Resolve, To Facilitate Participation in Individualized Education Program Team Meetings and Special Education Dispute Resolution Procedures

Sec. 1. Alternative means of participation in special education meetings; rules. Resolved: That the Department of Education shall amend its rules in Chapter 101: Maine Unified Special Education Regulation Birth to Age Twenty in Section VI in the part concerning alternative means of meeting participation to require that schools permit the use of alternative means of meeting participation, such as individual or conference telephone calls and videoconferencing, to ensure that the parents of a child with a disability are able to have appropriate persons participate in individualized education program team meetings and special education dispute resolution procedures. The amendment to the rules must specify that a school administrative unit is not required to spend any funds to purchase additional equipment in order to comply with this provision; and be it further

Sec. 2. Provisional adoption of rules. Resolved: That the Department of Education shall provisionally adopt the amendments required under section 1 no later than December 1, 2011. Rules adopted pursuant to this section are major substantive rules as defined in the Maine Revised Statutes, Title 5, chapter 375, subchapter 2-A.