Subpart C – Local Educational Agency Eligibility
300.200 Condition of assistance.
(a) An LEA is eligible for assistance under Part B of the Act for a fiscal year if the agency submits a plan that provides assurances to the SEA that the LEA meets each of the conditions in 34 C.F.R. §§ 300.201 through 300.213
(b) An LEA is eligible for assistance under Chapter 16 of the Rhode Island General Laws for a fiscal year if the agency submits a plan that provides assurances to the SEA that the LEA meets each of the conditions as set forth in these regulations.
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300.201 Consistency with State policies.
The LEA, in providing for the education of children with disabilities within its jurisdiction, must have in effect and on file with RIDE, policies, procedures, and programs that are consistent with State policies and procedures.
300.202 Use of amounts.
(a) General. Amounts provided to the LEA under Part B of the Act --
(1) Must be expended in accordance with the applicable provisions of this part;
(2) Must be used only to pay the excess costs of providing special education and related services to children with disabilities, consistent with paragraph (b) of this section; and
(3) Must be used to supplement State, local, and other Federal funds and not to supplant those funds.
(b) Excess cost requirement—(1) General. (i) The excess cost requirement prevents an LEA from using funds provided under Part B of the Act to pay for all of the costs directly attributable to the education of a child with a disability, subject to paragraph (b)(1)(ii) of this section.
(ii) The excess cost requirement does not prevent an LEA from using Part B funds to pay for all of the costs directly attributable to the education of a child with a disability in any of the ages 3, 4, 5, 18, 19, 20, or 21, if no local or State funds are available for nondisabled children of these ages. However, the LEA must comply with the nonsupplanting and other requirements of this part in providing the education and services for these children.
(2)(i) An LEA meets the excess cost requirement if it has spent at least a minimum average amount for the education of its children with disabilities before funds under Part B of the Act are used.
(ii) The amount described in paragraph (b)(2)(i) of this section is determined in accordance with the definition of excess costs in § 300.16. That amount may not include capital outlay or debt service.
(3) If two or more LEAs jointly establish eligibility in accordance with § 300.223, the minimum average amount is the average of the combined minimum average amounts determined in accordance with the definition of excess costs in § 300.16 in those agencies for elementary or secondary school students, as the case may be.
300.203 Maintenance of effort.
(a) General. Except as provided in §§ 300.204 and 300.205, funds provided to an LEA under Part B of the Act must not be used to reduce the level of expenditures for the education of children with disabilities made by the LEA from local funds below the level of those expenditures for the preceding fiscal year.
(b) Standard. (1) Except as provided in paragraph (b)(2) of this section, the SEA shall determine that an LEA complies with paragraph (a) of this section for purposes of establishing the LEA‘s eligibility for an award for a fiscal year if the LEA budgets, for the education of children with disabilities, at least the same total or per capita amount from either of the following sources as the LEA spent for that purpose from the same source for the most recent prior year for which information is available:
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(i) Local funds only.
(ii) The combination of State and local funds.
(2) An LEA that relies on paragraph (b)(1)(i) of this section for any fiscal year must ensure that the amount of local funds it budgets for the education of children with disabilities in that year is at least the same, either in total or per capita, as the amount it spent for that purpose in the most recent fiscal year for which information is available and the standard in paragraph (b)(1)(i) of this section was used to establish its compliance with this section.
(3) The SEA may not consider any expenditures made from funds provided by the Federal Government for which the SEA is required to account to the Federal Government or for which the LEA is required to account to the Federal Government directly or through the SEA in determining an LEA‘s compliance with the requirement in paragraph (a) of this section.
300.204 – 300.205 Reserved
300.206 Schoolwide programs under Title I of the ESEA.
(a) General. Notwithstanding the provisions of §§ 300.202 and 300.203 or any other provision of Part B of the Act, an LEA may use funds received under Part B of the Act for any fiscal year to carry out a schoolwide program under § 1114 of the ESEA, except that the amount used in any schoolwide program may not exceed --
(1)(i) The amount received by the LEA under Part B of the Act for that fiscal year; divided by
(ii) The number of children with disabilities in the jurisdiction of the LEA; and multiplied by
(2) The number of children with disabilities participating in the schoolwide program.
(b) Funding conditions. The funds described in paragraph (a) of this section are subject to the following conditions:
(1) The funds must be considered as Federal Part B funds for purposes of the calculations required by §§ 300.202(a)(2) and (a)(3).
(2) The funds may be used without regard to the requirements of § 300.202(a)(1).
(c) Meeting other Part B requirements. Except as provided in paragraph (b) of this section, all other requirements of Part B of the Act must be met by an LEA using Part B funds in accordance with paragraph (a) of this section, including ensuring that children with disabilities in schoolwide program schools --
(1) Receive services in accordance with a properly developed IEP; and
(2) Are afforded all of the rights and services guaranteed to children with disabilities under the Act.
