CHAPTER 3323: EDUCATION OF CHILDREN WITH DISABILITIES

As used in this chapter:

(A) “Child with a disability” means a child who is at least three years of age and less than twenty-two years of age; who has mental retardation, a hearing impairment (including deafness), a speech or language impairment, a visual impairment (including blindness), a serious emotional disturbance, an orthopedic impairment, autism, traumatic brain injury, an other health impairment, a specific learning disability, deaf-blindness, or multiple disabilities; and who, by reason thereof, needs special education and related services.

A “child with a disability” may include a child who is at least three years of age and less than six years of age; who is experiencing developmental delays, as defined by standards adopted by the state board of education and as measured by appropriate diagnostic instruments and procedures in one or more of the following areas: physical development, cognitive development, communication development, social or emotional development, or adaptive development; and who, by reason thereof, needs special education and related services.

(B) “County MR/DD board” means a county board of mental retardation and developmental disabilities.

(C) “Free appropriate public education” means special education and related services that meet all of the following:

(1) Are provided at public expense, under public supervision and direction, and without charge;

(2) Meet the standards of the state board of education;

(3) Include an appropriate preschool, elementary, or secondary education as otherwise provided by the law of this state;

(4) Are provided for each child with a disability in conformity with the child’s individualized education program.

(D) “Homeless children” means “homeless children and youths” as defined in section 725 of the “McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act,” 42 U.S.C. 11434a.

(E) “Individualized education program” or “IEP” means the written statement described in section 3323.011 of the Revised Code.

(F) “Individualized education program team” or “IEP team” means a group of individuals composed of:

(1) The parents of a child with a disability;

(2) At least one regular education teacher of the child, if the child is or may be participating in the regular education environment;

(3) At least one special education teacher, or where appropriate, at least one special education provider of the child;

(4) A representative of the school district who meets all of the following:

(a) Is qualified to provide, or supervise the provision of, specially designed instruction to meet the unique needs of children with disabilities;

(b) Is knowledgeable about the general education curriculum;

(c) Is knowledgeable about the availability of resources of the school district.

(5) An individual who can interpret the instructional implications of evaluation results, who may be a member of the team as described in divisions (F)(2) to (4) of this section;

(6) At the discretion of the parent or the school district, other individuals who have knowledge or special expertise regarding the child, including related services personnel as appropriate;

(7) Whenever appropriate, the child with a disability.

(G) “Instruction in braille reading and writing” means the teaching of the system of reading and writing through touch commonly known as standard English braille.

(H) “Other educational agency” means a department, division, bureau, office, institution, board, commission, committee, authority, or other state or local agency, which is not a city, local, or exempted village school district or an agency administered by the department of mental retardation and developmental disabilities, that provides or seeks to provide special education or related services to children with disabilities. The term “other educational agency” includes a joint vocational school district.

(I) “Parent” of a child with a disability, except as used in sections 3323.09 and 3323.141 of the Revised Code, means:

(1) A natural or adoptive parent of a child but not a foster parent of a child;

(2) A guardian, but not the state if the child is a ward of the state;

(3) An individual acting in the place of a natural or adoptive parent, including a grandparent, stepparent, or other relative, with whom the child lives, or an individual who is legally responsible for the child’s welfare;

(4) An individual assigned to be a surrogate parent, provided the individual is not prohibited by this chapter from serving as a surrogate parent for a child.

(J) “Preschool child with a disability” means a child with a disability who is at least three years of age but is not of compulsory school age, as defined under section 3321.01 of the Revised Code, and who is not currently enrolled in kindergarten.

(K) “Related services” means transportation, and such developmental, corrective, and other supportive services (including speech-language pathology and audiology services, interpreting services, psychological services, physical and occupational therapy, recreation, including therapeutic recreation, school nurse services designed to enable a child with a disability to receive a free appropriate public education as described in the individualized education program of the child, counseling services, including rehabilitation counseling, orientation and mobility services, school health services, social work services in schools, and parent counseling and training, and medical services, except that such medical services shall be for diagnostic and evaluation purposes only) as may be required to assist a child with a disability to benefit from special education, and includes the early identification and assessment of disabling conditions in children. “Related services” does not include a medical device that is surgically implanted, or the replacement of such device.

(L) “School district” means a city, local, or exempted village school district.

(M) “School district of residence,” as used in sections 3323.09, 3323.091, 3323.13, and 3323.14 of the Revised Code, means:

(1) The school district in which the child’s natural or adoptive parents reside;

(2) If the school district specified in division (M)(1) of this section cannot be determined, the last school district in which the child’s natural or adoptive parents are known to have resided if the parents’ whereabouts are unknown;

(3) If the school district specified in division (M)(2) of this section cannot be determined, the school district determined under section 2151.362 of the Revised Code, or if no district has been so determined, the school district as determined by the probate court of the county in which the child resides.

(4) Notwithstanding divisions (M)(1) to (3) of this section, if a school district is required by section 3313.65 of the Revised Code to pay tuition for a child, that district shall be the child’s school district of residence.

(N) “Special education” means specially designed instruction, at no cost to parents, to meet the unique needs of a child with a disability. “Special education” includes instruction conducted in the classroom, in the home, in hospitals and institutions, and in other settings, including an early childhood education setting, and instruction in physical education.

(O) “Student with a visual impairment” means any person who is less than twenty-two years of age and who has a visual impairment as that term is defined in this section.

(P) “Transition services” means a coordinated set of activities for a child with a disability that meet all of the following:

(1) Is designed to be within a results-oriented process, that is focused on improving the academic and functional achievement of the child with a disability to facilitate the child’s movement from school to post-school activities, including post-secondary education; vocational education; integrated employment (including supported employment); continuing and adult education; adult services; independent living; or community participation;

(2) Is based on the individual child’s needs, taking into account the child’s strengths, preferences, and interests;

(3) Includes instruction, related services, community experiences, the development of employment and other post-school adult living objectives, and, when appropriate, acquisition of daily living skills and functional vocational evaluation.

“Transition services” for children with disabilities may be special education, if provided as specially designed instruction, or may be a related service, if required to assist a child with a disability to benefit from special education.

(Q) “Visual impairment” for any individual means that one of the following applies to the individual:

(1) The individual has a visual acuity of 20/200 or less in the better eye with correcting lenses or has a limited field of vision in the better eye such that the widest diameter subtends an angular distance of no greater than twenty degrees.

(2) The individual has a medically indicated expectation of meeting the requirements of division (Q)(1) of this section over a period of time.

(3) The individual has a medically diagnosed and medically uncorrectable limitation in visual functioning that adversely affects the individual’s ability to read and write standard print at levels expected of the individual’s peers of comparable ability and grade level.

(R) “Ward of the state” has the same meaning as in section 602(36) of the “Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act of 2004,” 20 U.S.C. 1401(36).

Effective Date: 2007 HB119 09-29-2007

As used in this chapter, “individualized education program” or “IEP” means a written statement for each child with a disability that is developed, reviewed, and revised in accordance with this definition and that includes:

(A) A statement of the child’s present levels of academic achievement and functional performance, including:

(1) How the child’s disability affects the child’s involvement and progress in the general education curriculum;

(2) For a preschool child with a disability, as appropriate, how the disability affects the child’s participation in appropriate activities;

(3) For a child with a disability who is not a preschool child and who will take alternate assessments aligned to alternate achievement standards, a description of benchmarks or short-term objectives.

