Bill Details
View committees (1)
View cosponsors (1)
AI Summary This summary was generated by AI from the bill text. AI can get information wrong.
This bill would change special education law to make sure parents are told, before their child’s first IEP meeting of the school year, that they can bring other people to the meeting who know the child well or have special expertise. The goal is to help families better understand their rights and take part in planning their child’s education and services.
- Schools would have to notify parents within a reasonable time before the first individualized education program, or IEP, team meeting each school year.
- The notice would remind parents that they may include other individuals who know about the child or have special expertise related to the child.
- This can include related services personnel, when appropriate, as part of the IEP team.
Official Summaries
Empowering Families in Special Education Act
This bill establishes a notification requirement related to an individualized education program (IEP). (Generally, IEPs are individualized plans to ensure that a child with a disability receives a free appropriate public education.)
Under current law, states and local educational agencies (LEAs) must convene a team to develop an IEP. The composition of the team that develops the IEP is outlined in current law and allows for other individuals who have knowledge or special expertise regarding the child (including related services personnel, as appropriate) to participate in this team. This bill requires the LEA that serves the child to notify the child's parents of their right to include these other individuals with knowledge or special expertise on the child's IEP team.
Current Full Text
[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 1570 Introduced in House (IH)]
<DOC>
119th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 1570
To amend the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act to require
notification with respect to individualized education program teams,
and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
February 25, 2025
Mrs. Houchin (for herself and Mr. Gottheimer) introduced the following
bill; which was referred to the Committee on Education and Workforce
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To amend the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act to require
notification with respect to individualized education program teams,
and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Empowering Families in Special
Education Act''.
SEC. 2. NOTIFICATION REQUIREMENT FOR IEP TEAMS.
Section 614(d)(1)(B) of the Individuals with Disabilities Education
Act (20 U.S.C. 1414(d)(1)(B)) is amended--
(1) in clause (iv), by redesignating subclauses (I) through
(III) as items (aa) through (cc), respectively (and by
conforming the margins accordingly);
(2) by redesignating clauses (i) through (vii) as
subclauses (I) through (VII), respectively (and by conforming
the margins accordingly);
(3) in the matter preceding subclause (I), as so
redesignated, by striking ``The term'' and inserting the
following:
``(i) In general.--The term''; and
(4) by adding at the end the following:
``(ii) Notification required.--Within a
reasonable timeframe prior to the first
convening of the individualized education
program team for a child with a disability for
a school year, the local educational agency
that serves such child shall notify the parent
of such child that such parent may, under
clause (i)(VI), include other individuals who
have knowledge or special expertise regarding
the child, including related services personnel
as appropriate, as part of the individualized
education program team.''.
<all>