300.207 Personnel development.
The LEA must ensure that all personnel necessary to carry out Part B of the Act and these regulations are appropriately and adequately prepared, subject to the requirements of § 300.156 (related to personnel qualifications) and § 2122 of the ESEA.
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300.208 Permissive use of funds.
(a) Uses. Notwithstanding §§ 300.202 and 300.203(a), funds provided to an LEA under Part B of the Act may be used for the following activities:
(1) Services and aids that also benefit nondisabled children. For the costs of special education and related services, and supplementary aids and services, provided in a regular class or other education-related setting to a child with a disability in accordance with the IEP of the child, even if one or more nondisabled children benefit from these services.
(2) Early intervening services. To develop and implement coordinated, early intervening educational services in accordance with § 300.226.
(3) High cost special education and related services. To establish and implement cost or risk sharing funds, consortia, or cooperatives for the LEA itself, or for LEAs working in a consortium of which the LEA is a part, to pay for high cost special education and related services.
(b) Administrative case management. An LEA may use funds received under Part B of the Act to purchase appropriate technology for recordkeeping, data collection, and related case management activities of teachers and related services personnel providing services described in the IEP of children with disabilities, that is needed for the implementation of those case management activities.
300.209 Treatment of charter schools and their students.
(a) Rights of children with disabilities. Children with disabilities who attend public charter schools and their parents retain all rights under this part.
(b) Charter schools that are public schools of the LEA. (1) In carrying out Part B of the Act and these regulations with respect to charter schools that are public schools of the LEA, the LEA must--
(i) Serve children with disabilities attending those charter schools in the same manner as the LEA serves children with disabilities in its other schools, including providing supplementary and related services on site at the charter school to the same extent to which the LEA has a policy or practice of providing such services on the site to its other public schools; and
(ii) Provide funds under Part B of the Act to those charter schools --
(A) On the same basis as the LEA provides funds to the LEA‘s other public schools, including proportional distribution based on relative enrollment of children with disabilities; and
(B) At the same time as the LEA distributes other Federal funds to the LEA‘s other public schools, consistent with the State‘s charter school law.
(2) If the public charter school is a school of an LEA that receives funding under § 300.705 and includes other public schools--
(i) The LEA is responsible for ensuring that the requirements of this part are met, unless State law assigns that responsibility to some other entity; and
(ii) The LEA must meet the requirements of paragraph (b)(1) of this section.
(c) Public charter schools that are LEAs. If the public charter school is an LEA, consistent with § 300.28, that receives funding under 34 CFR 300.705, that charter school is responsible for
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ensuring that the requirements of this part are met, unless State law assigns that responsibility to some other entity.
(d) Public charter schools that are not an LEA or a school that is part of an LEA. (1) If the public charter school is not an LEA receiving funding under 34 CFR 300.705, or a school that is part of an LEA receiving funding under 34 CFR 300.705, the SEA is responsible for ensuring that the requirements of this part are met.
(2) Paragraph (d)(1) of this section does not preclude the State from assigning initial responsibility for ensuring the requirements of this part are met to another entity. However, the SEA shall maintain the ultimate responsibility for ensuring compliance with this part, consistent with 34 CFR 300.149.
300.210 Access to and purchase of instructional materials.
(a) General.Each public agency must --
(1) Adopt the National Instructional Materials Accessibility Standard (NIMAS), published as appendix C to part 300, for the purposes of providing instructional materials to blind persons or other persons with print disabilities, in a timely manner; and
(2) Each public agency must ensure that children with disabilities who need instructional materials in accessible formats are provided those materials in a timely manner, and must take all reasonable steps to provide instructional materials in accessible formats to children with disabilities who need those instructional materials at the same time as other children receive instructional materials.
(b) Rights of LEA. (1) Nothing in this section shall be construed to require an LEA to coordinate with the NIMAC.
(2) If an LEA chooses not to coordinate with the NIMAC, the LEA must provide an assurance to the SEA that the LEA will provide instructional materials to blind persons or other persons with print disabilities in a timely manner.
(3) Nothing in this section relieves a public agency of its responsibility to ensure that children with disabilities who need instructional materials in accessible formats but are not included under the definition of blind or other persons with print disabilities within (e) of this section or who need materials that cannot be produced from NIMAS files, receive those instructional materials in a timely manner.
(c) Preparation and delivery of files. Each public agency that chooses to coordinate with the NIMAC, as of December 3, 2006, must --
(1) As part of any print instructional materials adoption process, procurement contract, or other practice or instrument used for purchase of print instructional materials, must enter into a written contract with the publisher of the print instructional materials to--
(i) Require the publisher to prepare and, on or before delivery of the print instructional materials, provide to NIMAC electronic files containing the contents of the print instructional materials using the NIMAS; or
(ii) Purchase instructional materials from the publisher that are produced in, or may be rendered in, specialized formats.
