Bill Summaries: H%20840 TASK FORCE ON DEAF EDUCATION (NEW).

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  • Summary date: May 15 2013 - View Summary

    House committee substitute rewrites the 1st edition in its entirety:

    Changes the short and long titles of the bill to reflect the changes in the bill.

    Deletes all provisions of the 1st edition and instead establishes the Educational Services for Children who are Deaf or Hearing Impaired Task Force.  Membership consists of 20 members with 10 appointed by the Speaker of the House and ten appointed by the President Pro Tempore of the Senate; members represent various stakeholders and agency representatives or are legislators.  Task Force is charged with serving as a resource on the education of children who are deaf or hearing impaired and making recommendations on educational services and must make reports to the General Assembly by March 1, 2014, and January 15, 2015.  Task Force terminates when it submits its final report.


  • Summary date: Apr 15 2013 - View Summary

    Establishes the Division of Deaf Education (Division) within the Department of Public Instruction (Department). Directs the director of the Division to establish the administration for the Division at the residential schools for the deaf and hearing-impaired. The director will also act as the program administrator for one of the schools.  Provides that the Division will have the powers and duties as provided in GS Chapter 115C, Article 9, Part 1D.

    Repeals GS Chapter 143B, Article 3, Part 30 (State Schools for Hearing‑impaired Children).

    Amends GS Chapter 115C, Article 9, providing for new Part 1H (Residential Schools for Deaf and Hearing-Impaired Students) and Part 1I (Residential School for the Visually Impaired).

    Part 1H (Residential Schools for Deaf and Hearing-Impaired Students).

    Establishes the following schools for students who are deaf and hearing impaired: the Eastern North Carolina School for the Deaf at Wilson (K-12) and the North Carolina School for the Deaf at Morganton (K-12). The Division will be responsible for the governance of these schools and will provide oversight for the Early Intervention Program for Children Who Are Deaf or Hard of Hearing. Provides that the Division can consider for admission any children who are deaf, hearing-impaired, or deaf/multidisabled and meet specified criteria in accordance with state laws and regulations.  Provides that eligible nonresident children can be admitted to the schools if the admission does not prevent the attendance of an eligible resident student. However, only resident children can receive free tuition and room and board.

    Directs the Division to provide unique instructional programs which meet the needs of all the students admitted to the school and to lobby the state to provide modern equipment and supplies needed to provide the best educational conditions as possible. Additionally, the Division is required to meet certain educational related standards including but not limited to providing for a comprehensive vocational  and technical training program as directed in the transition component of a student's IEP.

    Part 1I (Residential School for the Visually Impaired).

    Establishes the Governor Morehead School for the Blind, with the Division of  Curriculum and Public Instruction responsible for the governance of the school. Provides that the Division of Exceptional Children can consider for admission any children that are visually impaired or visually impaired/multidisabled and meet specified criteria in accordance with state laws and regulations. Provides that eligible nonresident children can be admitted to the schools if the admission does not prevent the attendance of an eligible resident student. However, only resident children can receive free tuition and room and board.

    Directs the Division of Exceptional Children to provide unique instructional programs which meet the needs of all the students admitted to the school and to lobby the state to provide modern equipment and supplies needed to provide the best educational conditions as possible. Additionally, the Division of Exceptional Children will meet, at the minimum, the following educational related standards: (1)maintain a collaborative relationship with institutions of higher education to provide teacher training opportunities and (2) provide for a comprehensive vocational  and technical training program as directed in the transition component of a student's IEP.

    Amends GS 143B-146.1(b), the definitions section for Part 3A., Education Programs in Residential Schools, providing that a participating school is now defined as a residential school except as otherwise provided in GS Chapter 115C, Article 9, Parts 1H and Parts 1I. Deletes the term superintendent and its definition.

    Amends GS 143B-146.2(a), making conforming changes, deleting language that states that the Governor Morehead School and the schools for the deaf will participate in the ABC's Program.

    Amends GS 143B-146.8(f) and GS 143B-146.15, making conforming changes.

    Amends GS 143B-146.21 (Policies, reports, and other miscellaneous provisions), making conforming changes, deleting language related to the provision of sign language training, as this is now provided for in the new sections of the act as established above.

    Repeals subsection (e) of Section 10.21A of SL 2012-31.

    Provides that the State Board of Education will reorganize staffing of the residential schools, eliminating the position of the Executive Director of Residential Schools and providing that one of the directors from the residential schools for the deaf and hearing-impaired will be appointed the director of the Division of Deaf Education.