Bill Text: IL SB3768 | 2023-2024 | 103rd General Assembly | Introduced

NOTE: There are more recent revisions of this legislation. Read Latest Draft

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Bill Title: Reinserts the contents of the bill as engrossed with the following changes. Provides that priority of services shall be given to students referred to the Philip J. Rock Center and School who qualify as individuals with concomitant hearing and visual impairments or who are eligible for special education services under the category of deafblind. Provides that such a student may not be denied enrollment unless the student's placement in the Center and School would endanger the health or safety of any other student.

Spectrum: Slight Partisan Bill (Democrat 15-5)

Status: (Passed) 2024-08-09 - Public Act . . . . . . . . . 103-1045 [SB3768 Detail]

Download: Illinois-2023-SB3768-Introduced.html

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103RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY State of Illinois 2023 and 2024 SB3768 Introduced 2/9/2024, by Sen. Suzy Glowiak Hilton SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:
105 ILCS 5/14-11.02 from Ch. 122, par. 14-11.02
Amends the Children with Disabilities Article of the School Code. Provides that the State Board of Education shall maintain and operate, or contract for (instead of being empowered to establish, maintain, and operate or contract for) the operation of a permanent statewide residential education facility (instead of statewide service center), known as the Philip J. Rock Center and School. Provides that the State Board of Education shall include a line item in its budget to pay the costs of operating and maintaining the Philip J. Rock Center and School. Limits the specified services provided by the Philip J. Rock Center and School to eligible deaf-blind persons of all ages to being subject to appropriated funding for those specified services. Makes changes concerning provided services. Provides that for the purposes of employment, the Philip J. Rock Center and School shall be considered its own employer. Provides that the State Board of Education shall appoint a Chief Administrator of the Philip J. Rock Center and School who shall be employed by the Philip J. Rock Center and School. Specifies the duties of the Chief Administrator. Sets forth provisions concerning a student with an individualized education program at the Philip J. Rock Center and School. Makes changes concerning the Advisory Board for the Philip J. Rock Center and School. Makes other changes.
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A BILL FOR
SB3768 LRB103 39303 RJT 69457 b
AN ACT concerning education.
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
represented in the General Assembly:
Section 5. The School Code is amended by changing Section
14-11.02 as follows:
(105 ILCS 5/14-11.02) (from Ch. 122, par. 14-11.02)
Sec. 14-11.02. The Phillip J. Rock Center and School for
the Deaf-Blind. Notwithstanding any other Sections of this
Article, the State Board of Education shall develop and
operate or contract for the operation of a service center for
persons who are deaf-blind.
(a) For the purpose of this Section, persons with
deaf-blindness are persons who have both auditory and visual
impairments, the combination of which causes such severe
communication and other developmental, educational, vocational
and rehabilitation problems that such persons cannot be
properly accommodated in special education or vocational
rehabilitation programs solely for persons with both hearing
and visual disabilities.
(b) To be eligible for deaf-blind services under this
Section, a person must have (i) a visual impairment and an
auditory impairment, or (ii) a condition in which there is a
progressive loss of hearing or vision or both that results in

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concomitant vision and hearing impairments and that adversely
affects educational performance as determined by the
multidisciplinary conference. For purposes of this paragraph
and Section:
(1) (A) A visual impairment shall have the same
meaning as in the federal Individuals With Disabilities
Education Act and its implementing regulations is defined
to mean one or more of the following: (i) corrected visual
acuity poorer than 20/70 in the better eye; (ii)
restricted visual field of 20 degrees or less in the
better eye; (iii) cortical blindness; (iv) does not appear
to respond to visual stimulation, which adversely affects
educational performance as determined by the
multidisciplinary conference.
(2) (B) An auditory impairment shall have the same
meaning as in the federal Individuals With Disabilities
Education Act and its implementing regulations is defined
to mean one or more of the following: (i) a sensorineural
or ongoing or chronic conductive hearing loss with aided
sensitivity of 30dB HL or poorer; (ii) functional auditory
behavior that is significantly discrepant from the
person's present cognitive and/or developmental levels,
which adversely affects educational performance as
determined by the multidisciplinary conference.
(c) Notwithstanding any other Sections of this Article,
the The State Board of Education shall is empowered to

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establish, maintain and operate, or contract for the operation
of a permanent statewide residential education facility
state-wide service center known as the Philip J. Rock Center
and School. The School serves eligible children between the
ages of 3 and 22. Subject to appropriations, the Philip J. Rock
Center and School may provide additional services to 21; the
Center serves eligible deaf-blind persons of all ages. The
Philip J. Rock Center and School shall be located in the
Chicago metropolitan area near public transportation. The
State Board of Education shall include a line item in its
budget to pay the costs of operating and maintaining the
Philip J. Rock Center and School. If the Center is
appropriated funding to serve eligible deaf-blind persons of
all ages, services Services provided by the Center shall
include, but are not limited to:
(1) identifying Identifying and providing case
management of individuals with combined vision and hearing
loss persons who are auditorily and visually impaired;
(2) providing Providing families with appropriate
information and dissemination counseling;
(3) providing information to Referring persons who are
deaf-blind to appropriate agencies for medical and
diagnostic services;
(4) referring Referring persons who are deaf-blind to
appropriate agencies for educational, rehabilitation, and
support training and care services;

