Florida Senate - 2016                                     SB 916
       
       
        
       By Senator Altman
       
       
       
       
       
       16-00625B-16                                           2016916__
    1                        A bill to be entitled                      
    2         An act relating to educational interpreters for
    3         individuals who are deaf, hard of hearing, or dual
    4         sensory impaired; amending s. 1012.01, F.S.; defining
    5         the term “educational interpreters” for inclusion in
    6         the classification of instructional personnel;
    7         creating s. 1012.47, F.S.; requiring the State Board
    8         of Education to adopt rules; providing qualifications
    9         for persons functioning as educational interpreters
   10         which must be met by a specified date; providing
   11         duties of the Department of Education; providing an
   12         effective date.
   13          
   14  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
   15  
   16         Section 1. Paragraph (f) is added to subsection (2) of
   17  section 1012.01, Florida Statutes, to read:
   18         1012.01 Definitions.—As used in this chapter, the following
   19  terms have the following meanings:
   20         (2) INSTRUCTIONAL PERSONNEL.—“Instructional personnel”
   21  means any K-12 staff member whose function includes the
   22  provision of direct instructional services to students.
   23  Instructional personnel also includes K-12 personnel whose
   24  functions provide direct support in the learning process of
   25  students. Included in the classification of instructional
   26  personnel are the following K-12 personnel:
   27         (f) Educational interpreters.—Educational interpreters are
   28  individuals who are school personnel or contracted personnel
   29  whose function is to facilitate communication between students
   30  who are deaf, hard of hearing, or dual sensory impaired and all
   31  other participants in the academic classroom, other education
   32  related activities, and extracurricular activities, as
   33  designated in a student’s individual education plan or 504
   34  accommodation plan.
   35         Section 2. Section 1012.47, Florida Statutes, is created to
   36  read:
   37         1012.47 Qualifications for persons functioning as
   38  educational interpreters.—
   39         (1) The State Board of Education shall adopt rules to
   40  prescribe qualifications for educational interpreters, as
   41  defined in s. 1012.01(2)(f), pursuant to the minimum
   42  qualifications required under this section.
   43         (2) By July 1, 2021, and thereafter, an individual who
   44  functions as an educational interpreter shall have:
   45         (a) Passed the Educational Interpreter Performance
   46  Assessment written test and received a minimum score of 4.0 on
   47  the Educational Interpreter Performance Assessment performance
   48  test.
   49         (b) As an alternative to paragraph (a), received the Ed:K
   50  12 certification from the Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf,
   51  Inc.
   52         (c) If providing Cued language transliteration, passed the
   53  Educational Interpreter Performance Assessment written test and
   54  received a minimum score of 4.0 on the Educational Interpreter
   55  Performance Assessment-Cued Speech.
   56         (3) The department shall provide technical assistance to
   57  school districts to implement the minimum qualifications
   58  required under this section and shall develop requirements for
   59  continuing education and skill development for educational
   60  interpreters.
   61         Section 3. This act shall take effect July 1, 2016.