The Florida Senate

230.2317  Educational multiagency services for students with severe emotional disturbance.--

(1)(a)  To enable students with severe emotional disturbance to develop appropriate behaviors and demonstrate academic and vocational skills, the Legislature finds that it is necessary to have an intensive, integrated educational program; a continuum of mental health treatment services; and, when needed, residential services. The Legislature finds further that the small incidence of severe emotional disturbance in the total school population requires multiagency programs to provide access to appropriate services for all students with severe emotional disturbance, that local school boards should provide educational programs, and that state departments and agencies administering children's mental health funds should provide mental health treatment and residential services when needed. Therefore, it is the intent of the Legislature that there be a multiagency network to provide education; mental health treatment; and, when needed, residential services for students with severe emotional disturbance.

(b)  The program goals for each component of the network are to enable students with severe emotional disturbance to learn appropriate behaviors, reduce dependency, and fully participate in all aspects of school and community living; to develop individual programs for students with severe emotional disturbance, which programs include necessary educational, residential, and mental health treatment services; to provide programs and services as close as possible to the child's home in the least restrictive manner consistent with the child's needs; and to integrate a wide range of services which are necessary to support students with severe emotional disturbance and their families.

(2)  The Commissioner of Education, the Secretary of Children and Family Services, and the Secretary of Juvenile Justice shall appoint an equal number of members to the Advisory Board for the Multiagency Service Network for Students with Severe Emotional Disturbance. The duties and responsibilities of the advisory board shall include oversight of the multiagency service network to provide a continuum of education, mental health treatment, and, when needed, residential services for students with severe emotional disturbance and to assess the impact of regional projects.

(3)  The Department of Education is authorized to award grants to district school boards to allow for statewide planning and development of a multiagency network for students with severe emotional disturbance. The educational services shall be provided in a manner consistent with the requirements of ss. 230.23(4)(m) and 402.22.

(4)  State departments and agencies are authorized to use appropriate funds for the multiagency network for students with severe emotional disturbance.

History.--ss. 6, 7, ch. 81-254; ss. 1, 4, ch. 82-46; s. 93, ch. 83-217; s. 2, ch. 83-265; s. 6, ch. 84-94; ss. 1, 2, 3, ch. 91-267; s. 5, ch. 91-429; s. 10, ch. 97-190.