Compilation of Rules and Regulations of the State of Georgia › Department 160 - RULES OF GEORGIA DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION › Chapter 160-4 › Subject 160-4-7 - SPECIAL EDUCATION › Rule 160-4-7-.14 - Personnel, Facilities and Caseloads

Current through Rules and Regulations filed through June 27, 2024
(1) Unless otherwise specified under program
				areas, the following shall apply:
(a)
				Maintenance of current credentials shall be the ongoing responsibility of any
				professional employed by or under contract with an LEA. Maintenance of records
				of current credentials shall be the ongoing responsibility of the
				LEA.
(b) The LEA shall recruit,
				hire, train and retain an adequate supply of highly qualified (certified or
				licensed) personnel, including special education, related services and
				leadership personnel, to meet the needs of children with disabilities.
				[34 C.F.R. §
											300.156(d)]
(c) Related service personnel who deliver
				services in their discipline or profession must maintain current, State
				approved or recognized certification, licensing, registration or other
				comparable requirements that apply to the professional discipline in which
				those personnel are providing special education or related services and these
				related service personnel must have not had certification or licensure
				requirements waived on an emergency, temporary or provisional basis.
				[34 C.F.R. §
											300.156(b)(2)]
1. The required standard credential for all
				personnel providing educational interpreting for children who are deaf or hard
				of hearing in LEAs, regardless of job title, shall hold a current Georgia
				Quality Assurance Screening (G-QAS) rating of Level III or higher in both
				interpreting and transliterating, as approved and maintained by the Georgia
				Department of Labor/Vocational Rehabilitation Program (DOL/VR), and/or
				documentation of advanced interpreting skills and qualifications through
				current national certification from the Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf
				(RID), and/or documentation of advanced interpreting skills and qualifications
				through current national certification from the National Association of the
				Deaf (NAD) Levels III, IV or V, and/or documentation of advance interpreting
				skills and qualifications through a current Educational Interpreter Performance
				Assessment® (EIPA) rating of Level 3.5 or higher. The EIPA rating cannot be
				more than five years old.
2.
				Maintenance of current credentials shall be the ongoing responsibility of any
				educational interpreter employed by an LEA for purposes of educational
				interpreting for children who are deaf or hard of hearing. Maintenance of
				records of current credentials shall be the ongoing responsibility of the LEA,
				and current credentials of educational interpreters must be filed with other
				personnel records (e.g., teacher certification credentials).
(d) The LEA shall provide a
				classroom of suitable size in a distraction-free area, as required by the type
				of program or services to be established, with appropriate furniture,
				materials, supplies and equipment to meet the needs of the class or individual
				children to be served. GaDOE has established this policy as a safeguard to
				prevent placing children with disabilities in classrooms that are too small,
				have visual or auditory distractions or do not have items necessary to provide
				appropriate instruction.
(e)
				Thirty-eight square feet shall be provided for each child in the class with a
				variance of 10 percent depending upon the total number of personnel in the
				class at any time, the type of children and class, the kind and amount of
				furniture and equipment required and the necessity for storage capabilities.
				Special circumstances shall be reviewed by the Facilities Department of the
				GaDOE and shall be addressed in the approved local facility plan.