(B) A statement of measurable annual goals, including academic and functional goals and, at the discretion of the department of education, short-term instructional objectives that are designed to:

(1) Meet the child’s needs that result from the child’s disability so as to enable the child to be involved in and make progress in the general education curriculum;

(2) Meet each of the child’s other educational needs that result from the child’s disability.

(C) A description of how the child’s progress toward meeting the annual goals described pursuant to division (B) of this section will be measured and when periodic reports on the progress the child is making toward meeting the annual goals will be provided. Such reports may be quarterly or other periodic reports that are issued concurrent with the issuance of regular report cards.

(D) A statement of the special education and related services and supplementary aids and services, based on peer-reviewed research to the extent practicable, to be provided to the child, or on behalf of the child, and a statement of the program modifications or supports for school personnel that will be provided for the child so that the child may:

(1) Advance appropriately toward attaining the annual goals described pursuant to division (B) of this section;

(2) Be involved in and make progress in the general education curriculum and participate in extracurricular and other nonacademic activities;

(3) Be educated with and participate with both other children with disabilities and nondisabled children in the specific activities described pursuant to division (D) of this section.

(E) An explanation of the extent, if any, to which the child will not participate with nondisabled children in the regular class, including an early childhood education setting, and in the activities described pursuant to division (D) of this section;

(F) A statement of any individual appropriate accommodations that are necessary to measure the academic achievement and functional performance of the child on state and districtwide assessments consistent with section 612(a)(16) of the “Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act of 2004,” 20 U.S.C. 1412(a)(16). If the IEP team determines that the child shall take an alternate assessment on a particular state or districtwide assessment of student achievement, the IEP shall contain a statement of why the child cannot participate in the regular assessment and why the particular alternate assessment selected is appropriate for the child.

(G) The projected date for the beginning of the services and modifications described pursuant to division (D) of this section and the anticipated frequency, location, and duration of those services and modifications;

(H) Beginning not later than the first IEP to be in effect when the child is sixteen years of age, and updated annually thereafter, a statement describing:

(1) Appropriate measurable post-secondary goals based upon age-appropriate transition assessments related to training, education, employment, and independent living skills;

(2) The transition services, including courses of study, needed to assist the child in reaching the goals described in division (H)(1) of this section.

(I) Beginning not later than one year before the child reaches eighteen years of age, a statement that the child has been informed of the child’s rights under Title XX of the United States Code that will transfer to the child on reaching eighteen years of age in accordance with section 615(m) of the “Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act of 2004,” 20 U.S.C. 1415(m).

Nothing in this section shall be construed to require that additional information be included in a child’s IEP beyond the items explicitly required by this section and that the IEP team include information under one component of a child’s IEP that is already contained under another component of the IEP.

Effective Date: 2007 HB119 09-29-2007

A community school established under Chapter 3314. of the Revised Code shall be considered a school district for the purposes of this chapter.

Effective Date: 06-30-1997

(A) The individualized education program required for any student with a visual impairment under this chapter shall include the following, in addition to the statements required pursuant to section 3323.011 of the Revised Code:

(1) A statement that instruction in braille reading and writing was carefully considered for the student and that pertinent literature describing the educational benefits of instruction in braille reading and writing was reviewed by the persons developing the student’s individualized education program;

(2) A statement specifying the one or more reading and writing media in which instruction is appropriate for the student’s educational needs;

(3) If instruction in braille reading and writing is specified as appropriate for the student pursuant to division (A)(2) of this section, a statement of the instruction in braille reading and writing that is to be provided to the student. This statement shall specify the date on which the instruction is to commence, the frequency and duration of instruction sessions, the level of competency in braille reading and writing expected to be achieved annually, and the objective assessment measures to be used. Whenever appropriate, the expected level of braille competency for the student shall be to enable the student to communicate effectively and efficiently with the same level of proficiency expected of the student’s peers of comparable ability and grade level and the instruction in braille reading and writing that is to be provided shall be designed accordingly.

(B) If the individualized education program for any student with a visual impairment does not specify instruction in braille reading and writing as appropriate for the student pursuant to division (A)(2) of this section, each annual review of that student’s individualized education program shall include a written statement specifying the reasons why instruction in braille reading and writing is not appropriate for the student.

(C)(1) No student with a visual impairment shall be denied instruction in braille reading and writing pursuant to this section solely because the student has some remaining vision or because the student is to receive reading and writing instruction in another medium.

(2) Nothing in this section shall be construed to require the exclusive use of instruction through the medium of braille reading and writing if other reading and writing media are appropriate to a student’s educational needs.

(D) Any instruction in braille reading and writing provided to any student with a visual impairment pursuant to division (A)(3) of this section shall be provided by a teacher licensed to teach students with visual impairments.

Effective Date: 2007 HB119 09-29-2007

If an agency other than the school district responsible for a child’s IEP fails to provide the transition services described in the IEP, the school district that is responsible for the IEP shall reconvene the IEP team to identify alternative strategies to meet the transition objectives for the child set out in the child’s IEP.

Effective Date: 2007 HB119 09-29-2007

As used in this section, “IDEIA” means the “Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act of 2004,” Pub. L. No. 108-446.

It is the purpose of this chapter to ensure that all children with disabilities residing in this state who are at least three years of age and less than twenty-two years of age, including children with disabilities who have been suspended or expelled from school, have available to them a free appropriate public education. No school district, county MR/DD board, or other educational agency shall receive state or federal funds for special education and related services unless those services for children with disabilities are provided in accordance with IDEIA and related provisions of the Code of Federal Regulations, the provisions of this chapter, rules and standards adopted by the state board of education, and any procedures or guidelines issued by the superintendent of public instruction. Any options or discretion provided to the state by IDEIA may be exercised in state law or in rules or standards adopted by the state board of education.

The state board of education shall establish rules or standards for the provision of special education and related services for all children with disabilities who are at least three years of age and less than twenty-two years of age residing in the state, regardless of the severity of their disabilities, including children with disabilities who have been suspended or expelled from school. The state law and the rules or standards of the state board of education may impose requirements that are not required by IDEIA or related provisions of the Code of Federal Regulations. The school district of residence is responsible, in all instances, for ensuring that the requirements of Part B of IDEIA are met for every eligible child in its jurisdiction, regardless of whether services are provided by another school district, other educational agency, or other agency, department, or entity, unless IDEIA or related provisions of the Code of Federal Regulations, another section of this chapter, or a rule adopted by the state board of education specifies that another school district, other educational agency, or other agency, department, or entity is responsible for ensuring compliance with Part B of IDEIA.

Notwithstanding division (A)(4) of section 3301.53 of the Revised Code and any rules adopted pursuant to that section and division (A) of section 3313.646 of the Revised Code, a board of education of a school district may provide special education and related services for preschool children with disabilities in accordance with this chapter and section 3301.52, divisions (A)(1) to (3) and (A)(5) and (6) of section 3301.53, and sections 3301.54 to 3301.59 of the Revised Code.

