BILL ANALYSIS S.B. 1259 By: Rodrguez Public Education Committee Report (Unamended) BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE According to interested parties, the Texas Education Agency recently eliminated longstanding rules relating to the individualized education program planning process for students with disabilities. S.B. 1259 seeks to restore several provisions previously adopted by rule and preserve important practices that support parents' and teachers' ability to actively participate in the process through which services for their special education students are determined. CRIMINAL JUSTICE IMPACT It is the committee's opinion that this bill does not expressly create a criminal offense, increase the punishment for an existing criminal offense or category of offenses, or change the eligibility of a person for community supervision, parole, or mandatory supervision. RULEMAKING AUTHORITY It is the committee's opinion that this bill does not expressly grant any additional rulemaking authority to a state officer, department, agency, or institution. ANALYSIS S.B. 1259 amends the Education Code to include among the objectives of certain procedures listed in the Texas Education Agency's statewide plan with programmatic content relating to the delivery of services to children with disabilities ensuring the development by each school district of a process to be used by a teacher who instructs a student with a disability in a regular classroom setting to provide input in the development of the student's individualized education program. S.B. 1259 requires a regular education teacher, if the committee established to develop a child's individualized education program under federal law is required to include a regular education teacher, to be, to the extent practicable, a teacher who is responsible for implementing a portion of the child's individualized education program. The bill requires the written statement of the individualized education program to document the decisions of the committee with respect to issues discussed at each committee meeting. The bill requires the written statement to include the date of the meeting; the name, position, and signature of each member participating in the meeting; and an indication of whether the child's parents, the adult student, if applicable, and the administrator agreed or disagreed with the decisions of the committee. The bill entitles each member of the committee who disagrees with the individualized education program developed by the committee to include a statement of disagreement in the written statement of the program. The bill's provisions apply beginning with the 20152016 school year. EFFECTIVE DATE On passage, or, if the bill does not receive the necessary vote, September 1, 2015.
BILL ANALYSIS
# BILL ANALYSIS
S.B. 1259
By: Rodrguez
Public Education
Committee Report (Unamended)
S.B. 1259
By: Rodrguez
Public Education
Committee Report (Unamended)
BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE According to interested parties, the Texas Education Agency recently eliminated longstanding rules relating to the individualized education program planning process for students with disabilities. S.B. 1259 seeks to restore several provisions previously adopted by rule and preserve important practices that support parents' and teachers' ability to actively participate in the process through which services for their special education students are determined.
CRIMINAL JUSTICE IMPACT It is the committee's opinion that this bill does not expressly create a criminal offense, increase the punishment for an existing criminal offense or category of offenses, or change the eligibility of a person for community supervision, parole, or mandatory supervision.
RULEMAKING AUTHORITY It is the committee's opinion that this bill does not expressly grant any additional rulemaking authority to a state officer, department, agency, or institution.
ANALYSIS S.B. 1259 amends the Education Code to include among the objectives of certain procedures listed in the Texas Education Agency's statewide plan with programmatic content relating to the delivery of services to children with disabilities ensuring the development by each school district of a process to be used by a teacher who instructs a student with a disability in a regular classroom setting to provide input in the development of the student's individualized education program. S.B. 1259 requires a regular education teacher, if the committee established to develop a child's individualized education program under federal law is required to include a regular education teacher, to be, to the extent practicable, a teacher who is responsible for implementing a portion of the child's individualized education program. The bill requires the written statement of the individualized education program to document the decisions of the committee with respect to issues discussed at each committee meeting. The bill requires the written statement to include the date of the meeting; the name, position, and signature of each member participating in the meeting; and an indication of whether the child's parents, the adult student, if applicable, and the administrator agreed or disagreed with the decisions of the committee. The bill entitles each member of the committee who disagrees with the individualized education program developed by the committee to include a statement of disagreement in the written statement of the program. The bill's provisions apply beginning with the 20152016 school year.
EFFECTIVE DATE On passage, or, if the bill does not receive the necessary vote, September 1, 2015.
BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE
According to interested parties, the Texas Education Agency recently eliminated longstanding rules relating to the individualized education program planning process for students with disabilities. S.B. 1259 seeks to restore several provisions previously adopted by rule and preserve important practices that support parents' and teachers' ability to actively participate in the process through which services for their special education students are determined.
CRIMINAL JUSTICE IMPACT
It is the committee's opinion that this bill does not expressly create a criminal offense, increase the punishment for an existing criminal offense or category of offenses, or change the eligibility of a person for community supervision, parole, or mandatory supervision.
RULEMAKING AUTHORITY
It is the committee's opinion that this bill does not expressly grant any additional rulemaking authority to a state officer, department, agency, or institution.
ANALYSIS
S.B. 1259 amends the Education Code to include among the objectives of certain procedures listed in the Texas Education Agency's statewide plan with programmatic content relating to the delivery of services to children with disabilities ensuring the development by each school district of a process to be used by a teacher who instructs a student with a disability in a regular classroom setting to provide input in the development of the student's individualized education program.
S.B. 1259 requires a regular education teacher, if the committee established to develop a child's individualized education program under federal law is required to include a regular education teacher, to be, to the extent practicable, a teacher who is responsible for implementing a portion of the child's individualized education program. The bill requires the written statement of the individualized education program to document the decisions of the committee with respect to issues discussed at each committee meeting. The bill requires the written statement to include the date of the meeting; the name, position, and signature of each member participating in the meeting; and an indication of whether the child's parents, the adult student, if applicable, and the administrator agreed or disagreed with the decisions of the committee. The bill entitles each member of the committee who disagrees with the individualized education program developed by the committee to include a statement of disagreement in the written statement of the program. The bill's provisions apply beginning with the 20152016 school year.
EFFECTIVE DATE
On passage, or, if the bill does not receive the necessary vote, September 1, 2015.