2000 Minnesota Statutes

     122A.31 American sign language/English interpreters. 

    Subdivision 1.    Requirements for American sign 
 language/English interpreters.  (a) In addition to any other 
 requirements that a school district establishes, any person 
 employed to provide American sign language/English interpreting 
 or sign transliterating services on a full-time or part-time 
 basis for a school district after July 1, 2000, must: 

    (1) hold current interpreter and transliterator 
 certificates awarded by the Registry of Interpreters for the 
 Deaf (RID), or the general level interpreter proficiency 
 certificate awarded by the National Association of the Deaf 
 (NAD), or a comparable state certification from the commissioner 
 of children, families, and learning; and 

    (2) satisfactorily complete an interpreter/transliterator 
 training program affiliated with an accredited educational 
 institution. 

    (b) To provide American sign language/English interpreting 
 or transliterating services on a full-time or part-time basis, a 
 person employed in a school district during the 1999-2000 school 
 year must only comply with paragraph (a), clause (1).  The 
 commissioner shall grant a nonrenewable, one-year provisional 
 certificate to individuals who have not attained a current 
 applicable transliterator certificate pursuant to paragraph (a), 
 clause (1).  During the one-year provisional period, the 
 interpreter/transliterator must develop and implement an 
 education plan in collaboration with a mentor under paragraph 
 (d).  This paragraph shall expire on June 30, 2001. 

    (c) Graduates of an interpreter/transliterator program 
 affiliated with an accredited education institution shall be 
 granted a two-year provisional certificate by the commissioner.  
 During the two-year provisional period, the 
 interpreter/transliterator must develop and implement an 
 education plan in collaboration with a mentor under paragraph 
 (d).  This paragraph applies to spring semester 2000 graduates 
 and thereafter. 

    (d) A mentor of a provisionally certified 
 interpreter/transliterator must be an interpreter/transliterator 
 who has either NAD level IV or V certification or RID certified 
 interpreter and certified transliterator certification and have 
 at least three years interpreting/transliterating experience in 
 any educational setting.  The mentor, in collaboration with the 
 provisionally certified interpreter/transliterator, shall 
 develop and implement an education plan designed to meet the 
 requirements of paragraph (a), clause (1), and include a weekly 
 on-site mentoring process. 

    (e) A school district may not employ an 
 interpreter/transliterator who has not been certified under 
 paragraph (a), (b), or (c). 

    Subd. 2.    Oral or cued speech transliterators.  In 
 addition to any other requirements that a school district 
 establishes, any person employed to provide oral transliterating 
 or cued speech transliterating services on a full-time or 
 part-time basis for a school district after July 1, 2000, must 
 hold a current applicable transliterator certificate awarded by 
 the national certifying association or comparable state 
 certification from the commissioner of children, families, and 
 learning. 

    Subd. 3.    Qualified interpreters.  The department of 
 children, families, and learning and the resource center:  deaf 
 and hard of hearing shall work with existing 
 interpreter/transliterator training programs, other 
 training/educational institutions, and the regional service 
 centers to ensure that ongoing staff development training for 
 educational interpreters/transliterators is provided throughout 
 the state. 

    Subd. 4.    Reimbursement.  (a) For purposes of revenue 
 under section 125A.78, the department of children, families, and 
 learning must only reimburse school districts for the services 
 of those interpreters/transliterators who satisfy the standards 
 of competency under this section.  

    (b) Notwithstanding paragraph (a), a district shall be 
 reimbursed for the services of interpreters with a nonrenewable 
 provisional certificate and interpreters/transliterators 
 employed to mentor the provisional certified interpreters. 

    HIST: 1994 c 647 art 3 s 17; 1Sp1995 c 3 art 16 s 13; 1998 c 
 397 art 8 s 72,101; art 11 s 3; 1998 c 398 art 5 s 55; 2000 c 
 489 art 3 s 1,2