The superintendent of public instruction may require any state or local agency to provide documentation that special education and related services for children with disabilities provided by the agency are in compliance with the requirements of this chapter.

Not later than the first day of February of each year the superintendent of public instruction shall furnish the chairpersons of the education committees of the house of representatives and the senate with a report on the status of implementation of special education and related services for children with disabilities required by this chapter. The report shall include but shall not be limited to the following items: the most recent available figures on the number of children identified as children with disabilities and the number of identified children receiving special education and related services. The information contained in these reports shall be public information.

Effective Date: 07-01-1991; 2007 HB119 09-29-2007

As used in this section, “participating county MR/DD board” means a county board of mental retardation and developmental disabilities electing to participate in the provision of or contracting for educational services for children under division (D) of section 5126.05 of the Revised Code.

(A) When a school district, educational service center, or participating county MR/DD board enters into an agreement or contract with another school district, educational service center, or participating county MR/DD board to provide educational services to a disabled child during a school year, both of the following shall apply:

(1) Beginning with fiscal year 1999, if the provider of the services intends to increase the amount it charges for some or all of those services during the next school year or if the provider intends to cease offering all or part of those services during the next school year, the provider shall notify the entity for which the services are provided of these intended changes no later that the first day of March of the current fiscal year.

(2) Beginning with fiscal year 1999, if the entity for which services are provided intends to cease obtaining those services from the provider for the next school year or intends to change the type or amount of services it obtains from the provider for the next school year, the entity shall notify the service provider of these intended changes no later than the first day of March of the current fiscal year.

(B) School districts, educational service centers, participating county MR/DD boards, and other applicable governmental entities shall collaborate where possible to maximize federal sources of revenue to provide additional funds for special education related services for disabled children. Annually, each school district shall report to the department of education any amounts of money the district received through such medical assistance program.

(C) The state board of education, the department of mental retardation and developmental disabilities, and the department of job and family services shall develop working agreements for pursuing additional funds for services for disabled children.

Effective Date: 07-01-2000; 07-01-2005

The state board of education shall, in consultation with the department of health, the department of mental health, and the department of mental retardation and developmental disabilities, establish standards and procedures for the identification, location, and evaluation of all children with disabilities residing in the state, including children with disabilities who are homeless children or are wards of the state and children with disabilities attending nonpublic schools, regardless of the severity of their disabilities, and who are in need of special education and related services. The state board shall develop and implement a practical method to determine which children with disabilities are currently receiving needed special education and related services.

In conducting the evaluation, the board of education of each school district shall use a variety of assessment tools and strategies to gather relevant functional, developmental, and academic information about the child, including information provided by the child’s parent. The board of education of each school district, in consultation with the county MR/DD board, the county family and children first council, and the board of alcohol, drug addiction, and mental health services of each county in which the school district has territory, shall identify, locate, and evaluate all children with disabilities residing within the district to determine which children with disabilities are not receiving appropriate special education and related services. In addition, the board of education of each school district, in consultation with such county boards or council, shall identify, locate, and evaluate all children with disabilities who are enrolled by their parents in nonpublic elementary and secondary schools located within the public school district, without regard to where those children reside in accordance with rules of the state board of education or guidelines of the superintendent of public instruction.

Each county MR/DD board, county family and children first council, and board of alcohol, drug addiction, and mental health services and the board’s or council’s contract agencies may transmit to boards of education the names and addresses of children with disabilities who are not receiving appropriate special education and related services.

Effective Date: 10-10-1989; 2007 HB119 09-29-2007

The board of education of each school district shall annually assess the reading and writing skills of each student with a visual impairment enrolled in the district in each medium in which instruction is specified as appropriate for the student pursuant to division (A)(2) of section 3323.013 of the Revised Code. The results of each assessment shall be provided in a written statement that specifies the student’s strengths and weaknesses in each medium assessed.

Effective Date: 03-21-1994; 2007 HB119 09-29-2007

The state board of education, in consultation with the department of mental health and the department of mental retardation and developmental disabilities, shall establish procedures and standards for the development of individualized education programs for children with disabilities.

The state board shall require the board of education of each school district to develop an individualized education program for each child with a disability who is at least three years of age and less than twenty-two years of age residing in the district in a manner that is in accordance with rules of the state board.

Prior to the placement of a child with a disability in a program operated under section 3323.09 of the Revised Code, the district board of education shall consult the county MR/DD board of the county in which the child resides regarding the proposed placement.

A child with a disability enrolled in a nonpublic school or facility shall be provided special education and related services, in accordance with an individualized education program, at no cost for those services, if the child is placed in, or referred to, that nonpublic school or facility by the department of education or a school district.

The IEP team shall review the individualized education program of each child with a disability periodically, but at least annually, to determine whether the annual goals for the child are being achieved, and shall revise the individualized education program as appropriate.

The state board shall establish procedures and standards to assure that to the maximum extent appropriate, children with disabilities, including children in public or private institutions or other care facilities, shall be educated with children who are not disabled. Special classes, separate schools, or other removal of children with disabilities from the regular educational environment shall be used only when the nature or severity of a child’s disability is such that education in regular classes with supplementary aids and services cannot be achieved satisfactorily.

If an agency directly affected by a placement decision objects to such decision, an impartial hearing officer, appointed by the department of education from a list prepared by the department, shall conduct a hearing to review the placement decision. The agencies that are parties to a hearing shall divide the costs of such hearing equally. The decision of the hearing officer shall be final, except that any party to the hearing who is aggrieved by the findings or the decision of the hearing officer may appeal the findings or decision in accordance with division (H) of section 3323.05 of the Revised Code or the parent of any child affected by such decision may present a complaint in accordance with that section.

Effective Date: 07-01-1991; 2007 HB119 09-29-2007

To the extent consistent with the number and location of children with disabilities in the state who are enrolled by their parents in nonpublic elementary and secondary schools in the school district served by a board of education of a school district, provision is made for the participation of those children in the program for the education of children with disabilities which is assisted or carried out under Part B of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act of 2004, P.L. 108-446. The district in which the nonpublic elementary or secondary school is located shall provide for such children special education and related services in accordance with Section 612(a)(10) of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act of 2004, 20 U.S.C. 1412(a)(10) and related provisions of the Code of Federal Regulations and in accordance with any rules adopted by the state board of education or guidelines issued by the superintendent of public instruction.

Amounts to be expended for the provision of those services, including direct services to parentally placed nonpublic school children, by the school district shall be equal to a proportionate amount of federal funds made available under Part B of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act of 2004. The school district shall exercise the following responsibilities towards parentally placed children with disabilities who attend nonpublic schools located in the school district: child find, timely and meaningful consultation, written affirmation of timely and meaningful consultation, compliance, and provision of equitable services, as provided by the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act of 2004 and related provisions of the Code of Federal Regulations and in accordance with any rules adopted by the state board of education or guidelines issued by the superintendent of public instruction.

Effective Date: 2007 HB119 09-29-2007

The state board of education shall establish procedures to ensure that children with disabilities and their parents are guaranteed procedural safeguards under this chapter with respect to a free appropriate public education.

