(1) The special education state advisory council is established in order to help facilitate the provision of special education and related services to meet the unique needs of special education students.

(2) The membership of the council is appointed by the superintendent of the office of public instruction and shall include at least one representative of each of the following groups or entities:

(a) Parents of children, aged birth to twenty-six, with disabilities;

(b) Individuals with disabilities;

(c) Teachers;

(d) Institutions of higher education that prepare special education and related services personnel;

(e) State and local district officials who carry out activities under subtitle B of Title VII of the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act;

(f) Local administrators of special education programs;

(g) State agencies involved in the financing or delivery of related services to special education students;

(h) Representatives of private schools and public charter schools;

(i) Not less than one vocational, community, or business organization concerned with the provision of transition services to students eligible for special education;

(j) A state child welfare agency employee responsible for services to children in foster care;

(k) State juvenile and adult corrections agencies;

(l) Other individuals or groups as may hereafter be designated and approved by the superintendent of public instruction.

A majority of the members of the advisory council shall be individuals with disabilities or parents of special education students.

(3) The council's purposes are to:

(a) Advise the superintendent of public instruction and make recommendations on all matters related to special education and specifically advise the superintendent of unmet needs within the state in the education of special education students;

(b) Comment publicly on any rules or regulations proposed by the state regarding the education of special education students;

(c) Advise the state in developing evaluations and reporting such information as may assist the state in its data requirements under section 618 of the act;

(d) Advise the state in developing corrective action plans to address findings identified in federal monitoring reports under Part B of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act; and

(e) Advise the state in developing and implementing policies relating to the coordination of services for special education students.

(4) The council shall follow the procedures in this subsection.

(a) The advisory council shall meet as often as necessary to conduct its business.

(b) By July 1st of each year, the advisory council shall submit an annual report of council activities and suggestions to the superintendent of public instruction. This report must be made available to the public in a manner consistent with other public reporting requirements of this chapter.

(c) Official minutes will be kept on all council meetings and shall be made available to the public on request to the OSPI.