(2) Provide instructional materials to blind persons or other persons with print disabilities in a
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timely manner.
(d) Assistive technology. In carrying out this section, the Public Agency, to the maximum extent possible, must work collaboratively with the SEA assistive technology program(s).
(e) Definitions. (1) In this section--
(i) Blind persons or other persons with print disabilities means children served under this part who may qualify to receive books and other publications produced in specialized formats in accordance with the Act entitled ‗‗An Act to provide books for adult blind,‘‘ approved March 3, 1931, 2 U.S.C 135a;
(ii) National Instructional Materials Access Center or NIMAC means the center established pursuant to § 674(e) of the Act;
(iii) National Instructional Materials Accessibility Standard or NIMAS has the meaning given the term in § 674(e)(3)(B) of the Act;
(iv) Specialized formats has the meaning given the term in § 674(e)(3)(D) of the Act.
(2) The definitions in paragraph (e)(1) of this section apply to each public agency, whether or not the public agency chooses to coordinate with the NIMAC.
300.211 Information for SEA.
The LEA must provide the SEA with information necessary to enable the SEA to carry out its duties under Part B of the Act, including, information relating to the performance of children with disabilities participating in programs carried out under Part B of the Act.
300.212 Public information.
The LEA must make available to parents of children with disabilities and to the general public all documents relating to the eligibility of the agency under Part B of the Act.
300.213 Records regarding migratory children with disabilities.
The LEA must cooperate in the Secretary‘s efforts under § 1308 of the ESEA to ensure the linkage of records pertaining to migratory children with disabilities for the purpose of electronically exchanging, among the States, health and educational information regarding those children.
300.214 – 300.219 Reserved.
300.220 Exception for prior local plans.
(a) General. If an LEA or a State agency described in 34 CFR 300.228 has on file with the SEA policies and procedures that demonstrate that the LEA or State agency meets any requirement of § 300.200, including any policies and procedures filed under Part B of the Act as in effect before December 3, 2004, the SEA shall consider the LEA or State agency to have met that requirement for purposes of receiving assistance under Part B of the Act.
(b) Modification made by an LEA or State agency. Subject to paragraph (c) of this section, policies
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and procedures submitted by an LEA or a State agency in accordance with this subpart remain in effect until the LEA or State agency submits to the SEA the modifications that the LEA or State agency determines are necessary.
(c) Modifications required by the SEA. The SEA may require an LEA or a State agency to modify its policies and procedures, but only to the extent necessary to ensure the LEA‘s or State agency‘s compliance with Part B of the Act or these regulations including --
(1) After December 3, 2004, the effective date of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act of 2004, amendments to the applicable provisions of the Act (or the regulations developed to carry out the Act) or these regulations;
(2) New interpretations of an applicable provision of the Act by Federal or State courts; or
(3) Official findings of noncompliance with Federal or State law or regulations.
300.221 Notification of LEA or State agency in case of ineligibility.
If the SEA determines that an LEA or State agency is not eligible under Part B of the Act or these regulations, then the SEA shall --
(a) Notify the LEA or State agency of that determination; and
(b) Provide the LEA or State agency with reasonable notice and an opportunity for a hearing.
300.222 LEA and State agency compliance.
(a) General. If the SEA, after reasonable notice and an opportunity for a hearing, finds that an LEA or State agency that has been determined to be eligible under this subpart or subpart C of 34 C.F.R. Part 300 is failing to comply with any requirement described in §§ 300.201 through 300.213, the SEA shall reduce or must not provide any further payments to the LEA or State agency until the SEA is satisfied that the LEA or State agency is complying with that requirement.
(b) Notice requirement. Any State agency or LEA in receipt of a notice described in paragraph (a) of this section must, by means of public notice, take the measures necessary to bring the pendency of an action pursuant to this section to the attention of the public within the jurisdiction of the agency.
(c) Consideration. In carrying out its responsibilities under this section, the SEA shall consider any decision resulting from a hearing held under §§ 300.511 through 300.533 that is
adverse to the LEA or State agency involved in the decision.
300.223 Joint establishment of eligibility.
(a) General. The SEA may require an LEA to establish its eligibility jointly with another LEA if the SEA determines that the LEA will be ineligible under this subpart because the agency will not be able to establish and maintain programs of sufficient size and scope to effectively meet the needs of children with disabilities.
(b) Charter school exception. An SEA may not require a charter school that is an LEA to jointly
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establish its eligibility under paragraph (a) of this section unless the charter school is explicitly permitted to do so under the State‘s charter school statute.