The procedures shall include, but need not be limited to:

(A) An opportunity for the parents of a child with a disability to examine all records related to the child and to participate in meetings with respect to identification, evaluation, and educational placement of the child, and to obtain an independent educational evaluation of the child;

(B) Procedures to protect the rights of the child whenever the parents of the child are not known, an agency after making reasonable efforts cannot find the parents, or the child is a ward of the state, including the assignment, in accordance with section 3323.051 of the Revised Code, of an individual to act as a surrogate for the parents;

(C) Prior written notice to the child’s parents of a school district’s proposal or refusal to initiate or change the identification, evaluation, or educational placement of the child or the provision of a free appropriate education for the child. The procedures established under this division shall:

(1) Be designed to ensure that the written prior notice is in the native language of the parents, unless it clearly is not feasible to do so.

(2) Specify that the prior written notice shall include:

(a) A description of the action proposed or refused by the district;

(b) An explanation of why the district proposes or refuses to take the action and a description of each evaluation procedure, assessment, record, or report the district used as a basis for the proposed or refused action;

(c) A statement that the parents of a child with a disability have protection under the procedural safeguards and, if the notice is not in regard to an initial referral for evaluation, the means by which a copy of a description of the procedural safeguards can be obtained;

(d) Sources for parents to contact to obtain assistance in understanding the provisions of Part B of the “Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act of 2004”;

(e) A description of other options considered by the IEP team and the reason why those options were rejected;

(f) A description of the factors that are relevant to the agency’s proposal or refusal.

(D) An opportunity for the child’s parents to present complaints to the superintendent of the child’s school district of residence with respect to any matter relating to the identification, evaluation, or educational placement of the child, or the provision of a free appropriate public education under this chapter.

Within twenty school days after receipt of a complaint, the district superintendent or the superintendent’s designee, without undue delay and at a time and place convenient to all parties, shall review the case, may conduct an administrative review, and shall notify all parties in writing of the superintendent’s or designee’s decision. Where the child is placed in a program operated by a county MR/DD board or other educational agency, the superintendent shall consult with the administrator of that county MR/DD board or agency.

Any party aggrieved by the decision of the district superintendent or the superintendent’s designee may file a complaint with the state board as provided under division (E) of this section, request mediation as provided under division (F) of this section, or present a due process complaint notice and request for a due process hearing in writing to the superintendent of the district, with a copy to the state board, as provided under division (G) of this section.

(E) An opportunity for a party to file a complaint with the state board of education with respect to the identification, evaluation, or educational placement of the child, or the provision of a free appropriate public education to such child. The department of education shall review and, where appropriate, investigate the complaint and issue findings.

(F) An opportunity for parents and a school district to resolve through mediation disputes involving any matter.

(1) The procedures established under this section shall ensure that the mediation process is voluntary on the part of the parties, is not used to deny or delay a parent’s right to a due process hearing or to deny any other rights afforded under this chapter, and is conducted by a qualified and impartial mediator who is trained in effective mediation techniques.

(2) A school district may establish procedures to offer to parents and schools that choose not to use the mediation process, an opportunity to meet, at a time and location convenient to the parents, with a disinterested party to encourage the use, and explain the benefits, of the mediation process to the parents. The disinterested party shall be an individual who is under contract with a parent training and information center or community parent resource center in the state or is under contract with an appropriate alternative dispute resolution entity.

(3) The department shall maintain a list of individuals who are qualified mediators and knowledgeable in laws and regulations relating to the provision of special education and related services.

(4) The department shall bear the cost of the mediation process, including the costs of meetings described in division (F)(2) of this section.

(5) Each session in the mediation process shall be scheduled in a timely manner and shall be held in a location that is convenient to the parties to the dispute.

(6) Discussions that occur during the mediation process shall be confidential and shall not be used as evidence in any subsequent due process hearing or civil proceeding.

(7) In the case that a resolution is reached to resolve the complaint through the mediation process, the parties shall execute a legally binding agreement that sets forth the resolution and that:

(a) States that all discussions that occurred during the mediation process shall be confidential and shall not be used as evidence in any subsequent due process hearing or civil proceeding;

(b) Is signed by both the parent and a representative for the school district who has the authority to bind the district;

(c) Is enforceable in any state court of competent jurisdiction or in a district court of the United States.

(G)(1) An opportunity for parents or a school district to present a due process complaint and request for a due process hearing to the superintendent of the school district of the child’s residence with respect to the identification, evaluation, or educational placement of the child, or the provision of a free appropriate public education to the child. The party presenting the due process complaint and request for a due process hearing shall provide due process complaint notice to the other party and forward a copy of the notice to the state board. The due process complaint notice shall include:

(a) The name of the child, the address of the residence of the child, or the available contact information in the case of a homeless child, and the name of the school the child is attending;

(b) A description of the nature of the problem of the child relating to the proposed initiation or change, including facts relating to the problem;

(c) A proposed resolution of the problem to the extent known and available to the party at the time.

A party shall not have a due process hearing until the party, or the attorney representing the party, files a notice that meets the requirement for filing a due process complaint notice.

A due process hearing shall be conducted by an impartial hearing officer in accordance with standards and procedures adopted by the state board. A hearing officer shall not be an employee of the state board or any agency involved in the education or care of the child or a person having a personal or professional interest that conflicts with the person’s objectivity in the hearing. A hearing officer shall possess knowledge of, and the ability to understand, the provisions of the “Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act of 2004,” federal and state regulations pertaining to that act, and legal interpretations of that act by federal and state courts; possess the knowledge and ability to conduct hearings in accordance with appropriate standard legal practice; and possess the knowledge and ability to render and write decisions in accordance with appropriate standard legal practice. The due process requirements of section 615 of the “Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act of 2004,” 20 U.S.C. 1415, apply to due process complaint notices and requests for due process hearings and to due process hearings held under division (G) of this section, including, but not limited to, timelines for requesting hearings, requirements for sufficient complaint notices, resolution sessions, and sufficiency and hearing decisions.

(2) Discussions that occur during a resolution session shall be confidential and shall not be used as evidence in any subsequent due process hearing or civil proceeding. If a resolution to the dispute is reached at a resolution session, the parties must execute a legally binding written settlement agreement which shall state that all discussions that occurred during the resolution process shall be confidential and shall not be used as evidence in any subsequent due process hearing or civil proceeding.

(3) A party to a hearing under division (G) of this section shall be accorded:

(a) The right to be accompanied and advised by counsel and by individuals with special knowledge or training with respect to the problems of children with disabilities;

(b) The right to present evidence and confront, cross-examine, and compel the attendance of witnesses;

(c) The right to a written or electronic verbatim record of the hearing;

(d) The right to written findings of fact and decisions, which findings of fact and decisions shall be made available to the public consistent with the requirements relating to the confidentiality of personally identifiable data, information, and records collected and maintained by state educational agencies and local educational agencies; and shall be transmitted to the advisory panel established and maintained by the department for the purpose of providing policy guidance with respect to special education and related services for children with disabilities in the state.

(H) An opportunity for any party aggrieved by the findings and decision rendered in a hearing under division (G) of this section to appeal within forty-five days of notification of the decision to the state board, which shall appoint a state level officer who shall review the case and issue a final order. The state level officer shall be appointed and shall review the case in accordance with standards and procedures adopted by the state board.

