05-071 C.M.R. ch. 101, § XII - PROGRAM APPROVAL
1.
Programs for Children with Disabilities B-5
A.
State Approval of Private Early
Childhood Special Education (ECSE) Programs. Each private ECSE program that
serves children B-5 with disabilities must meet all applicable requirements of
either the Rules for Licensing of Child Care Facilities, 10-148, CMR 32; the
Rules for the Certification of Family Child Care, 10-148, CMR 33; or the Rules
for the Licensing of Nursery Schools, 10-148, Chapter 36, and submit an
application for special education approval to the Child Development Services
(CDS) State Intermediate Educational Unit (IEU) utilizing a format prescribed
by the Commissioner. Children B-2 are to be served in their natural environment
to the maximum extent possible, unless their IFSP Teams determine that their
program should be with children who are not typically developing.
Each application must include the following:
(1)
Requirements for approval:
(a)
General description of the
program;
(b)
Qualification or certification of staff (copies of professional
licenses (if applicable));
(c)
Plan of instruction, curriculum,
assessments, access to the general curriculum, and extracurricular activities,
if applicable;
(d)
Documentation of adequacy of facilities to meet the needs of the
children served by the school/program;
(e)
Adequate related
services;
(f)
Professional supervision. At least one full time staff member shall be
designated as the educational administrator for the program. Such person shall
be assigned to supervise the provision of special education services in the
school and ensure that the services specified in each child 's IFSP or IEP are
delivered. The educational administrator shall possess certification either as:
an Administrator of Special Education (030); an Assistant Administrator of
Special Education (035); a Special Education Consultant (079); or a Teacher -
Disabled Students (282, B-5) or a Teacher - Severe Impaired (286) with a
minimum of a master's degree in special education or a related field plus one
year of administrative experience. If the private school has a special
education consultant (079), a special educator (282) or a teacher of children
with severe impairments (286) serving as an educational administrator, that
person must be supervised by a special education administrator (030) or an
Assistant Director of Special Education (035) at least 5 hours a month. The
educational administrator shall be certified pursuant to the requirements in
Me. Dept. of Ed. Reg. 115;
(g)
Professional development
plan;
(h)
Program
self-assessment plan;
(i)
Capacity to support movement on the educational continuum for each
child ;
(j)
Documents of incorporation;
(k)
Parent
handbook;
(l)
Administrative policy manual;
(m)
Copy of annual budget;
(n)
Policy for
immediate notification and reporting of serious events. In the event of serious
injury or death of a child , criminal activity on the part of a child or staff
member, or other serious incident affecting the well-being of any child , the
approved ECSE private program shall immediately notify, by telephone and by
letter, the parents, CDS IEU, any state agency involved in child care or
program placement, and
(o)
Capacity to provide a safe, healthy, and appropriate educational
environment.
B.
CDS IEU Review and Program
Approval. CDS IEU shall review for approval each application submitted under
Section A above and shall consult with other state agencies as necessary. CDS
IEU may, at its discretion, schedule site visits, interviews, or other
inspection of the proposed program. CDS IEU may deny approval, issue temporary
approval (for up to 3 months), or grant full approval. CDS IEU shall provide
the applicant with a written notice of its actions and reasons for such
actions.
C.
Revisions to Application. Any changes to the application, including but
not limited to change in personnel, facilities, staffing patterns, or
population served, requires the submission and approval of amendments to the
relevant portions of the application.
D.
Revocation of Approval. CDS IEU
may place a program, previously fully approved, on non-approval status if it
becomes aware of conditions at the program that, in the judgment of CDS IEU,
compromise the program's ability to continue to meet any of the criteria
identified in section A above. In such circumstances, CDS IEU shall provide
written notice of the change in status, the circumstances that caused CDS IEU
to take such action, and the actions necessary to correct the problem within a
timeframe determined by CDS IEU.
E.
Request for Reconsideration.
Within one month of receipt of written request for reconsideration of any CDS
IEU action in relation to approval status, CDS IEU shall consider the request
and provide a formal written response. CDS IEU may, at its discretion, hold a
hearing on the facts, make site visits, or issue an alternative
remedy.
2.
Programs for Children with Disabilities 5-20
A.
State Approval of Private School
Programs. Each private school program that serves children 5-20 with
disabilities must meet all applicable components of the basic school approval
standards (Maine Dept. of Ed. Reg. 125) for elementary or secondary private
schools and submit an application for special education approval to the
Department utilizing a format prescribed by the Commissioner.
Each application must include the following:
(1)
Requirements for approval:
(a)
General description of the
program;
(b)
Qualification or certification of staff (copies of professional
licenses (if applicable));
(c)
Plan of instruction, curriculum,
assessments, access to the general curriculum, and extracurricular
activities;
(d)
Documentation of adequacy of facilities to meet the needs of the
children served by the school/program;
(e)
Adequate related
services;
(f)
Professional supervision. At least one full timestaff member shall be
designated as the educational administrator for the program. Such person shall
be assigned to supervise the provision of special education services in the
school and ensure that the services specified in each child 's IEP are
delivered. The educational administrator shall possess certification either as:
a special education administrator (030); an Assistant Director of Special
Education (035); a special education consultant (079); or a special educator
(282) or a teacher of children with severe impairments (286) with a minimum of
a master's degree in special education or a related field plus one year of
administrative experience. If the private school has a special education
consultant (079), a special educator (282) or a teacher of children with severe
impairments (286) serving as educational administrator, that person must be
supervised by a special education administrator (030) or an Assistant Director
of Special Education (035) at least 5 hours a month. The educational
administrator shall be certified pursuant to the requirements in Me. Dept. of
Ed. Reg. 115;
(g)
Teacher-child ratios;
(h)
Capacity to support movement on
the educational continuum for each child ;
(i)
Agreement with the sending SAUs
regarding how high school children will earn credits or demonstrate proficiency
towards graduation;
(j)
Documents of incorporation;
(k)
Parent
handbook;
(l)
Administrative policy manual;
(m)
Copy of annual
budget;
(n)
Policy
for immediate notification and reporting of serious events. In the event of
serious injury or death of a child , criminal activity on the part of a child or
staff member, or other serious incident affecting the well-being of any child ,
the approved special purpose private school shall immediately notify, by
telephone and by letter, the parents, the sending school district(s), any state
agency involved in child care or program placement, and the Department of
Education; and
(o)
Capacity to provide a safe, healthy and appropriate educational
environment.
