Transcript Highlights:

• We feel the best practice is always to obtain additional consent after an IEP has been formalized, but
• <01:03:37.680> is education services before an IEP is education services before an IEP is
• Um, we the best best practice we IEP.
• <01:03:56.160> has<01:03:56.400> been consent after an IEP has been consent after an
• IEP has been formalized,<01:03:57.119> but<01:03:57.280> there<01:03:57.440> was

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• 30 YOU BASICALLY HAVE A NEW CHANGE IN PLACEMENT BECAUSE YOU HAVE A NEW SCHOOL SYSTEM JULY 1 SO EVERY IEP
• HAVE TO GO THROUGH WHAT YOU CALL THE FULL MTS PROCESS TO DETERMINE WHETHER OR NOT THEY SHOULD GET AN IEP
• DOING IS LOOKING AT TRENDS THROUGH THE DATA TO SEE IF WE HAVE KIDS THAT MAYBE WILL BENEFIT FROM AN IEP
• AND STARTING TO CONVENE THOSE SERVICES OR THAT PROCESS FOR DEVELOPING AN IEP WITH THE FAMILIES BUT I
• TO WORK WITH OUR STUDENTS AND CREATE THAT CONTINUITY TO ASSESS WHICHEVER YOUTH MIGHT BENEFIT FROM AN IEP

Keywords: 999, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• educational setting where the age range in the educational setting exceeds four years unless the student's IEP
• Council for Higher Education of Virginia, or SCHEV, to study the quality and consistency of transition IEPs
• What it now does is it requires guidelines to be created by SCHEV that an IEP team may use to develop
• a transition IEP for students entering a post-secondary school.

Summary: The Virginia Disability Commission held its first meeting of the year on June 18, established a quorum, and introduced members. Senator Barbara Favola was elected chair and Delegate Amy Laufer was elected vice chair, both unanimously. The commission also reviewed and unanimously approved its electronic/remote participation policy, which mirrors last year’s policy and allows limited remote participation under Virginia FOIA rules. Staff then reviewed a package of 14 disability-related bills that passed last session and were signed into law. Topics included disabled veterans’ vehicle registration fee exemptions, open captioning requirements for movie theaters, guardianship/conservatorship order forwarding, service dog team definitions, education and transition planning for students with disabilities, Blue Envelope and driver communication training for law enforcement and driver education, deferred disposition and jury service protections, voting rights in guardianship cases, expansion of the Virginia Human Rights Act, continuation of a DD waiver eligibility change, and DMAS training authority for autism competency checklists. Members discussed implementation concerns, especially making the Blue Envelope/driver communication program more visible and considering a follow-up letter and DMV presentation. The commission then adopted its interim work plan unanimously, with discussion of possible presentations on DMAS and Medicaid waivers, DBHDS telehealth training implementation, SCHEV and VDOE transition planning, transition from institutions to community settings, criminal justice reform, transportation and parking accessibility, adult-sized changing tables, and school accessibility. Members also suggested adding EVV concerns, seclusion and restraint, rare disease issues, and insurance coverage problems for needed medications. Public commenters urged the commission to address burdensome EVV requirements for family caregivers, improve accessibility for local government meetings and documents, and explore a standardized credential/career pathway for direct support professionals. The chair said follow-up work would be assigned on EVV and implementation issues, and the meeting location would move to the Senate side of the Capitol going forward.

Transcript Highlights:

• provisions, specifically as it relates to. special education, I just want to remind you that when the IEP
• I never had to give the IEP to a person who substituted for me as a certified. substitute in three different
• I've never received the IEP, so while it may seem burdensome... and cumbersome for the teachers, I just
• And so my frustration. with the lack of IEP access, ended up with a 23-page complaint to Texas. education

Bills: HB367, HB497, HB549, HB983, HB 1188, HB 1290, HB1368, HB2243, HB2310, HB2849, HB3099, HB3546, HB3629, HB3627

Keywords: education, absences, severe illness, life-threatening, school policy, verification, healthcare, insurance, affordability, coverage, patient rights, school health, respiratory distress, airway clearance devices, medication training, public health, HB 983, Texas Education Agency, TEA, educator privacy

Transcript Highlights:

• 41.16 clarifies That parental consent for initial provision of special education services before an IEP
• all special education services out of alignment with a student signed and agreed upon and completed IEP
• The best practice we feel is always to obtain additional consent After an IEP has been formalized, there
• Their IEP.

