Bill Details
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This bill would change special education rules so that parents are clearly told before the first school-year meeting of their child’s education planning team that they can bring in other people who know about the child’s needs. This could include therapists, counselors, or other support staff, as long as they have special knowledge or expertise about the child. The goal is to help families take part more fully in planning a child’s education and services.
- Schools would have to notify parents within a reasonable time before the first meeting of the school year for the child’s education plan team.
- The notice would explain that parents may include other individuals on the team if those people have knowledge or special expertise about the child.
- Related services personnel, such as support professionals who work with the child, could be included when appropriate.
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]
[S. 745 Introduced in Senate (IS)]
<DOC>
119th CONGRESS
1st Session
S. 745
To amend the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act to require
notification with respect to individualized education program teams,
and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
February 26, 2025
Mr. Schmitt (for himself, Mrs. Shaheen, and Mr. Padilla) introduced the
following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on
Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions
_______________________________________________________________________
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.''.
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