HB 946 -- Elementary and Preschool Deaf Education

Co-Sponsors:  Merideth, Mayer

This bill creates an Office of Elementary and Preschool Deaf
Education within the Department of Elementary and Secondary
Education's Division of Special Education to serve children
diagnosed with hearing impairments.  The office will be
independent from the Missouri School for the Deaf.  Among its
other duties, the office will develop and coordinate regional
schools and resource centers for deaf students and conduct an
annual study of the educational status of deaf students.  An
11-member task force on deaf education and literacy is also
created by the bill to advise the office on several aspects of
education for the deaf and to recommend to the Coordinating
Board for Higher Education improvements in preparation programs
for teachers and other personnel who work with deaf students.
The regional schools and resource centers will initially provide
2 tracks of deaf education:  the auditory-oral and a sign
language track using either signing exact English or the
American Sign Language approach of bilingual-bicultural
methodology for children from birth through sixth grade.
Requirements for the staff at the regional schools and resource
centers, including teacher-student ratios, are detailed in the
bill.  Staff may be employed on a consultation basis.  The bill
lists the services to be provided by the schools/resource
centers, among which are diagnosis and evaluation and
development of in-service training for teachers and parents.
The Division of Special Education must develop a system of
referral for children identified with hearing impairments.  The
bill contains definitions and creates a Deaf Education Fund.

Missouri House of Representatives
Last Updated September 13, 2001 at 2:04 pm