Any party aggrieved by the final order of the state level officer may appeal the final order, in accordance with Chapter 119. of the Revised Code, within forty-five days after notification of the order to the court of common pleas of the county in which the child’s school district of residence is located, or to a district court of the United States within ninety days after the date of the decision of the state level review officer, as provided in section 615(i)(2) of the “Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act of 2004,” 20 U.S.C. 1415(i)(2).

Effective Date: 07-13-1990; 2007 HB119 09-29-2007

No individual shall be assigned to act as a surrogate for the parents of a child with a disability under division (B) of section 3323.05 of the Revised Code if the individual is an employee of the department of education or the school district or any other agency involved in the education or care of the child or if the individual has any interest that conflicts with the interests of the child. If a conflict of interest arises subsequent to the assignment of a surrogate, the authority that made the assignment shall terminate it and assign another surrogate. Neither the surrogate nor the authority that assigned the surrogate shall be liable in civil damages for acts of the surrogate unless such acts constitute willful or wanton misconduct.

Effective Date: 07-01-1983; 2007 HB119 09-29-2007

(A) The state board of education shall develop, implement, provide general supervision of, and assure compliance with a state plan for the following:

(1) The identification, location, and evaluation of all children with disabilities in the state;

(2) The provision of special education and related services to ensure a free appropriate public education for all children with disabilities at least three years of age and less than twenty-two years of age, including children with disabilities who have been suspended or expelled from school;

(3) The availability of special education and related services for children with disabilities under three years of age, as authorized by division (C) of this section and as specified in rules of the state board.

The state plan shall provide assurances that the state board has in effect policies and procedures to ensure that the state meets the conditions specified in section 612 of the “Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act of 2004,” 20 U.S.C. 1412.

(B) The state board shall establish and maintain an advisory panel for the purpose of providing policy guidance with respect to special education and related services for children with disabilities in the state. A majority of the members of the panel shall be individuals with disabilities or parents of children with disabilities representing all ages, birth through twenty-six years of age. The advisory panel shall meet the requirements of section 612(a)(21) of the “Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act of 2004,” 20 U.S.C. 1412(a)(21), and related provisions of the Code of Federal Regulations. The panel shall advise the Ohio department of education of unmet needs within the state in the education of children with disabilities; comment publicly on rules proposed by that department regarding the education of children with disabilities; advise that department in developing evaluations and reporting on data to the United States secretary of education under section 618 of the act, 20 U.S.C. 1418; advise the Ohio department in developing corrective action plans to address findings identified in federal monitoring reports under Part B of the act; and advise the Ohio department in developing and implementing policies relating to the coordination of services for children with disabilities.

(C) In addition to the policies and procedures authorized under division (A) of this section, the state board may authorize school districts to establish and maintain special education and related services for children less than three years of age as specified in rules of the state board.

(D) In the exercise of its general supervisory responsibility, the state board shall monitor the implementation of Part B of the “Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act of 2004” by school districts. Monitoring activities shall include, but are not limited to, focused monitoring, investigations of complaints, and technical assistance. The primary focus of the state board’s monitoring activities shall be improving educational results and functional outcomes for all children with disabilities and ensuring that the state board meets the program requirements under Part B, with a particular emphasis on those requirements that are most closely related to improving educational results for children with disabilities.

Effective Date: 2007 HB119 09-29-2007

The state board of education shall authorize the establishment and maintenance of special education and related services for all children with disabilities who are at least three years of age and less than twenty-two years of age, including children with disabilities who have been suspended or expelled from school, and may authorize special education and related services for children with disabilities who are less than three years of age in accordance with rules adopted by the state board. The state board shall require the boards of education of school districts, shall authorize the department of mental health and the department of mental retardation and developmental disabilities, and may authorize any other educational agency, to establish and maintain such special education and related services in accordance with standards adopted by the state board.

Effective Date: 07-01-1991; 2007 HB119 09-29-2007

(A) Each school district shall submit a plan to the superintendent of public instruction that provides assurances that the school district will provide for the education of children with disabilities within its jurisdiction and has in effect policies, procedures, and programs that are consistent with the policies and procedures adopted by the state board of education in accordance with section 612 of the “Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act of 2004,” 20 U.S.C. 1412, and that meet the conditions applicable to school districts under section 613 of that act, 20 U.S.C. 1413.

Each district’s plan shall do all of the following:

(1) Provide, as specified in section 3323.11 of the Revised Code and in accordance with standards established by the state board, for an organizational structure and necessary and qualified staffing and supervision for the identification of and provision of special education and related services for children with disabilities;

(2) Provide, as specified by section 3323.03 of the Revised Code and in accordance with standards established by the state board, for the identification, location, and evaluation of all children with disabilities residing in the district, including children with disabilities who are homeless children or are wards of the state and children with disabilities attending private schools and who are in need of special education and related services. A practical method shall be developed and implemented to determine which children with disabilities are currently receiving needed special education and related services.

(3) Provide, as specified by section 3323.07 of the Revised Code and standards established by the state board, for the establishment and maintenance of special education and related services for children with disabilities who are at least three years of age and less than twenty-two years of age, including children with disabilities who have been suspended or expelled from school.

(4) Provide, as specified by section 3323.04 of the Revised Code and in accordance with standards adopted by the state board, for an individualized education program for each child with a disability who is at least three years of age and less than twenty-two years of age residing within the district;

(5) Provide, as specified by section 3323.02 of the Revised Code and in accordance with standards established by the state board, for special education and related services and a free appropriate public education for every child with a disability who is at least three years of age and less than twenty-two years of age, including children with disabilities who have been suspended or expelled from school;

(6) Provide procedural safeguards and prior written notice as required under section 3323.05 of the Revised Code and the standards established by the state board;

(7) Outline the steps that have been or are being taken to comply with standards established by the state board.

(B)(1) A school district may arrange, by a cooperative agreement or contract with one or more school districts or with a cooperative education or joint vocational school district or an educational service center, to provide for the identification, location, and evaluation of children with disabilities, and to provide special education and related services for such children that meet the standards established by the state board. A school district may arrange, by a cooperative agreement or contract, for the provision of related services for children with disabilities that meet the standards established by the state board.

(2) A school district shall arrange by interagency agreement with one or more school districts or with a cooperative education or joint vocational school district or an educational service center or other providers of early learning services to provide for the identification, location, evaluation of children with disabilities of ages birth through five years of age and for the transition of children with disabilities at age three in accordance with the standards established by the state board. A school district may arrange by interagency agreement with providers of early learning services to provide special education and related services for such children that meet the standards established by the state board.

(3) If at the time an individualized education program is developed for a child a school district is not providing special education and related services required by that individualized education program, the school district may arrange by contract with a nonpublic entity for the provision of the special education and related services, provided the special education and related services meet the standards for special education and related services established by the state board and is provided within the state.

(4) Any cooperative agreement or contract under division (B)(1) or (2) of this section involving a local school district shall be approved by the governing board of the educational service center which serves that district.

(C) No plan of a local school district shall be submitted to the superintendent of public instruction until it has been approved by the superintendent of the educational service center which serves that district.