Transcript Highlights:

• Iep 504, Plan or II live Enlist Language Learner Plan which is also known as The E L L SB 50, we titled
• We have an IEP and it has absolutely changed her life.
• She has started before having an IEP with serious speech delays and developmental delays and is now looking
• information when they defied teach to take their child, the educational institution of their choice on an IEP

Keywords: 999, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• some concerns that have been raised around that amendment is, you know, just more broadly with the IEP
• You know, I think we certainly hear from parents who say the IEP process can be very overwhelming.
• as<01:28:20.159> part<01:28:20.239> of<01:28:20.320> the<01:28:20.480> IEP
• education might look as part of the IEP education might look as part of the IEP process.<01:28:21.840
• process can be parents who say the IEP process can be very<01:28:40.320> overwhelming.

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• I'd like to tell you a story of a young person we represented named Maya, a student with an IEP.
• A student with an IEP due to a history of trauma and an emotional disability.
• It also acknowledges that electronic devices are part of IEP plans for some students and does not take
• I'm also grateful that this bill includes exceptions for students with IEPs and 504 plans who may need
• and ...with two exceptions: for IEPs and educational plans and health-related reasons.

Keywords: 995, all

Summary: The committee opened a public hearing on 41 bills related to school climate and safety, with chairs Jason Lewis and Ken Gordon outlining procedures and noting more than 125 witnesses. The first major topic was the “Study Act” on cell phones in schools and related social media restrictions (House 666/Senate 335). Secretary of Education Pat Tutwiler and Attorney General Andrea Campbell testified in strong support, arguing that bell-to-bell phone-free policies would improve student focus, reduce anxiety and distraction, and support mental health. Several legislators also supported the approach, though Representative Jeff Turco and Senator John Keenan emphasized narrower bills focused only on school-day phone restrictions rather than broader social media regulation. Senator John Velis likewise backed a comprehensive school-hours restriction, citing student distraction and mental health concerns. Representative Tarsky described successful implementation of a Yondr pouch system in a school where he served as principal, saying it improved engagement and reduced bullying and discipline issues. The committee then heard testimony on a bill to prohibit Native American mascots in public schools (Senate 312/House 575). Senator Joe Comerford, Brittany Wally, and Rhonda Anderson all urged passage, saying Native mascots are dehumanizing, harmful to Native youth, and inconsistent with civil rights and educational values. They described support from tribal nations and noted that many Massachusetts schools have already changed mascots, but some still resist. The hearing also included testimony on school start times (House 647/Senate 360), where middle school students Caroline Duffy and Emery Jarvis described exhaustion and survey data showing widespread sleep deprivation. Former educator Telia Jacobs, former principal Rep. Tarsky, and others argued that later start times would improve health, learning, and student well-being, while acknowledging transportation and scheduling challenges. Zoriana Petrosian, who helped write one of the bills as a student, said the state already has enough research to act now. Additional bills drew testimony on related school issues. Dr. Raul Fernandez supported a bill promoting racially integrated schools (Senate 324), citing a recent advisory council report showing large disparities in segregated schools and urging DESE to develop a statewide integration strategy. On safe firearm storage education (House 548/Senate 397), multiple witnesses from Grassroots for Gun Violence Prevention and school communities supported annual school-based education about secure storage, saying it would help prevent child access to unsecured firearms and build on local resolutions already adopted in some districts. The committee also heard testimony on bills to expand career and academic plans (House 533/Senate 438), with speakers saying more structured planning would help students make informed college and career choices. Later, testimony on child sexual abuse prevention and survivor support bills described the prevalence of abuse, the need for training in schools and youth-serving organizations, and the importance of extending compensation and prevention measures. Throughout the hearing, chairs repeatedly closed bills with no witnesses and moved the agenda forward, but no votes were taken in the portion of the transcript provided.

