Empowering Families in Special Education Act

Bill: 119-s-745
Sponsor: full_name: Sen. Schmitt, Eric [R-MO]
Introduced: 2025-02-26
Policy area: Education
Latest action: action_date: 2025-02-26
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.

Summaries:
action_date: 2025-02-26
action_desc: Introduced in Senate
text: <p><strong>Empowering Families in Special Education Act</strong></p><p>This bill establishes a notification requirement related to an individualized education program (IEP). (Generally, IEPs are individualized plans to ensure that a child with a disability receives a free appropriate public education.)</p><p>Under current law, states and local educational agencies (LEAs) must convene a team to develop an IEP. The composition of the team that develops the IEP is outlined in current law and allows for other individuals who have knowledge or special expertise regarding the child (including related services personnel, as appropriate) to participate in this team. This bill requires the LEA that serves the child to notify the child's parents of their right to include these other individuals with knowledge or special expertise on the child's IEP team.</p>

tv_txt: II 119th CONGRESS 1st Session S. 745 IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES February 26, 2025 Mr. Schmitt (for himself, Mrs. Shaheen , and Mr. Padilla ) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions A BILL To amend the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act to require notification with respect to individualized education program teams, and for other purposes.

1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Empowering Families in Special Education Act . 2. Notification requirement for IEP teams Section 614(d)(1)(B) of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act ( 20 U.S.C. 1414(d)(1)(B) ) is amended— (1) in clause (iv), by redesignating subclauses (I) through (III) as items (aa) through (cc), respectively (and by conforming the margins accordingly); (2) by redesignating clauses (i) through (vii) as subclauses (I) through (VII), respectively (and by conforming the margins accordingly); (3) in the matter preceding subclause (I), as so redesignated, by striking The term and inserting the following: (i) In general The term ; and (4) by adding at the end the following: (ii) Notification required Within a reasonable timeframe prior to the first convening of the individualized education program team for a child with a disability for a school year, the local educational agency that serves such child shall notify the parent of such child that such parent may, under clause (i)(VI), include other individuals who have knowledge or special expertise regarding the child, including related services personnel as appropriate, as part of the individualized education program team. .