AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY AUGUST 22, 2024

AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY AUGUST 19, 2024

AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY JUNE 27, 2024

AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY JUNE 13, 2024

AMENDED IN SENATE MAY 18, 2023

AMENDED IN SENATE MARCH 23, 2023

CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE— 2023–2024 REGULAR SESSION

91

CHAPTER 906

Statutes of 2024

[ Approved by Governor September 28, 2024. Filed with Secretary of State September 28, 2024. ]

Introduced by Senator Portantino

February 13, 2023

An act to add Section 56348 to the Education Code, relating to special education.

Vote: majority   Appropriation: no   Fiscal committee: yes   Local program: no

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL’S DIGEST

Existing law requires local educational agencies to identify, locate, and assess individuals with exceptional needs and to provide those pupils with a free appropriate public education in the least restrictive environment, with special education and related services as reflected in an individualized education program (IEP).

Existing law establishes the State Board of Education and the State Department of Education to provide guidance and support to local educational agencies and other entities that operate schools and preschool programs, and further authorizes the establishment and operation of numerous educational programs on the state level that are administered by the state board, the department, or other state agencies. The Budget Act of 2020, among other things, allocates $350,000 of specified appropriated funds to a county office of education selected by the executive director of the state board for the purpose of convening a workgroup that will design a state standardized IEP template. The Budget Act of 2022, among other things, allocates $200,000 of specified appropriated funds to be available on a one-time basis for the California Collaborative for Educational Excellence to convene a panel to continue refining the IEP template for usability, as provided.

This bill would require the department to, by January 1, 2027, or no later than 18 months after the above-described IEP template is converted to a digital platform, whichever date comes first, translate the IEP template into the top 10 most commonly spoken languages used across the state other than English and, among other things, make those templates available on its internet website, as provided.

The people of the State of California do enact as follows:

SECTION 1.

Section 56348 is added to the Education Code, to read:

56348.

By January 1, 2027, or no later than 18 months after the final draft of the state standardized individualized education program (IEP) template developed by the California Collaborative for Educational Excellence is converted to a digital platform, whichever date comes first, the department shall do both of the following:

(a) Translate the IEP template into the top 10 most commonly spoken languages used across the state other than English and make those templates available on the department’s internet website.

(b) Notify school districts, county offices of education, charter schools, and other relevant stakeholders that the IEP template, including all translated templates, is available on the department’s internet website and via other methods of dissemination upon request.