SENATE FILE 445

BY  COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION

(SUCCESSOR TO SF 190)

A BILL FOR

An Act relating to state and local government recommendations concerning the educational needs of children who are deaf or hard-of-hearing.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA:

   Section 1.  NEW SECTION.  216A.111A  Education of deaf and hard-of-hearing children —— state and local government recommendations.
   1.  The general assembly encourages the development and regular updating of specific recommendations by all state agencies, institutions, and political subdivisions of the state concerned with early intervention, early childhood, and kindergarten through twelfth grade education of students who are deaf or hard-of-hearing, including but not limited to the department of education, the Iowa school for the deaf, and the department of public health, to ensure that children who are deaf or hard-of-hearing have an educational environment in which their language and communication needs are fully addressed and developed and in which they have early, ongoing, and quality access to planned and incidental communication opportunities.
   2.  The recommendations, consistent with the findings and purpose of this chapter, should be completed and regularly updated by the state agencies, institutions, and political subdivisions addressed by this section.
EXPLANATION
   This bill relates to state and local government recommendations concerning the educational needs of children who are deaf or hard-of-hearing.
   New Code section 216A.111A encourages state agencies, institutions, and political subdivisions of the state concerned with the education of such children to develop and regularly update recommendations for meeting the educational needs of deaf and hard-of-hearing children.