BILL REQ. #: H-2084.2
| State of Washington | 58th Legislature | 2003 Regular Session |
READ FIRST TIME 03/05/03.
AN ACT Relating to deaf education; and creating new sections.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:
NEW SECTION. Sec. 1 (1) The legislature finds that there are
deaf and hard-of-hearing students between three and twenty-one years of
age attending public schools or the school for the deaf in the state.
Of those students, approximately ninety-three percent attend public
schools and seven percent attend the school for the deaf.
(2) The legislature further finds that access to comprehensive
services, well-qualified professionals, and choices among communication
approaches for deaf and hard-of-hearing students varies across the
state. The legislature finds that the school for the deaf, local
school districts, and educational service districts must continually
examine their roles, in consultation with parents, students, advocacy
groups, researchers, and teachers, to ensure that the needs of hearing
impaired children throughout the state are being met in the most
effective manner, both now and in the future.
NEW SECTION. Sec. 2 (1) There is established a deaf education
task force. The focus of the task force shall be an examination of the
roles of the school for the deaf, local school districts, and
educational service districts in the education and training of hearing
impaired children in the state.
(2) The membership of the task force must include the following:
Parents of hearing impaired children; hearing impaired adults;
representatives of organizations that advocate for hearing impaired
individuals; researchers on hearing impairment; individuals
specializing in the education of hearing impaired individuals; and
representatives of local school districts and educational service
districts.
(3) The task force shall consist of fifteen members as follows:
(a) Eleven members appointed by the governor upon the
recommendations of the board of trustees of the school for the deaf,
the office of the superintendent of public instruction, the department
of health, and private deaf education schools, three of whom shall be
members of the board of trustees of the school for the deaf, including
the chair of the board of trustees; and
(b) Four members of the legislature, one from each political caucus
of the house of representatives to be appointed by the speaker of the
house of representatives and one from each political caucus of the
senate to be appointed by the president of the senate, each of whom
shall serve as ex officio members of the task force.
(4) The task force shall elect a chair from among its members.
Vacancies in the membership of the task force shall be filled in the
same manner as the original appointments.
(5) Nongovernmental members of the task force shall be reimbursed
for travel expenses in accordance with RCW 43.03.050 and 43.03.060.
Legislative members of the task force shall serve without additional
compensation but shall be reimbursed for travel expenses in accordance
with RCW 44.04.120 while attending sessions of the task force or on
official business authorized by the task force.
(6) Costs of interpreter services and other necessary
accommodations for the task force shall be shared equally by the school
for the deaf, the office of the superintendent of public instruction,
the house of representatives, and the senate.
(7) Staff support for the task force shall be provided by the house
of representatives office of program research and senate committee
services.
NEW SECTION. Sec. 3 The deaf education task force shall develop
recommendations, which must include, at a minimum, the following:
(1) Appropriate service delivery models for serving hearing
impaired children throughout the state;
(2) The role of the school for the deaf in the development of
quality services for hearing impaired children throughout the state and
in the provision of direct and indirect services to hearing impaired
children both on campus and in the children's local communities; and
(3) The respective roles of, and the relationship among, the school
for the deaf, local school districts, and educational service districts
in the delivery of effective education to hearing impaired children
throughout the state.
NEW SECTION. Sec. 4 (1) The deaf education task force shall
report to the governor and the appropriate fiscal and policy committees
of the legislature no later than December 1, 2004.
(2) The deaf education task force shall expire January 1, 2005.