 6 | | 1.6 Subdivision 1.Requirements for American sign language/English interpreters.(a) |
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| 7 | 7 | | 1.7In addition to any other requirements that a school district establishes, any person employed |
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| 8 | 8 | | 1.8to provide American sign language/English interpreting or sign transliterating services on |
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| 9 | 9 | | 1.9a full-time or part-time basis for a school district after July 1, 2000, must: |
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| 10 | 10 | | 1.10 (1) hold current interpreter and or transliterator certificates awarded by the Registry of |
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| 11 | 11 | | 1.11Interpreters for the Deaf (RID), or the general level interpreter proficiency certificate awarded |
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| 12 | 12 | | 1.12by the National Association of the Deaf (NAD), or a comparable state certification from |
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| 13 | 13 | | 1.13the commissioner of education;, and |
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| 14 | 14 | | 1.14 (2) satisfactorily complete an interpreter/transliterator training program affiliated with |
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| 15 | 15 | | 1.15an accredited educational institution.; or |
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| 16 | 16 | | 1.16 (2) hold a certified deaf interpreter certification issued by RID. |
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| 17 | 17 | | 1.17 (b) New graduates of an interpreter/transliterator program affiliated with an accredited |
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| 18 | | - | 1.18education institution or deaf interpreters shall be granted a two-year provisional certificate |
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| 19 | | - | 1.19by the commissioner. During the two-year provisional period, the interpreter/transliterator |
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| 20 | | - | 1.20must develop and implement an education plan in collaboration with a mentor under |
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| 21 | | - | 1.21paragraph (c). |
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| 18 | + | 1.18education institution or certified deaf interpreters who hold a certification issued by RID |
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| 19 | + | 1.19shall be granted a two-year provisional certificate by the commissioner. During the two-year |
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| 20 | + | 1.20provisional period, the interpreter/transliterator must develop and implement an education |
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| 21 | + | 1.21plan in collaboration with a mentor under paragraph (c). |
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| 32 | 31 | | 2.2interpreter/transliterator who has either NAD level IV or V certification or RID certified |
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| 33 | 32 | | 2.3interpreter and certified transliterator certification and have at least three years of |
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| 34 | 33 | | 2.4interpreting/transliterating experience in any educational setting. The mentor, in collaboration |
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| 35 | 34 | | 2.5with the provisionally certified interpreter/transliterator, shall develop and implement an |
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| 36 | 35 | | 2.6education plan designed to meet the requirements of paragraph (a), clause (1), and include |
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| 37 | 36 | | 2.7a weekly on-site mentoring process. |
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| 38 | 37 | | 2.8 (d) Consistent with the requirements of this paragraph, a person holding a provisional |
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| 39 | 38 | | 2.9certificate may apply to the commissioner for one time-limited extension. The commissioner, |
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| 40 | 39 | | 2.10in consultation with the Commission of the Deaf, DeafBlind and Hard of Hearing, must |
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| 41 | 40 | | 2.11grant the person a time-limited extension of the provisional certificate based on the following |
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| 42 | 41 | | 2.12documentation: |
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| 43 | 42 | | 2.13 (1) letters of support from the person's mentor, a parent of a pupil the person serves, the |
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| 44 | 43 | | 2.14special education director of the district in which the person is employed, and a representative |
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| 45 | 44 | | 2.15from the regional service center of the deaf and hard-of-hearing; |
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| 46 | 45 | | 2.16 (2) records of the person's formal education, training, experience, and progress on the |
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| 47 | 46 | | 2.17person's education plan; and |
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| 48 | 47 | | 2.18 (3) an explanation of why the extension is needed. |
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| 49 | 48 | | 2.19 As a condition of receiving the extension, the person must comply with a plan and the |
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| 50 | 49 | | 2.20accompanying time line timeline for meeting the requirements of this subdivision. A |
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| 51 | 50 | | 2.21committee composed of the deaf and hard-of-hearing state specialist, a representative of |
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| 52 | 51 | | 2.22the Minnesota Association of Deaf Citizens, a representative of the Minnesota Registry of |
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| 53 | 52 | | 2.23Interpreters of for the Deaf, and other appropriate persons committee members selected by |
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| 54 | 53 | | 2.24the commissioner must develop the plan and time line timeline for the person receiving the |
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| 55 | 54 | | 2.25extension. |
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| 56 | 55 | | 2.26 (e) A school district may employ only an interpreter/transliterator who has been certified |
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| 57 | 56 | | 2.27under paragraph (a) or (b), or for whom a time-limited extension has been granted under |
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| 58 | 57 | | 2.28paragraph (d). |
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| 59 | 58 | | 2.29 (f) An interpreter who meets the requirements of paragraph (a) is "essential personnel" |
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| 60 | 59 | | 2.30as defined in section 125A.76, subdivision 1. |
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| 61 | 60 | | 2Section 1. |
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