(c) Amount of payments. If an SEA requires the joint establishment of eligibility under paragraph (a) of this section, the total amount of funds made available to the affected LEAs must be equal to the sum of the payments that each LEA would have received under § 300.705 of 34 C.F.R. Part 300 if the agencies were eligible for those payments.
300.224 Requirements for establishing eligibility.
(a) Requirements for LEAs in general. LEAs that establish joint eligibility under this section must--
(1) Adopt policies and procedures that are consistent with the State‘s policies and procedures under §§ 300.101 through 300.174; and
(2) Be jointly responsible for implementing programs that receive assistance under Part B of the Act.
(b) Requirements for educational service agencies in general. If an educational service agency is required by State law to carry out programs under Part B of the Act, the joint responsibilities given to LEAs under Part B of the Act --
(1) Do not apply to the administration and disbursement of any payments received by that educational service agency; and
(2) Must be carried out only by that educational service agency.
(c) Additional requirement. Notwithstanding any other provision of §§ 300.223 through 300.224, an educational service agency must provide for the education of children with disabilities in the least restrictive environment, as required by § 300.114.
300.225 Reserved.
300.226 Early intervening services.
(a) General. An LEA may not use more than 15 percent of the amount the LEA receives under Part B of the Act for any fiscal year, less any amount reduced by the LEA pursuant to 34 CFR 300.205, if any, in combination with other amounts (which may include amounts other than education funds), to develop and implement coordinated, early intervening services, which may include interagency financing structures, for students in kindergarten through grade 12 (with a particular emphasis on students in kindergarten through grade three) who are not currently identified as needing special education or related services, but who need additional academic and behavioral support to succeed in a general education environment. (See Appendix D of 34 C.F.R. Part 300 for examples of how § 300.205(d), regarding local maintenance of effort, and § 300.226(a) affect one another.)
(b) Activities. In implementing coordinated, early intervening services under this section, an LEA may carry out activities that include--
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(1) Professional development (which may be provided by entities other than LEAs) for teachers and other school staff to enable such personnel to deliver scientifically based academic and behavioral interventions, including scientifically based literacy instruction, and, where appropriate, instruction on the use of adaptive and instructional software; and
(2) Providing educational and behavioral evaluations, services, and supports, including scientifically based literacy instruction.
(c) Construction. Nothing in this section shall be construed to either limit or create a right to FAPE under Part B of the Act or to delay appropriate evaluation of a child suspected of having a disability.
(d) Reporting. Each LEA that develops and maintains coordinated, early intervening services under this section must annually report to the SEA on--
(1) The number of children served under this section who received early intervening services; and
(2) The number of children served under this section who received early intervening services and subsequently receive special education and related services under Part B of the Act during the preceding two year period.
(e) Coordination with ESEA. Funds made available to carry out this section may be used to carry out coordinated, early intervening services aligned with activities funded by, and carried out under the ESEA if those funds are used to supplement, and not supplant, funds made available under the ESEA for the activities and services assisted under this section.
300.227 Direct services by the SEA.
(a) General. (1) The SEA shall use the payments that would otherwise have been available to an LEA or to a State agency to provide special education and related services directly to children with disabilities residing in the area served by that LEA, or for whom that State agency is responsible, if the SEA determines that the LEA or State agency --
(i) Has not provided the information needed to establish the eligibility of the LEA or State agency, or elected not to apply for its Part B allotment, under Part B of the Act;
(ii) Is unable to establish and maintain programs of FAPE that meet the requirements of this part;
(iii) Is unable or unwilling to be consolidated with one or more LEAs in order to establish and maintain the programs; or
(iv) Has one or more children with disabilities who can best be served by a regional or State program or service delivery system designed to meet the needs of these children.
(2) SEA administrative procedures. (i) In meeting the requirements in paragraph (a)(1) of this section, the SEA may provide special education and related services directly, by contract, or through other arrangements.
(ii) The excess cost requirements of § 300.202(b) do not apply to the SEA.
(b) Manner and location of education and services. The SEA may provide special education and related services under paragraph (a) of this section in the manner and at the locations (including regional or State centers) as the SEA considers appropriate. The education and services must be provided in accordance with this part.
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300.228 Reserved.
300.229 Disciplinary information.
(a) A public agency must include in the records of a child with a disability a statement of any current or previous disciplinary action that has been taken against the child and transmit the statement to the same extent that the disciplinary information is included in, and transmitted with, the student records of nondisabled children.
(b) The statement may include a description of any behavior engaged in by the child that required disciplinary action, a description of the disciplinary action taken, and any other information that is relevant to the safety of the child and other individuals involved with the child.
(c) If the child transfers from one school to another, the transmission of any of the child‘s records must include both the child‘s current IEP and any statement of current or previous disciplinary action that has been taken against the child.