Transcript Highlights:

• have chatted about in the attendance lane is really understanding how we're leaning into students' IEPs
• we make sure that if and if we make any changes we're absolutely protecting the students who have IEPs
• <01:30:08.920> appropriately leaning into students IEPs appropriately leaning into students
• IEPs appropriately and<01:30:09.840> making<01:30:10.119> sure<01:30:10.360> like
• Third grade students that he suspended were on IEPs and required special education services.

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• This year, only one of 24 was ready academically for school, and three out of 24 already have an IEP
• in 504 in public schools and has an IEP in 504 in public schools and with<00:15:18.279> her<00
• Academy 61% of them arrive with an IEP Academy 61% of them arrive with an IEP from<01:15:14.719>
• The hours provided to evaluate, gather teacher input, prepare paperwork, and attend IEP meetings for
• The hours provided to evaluate, gather teacher input, prepare paperwork, and attend IEP meetings for

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Summary: The Education Finance Committee met on February 5, 2025, to hear testimony from representatives of Minnesota’s Catholic and other nonpublic schools, focused on state nonpublic pupil aid, transportation, counseling, nursing, and related support programs. Meg Forette of the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis argued that Catholic schools serve more than 30,000 students across many districts, educate a diverse population, and achieve strong academic results while operating at far lower per-student costs than public schools. She urged lawmakers to reject proposed cuts to nonpublic funding, saying they would be inequitable and harmful to lower-income families, and also raised concerns about state teacher-licensing requirements conflicting with Catholic values. Trisha Menshu, principal of St. John Paul II Catholic School in Northeast Minneapolis, described a student body with high levels of poverty, learning needs, and academic gaps, and said state-funded nurse and guidance-counseling services are essential to keeping students safe, healthy, and on track for high school. She said the school absorbs many costs itself, including medical supplies and significant staff time, and credited the support programs with helping students make strong academic growth and graduate on time. In response to a senator’s question, she clarified that the school uses the nursing aid for limited nurse time and pays other medical-related costs from operating funds, with no billing back to public school districts. Committee members asked follow-up questions about the relationship between teacher licensing and Catholic values, and about how medical needs for nonpublic students are funded. Forette said the concern was not with welcoming all students but with how DEI-related trainings and language are presented in ways that conflict with Catholic teaching. The committee then moved on to the next testifier, Andrew Hiliker of Stella Maris Academy in Duluth, who began by describing his school’s growth and the state’s role in supporting all students, regardless of school choice.

Transcript Highlights:

• If you have an IEP in place, you qualify for special education services; those requirements go until
• in place, disclosure to 50%... ...the rate of identification of those who have IEPs in place is closer
• Now, the law makes clear that DESE shall... the rate of identification of those who have IEPs in place
• to note that the House of Correction and DOC have a role in identifying which young people have an IEP
• The House of Correction and DOC have a role in identifying which young people have an IEP in place or