(D) Upon approval of a school district’s plan by the superintendent of public instruction, the district shall immediately certify students for state funds under section 3317.03 of the Revised Code to implement and maintain such plan. The district also shall request approval of classroom units under division (B) of section 3317.05 of the Revised Code for which the district has adequately identified preschool children with disabilities and shall, in accordance with procedures adopted by the state board, request approval of units under division (C) of section 3317.05 of the Revised Code. The district shall, in accordance with guidelines adopted by the state board, identify problems relating to the provision of qualified personnel and adequate facilities, and indicate the extent to which the cost of programs required under the plan will exceed anticipated state reimbursement. Each school district shall immediately implement the identification, location, and evaluation of children with disabilities in accordance with this chapter, and shall implement those parts of the plan involving placement and provision of special education and related services.

Effective Date: 2007 HB119 09-29-2007

(A) As used in this section:

(1) “Home” has the meaning given in section 3313.64 of the Revised Code.

(2) “Preschool child” means a child who is at least age three but under age six on the thirtieth day of September of an academic year.

(B) Each county MR/DD board shall establish special education programs for all children with disabilities who in accordance with section 3323.04 of the Revised Code have been placed in special education programs operated by the county board and for preschool children who are developmentally delayed or at risk of being developmentally delayed. The board annually shall submit to the department of education a plan for the provision of these programs and, if applicable, a request for approval of units under section 3317.05 of the Revised Code. The superintendent of public instruction shall review the plan and approve or modify it in accordance with rules adopted by the state board of education under section 3301.07 of the Revised Code. The superintendent of public instruction shall compile the plans submitted by county boards and shall submit a comprehensive plan to the state board.

A county MR/DD board may combine transportation for children enrolled in classes funded under section 3317.20 or units approved under section 3317.05 with transportation for children and adults enrolled in programs and services offered by the board under section 5126.12 of the Revised Code.

(C) A county MR/DD board that during the school year provided special education pursuant to this section for any child with mental disabilities under twenty-two years of age shall prepare and submit the following reports and statements:

(1) The board shall prepare a statement for each child who at the time of receiving such special education was a resident of a home and was not in the legal or permanent custody of an Ohio resident or a government agency in this state, and whose natural or adoptive parents are not known to have been residents of this state subsequent to the child’s birth. The statement shall contain the child’s name, the name of the child’s school district of residence, the name of the county board providing the special education, and the number of months, including any fraction of a month, it was provided. Not later than the thirtieth day of June, the board shall forward a certified copy of such statement to both the director of mental retardation and developmental disabilities and to the home.

Within thirty days after its receipt of a statement, the home shall pay tuition to the county board computed in the manner prescribed by section 3323.141 of the Revised Code.

(2) The board shall prepare a report for each school district that is the school district of residence of one or more of such children for whom statements are not required by division (C)(1) of this section. The report shall contain the name of the county board providing special education, the name of each child receiving special education, the number of months, including fractions of a month, that the child received it, and the name of the child’s school district of residence. Not later than the thirtieth day of June, the board shall forward certified copies of each report to the school district named in the report, the superintendent of public instruction, and the director of mental retardation and developmental disabilities.

Effective Date: 07-01-2001; 2007 HB119 09-29-2007

(A) The department of mental health, the department of mental retardation and developmental disabilities, the department of youth services, and the department of rehabilitation and correction shall establish and maintain special education programs for children with disabilities in institutions under their jurisdiction according to standards adopted by the state board of education.

(B) The superintendent of each state institution required to provide services under division (A) of this section, and each county MR/DD board, providing special education for preschool children with disabilities under this chapter may apply to the state department of education for unit funding, which shall be paid in accordance with sections 3317.052 and 3317.053 of the Revised Code.

The superintendent of each state institution required to provide services under division (A) of this section may apply to the department of education for special education and related services weighted funding for children with disabilities other than preschool children with disabilities, calculated in accordance with section 3317.201 of the Revised Code.

Each county MR/DD board providing special education for children with disabilities other than preschool children with disabilities may apply to the department of education for base cost and special education and related services weighted funding calculated in accordance with section 3317.20 of the Revised Code.

(C) In addition to the authorization to apply for state funding described in division (B) of this section, each state institution required to provide services under division (A) of this section is entitled to tuition payments calculated in the manner described in division (C) of this section.

On or before the thirtieth day of June of each year, the superintendent of each institution that during the school year provided special education pursuant to this section shall prepare a statement for each child with a disability under twenty-two years of age who has received special education. The statement shall contain the child’s data verification code assigned pursuant to division (D)(2) of section 3301.0714 of the Revised Code and the name of the child’s school district of residence. Within sixty days after receipt of such statement, the department of education shall perform one of the following:

(1) For any child except a preschool child with a disability described in division (C)(2) of this section, pay to the institution submitting the statement an amount equal to the tuition calculated under division (A) of section 3317.08 of the Revised Code for the period covered by the statement, and deduct the same from the amount of state funds, if any, payable under sections 3317.022 and 3317.023 of the Revised Code, to the child’s school district of residence or, if the amount of such state funds is insufficient, require the child’s school district of residence to pay the institution submitting the statement an amount equal to the amount determined under this division.

(2) For any preschool child with a disability not included in a unit approved under division (B) of section 3317.05 of the Revised Code, perform the following:

(a) Pay to the institution submitting the statement an amount equal to the tuition calculated under division (B) of section 3317.08 of the Revised Code for the period covered by the statement, except that in calculating the tuition under that section the operating expenses of the institution submitting the statement under this section shall be used instead of the operating expenses of the school district of residence;

(b) Deduct from the amount of state funds, if any, payable under sections 3317.022 and 3317.023 of the Revised Code to the child’s school district of residence an amount equal to the amount paid under division (C)(2)(a) of this section.

Effective Date: 07-01-2001; 06-30-2005; 06-30-2006; 2007 HB119 09-29-2007

Effective Date: 07-26-1991

Each school district shall employ, as necessary, the personnel to meet the needs of the children with disabilities enrolled in its schools. Personnel shall possess appropriate qualifications and certificates or licenses as prescribed in rules of the state board of education. Teachers shall be “highly qualified,” as that term is defined in section 602(10) of the “Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act of 2004,” 20 U.S.C.1401(10).

Effective Date: 2007 HB119 09-29-2007

The board of education of a school district shall provide home instruction for children with disabilities who are at least three years of age and less than twenty-two years of age and who are unable to attend school, even with the help of special transportation. The board may arrange for the provision of home instruction for a child by a cooperative agreement or contract with a county MR/DD board or other educational agency. For the purposes of determining formula ADM under section 3317.03 of the Revised Code, five hours of home instruction shall be equivalent to attendance for five school days.

Effective Date: 07-01-1998; 2007 HB119 09-29-2007

(A) If a child who is a school resident of one school district receives special education from another district, the board of education of the district providing the education, subject to division (C) of this section, may require the payment by the board of education of the district of residence of a sum not to exceed one of the following, as applicable:

(1) For any child except a preschool child with a disability described in division (A)(2) of this section, the tuition of the district providing the education for a child of normal needs of the same school grade. The determination of the amount of such tuition shall be in the manner provided for by division (A) of section 3317.08 of the Revised Code.