300.230 Reserved.
300.200 Condition of assistance.
(a) An LEA is eligible for assistance under Part B of the Act for a fiscal year if the agency submits a plan that provides assurances to the SEA that the LEA meets each of the conditions in 34 C.F.R. §§ 300.201 through 300.213
(b) An LEA is eligible for assistance under Chapter 16 of the Rhode Island General Laws for a fiscal year if the agency submits a plan that provides assurances to the SEA that the LEA meets each of the conditions as set forth in these regulations.
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300.201 Consistency with State policies.
The LEA, in providing for the education of children with disabilities within its jurisdiction, must have in effect and on file with RIDE, policies, procedures, and programs that are consistent with State policies and procedures.
300.202 Use of amounts.
(a) General. Amounts provided to the LEA under Part B of the Act --
(1) Must be expended in accordance with the applicable provisions of this part;
(2) Must be used only to pay the excess costs of providing special education and related services to children with disabilities, consistent with paragraph (b) of this section; and
(3) Must be used to supplement State, local, and other Federal funds and not to supplant those funds.
(b) Excess cost requirement—(1) General. (i) The excess cost requirement prevents an LEA from using funds provided under Part B of the Act to pay for all of the costs directly attributable to the education of a child with a disability, subject to paragraph (b)(1)(ii) of this section.
(ii) The excess cost requirement does not prevent an LEA from using Part B funds to pay for all of the costs directly attributable to the education of a child with a disability in any of the ages 3, 4, 5, 18, 19, 20, or 21, if no local or State funds are available for nondisabled children of these ages. However, the LEA must comply with the nonsupplanting and other requirements of this part in providing the education and services for these children.
(2)(i) An LEA meets the excess cost requirement if it has spent at least a minimum average amount for the education of its children with disabilities before funds under Part B of the Act are used.
(ii) The amount described in paragraph (b)(2)(i) of this section is determined in accordance with the definition of excess costs in § 300.16. That amount may not include capital outlay or debt service.
(3) If two or more LEAs jointly establish eligibility in accordance with § 300.223, the minimum average amount is the average of the combined minimum average amounts determined in accordance with the definition of excess costs in § 300.16 in those agencies for elementary or secondary school students, as the case may be.
300.203 Maintenance of effort.
(a) General. Except as provided in §§ 300.204 and 300.205, funds provided to an LEA under Part B of the Act must not be used to reduce the level of expenditures for the education of children with disabilities made by the LEA from local funds below the level of those expenditures for the preceding fiscal year.
(b) Standard. (1) Except as provided in paragraph (b)(2) of this section, the SEA shall determine that an LEA complies with paragraph (a) of this section for purposes of establishing the LEA‘s eligibility for an award for a fiscal year if the LEA budgets, for the education of children with disabilities, at least the same total or per capita amount from either of the following sources as the LEA spent for that purpose from the same source for the most recent prior year for which information is available:
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(i) Local funds only.
(ii) The combination of State and local funds.
(2) An LEA that relies on paragraph (b)(1)(i) of this section for any fiscal year must ensure that the amount of local funds it budgets for the education of children with disabilities in that year is at least the same, either in total or per capita, as the amount it spent for that purpose in the most recent fiscal year for which information is available and the standard in paragraph (b)(1)(i) of this section was used to establish its compliance with this section.
(3) The SEA may not consider any expenditures made from funds provided by the Federal Government for which the SEA is required to account to the Federal Government or for which the LEA is required to account to the Federal Government directly or through the SEA in determining an LEA‘s compliance with the requirement in paragraph (a) of this section.
300.204 – 300.205 Reserved
300.206 Schoolwide programs under Title I of the ESEA.
(a) General. Notwithstanding the provisions of §§ 300.202 and 300.203 or any other provision of Part B of the Act, an LEA may use funds received under Part B of the Act for any fiscal year to carry out a schoolwide program under § 1114 of the ESEA, except that the amount used in any schoolwide program may not exceed --
(1)(i) The amount received by the LEA under Part B of the Act for that fiscal year; divided by
(ii) The number of children with disabilities in the jurisdiction of the LEA; and multiplied by
(2) The number of children with disabilities participating in the schoolwide program.
(b) Funding conditions. The funds described in paragraph (a) of this section are subject to the following conditions:
(1) The funds must be considered as Federal Part B funds for purposes of the calculations required by §§ 300.202(a)(2) and (a)(3).
(2) The funds may be used without regard to the requirements of § 300.202(a)(1).
(c) Meeting other Part B requirements. Except as provided in paragraph (b) of this section, all other requirements of Part B of the Act must be met by an LEA using Part B funds in accordance with paragraph (a) of this section, including ensuring that children with disabilities in schoolwide program schools --
(1) Receive services in accordance with a properly developed IEP; and
(2) Are afforded all of the rights and services guaranteed to children with disabilities under the Act.
