Bill Text: DE HCR64 | 2013-2014 | 147th General Assembly | Draft

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Bill Title: Establishing A State Task Force To Expand Educational Options For Very Young Children With Disabilities.

Spectrum: Bipartisan Bill

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2014-06-17 - Introduced in House [HCR64 Detail]

Download: Delaware-2013-HCR64-Draft.html

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SPONSOR:	Rep. M. Smith & Sen. Sokola
	Reps. Baumbach, Dukes, Hudson, Kenton, Longhurst, Miro, Paradee, Ramone, D. Short; Sens. Ennis, Hall-Long, Hocker, Lopez

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

147th GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION NO. 64

ESTABLISHING A STATE TASK FORCE TO EXPAND EDUCATIONAL OPTIONS FOR VERY YOUNG CHILDREN WITH DISABILITIES.

WHEREAS, educating children with special needs requires specialized training, methods, and resources to best prepare them for life and work as adults; and

WHEREAS, the public interest would be best served by ensuring that these children receive appropriate services as early as possible to prepare them for a lifetime of achievement; and

WHEREAS, the ages of 3 to 5 are a critical time in a child's development, particularly for children with special needs; and

WHEREAS, children with identified disabilities between the ages of 3 and 5 are legally entitled to educational and related services from their local school district but services vary among districts; and

WHEREAS, under Delaware's existing system for providing services to children between 3 and 5 years old with disabilities, parents have few options or choices if they wish to receive services for their children other than to accept the services offered by their local school districts; and

WHEREAS, existing law confers an expectation that children with disabilities will receive programming which results in significant learning and meaningful benefit gauged to their potential;

NOW, THEREFORE:

BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the 147th General Assembly of the State of Delaware, the Senate concurring therein, that there is established a State Task Force to Expand Educational Options for Very Young Children With Disabilities (the "Task Force").

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Task Force shall consist of the following members:

(1)The chair of the Governor's Advisory Council for Exceptional Citizens ("GACEC") or the chair's designee;

(2)Two members of the Delaware Senate, one to be appointed by the President Pro Tempore and one to be appointed by the Senate Minority Leader;

(3)Two members of the Delaware House of Representatives, one to be appointed by the Speaker of the House and one to be appointed by the House Minority Leader;

(4)The Governor of the State of Delaware or the Governor's Designee;

(5)The Lieutenant Governor of the State of Delaware or the Lieutenant Governor's Designee;

(6) A representative from the Disabilities Law Program to be appointed by the Executive Director of the Community Legal Aid Society;

(7)The Chairperson of the State Council for Persons with Disabilities or the Chairperson's designee;

(8)The Chairperson of the Developmental Disabilities Council or the Chairperson's designee;

(9)The Executive Director of the Delaware Office of Early Learning or his/her designee;

(10)The Chair of the Early Childhood Council or his/her designee;

(11)Three family members of children under 8 years of age who have disabilities or special health care needs tobe appointed by the Chair of the Task Force;

(12)Three current providers of educational services to children with disabilities between the ages of 3 and 5 to be selected by the Chair of the Task Force;

(13)The Director of the Division of Public Health or the Director's designee;

(14)The Secretary of the Department of Services for Children, Youth and Their Families or the Secretary's designee;

(15)The Secretary of Education or the Secretary's designee;

(16)The president of the Delaware State Education Association or the president's designee; and

(17)A representative of an organization that advocates for parents in the special education system to be appointed by the Chair of the Task Force.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Chair of the Task Force shall be named by the Speaker of the House of Representatives.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Chair of the Task Force be responsible for guiding the administration of the Task Force by, at a minimum:

1.Setting a date, time, and place for the initial organizational meeting;

2. Supervising the preparation and distribution of meeting notices, agendas, minutes, correspondence, and reports of the Task Force;

3. Sending, after the first meeting of the Task Force, a list of the members of the Task Force and the person who appointed them and providing meeting notices, agendas, and minutes to the Director of the Division of Research of Legislative Council; and

4. Ensuring that the final report of the Task Force is submitted to the Governor, the President Pro Tempore of the Senate, and the Speaker of the House, with a copy going to the Director and the Librarian of the Division of Research of Legislative Council and to the Delaware Public Archives.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Task Force shall:

(1) Obtain input from stakeholders, including but not limited to schools; families of children with disabilities; experts and practitioners in early learning and services to children under 5 with disabilities and their families; and

(2) Make recommendations on the following issues:

(a)Practical methods to provide parents of children age 3 to 5 with disabilities with options other than receiving services from their local school districts;

(b)Ancillary issues that occur in connection with expanded options such as transportation and other accommodations, and federal restrictions on uses of funds; and

(c)Existing and potential funding mechanisms to better support preschool-aged children whose special needs and eligibility for school services are identified after the unit count deadline.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the GACEC shall provide staff support to the Task Force. Task Force members shall serve without compensation.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Department of Education and all school districts and charter schools shall promptly respond to requests for information from the Task Force.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Task Force shall present a final report of its findings and recommendations to the Governor, the President Pro Tempore of the Senate, and the Speaker of the House of Representatives by January 1, 2015.

SYNOPSIS

This House Concurrent Resolution creates a Task Force for Expanding Educational Options for Children With Disabilities.  The Task Force will obtain input from stakeholders regarding services for children with disabilities between the ages of three and five and recommend methods to provide parents with special educational options beyond those offered by their local school districts.  Currently these children are eligible for state and federal assistance for early learning and special needs, but are not old enough yet to participate in school choice programs.The final report of the Task Force is due by January 1, 2015.