BP BHEAD INT S [atlas:bill]

AN ACT Relating to deaf, deaf-blind, and hard of hearing children; adding a new section to chapter 28A.155 RCW; creating new sections; and making appropriations.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:

NEW SECTION. Sec. 1. The legislature finds that deafness involves the most basic of human needs, the ability to acquire language and to communicate with other human beings. The legislature finds that many deaf and hard of hearing children use, as their primary language, American sign language, while others express and receive communication through English-based sign language, or orally and aurally, with or without visual signs or cues. Still other young deaf, deaf-blind, and hard of hearing children lack any functional language skills. The legislature further finds that deaf, deaf-blind, and hard of hearing children should have an opportunity for an education in which each individual child's unique language or communication mode is respected, used, and developed in order to learn and communicate effectively.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 2. The office of deaf and hard of hearing services, in conjunction with the office of the superintendent of public instruction, the state board of education, and the educational service districts shall conduct a study and report to the legislature by January 1, 1999, on the unmet needs of deaf, deaf-blind, and hard of hearing students in public K-12 schools. The study shall include a recommendation on the feasibility of consolidating educational programs serving deaf, deaf-blind, and hard of hearing children into magnet school programs to facilitate serving deaf, deaf-blind, and hard of hearing students with a sufficient number of age and language mode peers to develop the student's linguistic and social skills and to minimize the impact of insufficient numbers of qualified personnel trained to work with the deaf, deaf-blind, and hard of hearing students. The study shall also include a recommendation on the feasibility of requiring educational interpreters to receive state or national certification.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 3. A new section is added to chapter 28A.155 RCW to read as follows:

The state board of education, in conjunction with the office of deaf and hard of hearing services, shall establish competencies for educational interpreters for deaf, deaf-blind, and hard of hearing students. After September 1, 1999, only qualified educational interpreters that demonstrate the competencies may be used as educational interpreters for students in public schools.

A school district may seek a waiver from the state board of education competency requirements if the district can demonstrate that there is no educational interpreter within a reasonable distance from the school who meets the competencies established by the state board of education and the district submits a plan to remedy the lack of qualified educational interpreters who can provide services in the school district.

The state board of education shall notify the office of deaf and hard of hearing services when a district seeks a waiver. The office of deaf and hard of hearing services may make a recommendation to the state board of education on whether a waiver should be granted, and whether the district plan to remedy the lack of qualified educational interpreters is appropriate.

The state board of education shall adopt rules on competencies for educational interpreters for deaf, deaf-blind, and hard of hearing students.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 4. The sum of forty-five thousand dollars, or as much thereof as may be necessary, is appropriated for the biennium ending June 30, 1999, from the general fund to the office of deaf and hard of hearing services for the purposes of section 2 of this act.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 5. The sum of four thousand nine hundred fifty dollars, or as much thereof as may be necessary, is appropriated for the biennium ending June 30, 1999, from the general fund to the state board of education for the purposes of section 3 of this act.