2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE EIGHTEEN - Education (§§ 1 — 3510-3520) › PART III - Educational Activities Generally (§§ 861-866 — 1597b) › Chapter 87A - Integral Educational Services for Persons with Disabilities (§§ 1351 — 1359) › § 1355 - Office of Assistant Secretary—Duties

Without it being construed as a limitation, the following shall be the duties of the Office of Assistant Secretary:
(1) Design and draft the Individualized Educational Program (PEI, Spanish acronym), for each person with disabilities.
(2) Offer the specialized educational services and others related to all persons with disabilities who are determined to be eligible for the program according to his/her Individualized Educational Program (PEI, Spanish acronym).
(3) Render related and support services to students with disabilities placed in a regular program and in other environments according to their PEI.
(4) Establish the systems and regulations needed for the adequate functioning and operation of the Office of the Secretary and to guarantee the adequate use of the autonomous powers and faculties that this chapter confers [on] it.
(5) Ensure the availability of the necessary specialized multidisciplinary teams to design the PEI according to the specific needs of the students.
(6) Develop the monitoring mechanisms needed to oversee the implementation of the individualized educational programs in the schools of the system.
(7) Request the Secretary to reassign personnel from other areas of the Department to the Office of the Assistant Secretary and, if necessary, appoint or contract the additional personnel and carry out the administrative and managerial actions needed for the best compliance of the purposes of this chapter and of any state or federal legislation in effect, as well as with the regulations promulgated by the Secretary and adopted by virtue of this chapter or any other applicable regulations.
(8) Develop, in coordination with other dependencies of the Department of Education, the educational programs, curriculum, faculty, equipment and materials according to the needs and characteristics of the persons with disabilities, and the available resources.
(9) Develop, in coordination with the Sports and Recreation Department, adapted physical education programs that include recommended equipment and materials according to the specific needs of students.
(10) Establish covenants or agreements with the agencies, private institutions and municipalities for the rendering of integrated services to participating students.
(11) Coordinate and verify that the agencies that share responsibilities with the Office of the Assistant Secretary, render in due time the corresponding services in harmony with the public policy established hereby.
(12) Make the available services known to the personnel, the beneficiaries and the community in general, as well as the interagency agreements established and the regulations in effect under this chapter.
(13) Keep a continuous, confidential and updated Central Registry of persons with disabilities.
(14) Ensure that the state and federal resources appropriated for the rendering of educational services and related services of persons with disabilities are used in the most effective manner and in accordance with the applicable laws and regulations.
(15) Draft, hold public hearings and prepare the Regulations for the implementation of this chapter, no later than ninety (90) working days from the effectiveness thereof. Said Regulations shall contain all the elements needed for an effective interagency coordination.
(16) Establish the mechanisms that guarantee that all persons with disabilities are granted the due process of law in the substantive as well as in the procedural aspect.
(17) Guarantee the uninterrupted rendering of the services while the agreements, regulations and other normative documents are established.
(18) Coordinate with the pertinent agencies the development of a plan for the transition to adult life for students with disabilities no later than when they are 16 years old or [younger], if it were recommended.
(19) Respond before any legal forum for the compliance of this chapter with the support of the resources of the corresponding departments.
(20) Any auxiliary service not contemplated in this chapter which is necessary for the proper functioning of the Office of the Assistant Secretary shall be rendered by the other dependencies of the Department of Education, according to the available resources.
(21) Provide the equipment and technological assistance services stipulated in the student’s PEI.
(22) Request and accept gifts which shall be used exclusively to improve the direct services to persons with disabilities.
History —June 7, 1996, No. 51, § 6; Feb. 18, 2011, No. 10, §§ 1, 2.