Keywords: 995, all

Summary: The commission on correctional consolidation and collaboration heard testimony focused on how Massachusetts uses custody levels, staffing, programming, and medical release tools, with Prisoners’ Legal Services arguing that the system is overusing expensive high-security settings and underusing step-down options. Dave Rainey said the incarcerated population has dropped substantially over the last several years, but spending and staffing have not fallen in proportion. He argued that DOC overclassifies people into medium and maximum security, relies too heavily on behavioral assessment units that function like segregation, and keeps people in restrictive settings such as Souza-Baranowski and Shattuck Hospital longer than necessary. He also said medical parole is underused and that many people with serious chronic illness or advanced age pose little public-safety risk and should be released through existing legal pathways. Sheriffs and other commission members pushed back on some of those points, emphasizing that staffing needs are driven by the acuity of the current population, that corrections is not overstaffed, and that classification decisions involve serious public-safety judgments. They also stressed that some high-cost medical placements are necessary because people remain under sentence and require care, and that furloughs and other release tools can create security risks if contraband or substance use is involved. The discussion also covered the role of county sheriffs versus DOC in reentry, with several members saying county systems tend to do more day-to-day step-down and release planning, while DOC has more difficulty moving people through lower-security settings before release. Ben Foreman of MassINC offered a more systemwide, data-focused perspective, praising the state’s transparency and arguing that Massachusetts has made major progress in reducing incarceration and increasing public safety. He said the state still has an opportunity to improve by right-sizing facilities, investing in community-based mental health treatment, and using the commission to better understand the capital and operating costs of the current system. In response to questions, he said he was aware of DOC studies on programs like furlough but had not reviewed recent ones, and he noted that total-control facilities like Souza-Baranowski have long been criticized in the research literature for poor outcomes. Nora Wassel of the Women and Incarceration Project then testified that the commission should issue an interim report and scrutinize the planned new women’s prison, which she said is not justified by current population trends or available data. She argued that women are overclassified under DOC’s own tools, that reentry beds and minimum-security placements are underused, and that the system may be failing to account for women’s distinct medical and reentry needs. The meeting ended with continued discussion of reentry, furloughs, day reporting, and whether consolidation should mean fewer facilities, better step-down pathways, or both.

Transcript Highlights:

• I spent an entire year attending IEP meetings and parent conferences, planning units, grading papers,
• Attending IEP meetings and parent conferences, planning units, grading papers, and taking classes without
• spend the next year of my master's program in a special education classroom, learning how to implement IEP
• IEPs and support plans must be followed with empathy, not judgment.

Bills: HB30, HB120, HJR1, SB210, SB306

Keywords: teacher residency, Teacher Residency Act, public schools, teacher preparation, educator pipeline, teacher recruitment, teacher retention, student teachers, apprenticeship, co-teaching, mentor teachers, residency stipend, teacher salary, level one teacher, charter schools, school districts, New Mexico education, teacher workforce, principal stipend, cohort model

Transcript Highlights:

• They will get kind of like an IEP for the program. ...behavior program.
• They will get kind of like an IEP for the programming so that we can adjust and help support their success
• One that I'm particularly concerned about is the reduction of inclusion options for children with IEPs
• partnerships with school districts are sometimes challenging because it takes time to work through that IEP
• So if you're a three-year-old who needs an inclusive environment for your IEP, you may not have any options

Summary: The committee began with a work session on juvenile rehabilitation institution capacity, services, and staffing. DCYF Assistant Secretary Jennifer Redmond described overcrowding at Green Hill School and Echo Glen, driven by longer adult-style sentences extending past age 25, limited community placements, and small facility sizes. She said Green Hill remains above safe operating capacity, but staffing, injuries, large-scale aggression, and use-of-force incidents have improved over the past year. She also discussed Harbor Heights, a new 46-bed flex facility that had opened with 22 youth and would expand once a medical trailer arrives, as well as community transition services, vocational programming, behavior management reforms, and a request for more resources for mental health-focused facilities and staffing. Members asked about success metrics, developmental disability screening and supports, college access at Echo Glen, Mission Creek planning, and gender-responsive programming; Redmond said JR uses assessments, family involvement, and specialized living units, and that some requested funding had already been secured for returning a girls’ program at Echo Glen. The committee then heard from Team Child and the Youth Action Coalition. Greta Schultz said youth perspectives should guide system reforms and identified key concerns: overuse of sentence extensions, underuse of community transition services, continued criminal referrals from Green Hill to Lewis County, limited family contact, inadequate mental health access, and unequal education opportunities, especially for young women at Echo Glen. Justella Gonzalez, a former system-involved youth, said her time in county and state facilities was harmful, with staff mistreatment, poor education, limited therapy access, and humiliating restraint practices; she also said girls at Echo Glen lacked the same college opportunities as boys at Green Hill. Committee members asked for follow-up on county versus state experiences and on telehealth mental health services. The next presentation covered county-level services for youth involved or at risk of involvement with the justice system, led by juvenile court administrators Christine Simon-Smeyer and Judge Rachel Anderson. They outlined the juvenile court continuum from prevention and truancy work through diversion, detention alternatives, community supervision, and disposition alternatives, emphasizing evidence-based, trauma-informed, and restorative practices. Clark County was used as an example of a court that partners closely with schools and community providers, uses risk assessments and wraparound behavioral health probation, and offers detention alternatives without electronic home monitoring. They said most courts do not use detention for status offenses, but instead use court involvement to connect youth to services. They also described funding, noting that courts rely on a mix of state block grant and local dollars, and that recent cuts to early intervention funding reduced programming and staff hours. Members asked about detention for truancy, developmental disability identification, restorative justice practices, and the juvenile block grant. Finally, DCYF Assistant Secretary Nicole Rose and Katie Warren of the Washington State Association of Head Start and ECAP discussed child care and early learning impacts from recent policy and budget changes. Rose said Fair Start for Kids investments had increased child care access, provider participation, and kindergarten readiness, with more than 60,000 children in Working Connections care and rising ECAP enrollment and provider capacity. She said recent reductions will raise most family copays in 2026, delay eligibility expansions, eliminate some expanded eligibility categories, reduce ECAP slots by about 3,000, delay entitlement timelines, and cut provider supports such as rate increases for centers, complex-needs grants, trauma-informed and dual-language incentives, and infant/early childhood mental health consultation. Warren emphasized ECAP’s role in family stability, workforce participation, and reducing poverty, and noted its two-generation approach to supporting both children and parents.