(2) For any preschool child with a disability not included in a unit approved under division (B) of section 3317.05 of the Revised Code, the tuition of the district providing the education for the child as calculated under division (B) of section 3317.08 of the Revised Code.

(B) The board of the district of residence may contract with the board of another district for the transportation of such child into any school in such other district, on terms agreed upon by such boards. Upon direction of the state board of education, the board of the district of residence shall pay for the child’s transportation and the tuition.

(C) The board of education of a district providing the education for a child shall be entitled to require payment from the district of residence under this section or section 3323.14 of the Revised Code only if the district providing the education has done at least one of the following:

(1) Invited the district of residence to send representatives to attend the meetings of the team developing the child’s individualized education program;

(2) Received from the district of residence a copy of the individualized education program or a multifactored evaluation developed for the child by the district of residence;

(3) Informed the district of residence in writing that the district is providing the education for the child.

As used in division (C)(2) of this section, ” multifactored evaluation” means an evaluation, conducted by a multidisciplinary team, of more than one area of the child’s functioning so that no single procedure shall be the sole criterion for determining an appropriate educational program placement for the child.

Effective Date: 07-01-1998; 06-30-2006; 2007 HB119 09-29-2007

This section does not apply to any preschool child with a disability except if included in a unit approved under division (B) of section 3317.05 of the Revised Code.

(A) Where a child who is a school resident of one school district receives special education from another district and the per capita cost to the educating district for that child exceeds the sum of the amount received by the educating district for that child under division (A) of section 3317.08 of the Revised Code and the amount received by the district from the state board of education for that child, then the board of education of the district of residence shall pay to the board of the school district that is providing the special education such excess cost as is determined by using a formula approved by the department of education and agreed upon in contracts entered into by the boards of the districts concerned at the time the district providing such special education accepts the child for enrollment. The department shall certify the amount of the payments under Chapter 3317. of the Revised Code for such pupils with disabilities for each school year ending on the thirtieth day of July.

(B) In the case of a child described in division (A) of this section who has been placed in a home, as defined in section 3313.64 of the Revised Code, pursuant to the order of a court and who is not subject to section 3323.141 of the Revised Code, the district providing the child with special education and related services may charge to the child’s district of residence the excess cost determined by formula approved by the department, regardless of whether the district of residence has entered into a contract with the district providing the services. If the district providing the services chooses to charge excess costs, the district may report the amount calculated under this division to the department.

(C) If a district providing special education for a child reports an amount for the excess cost of those services, as authorized and calculated under division (A) or (B) of this section, the department shall pay that amount of excess cost to the district providing the services and shall deduct that amount from the child’s district of residence in accordance with division (N) of section 3317.023 of the Revised Code.

Effective Date: 07-01-1998; 06-30-2005; 2007 HB119 09-29-2007

(A) When a child who is not in the legal or permanent custody of an Ohio resident or a government agency in this state and whose natural or adoptive parents are not known to have been residents of this state subsequent to the child’s birth is a resident of a home as defined in section 3313.64 of the Revised Code and receives special education and related services from a school district or county MR/DD board, the home shall pay tuition to the board providing the special education.

(B) In the case of a child described in division (A) of this section who receives special education and related services from a school district, tuition shall be the amount determined under division (B)(1) or (2) of this section.

(1) For a child other than a child described in division (B)(2) of this section the tuition shall be an amount equal to the sum of the following:

(a) Tuition as determined in the manner provided for by division (B) of section 3317.081 of the Revised Code for the district that provides the special education;

(b) Such excess cost as is determined by using a formula established by rule of the department of education. The excess cost computed in this section shall not be used as excess cost computed under section 3323.14 of the Revised Code.

(2) For a child who is a preschool child with a disability not included in a unit approved under division (B) of section 3317.05 of the Revised Code, the tuition shall be computed as follows:

(a) Determine the amount of the tuition of the district providing the education for the child as calculated under division (B) of section 3317.08 of the Revised Code;

(b) For each type of special education service included in the computation of the amount of tuition under division (B)(2)(a) of this section, divide the amount determined for that computation under division (B)(2) of section 3317.08 of the Revised Code by the total number of preschool children with disabilities used for that computation under division (B)(3) of section 3317.08 of the Revised Code;

(c) Determine the sum of the quotients obtained under division (B)(2)(b) of this section;

(d) Determine the sum of the amounts determined under divisions (B)(2)(a) and (c) of this section.

(C) In the case of a child described in division (A) of this section who receives special education and related services from a county MR/DD board, tuition shall be the amount determined under division (C)(1) or (2) of this section.

(1) For a child other than a child described in division (C)(2) of this section, the tuition shall be an amount equal to such board’s per capita cost of providing special education and related services for children at least three but less than twenty-two years of age as determined by using a formula established by rule of the department of mental retardation and developmental disabilities.

(2) For a child who is a preschool child with a disability not included in a unit approved under division (B) of section 3317.05 of the Revised Code, the tuition shall equal the sum of the amounts of each such board’s per capita cost of providing each of the special education or related service that the child receives. The calculation of tuition shall be made by using a formula established by rule of the department of mental retardation and developmental disabilities. The formula for the calculation of per capita costs under division (C)(2) of this section shall be based only on each such MR/DD board’s cost of providing each type of special education or related service to preschool children with disabilities not included in a unit approved under division (B) of section 3317.05 of the Revised Code.

(D) If a home fails to pay the tuition required under this section, the board of education or county MR/DD board providing the education may recover in a civil action the tuition and the expenses incurred in prosecuting the action, including court costs and reasonable attorney’s fees. If the prosecuting attorney or city director of law represents the board in such action, costs and reasonable attorney’s fees awarded by the court, based upon the time spent preparing and presenting the case by the prosecuting attorney, director, or a designee of either, shall be deposited in the county or city general fund.

Effective Date: 07-01-1998; 2007 HB119 09-29-2007

This section does not apply to any preschool child with a disability except if included in a unit approved under division (B) of section 3317.05 of the Revised Code.

As used in this section, “per pupil amount” for a preschool child with a disability included in such an approved unit means the amount determined by dividing the amount received for the classroom unit in which the child has been placed by the number of children in the unit. For any other child, “per pupil amount” means the amount paid for the child under section 3317.20 of the Revised Code.

When a school district places or has placed a child with a county MR/DD board for special education, but another district is responsible for tuition under section 3313.64 or 3313.65 of the Revised Code and the child is not a resident of the territory served by the county MR/DD board, the board may charge the district responsible for tuition with the educational costs in excess of the per pupil amount received by the board under Chapter 3317. of the Revised Code. The amount of the excess cost shall be determined by the formula established by rule of the department of education under section 3323.14 of the Revised Code, and the payment for such excess cost shall be made by the school district directly to the county MR/DD board.

A school district board of education and the county MR/DD board that serves the school district may negotiate and contract, at or after the time of placement, for payments by the board of education to the county MR/DD board for additional services provided to a child placed with the county MR/DD board and whose individualized education program established pursuant to section 3323.08 of the Revised Code requires additional services that are not routinely provided children in the county MR/DD board’s program but are necessary to maintain the child’s enrollment and participation in the program. Additional services may include, but are not limited to, specialized supplies and equipment for the benefit of the child and instruction, training, or assistance provided by staff members other than staff members for which funding is received under Chapter 3317. of the Revised Code.