300.207 Personnel development.
The LEA must ensure that all personnel necessary to carry out Part B of the Act and these regulations are appropriately and adequately prepared, subject to the requirements of § 300.156 (related to personnel qualifications) and § 2122 of the ESEA.
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300.208 Permissive use of funds.
(a) Uses. Notwithstanding §§ 300.202 and 300.203(a), funds provided to an LEA under Part B of the Act may be used for the following activities:
(1) Services and aids that also benefit nondisabled children. For the costs of special education and related services, and supplementary aids and services, provided in a regular class or other education-related setting to a child with a disability in accordance with the IEP of the child, even if one or more nondisabled children benefit from these services.
(2) Early intervening services. To develop and implement coordinated, early intervening educational services in accordance with § 300.226.
(3) High cost special education and related services. To establish and implement cost or risk sharing funds, consortia, or cooperatives for the LEA itself, or for LEAs working in a consortium of which the LEA is a part, to pay for high cost special education and related services.
(b) Administrative case management. An LEA may use funds received under Part B of the Act to purchase appropriate technology for recordkeeping, data collection, and related case management activities of teachers and related services personnel providing services described in the IEP of children with disabilities, that is needed for the implementation of those case management activities.
300.209 Treatment of charter schools and their students.
(a) Rights of children with disabilities. Children with disabilities who attend public charter schools and their parents retain all rights under this part.
(b) Charter schools that are public schools of the LEA. (1) In carrying out Part B of the Act and these regulations with respect to charter schools that are public schools of the LEA, the LEA must--
(i) Serve children with disabilities attending those charter schools in the same manner as the LEA serves children with disabilities in its other schools, including providing supplementary and related services on site at the charter school to the same extent to which the LEA has a policy or practice of providing such services on the site to its other public schools; and
(ii) Provide funds under Part B of the Act to those charter schools --
(A) On the same basis as the LEA provides funds to the LEA‘s other public schools, including proportional distribution based on relative enrollment of children with disabilities; and
(B) At the same time as the LEA distributes other Federal funds to the LEA‘s other public schools, consistent with the State‘s charter school law.
(2) If the public charter school is a school of an LEA that receives funding under § 300.705 and includes other public schools--
(i) The LEA is responsible for ensuring that the requirements of this part are met, unless State law assigns that responsibility to some other entity; and
(ii) The LEA must meet the requirements of paragraph (b)(1) of this section.
(c) Public charter schools that are LEAs. If the public charter school is an LEA, consistent with § 300.28, that receives funding under 34 CFR 300.705, that charter school is responsible for
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ensuring that the requirements of this part are met, unless State law assigns that responsibility to some other entity.
(d) Public charter schools that are not an LEA or a school that is part of an LEA. (1) If the public charter school is not an LEA receiving funding under 34 CFR 300.705, or a school that is part of an LEA receiving funding under 34 CFR 300.705, the SEA is responsible for ensuring that the requirements of this part are met.
(2) Paragraph (d)(1) of this section does not preclude the State from assigning initial responsibility for ensuring the requirements of this part are met to another entity. However, the SEA shall maintain the ultimate responsibility for ensuring compliance with this part, consistent with 34 CFR 300.149.
300.210 Access to and purchase of instructional materials.
(a) General.Each public agency must --
(1) Adopt the National Instructional Materials Accessibility Standard (NIMAS), published as appendix C to part 300, for the purposes of providing instructional materials to blind persons or other persons with print disabilities, in a timely manner; and
(2) Each public agency must ensure that children with disabilities who need instructional materials in accessible formats are provided those materials in a timely manner, and must take all reasonable steps to provide instructional materials in accessible formats to children with disabilities who need those instructional materials at the same time as other children receive instructional materials.
(b) Rights of LEA. (1) Nothing in this section shall be construed to require an LEA to coordinate with the NIMAC.
(2) If an LEA chooses not to coordinate with the NIMAC, the LEA must provide an assurance to the SEA that the LEA will provide instructional materials to blind persons or other persons with print disabilities in a timely manner.
(3) Nothing in this section relieves a public agency of its responsibility to ensure that children with disabilities who need instructional materials in accessible formats but are not included under the definition of blind or other persons with print disabilities within (e) of this section or who need materials that cannot be produced from NIMAS files, receive those instructional materials in a timely manner.
(c) Preparation and delivery of files. Each public agency that chooses to coordinate with the NIMAC, as of December 3, 2006, must --
(1) As part of any print instructional materials adoption process, procurement contract, or other practice or instrument used for purchase of print instructional materials, must enter into a written contract with the publisher of the print instructional materials to--
(i) Require the publisher to prepare and, on or before delivery of the print instructional materials, provide to NIMAC electronic files containing the contents of the print instructional materials using the NIMAS; or
(ii) Purchase instructional materials from the publisher that are produced in, or may be rendered in, specialized formats.