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(5) developing Developing and expanding services
throughout the State to persons who are deaf-blind. This
will include ancillary services, such as transportation so
that the individuals can take advantage of the expanded
services;
(6) (blank); Maintaining a residential-educational
training facility in the Chicago metropolitan area located
in an area accessible to public transportation;
(7) (blank); Receiving, dispensing, and monitoring
State and Federal funds to the School and Center
designated for services to persons who are deaf-blind;
(8) coordinating Coordinating services to persons who
are deaf-blind through all appropriate agencies, including
the Department of Children and Family Services and the
Department of Human Services;
(9) entering Entering into contracts with other
agencies to provide services to persons who are
deaf-blind;
(10) (blank); Operating on a no-reject basis. Any
individual referred to the Center for service and
diagnosed as deaf-blind, as defined in this Act, shall
qualify for available services;
(11) serving Serving as the information referral
clearinghouse for all persons who are deaf-blind, age 21
and older; and
(12) (blank). Providing transition services for

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students of Philip J. Rock School who are deaf-blind and
between the ages of 14 1/2 and 21.
(d) For the purposes of employment, the Philip J. Rock
Center and School shall be considered its own employer. The
State Board of Education shall appoint a Chief Administrator
of the Philip J. Rock Center and School who shall be employed
by the Philip J. Rock Center and School and shall manage the
daily operations of the residential educational facility. The
Chief Administrator shall have the authority on behalf of the
Philip J. Rock Center and School to:
(1) hire, evaluate, discipline, and terminate staff of
the Philip J. Rock Center and School;
(2) determine wages, benefits, and other conditions of
employment for all Philip J. Rock Center and School
employees;
(3) bargain with the exclusive bargaining
representative of the Philip J. Rock Center and School
employees;
(4) develop a budget to be submitted to the State
Board of Education for review and approval;
(5) contract for any professional, legal, and
educational services necessary for the operation of the
residential educational facility;
(6) make all decisions regarding the daily operations
of the residential educational facility; and
(7) perform any other duties as set forth in the

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employment contract for the Chief Administrator.
(e) If the State Board of Education contracts for the
fiscal administration of the Philip J. Rock Center and School,
then the contract shall be with a local school district,
special education cooperative, or regional office of education
that can serve as the fiscal agent for the Philip J. Rock
Center and School. To the extent possible, the fiscal agent
shall be in close geographic proximity to the Philip J. Rock
Center and School.
(f) In accordance with a student's individualized
education program, the Philip J. Rock Center and School shall
make every attempt to provide a free appropriate public
education pursuant to the federal Individuals with
Disabilities Education Act of 2001 to a student placed in its
residential educational facility either in its own program or
within a local school district program that are appropriate to
the child and contracted for by the Philip J. Rock Center and
School. Through the individualized education program process
with the student's resident school district, a student who
resides at the Philip J. Rock Center and School may be placed
in an alternate educational program by the student's
individualized education program team. Educational placement
and services shall be provided free of charge to the student's
resident school district unless there is tuition associated
with the educational placement and services. In the event the
Philip J. Rock Center and School must pay tuition or for a

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student's educational placement and services, such tuition or
transportation shall be billed to the student's resident
school district.
(g) The Advisory Board for Services for Persons who are
Deaf-Blind shall provide advice to the State Superintendent of
Education, the Governor, and the General Assembly on all
matters pertaining to policy concerning persons who are
deaf-blind, including the implementation of legislation
enacted on their behalf.
The Regarding the maintenance, operation and education
functions of the Philip J. Rock Center and School, the
Advisory Board shall also make recommendations pertaining to
but not limited to the following matters:
(1) existing Existing and proposed programs of all
State agencies that provide services for persons who are
deaf-blind;
(2) the The State program and financial plan for
deaf-blind services and the system of priorities to be
developed by the State Board of Education;
(3) standards Standards for services in facilities
serving persons who are deaf-blind;
(4) standards Standards and rates for State payments
for any services purchased for persons who are deaf-blind;
(5) services Services and research activities in the
field of deaf-blindness, including evaluation of services;
and

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(6) planning Planning for personnel or preparation
personnel/preparation, both preservice and inservice.
The Advisory Board shall consist of 3 persons appointed by
the Governor; 2 persons appointed by the State Superintendent
of Education; 4 persons appointed by the Secretary of Human
Services; and 2 persons appointed by the Director of Children
and Family Services. The 3 appointments of the Governor shall
consist of a senior citizen 60 years of age or older, a
consumer who is deaf-blind, and a parent of a person who is
deaf-blind; provided that if any gubernatorial appointee
serving on the Advisory Board on the effective date of this
amendatory Act of 1991 is not either a senior citizen 60 years
of age or older or a consumer who is deaf-blind or a parent of
a person who is deaf-blind, then whenever that appointee's
term of office expires or a vacancy in that appointee's office
sooner occurs, the Governor shall make the appointment to fill
that office or vacancy in a manner that will result, at the
earliest possible time, in the Governor's appointments to the
Advisory Board being comprised of one senior citizen 60 years
of age or older, one consumer who is deaf-blind, and one parent
of a person who is deaf-blind. One person designated by each
agency other than the Department of Human Services may be an
employee of that agency. Two persons appointed by the
Secretary of Human Services may be employees of the Department
of Human Services. The appointments of each appointing
authority other than the Governor shall include at least one

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