B.
State Approval of Regional Special
Education Programs. Two or more SAUs may enter into a cooperative agreement to
provide regional special education programs and support services. Each regional
program that serves children B-20 with disabilities must submit an application
for approval to the Department utilizing a format prescribed by the
Commissioner. Approved regional programs will be monitored under the
Department's General Supervision System.
(1)
Cooperative Agreement. The
regional program cooperative agreement must include:
(a)
Identification of the
participating school administrative units;
(b)
The method of entering into and
withdrawing from the cooperative agreement;
(c)
The objectives and functions to
be performed by the regional program;
(d)
The location of the program and
the owner of the buildings used by the program;
(e)
The method of administering the
regional program, including identification of the employer(s) of all program
staff.
(2)
Regional Program Plan. All the requirements listed below must be
addressed; they may either be included in the cooperative agreement, or in a
program plan that accompanies the cooperative agreement. The regional program
plan must include:
(a)
The
admission requirements, including the protocol for admission through a
determination of student needs;
(b)
An account of staff qualification
or certification, including position, social security number, and number of
students served at one time;
(c)
The plan of instruction,
including a written curriculum aligned with the revised Maine Learning Results,
a description of assessment, and the method of providing access to
extracurricular activities;
(d)
An account of the adequacy of
facilities;
(e)
An
account of the adequacy of support services, including an account of related
service (including transportation) hours determined by student
need;
(f)
A
statement of assurance that a program administrator qualified as an
administrator of special education, or that administrator's designee, is on
site at the regional program to provide professional
supervision;
(g)
The teacher-student ratio;
(h)
The method of involving parent
and community participation;
(i)
The identification of the school
administrative unit designated as the fiscal agent, responsible also for the
basic school approval process unless another school administrative unit is
designated as responsible;
(j)
The method of fiscal operation
and cost sharing;
(k)
A statement of assurance that, if a full-time regional program accept
students on a tuition basis, the tuition rate will be computed in accordance
with 20-A MRSA
§7302(1) and will not exceed the actual
per student cost incurred in operation of the special education program; and
(l)
A statement
of assurance that the regional program is supported by funds included in the
special education appropriations of each of the member SAUs.
(3)
Prohibition on School
Construction. The regional program is prohibited from proposing school
construction for special education purposes.
C.
Department Review and Program
Approval. The Department shall review for approval each application submitted
under Sections A and B above and shall consult with other state agencies as
necessary. The Department may, at its discretion, schedule site visits,
interviews, or other inspection of the proposed program. The Department may
deny approval, issue temporary approval (for up to 3 months), or grant full
approval. The Department shall provide the applicant with a written notice of
its actions and reasons for such actions.
D.
Revisions to Application. Any
changes to the application, including but not limited to change in personnel,
facilities, staffing patterns, or population served, requires the submission
and approval of amendments to the relevant portions of the
application.
E.
Revocation of Approval. The Department may place a program, previously
fully approved, on non-approval status, if it becomes aware of conditions at
the program that, in the Department's judgment, compromise the program's
ability to continue to meet any of the criteria identified in section A. or B.
above. In such circumstances, the Department shall provide written notice of
the change instatus, the circumstances that caused the Department to take such
action, and the actions necessary to correct the problem within a timeframe
determined by the Department.
F.
Request for Reconsideration.
Within one month of receipt of written request for reconsideration of any
Department action in relation to approval status, the Department shall consider
the request and provide a formal written response. The Department may, at its
discretion, hold a hearing on the facts, make site visits, or issue an
alternative remedy.
3.
Documentation of Out of
District Placement
A.
Documentation of Out of District Placement. SAUs placing students
outside their districts in the following programs, to which the following
restrictions apply, shall promptly notify the Department of such placement by
filing a Notification of Placement for Children with Disabilities Form
(EF-S-01):
(1)
Special
Purpose Private School in Maine. A special purpose private school must be
approved by the Commissioner for the provision of special education in
accordance with 2(A) above.
(2)
Special Purpose Private School
Outside the State. A special purpose private school outside Maine must have
received approval for the provision of special education by that state's
education agency.
(3)
Special Education Program in a General Purpose Private School (other
than one used by the SAU as the regular placement for children without
disabilities) or Private Pre-school. Notwithstanding any contract or tuition
arrangements with a secondary school approved for tuition purposes pursuant to
20-A M.R.S.A. §
2951, no child with a disability
shall be placed in a general purpose private school or private pre-school
through the IEP process unless the school also has special education approval
through the Department or the State Intermediate Educational
Unit.
(4)
Regional
Special Education Program. A regional special education program must be
approved by the Commissioner for the provision of special education in
accordance with 2(B) above.
Notes
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