(2) Provide instructional materials to blind persons or other persons with print disabilities in a
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timely manner.
(d) Assistive technology. In carrying out this section, the Public Agency, to the maximum extent possible, must work collaboratively with the SEA assistive technology program(s).
(e) Definitions. (1) In this section--
(i) Blind persons or other persons with print disabilities means children served under this part who may qualify to receive books and other publications produced in specialized formats in accordance with the Act entitled ‗‗An Act to provide books for adult blind,‘‘ approved March 3, 1931, 2 U.S.C 135a;
(ii) National Instructional Materials Access Center or NIMAC means the center established pursuant to § 674(e) of the Act;
(iii) National Instructional Materials Accessibility Standard or NIMAS has the meaning given the term in § 674(e)(3)(B) of the Act;
(iv) Specialized formats has the meaning given the term in § 674(e)(3)(D) of the Act.
(2) The definitions in paragraph (e)(1) of this section apply to each public agency, whether or not the public agency chooses to coordinate with the NIMAC.
300.211 Information for SEA.
The LEA must provide the SEA with information necessary to enable the SEA to carry out its duties under Part B of the Act, including, information relating to the performance of children with disabilities participating in programs carried out under Part B of the Act.
300.212 Public information.
The LEA must make available to parents of children with disabilities and to the general public all documents relating to the eligibility of the agency under Part B of the Act.
300.213 Records regarding migratory children with disabilities.
The LEA must cooperate in the Secretary‘s efforts under § 1308 of the ESEA to ensure the linkage of records pertaining to migratory children with disabilities for the purpose of electronically exchanging, among the States, health and educational information regarding those children.
300.214 – 300.219 Reserved.
300.220 Exception for prior local plans.
(a) General. If an LEA or a State agency described in 34 CFR 300.228 has on file with the SEA policies and procedures that demonstrate that the LEA or State agency meets any requirement of § 300.200, including any policies and procedures filed under Part B of the Act as in effect before December 3, 2004, the SEA shall consider the LEA or State agency to have met that requirement for purposes of receiving assistance under Part B of the Act.
(b) Modification made by an LEA or State agency. Subject to paragraph (c) of this section, policies
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and procedures submitted by an LEA or a State agency in accordance with this subpart remain in effect until the LEA or State agency submits to the SEA the modifications that the LEA or State agency determines are necessary.
(c) Modifications required by the SEA. The SEA may require an LEA or a State agency to modify its policies and procedures, but only to the extent necessary to ensure the LEA‘s or State agency‘s compliance with Part B of the Act or these regulations including --
(1) After December 3, 2004, the effective date of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act of 2004, amendments to the applicable provisions of the Act (or the regulations developed to carry out the Act) or these regulations;
(2) New interpretations of an applicable provision of the Act by Federal or State courts; or
(3) Official findings of noncompliance with Federal or State law or regulations.
300.221 Notification of LEA or State agency in case of ineligibility.
If the SEA determines that an LEA or State agency is not eligible under Part B of the Act or these regulations, then the SEA shall --
(a) Notify the LEA or State agency of that determination; and
(b) Provide the LEA or State agency with reasonable notice and an opportunity for a hearing.
300.222 LEA and State agency compliance.
(a) General. If the SEA, after reasonable notice and an opportunity for a hearing, finds that an LEA or State agency that has been determined to be eligible under this subpart or subpart C of 34 C.F.R. Part 300 is failing to comply with any requirement described in §§ 300.201 through 300.213, the SEA shall reduce or must not provide any further payments to the LEA or State agency until the SEA is satisfied that the LEA or State agency is complying with that requirement.
(b) Notice requirement. Any State agency or LEA in receipt of a notice described in paragraph (a) of this section must, by means of public notice, take the measures necessary to bring the pendency of an action pursuant to this section to the attention of the public within the jurisdiction of the agency.
(c) Consideration. In carrying out its responsibilities under this section, the SEA shall consider any decision resulting from a hearing held under §§ 300.511 through 300.533 that is
adverse to the LEA or State agency involved in the decision.
300.223 Joint establishment of eligibility.
(a) General. The SEA may require an LEA to establish its eligibility jointly with another LEA if the SEA determines that the LEA will be ineligible under this subpart because the agency will not be able to establish and maintain programs of sufficient size and scope to effectively meet the needs of children with disabilities.
(b) Charter school exception. An SEA may not require a charter school that is an LEA to jointly
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establish its eligibility under paragraph (a) of this section unless the charter school is explicitly permitted to do so under the State‘s charter school statute.
