SF 1665

as introduced - 85th Legislature (2007 - 2008) Posted on 12/15/2009 12:00am

A bill for an act
relating to education; providing for a hearing loss early education intervention
coordinator; appropriating money; amending Minnesota Statutes 2006, section
125A.63, by adding a subdivision.

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

Section 1.

Minnesota Statutes 2006, section 125A.63, is amended by adding a
subdivision to read:

new text begin Subd. 5. new text end

new text begin Statewide hearing loss early education intervention coordinator. new text end

new text begin (a)
The coordinator shall:
new text end

new text begin (1) collaborate with the early hearing detection and intervention coordinator for the
Department of Health, the director of the Department of Education Resource Center for
Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing, and the Department of Health Early Hearing Detection and
Intervention Advisory Council;
new text end

new text begin (2) coordinate and support Department of Education early hearing detection and
intervention teams;
new text end

new text begin (3) leverage resources by serving as a liaison between interagency early intervention
committees; part C coordinators from the Departments of Education, Health, and
Human Services; Department of Education regional low-incidence facilitators; service
coordinators from school districts; Minnesota children with special health needs in the
Department of Health; public health nurses; child find; Department of Human Services
Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing Services Division; and others as appropriate;
new text end

new text begin (4) identify, support, and promote culturally appropriate and evidence-based early
intervention practices for infants with hearing loss, and provide training, outreach, and use
of technology to increase consistency in statewide service provision;
new text end

new text begin (5) identify culturally appropriate specialized reliable and valid instruments to assess
and track the progress of children with hearing loss and promote their use;
new text end

new text begin (6) ensure that early childhood providers, parents, and members of the individual
family service and intervention plan are provided with child progress data resulting from
specialized assessments;
new text end

new text begin (7) educate early childhood providers and teachers of the deaf and hard-of-hearing
to use developmental data from specialized assessments to plan and adjust individual
family service plans; and
new text end

new text begin (8) make recommendations that would improve educational outcomes to the early
hearing detection and intervention committee, the commissioners of education and health,
the Minnesota Commission Serving Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing People, and the advisory
council of the Minnesota Department of Education Resource Center for the Deaf and
Hard-of-Hearing.
new text end

new text begin (b) The Department of Education must provide aggregate data regarding outcomes
of deaf and hard-of-hearing children who receive early intervention services within the
state in accordance with the state performance plan.
new text end

Sec. 2. new text begin APPROPRIATIONS.
new text end

new text begin (a) $160,000 in fiscal year 2008 is appropriated from the general fund to the
commissioner of education for the position of an early hearing loss intervention
coordinator to support the early intervention services of infants and children newly
diagnosed with hearing loss.
new text end

new text begin (b) $60,000 in fiscal year 2008 is appropriated from the general fund to the
commissioner of education for training and expenses for early hearing detection and
intervention teams.
new text end