Cook Introduces New Legislation on Special Education

April 9, 2010

Michelle Cook, D-65 has introduced new legislation to help streamline the administration of Individualized Education Programs (IEP) for special education students in the state.

Special education legislation has been approved on a bi-partisan vote by the Education Committee and moves on to the full House of Representatives for consideration.

House Bill 5426 requires the State Board of Education to develop a streamlined process for the administration of Individualized Education Programs (IEP) and to create a form that clearly and adequately records all relevant information necessary for students in need of special education services.

“Every child’s needs are unique, but the current IEP form is not flexible enough to allow sufficient explanation and detail,” Cook said.

Cook mentioned that current IEPs are very cumbersome, and make it difficult for teachers to help thier students effectively. IEPs can be as large as 30 pages, and give a vague understanding initially of what type of educational needs are desired for students.

“These IEPs have a cover sheet that designates what type of special education student a child might be, such as autistic or having attention deficit disorder, but you have to dig through the rest of the document to find what type of help the student might need,” Cook said.

The legislation calls for the development of a working team comprised of school admi nistrators, parents, and legislators to help develop a plan to make IEPs more effective for the students that need them.

“We want to make sure the teacher has everything they might need to help their studetns,” Cook said. “If a teahcer has five students that require IEPs, that might mean they would have to dig through close to 150 pages to find how to teach the child.”

The goal of the working team will also be to adhear to state statutes and federal law, and to make sure that no child will fall through the cracks or get left behind when developing a better form of the IEP.

“Making positive changes to the IEP form and process will allow for better identification of a student’s needs, the creation of a more thorough plan to address those needs, and ultimately position the student for greater success,” Cook said.