Effective Date: 07-01-1998; 2007 HB119 09-29-2007

If a child with a disability’s custodial parent has made a unilateral placement of the child, the parent shall be responsible for payment of tuition to the program or facility the child is attending as a result of that placement as long as the district of residence has offered a free appropriate public education to that child. As used in this section, “unilateral placement” means withdrawing a child with a disability from a program or facility operated by the district of residence or from a program or facility with which the district of residence has arranged for education of the child and instead enrolling that child in another program or facility that is not a home, as defined in section 3313.64 of the Revised Code, or that is not a facility or program available to the child pursuant to an open enrollment policy under section 3313.98 or 3313.983 of the Revised Code.

Effective Date: 06-30-2006; 2007 HB119 09-29-2007

The state board of education may arrange to pay to any board of education, the board for any children with disabilities who are not residents of the district but for whom the district is providing special education. Payments shall be made in accordance with rules and standards of the state board of education.

Effective Date: 08-27-1976; 2007 HB119 09-29-2007

No unit for deaf children shall be disapproved for funding under division (B) of section 3317.05 of the Revised Code on the basis of the methods of instruction used in educational programs in the school district or institution to teach deaf children to communicate, and no preference in approving units for funding shall be given for teaching deaf children by the oral, manual, total communication, or other method of instruction.

Effective Date: 06-26-2003; 06-30-2005

The department of education shall:

(A) Provide supervision and technical assistance to school districts in all accepted methods of educating children with disabilities who have hearing impairments, including the oral, manual, and total communication methods, with no demonstrable bias toward any one method over another;

(B) Consult with employees of school districts and chartered nonpublic schools who confer with the parents of hearing impaired children about their children’s education;

(C) Consult with chartered nonpublic schools and consult with and provide technical assistance to school districts that are or may be interested in integrating sign language into their curricula and that offer or may be interested in offering American sign language as a foreign language;

(D) Consult with school districts and chartered nonpublic schools that use interpreters in classrooms and with any other interested school districts or chartered nonpublic schools about how to obtain the best interpreters and how interpreters can improve their skills.

Effective Date: 06-13-1990; 2007 HB119 09-29-2007

If any special education program provided pursuant to this chapter or Chapter 3325. of the Revised Code serves a student with a visual impairment for whom instruction in braille reading and writing is specified as appropriate pursuant to division (A)(2) of section 3323.011 of the Revised Code, the entity providing the program shall integrate the use of braille reading and writing into the student’s entire curriculum and other classroom activities in such a manner that braille reading and writing becomes an effective learning tool for the student.

Effective Date: 03-21-1994; 2007 HB119 09-29-2007

(A) Within three months after a student identified with disabilities begins receiving services for the first time under an individualized education program, the school district in which that student is enrolled shall require the student to undergo a comprehensive eye examination performed either by an optometrist licensed under Chapter 4725. of the Revised Code or by a physician authorized under Chapter 4731. of the Revised Code to practice medicine and surgery or osteopathic medicine and surgery who is comprehensively trained and educated in the treatment of the human eye, eye disease, or comprehensive vision services, unless the student underwent such an examination within the nine-month period immediately prior to being identified with disabilities.

However, no student who has not undergone the eye examination required under this section shall be prohibited from initiating, receiving, or continuing to receive services prescribed in the student’s individualized education program.

(B) The superintendent of each school district or the superintendent’s designee may determine fulfillment of the requirement prescribed in division (A) of this section based on any special circumstances of the student, the student’s parent, guardian, or family that may prevent the student from undergoing the eye examination prior to beginning special education services.

(C) Except for a student who may be entitled to a comprehensive eye examination in the identification of the student’s disabilities, in the development of the student’s individualized education program, or as a related service under the student’s individualized education program, neither the state nor any school district shall be responsible for paying for the eye examination required by this section.

Effective Date: 06-30-2005

On July 1, 2006, and on each first day of July thereafter, the department of education shall electronically report to the general assembly the number of preschool children with disabilities who received services for which the department made a payment to any provider during the previous fiscal year, disaggregated according to each area of developmental deficiency identified by the department for the evaluation of such children.

Effective Date: 09-29-2005; 06-30-2006; 2007 HB119 09-29-2007

The Ohio center for autism and low incidence is hereby established within the department of education’s office for exceptional children, or any successor of that office. The center shall administer programs and coordinate services for infants, preschool and school-age children, and adults with autism and low incidence disabilities. The center’s principal focus shall be programs and services for persons with autism. The center shall be under the direction of an executive director, appointed by the superintendent of public instruction in consultation with the advisory board established under section 3323.31 of the Revised Code. The department shall use state and federal funds appropriated to the department for operation of the center.

As used in this section and in sections 3323.31 to 3323.33 of the Revised Code, “autism and low incidence disabilities” includes any of the following:

(A) Autism;

(B) Hearing impairment;

(C) Multiple disabilities;

(D) Orthopedic disability;

(E) Other health impairment;

(F) Traumatic brain injury;

(G) Visual impairment.

Effective Date: 09-29-2005; 2007 HB119 09-29-2007

The superintendent of public instruction shall establish an advisory board to assist and advise the department of education in the operation of the Ohio center for autism and low incidence. As determined by the superintendent, the advisory board shall consist of individuals who are stakeholders in the service to persons with autism and low incidence disabilities, including, but not limited to, the following:

(A) Persons with autism and low incidence disabilities;

(B) Parents and family members;

(C) Educators and other professionals;

(D) Higher education instructors;

(E) Representatives of state agencies.

The advisory board shall be organized as determined by the superintendent.

Members of the advisory board shall receive no compensation for their services.

Effective Date: 09-29-2005

The Ohio center for autism and low incidence shall do all of the following:

(A) Collaborate and consult with state agencies that serve persons with autism and low incidence disabilities;

(B) Collaborate and consult with institutions of higher education in development and implementation of courses for educators and other professionals serving persons with autism and low incidence disabilities;

(C) Collaborate with parent and professional organizations;

(D) Create and implement programs for professional development, technical assistance, intervention services, and research in the treatment of persons with autism and low incidence disabilities;

(E) Create a regional network for communication and dissemination of information among educators and professionals serving persons with autism and low incidence disabilities. The regional network shall address educational services, evaluation, diagnosis, assistive technology, family support, leisure and recreational activities, transition, employment and adult services, and medical care for persons with autism and low incidence disabilities.

(F) Develop a statewide clearinghouse for information about autism spectrum disorders and low incidence disabilities, as described in section 3323.33 of the Revised Code.

Effective Date: 09-29-2005

In developing a clearinghouse for information about autism spectrum disorders and low incidence disabilities, as required under section 3323.32 of the Revised Code, the Ohio center for autism and low incidence shall do all of the following:

(A) Maintain a collection of resources for public distribution;

(B) Monitor information on resources, trends, policies, services, and current educational interventions;

(C) Respond to requests for information from parents and educators of children with autism and low incidence disabilities.

Effective Date: 09-29-2005