(c) Amount of payments. If an SEA requires the joint establishment of eligibility under paragraph (a) of this section, the total amount of funds made available to the affected LEAs must be equal to the sum of the payments that each LEA would have received under § 300.705 of 34 C.F.R. Part 300 if the agencies were eligible for those payments.
300.224 Requirements for establishing eligibility.
(a) Requirements for LEAs in general. LEAs that establish joint eligibility under this section must--
(1) Adopt policies and procedures that are consistent with the State‘s policies and procedures under §§ 300.101 through 300.174; and
(2) Be jointly responsible for implementing programs that receive assistance under Part B of the Act.
(b) Requirements for educational service agencies in general. If an educational service agency is required by State law to carry out programs under Part B of the Act, the joint responsibilities given to LEAs under Part B of the Act --
(1) Do not apply to the administration and disbursement of any payments received by that educational service agency; and
(2) Must be carried out only by that educational service agency.
(c) Additional requirement. Notwithstanding any other provision of §§ 300.223 through 300.224, an educational service agency must provide for the education of children with disabilities in the least restrictive environment, as required by § 300.114.
300.225 Reserved.
300.226 Early intervening services.
(a) General. An LEA may not use more than 15 percent of the amount the LEA receives under Part B of the Act for any fiscal year, less any amount reduced by the LEA pursuant to 34 CFR 300.205, if any, in combination with other amounts (which may include amounts other than education funds), to develop and implement coordinated, early intervening services, which may include interagency financing structures, for students in kindergarten through grade 12 (with a particular emphasis on students in kindergarten through grade three) who are not currently identified as needing special education or related services, but who need additional academic and behavioral support to succeed in a general education environment. (See Appendix D of 34 C.F.R. Part 300 for examples of how § 300.205(d), regarding local maintenance of effort, and § 300.226(a) affect one another.)
(b) Activities. In implementing coordinated, early intervening services under this section, an LEA may carry out activities that include--
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(1) Professional development (which may be provided by entities other than LEAs) for teachers and other school staff to enable such personnel to deliver scientifically based academic and behavioral interventions, including scientifically based literacy instruction, and, where appropriate, instruction on the use of adaptive and instructional software; and
(2) Providing educational and behavioral evaluations, services, and supports, including scientifically based literacy instruction.
(c) Construction. Nothing in this section shall be construed to either limit or create a right to FAPE under Part B of the Act or to delay appropriate evaluation of a child suspected of having a disability.
(d) Reporting. Each LEA that develops and maintains coordinated, early intervening services under this section must annually report to the SEA on--
(1) The number of children served under this section who received early intervening services; and
(2) The number of children served under this section who received early intervening services and subsequently receive special education and related services under Part B of the Act during the preceding two year period.
(e) Coordination with ESEA. Funds made available to carry out this section may be used to carry out coordinated, early intervening services aligned with activities funded by, and carried out under the ESEA if those funds are used to supplement, and not supplant, funds made available under the ESEA for the activities and services assisted under this section.
300.227 Direct services by the SEA.
(a) General. (1) The SEA shall use the payments that would otherwise have been available to an LEA or to a State agency to provide special education and related services directly to children with disabilities residing in the area served by that LEA, or for whom that State agency is responsible, if the SEA determines that the LEA or State agency --
(i) Has not provided the information needed to establish the eligibility of the LEA or State agency, or elected not to apply for its Part B allotment, under Part B of the Act;
(ii) Is unable to establish and maintain programs of FAPE that meet the requirements of this part;
(iii) Is unable or unwilling to be consolidated with one or more LEAs in order to establish and maintain the programs; or
(iv) Has one or more children with disabilities who can best be served by a regional or State program or service delivery system designed to meet the needs of these children.
(2) SEA administrative procedures. (i) In meeting the requirements in paragraph (a)(1) of this section, the SEA may provide special education and related services directly, by contract, or through other arrangements.
(ii) The excess cost requirements of § 300.202(b) do not apply to the SEA.
(b) Manner and location of education and services. The SEA may provide special education and related services under paragraph (a) of this section in the manner and at the locations (including regional or State centers) as the SEA considers appropriate. The education and services must be provided in accordance with this part.
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300.228 Reserved.
300.229 Disciplinary information.
(a) A public agency must include in the records of a child with a disability a statement of any current or previous disciplinary action that has been taken against the child and transmit the statement to the same extent that the disciplinary information is included in, and transmitted with, the student records of nondisabled children.
(b) The statement may include a description of any behavior engaged in by the child that required disciplinary action, a description of the disciplinary action taken, and any other information that is relevant to the safety of the child and other individuals involved with the child.
(c) If the child transfers from one school to another, the transmission of any of the child‘s records must include both the child‘s current IEP and any statement of current or previous disciplinary action that has been taken against the child.
300.230 Reserved.