Transcript Highlights:

• after repeated inquiries to obtain a new student's legally binding individualized education plan, or IEP
• trainings to ensure that all youth approaching 18 are made aware of SDM as an option prior to their IEP
• As an option prior to their IEP meetings.
• In second grade, my IEP was ignored.
• If my mom and I had learned about supported decision-making during my IEP meetings, my transition to

Keywords: 995, all

Summary: The Joint Committee on Children, Families and Persons with Disabilities held a hybrid hearing focused largely on DDS-related bills, with chairs Kennedy and Livingstone outlining strict time limits, accessibility procedures, and a 5 p.m. stop to preserve ASL and CART services. The committee heard testimony on several measures, including a bill from Sen. Mike Moore to create a centralized electronic education records system for students in out-of-home placements, which supporters said would improve communication, preserve IEP continuity, and reduce missed services. Paul DePaulo also testified in support, describing the educational and justice-system harms that can follow when foster youth do not receive coordinated records and supports. A major portion of the hearing centered on H. 242/S. 149, a bill to enhance standards of care for people with autism and intellectual and developmental disabilities. Rep. Garballey and many advocates, parents, clinicians, and disability leaders supported the bill, saying it would require provider training, statewide standards, and better emergency department practices to reduce misdiagnosis, trauma, and unnecessary ER boarding. Testimony described sensory and communication barriers in medical settings, lack of provider training, and the need for continuing education and license-related requirements. Related testimony also supported H. 213/S. 111, which would improve access to behavioral health services for children involved with state agencies by requiring better discharge planning, coordination with hospitals and agencies, and more appropriate post-hospital placements. The committee also heard strong support for H. 256/S. 102, requiring universal changing stations in public buildings, from parents, advocates, and the Massachusetts Developmental Disabilities Council. Witnesses said current restroom accommodations often force unsafe or undignified changes on floors, in cars, or in inaccessible spaces, and argued the cost of adding changing stations to new or renovated buildings would be modest compared with the benefits to dignity, safety, and community access. Another major topic was H. 261/S. 155 on supported decision-making agreements for certain adults, which supporters described as a less restrictive alternative to guardianship that preserves autonomy while providing trusted support. Finally, testimony on Tommy’s bill (S. 168/H. 282) described a preventable death after a hospital discharge and urged clearer communication and training requirements for residential staff handling life-sustaining equipment; the bill was presented as a safeguard for people with disabilities relying on such equipment.

