Sponsored by:
Assemblywoman MICHELE MATSIKOUDIS
District 21 (Middlesex, Morris, Somerset and Union)
Co-Sponsored by:
Assemblyman Barlas
SYNOPSIS
Requires board of education to provide certain information related to special education in native language of parent or guardian.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
As introduced.
An Act concerning special education and related services and supplementing chapter 46 of Title 18A of the New Jersey Statutes.
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. a. A board of education shall provide written notification to a student’s parent or guardian concerning the identification, classification, evaluation, or educational placement of the student, or the provision of a free, appropriate public education to the student pursuant to the provisions of the “Individuals with Disabilities Education Act,” 20 U.S.C. s.1400 et seq., chapter 46 of Title 18A of the New Jersey Statutes, or any regulations promulgated thereunder, in the native language of the parent or guardian, unless it clearly is not feasible to do so.
b. When a board of education provides an Individualized Education Program (IEP) to a parent or guardian pursuant to the provisions of the “Individuals with Disabilities Education Act,” 20 U.S.C. s.1400 et seq., chapter 46 of Title 18A of the New Jersey Statutes, or any regulations promulgated thereunder, the board shall provide the IEP in the native language of the parent or guardian, unless it clearly is not feasible to do so.
c. When providing notification or an IEP pursuant to subsections a. or b. of this section, if the parent’s or guardian’s native language is not a written language, the board of education shall ensure that:
(1) the notice is translated to the parent or guardian in the native language orally or through another unwritten mode of communication;
(2) the parent or guardian understands the content of the notice; and
(3) there is written documentation confirming that the requirements in paragraphs (1) and (2) of this subsection have been met.
2. This act shall take effect immediately.
STATEMENT
This bill requires a board of education to provide certain information related to special education to a parent or guardian in the parent’s or guardian’s native language.
Under the bill, a board of education is required to provide written notification concerning the identification, classification, evaluation, educational placement, or the provision of a free, appropriate public education to a parent or guardian in the parent’s or guardian’s native language, unless it clearly is not feasible to do so. The bill also requires a board of education to provide the student’s Individualized Education Program (IEP) to the parent or guardian in the parent’s or guardian’s native language, unless it clearly is not feasible to do so. In the event the native language of the parent or guardian is not a written language, the board of education is required to ensure that: (1) the notice is translated to the parent or guardian in the native language orally or through another unwritten mode of communication; (2) the parent or guardian understands the content of the notice; and (3) there is written documentation confirming these requirements have been met.