SEC. 5. PAPERWORK REDUCTION DEMONSTRATION PRO-
GRAM.
(a) PILOT PROGRAM.—The Secretary is authorized
to grant waivers of paperwork requirements under the In-
dividuals with Disabilities Education Act for a period of
time not to exceed 4 years with respect to not more than
10 States based on proposals submitted by States for ad-
dressing reduction of paperwork and non-instructional
time spent fulfilling statutory and regulatory require-
ments.
(b) REPORT.—The Secretary shall include in the an-
nual report of the Department of Education (required to
be transmitted to Congress under section 426 of the De-
partment of Education Organization Act) information re-
lated to the effectiveness of waivers granted under sub-
section (a)—
(1) in reducing the paperwork burden on teach-
ers, administrators, and related services providers
under the Individuals with Disabilities Education
Act, and non-instructional time spent by teachers in
compliance of the requirements of the Individuals
with Disabilities Education Act, including any spe-
cific recommendations for broader implementation;
and
(2) in enhancing longer term educational plan-
ning, improving positive outcomes for children with
disabilities, promoting collaboration between IEP
Team members, and ensuring satisfaction of family
members, including any specific recommendations
for broader implementation.
SEC. 6. AMENDMENTS TO THE INDIVIDUALS WITH DISABIL-
ITIES EDUCATION ACT.
(a) INDIVIDUALIZED EDUCATION PROGRAMS.—
(1) DEFINITIONS.—Section 614(d)(1) of the In-
dividuals with Disabilities Education Act (20 U.S.C.
1414(d)(1)) is amended—
(A) in subparagraph (B), by striking
clause (ii) and inserting the following:
‘‘(ii) a regular education teacher of
such child (if the child is, or may be, par-
ticipating the majority of the school day in
the regular education environment), but
such teacher shall not be required to at-
tend a meeting or part of a meeting of the
IEP Team involving issues not related to
the child’s participation in regular edu-
cation, nor shall multiple regular education
teachers, if the child has more than one
regular education teacher, be required to
attend a meeting, or part of a meeting, of
the IEP Team;’’; and
(B) by adding at the end the following:
‘‘(C) LEA DISCRETION.—(i)(I) The local
educational agency shall have the discretion to
determine whether any member of the IEP
Team may be excused from attending an IEP
meeting, in whole or in part, when, under the
circumstances, the attendance of the member is
not necessary. An IEP Team may obtain input
prior to an IEP meeting from any member
whose attendance at such meeting is not nec-
essary as determined under the preceding sen-
tence.
‘‘(II) The local educational agency shall
provide notice to the parent of the child with a
disability that an IEP Team member will not
attend an IEP meeting as determined under
subclause (I).
‘‘(III) If the parent of the child with a dis-
ability disagrees with the determination of the
local educational agency under subclause (I)
that an IEP Team member will not attend an
IEP meeting, the parent may request that the
IEP Team member attend the IEP meeting.
‘‘(ii) An IEP meeting at which the attend-
ance of a regular education teacher of a child
with a disability is necessary, or at which such
attendance has been requested by the child’s
parents, shall not be scheduled at a time that
would require the absence of the regular edu-
cation teacher from the classroom during in-
structional time.’’.
(2) DEVELOPMENT OF IEP.—Section 614(d)(3)
of such Act (20 U.S.C. 1414(d)(3)) is amended by
adding at the end the following:
‘‘(D) WAIVER
OF
MEETING.—In making
changes to a child’s IEP, the parent of a child
with a disability and the local education agency
may waive the need for an IEP meeting and in-
stead develop a written document to amend or
modify an existing IEP.
‘‘(E) CONSOLIDATION AND ALTERNATIVE
MEANS REGARDING MEETINGS.—To the extent
possible, the local educational agency shall en-
courage consolidation of IEP Team meetings
for each child and shall permit all participants
in IEP Team meetings to use alternative means
of participating, such as video conferencing and
conference calls.’’.
(3) REVIEW
AND
REVISION
OF
IEP.—Section
614(d)(4)(B) of such Act (20 U.S.C. 1414(d)(4)(B))
is amended by inserting before the period at the end
the following: ‘‘through consultation or through at-
tendance at IEP Team meetings when it would not
result in absence from the classroom during instruc-
tional time’’.
(b) CONSTRUCTION.—Section 614(e) of such Act (20
U.S.C. 1414(e)) is amended by adding at the end the fol-
lowing: ‘‘Nothing in this section shall be construed to re-
quire that additional information be included in a child’s
IEP beyond what is explicitly required in this section.’’.
(c) PROCEDURAL SAFEGUARDS NOTICE.—Section
615(d)(1) of such Act (20 U.S.C. 1415(d)(1)) is amended
by striking subparagraphs (B) and (C) and inserting the
following:
‘‘(B) at the time services are initially pro-
vided;
‘‘(C) upon registration of a complaint
under subsection (b)(6) of this section; and
‘‘(D) upon request by a parent.’’.
SEC. 7. DEFINITIONS.
In this Act:
(1) CHILD
WITH
A
DISABILITY.—The term
‘‘child with a disability’’ has the meaning given the
term in section 602 of the Individuals with Disabil-
ities Education Act.