Transcript Highlights:

• Also includes funding to help us roll out our statewide IEP.
• As we've talked about with you all before, we've developed a unified IEP template which is much more
• concise and streamlined and allows for better implementation of student IEPs.
• Mentoring in schools that IEPs are really not being implemented in a way that they should, which means
• So this unified IEP will allow for us to all be on the same page in terms of what's expected.

Transcript Highlights:

• Medicaid coverage for Medicaid services that a child enrolled in Medicaid would get as part of their IEP
• And as part of the IEP process, parents consent and help develop the IEP plan and 504 plan with the schools
• And as part of the IEP process, parents consent and help develop the IEP plan and 504 plan with the schools
• I think the IEP or 504 plan that is consented to would, you know, be about administering that drug if
• I think the IEP or 504 plan that is consented to would, you know, be about administering that drug if

Keywords: 1189, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• We knew at a young age that she was going to need an IEP, and that scared me.
• We knew at a young age that she was going to need an IEP, and that scared me.
• We knew at a young age that she was going to need an IEP, and that scared me.
• That she was going to need an IEP, and that scared me.
• He has an IEP, and he has not been accommodated in any way in public school or private school.

Keywords: 958, all

Summary: The Senate Education Committee met with a quorum and heard first from the Washway Nicotine Youth Advocacy Group, which urged stronger enforcement of Kentucky’s Tobacco 21 law. Youth advocates described the harms of flavored vaping products, argued that nicotine use is targeting children, and called for retailer licensing, annual compliance checks, harsher penalties for illegal sales, and more funding for enforcement. Committee members praised the presentation, and one senator said he had heard a bill on licensed retailers may be coming soon. The committee then heard a lengthy presentation from Cloverport Independent School District and the Kentucky Virtual Academy about the state’s virtual school model. Superintendent Keith Haynes and principals Brandy Fagan and Sally Johnson said KYVA serves about 2,800 students, many of whom are at-risk or have health, safety, behavioral, or family reasons for choosing virtual education. They emphasized that the program uses live synchronous instruction, provides devices and materials, and offers special education and related services. They also said the school had a large wait list and that virtual programs need more flexibility in staffing ratios, scheduling, and testing windows. School leaders acknowledged criticism of KYVA’s proficiency scores and said many students entered far below grade level, with 59% not proficient in English language arts and 79% not proficient in math on recent state testing. They argued the program is too new to judge solely on one year of data and pointed to growth in MAP scores, as well as middle and high school rankings in the top half of Kentucky schools. Fagan and Johnson outlined improvement efforts, including daily interventions, small-group instruction, literacy programs, staff training, and expanded clubs and student activities. No votes or formal committee actions were taken in the portion provided.

Transcript Highlights:

• in our IEP and our related<02:32:32.800> service<02:32:33.200> providers<02:32:34.000>
• IEP, and then the documentation and recordkeeping of the service is all together there.
• They can't see our IEPs. They can't see everything that we submit.
• They can't see They can't see our IEPs.
• About a third of those are IEP... Those are IEP...

Keywords: 912, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• students with disabilities, as well as those with an accompanying individualized education program (IEP
• SB 1447 is only creating an exception for those who have already approved IEP or 504 plans with the school
• so they can utilize the assistive technology that is approved through the IEP or 504.
• Here we're in an IEP meeting, and the school said, "Well, we can't use this specific app anymore because

Bills: SB204, SB570, SB735, SB784, SB1207, SB1396, SB1447, SB2392, SB2540, SB747, SB875

Keywords: parental rights, education, school trustees, training, handbook, truancy, attendance policy, chronic absenteeism, school attendance, student absence notifications, parent notification, home visit, attendance officer, truancy court, school district, open-enrollment charter school, student support services, school counselor, principal, administrator

Transcript Highlights:

• I just want to remind you that when the IEP is not followed, compensatory education is supposed to be
• I never had to give the IEP to.
• I've never received the IEP.
• ISD at two charter schools, KIPP and Harmony Public schools, and so my frustration with the lack of IEP