Special Education Directors' Corner

What's New

PPRA Requirements for the Annual Review and Annual Restraint Review Report
Since 2009, Protection of Persons from Restraint Act (PPRA) has required each school district and institute charter school to establish a review process for restraints, conduct the review process at least annually, and document the results of the review process in a written report.  The purpose of the annual review process is to ascertain that the school district or institute charter school is properly administering restraint, identifying additional training needs, minimizing and preventing the use of restraint by increasing the use of positive behavior interventions, and reducing the incidence of injury to students and staff.

HB 22-1376 now requires that the written report, referred to as the Annual Restraint Review Report, be submitted to CDE beginning June 30, 2024, and every June 30 thereafter. Please note that the review is conducted at the school district level, not at the administrative unit (AU) level.  Each individual school district must submit a separate Annual Restraint Review Report.

(posted 4/26/24)

HB 22-1260 and Access to Medically Necessary Services
HB22-1260 amended the Exceptional Children’s Educational Act (ECEA) to require each administrative unit in the state to adopt a policy that addresses how a student who has a prescription from a qualified health-care provider for medically necessary treatment receives such treatment in the school setting as required by applicable federal and state laws.

(Posted 4/25/24)

It is the Administrative Unit's responsibility under Child Find to locate and identify all students with disabilities including Multilingual Learners (MLs) with disabilities.   School teams must not identify MLs with disabilities when linguistic and cultural differences or lack of instruction in literacy and math are the determinative causes for their difficulties in school.  When parents or staff members report concerns about a student's academic, social-emotional, functional, or behavioral concerns, IEP teams including educators who are knowledgeable in language acquisition and acculturation should work to investigate these concerns before the special education evaluation referral.