Florida Senate - 2013 PROPOSED COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE Bill No. CS for SB 150 Barcode 842716 576-04161-13 Proposed Committee Substitute by the Committee on Appropriations (Appropriations Subcommittee on Education) 1 A bill to be entitled 2 An act relating to deaf and hard-of-hearing students; 3 amending s. 1003.55, F.S.; requiring that a student’s 4 language and communication needs, including certain 5 opportunities, be considered in the development of an 6 individual education plan for a deaf or hard-of 7 hearing student; requiring the Department of Education 8 to develop a model communication plan to be used in 9 the development of an individual education plan for 10 deaf or hard-of-hearing students; requiring the 11 department to disseminate the model communication plan 12 to each school district and provide technical 13 assistance; providing an effective date. 14 15 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: 16 17 Section 1. Subsection (6) is added to section 1003.55, 18 Florida Statutes, to read: 19 1003.55 Instructional programs for blind or visually 20 impaired students and deaf or hard-of-hearing students.— 21 (6)(a) In developing an individual education plan for a 22 deaf or hard-of-hearing student, the individual education plan 23 team must consider the student’s language and communication 24 needs, opportunities for direct communication with peers and 25 professional personnel in the student’s language and 26 communication mode, and the student’s academic level and full 27 range of needs, including opportunities for direct instruction 28 in the student’s language and communication mode. 29 (b) The Department of Education, in coordination with the 30 Florida School for the Deaf and the Blind and with input from 31 education stakeholders, including representatives of the 32 auditory-oral community, shall develop a model communication 33 plan that shall be used during the development of a student’s 34 individual education plan. The model communication plan shall be 35 adopted in rule by the State Board of Education and made 36 available online to all school districts no later than December 37 31, 2013. The department shall provide technical assistance for 38 using the model communication plan. 39 Section 2. This act shall take effect July 1, 2013.