HF 1803

as introduced - 94th Legislature (2025 - 2026) Posted on 03/05/2025 12:32pm

A bill for an act
relating to education; modifying individualized education program requirements;
requiring rulemaking; amending Minnesota Statutes 2024, section 125A.08,
subdivision 1.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA:

Section 1.

Minnesota Statutes 2024, section 125A.08, subdivision 1, is amended to read:

Subdivision 1.

Individualized education programs.

(a) At the beginning of each school
year, each school district shall have in effect, for each child with a disability, an
individualized education program.

(b) As defined in this section, every district must ensure the following:

(1) all students with disabilities are provided the special instruction and services which
are appropriate to their needs. Where the individualized education program team has
determined appropriate goals and objectives based on the student's needs, including the
extent to which the student can be included in the least restrictive environment, and where
there are essentially equivalent and effective instruction, related services, or assistive
technology devices available to meet the student's needs, cost to the district may be among
the factors considered by the team in choosing how to provide the appropriate services,
instruction, or devices that are to be made part of the student's individualized education
program. The individualized education program team shall consider and may authorize
services covered by medical assistance according to section 256B.0625, subdivision 26.
Before a school district evaluation team makes a determination of other health disability
under Minnesota Rules, part 3525.1335, subparts 1 and 2, item A, subitem (1), the evaluation
team must seek written documentation of the student's medically diagnosed chronic or acute
health condition signed by a licensed physician or a licensed health care provider acting
within the scope of the provider's practice. The student's needs and the special education
instruction and services to be provided must be agreed upon through the development of
an individualized education program. The program must address the student's need to develop
skills to live and work as independently as possible within the community. The individualized
education program team must consider positive behavioral interventions, strategies, and
supports that address behavior needs for children. During grade 9, new text begin unless the student's parent
or guardian requests to delay the transition plan until the student turns 16, new text end the program must
address the student's needs for transition from secondary services to postsecondary education
and training, employment, community participation, recreation, and leisure and home living.
In developing the program, districts must inform parents of the full range of transitional
goals and related services that should be considered. The program must include a statement
of the needed transition services, including a statement of the interagency responsibilities
or linkages or both before secondary services are concluded. If the individualized education
program meets the plan components in section 120B.125, the individualized education
program satisfies the requirement and no additional transition plan is needed;

(2) children with a disability under age five and their families are provided special
instruction and services appropriate to the child's level of functioning and needs;

(3) children with a disability and their parents or guardians are guaranteed procedural
safeguards and the right to participate in decisions involving identification, assessment
including assistive technology assessment, and educational placement of children with a
disability;

(4) eligibility and needs of children with a disability are determined by an initial
evaluation or reevaluation, which may be completed using existing data under United States
Code, title 20, section 33, et seq.;

(5) to the maximum extent appropriate, children with a disability, including those in
public or private institutions or other care facilities, are educated with children who are not
disabled, and that special classes, separate schooling, or other removal of children with a
disability from the regular educational environment occurs only when and to the extent that
the nature or severity of the disability is such that education in regular classes with the use
of supplementary services cannot be achieved satisfactorily;

(6) in accordance with recognized professional standards, testing and evaluation materials,
and procedures used for the purposes of classification and placement of children with a
disability are selected and administered so as not to be racially or culturally discriminatory;
and

(7) the rights of the child are protected when the parents or guardians are not known or
not available, or the child is a ward of the state.

Sec. 2. new text begin INDIVIDUALIZED EDUCATION PROGRAM; RULE AMENDMENT.
new text end

new text begin The commissioner of education must amend Minnesota Rules, part 3525.2810, subpart
1, item A, to only require a statement of measurable annual goals as part of an individualized
education program and not include benchmarks or short-term objectives.
new text end