[Federal Register: March 25, 1999 (Volume 64, Number 57)]
[Notices]
[Page 14555-14557]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr25mr99-131]
[[Page 14555]]
_______________________________________________________________________
Part IV
Department of Education
_______________________________________________________________________
Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services; Proposed
Priority; Notice
[[Page 14556]]
DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services; Notice
of Proposed Priority
SUMMARY: The Secretary proposes a priority for the Special Education--
Training and Information for Parents of Children with Disabilities
program administered by the Office of Special Education and
Rehabilitative Services (OSERS) under the Individuals with Disabilities
Education Act (IDEA), as amended. The Secretary may use this priority
in Fiscal Year 1999 and subsequent years. The Secretary takes this
action to focus Federal assistance on identified needs to improve
results for children with disabilities. The proposed priority is
intended to ensure wide and effective use of program funds.
DATES: Comments must be received on or before April 26, 1999.
ADDRESSES: All comments concerning this proposed priority should be
addressed to: Debra Sturdivant, U.S. Department of Education, 400
Maryland Avenue, SW, Room 3521, Switzer Building, Washington, DC 20202-
2641. Comments may also be sent through the Internet: comments@ed.gov
You must include the term ``Training and Information for Parents of
Children with Disabilities'' in the subject line of your electronic
message.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For further information regarding this
proposed priority contact Debra Sturdivant. Telephone: (202) 205-8038.
Individuals who use a telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD) may
call the TDD number at (202) 205-8953. FAX: (202) 205-8105 (FAX is the
preferred method for requesting information). Internet:
Debra__Sturdivant@ed.gov
Individuals with disabilities may obtain a copy of this notice in
an alternate format (e.g. Braille, large print, audiotape, or computer
diskette) by calling (202) 205-8113.
On request the Department supplies an appropriate aid, such as a
reader or print magnifier, to an individual with a disability who needs
assistance to review the comments or other documents in the public
rulemaking docket for this priority. An individual with a disability
who wants to schedule an appointment for this type of aid may call
(202) 205-8113 or (202) 260-9895.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This notice contains one proposed priority
under the Training and Information for Parents of Children with
Disabilities program authorized by IDEA. This proposed priority
supports the National Education Goals by helping to improve results for
children with disabilities.
The Secretary will announce the final priority in a notice in the
Federal Register. The final priority will be determined by responses to
this notice, available funds, and other considerations of the
Department. Funding of a particular project depends on the availability
of funds, the content of the final priority, and the quality of the
applications received. The publication of this proposed priority does
not preclude the Secretary from proposing additional priorities, nor
does it limit the Secretary to funding only this priority, subject to
meeting applicable rulemaking requirements.
Note: This notice of proposed priority does not solicit
applications. A notice inviting applications under this competition
will be published in the Federal Register concurrent with or
following publication of the notice of final priority.
Purpose of Program
The purpose of this program is to ensure that parents of children
with disabilities receive training and information to help improve
results for their children.
Under section 682(e)(1) and (e)(2) of IDEA, the Secretary is
required to: (1) make at least one award to a parent organization in
each State, unless the Secretary does not receive an application from
such an organization in each State of sufficient quality to warrant
approval; and (2) select among applications submitted by parent
organizations in a State in a manner that ensures the most effective
assistance to parents, including parents in urban and rural areas, in
the State.
Eligible applicants for awards under this priority are parent
organizations, as defined in section 682(g) of IDEA. A parent
organization is a private nonprofit organization (other than an
institution of higher education) that (1) has a board of directors, the
parent and professional members of which are broadly representative of
the population to be served and the majority of whom are parents of
children with disabilities, that includes individuals with disabilities
working in the fields of special education, related services, and early
intervention; or (2) if the private nonprofit organization does not
have such a board, it has a membership that represents the interest of
individuals with disabilities and must establish a special governing
board with the same requirements of paragraph (1) and develops a
memorandum of understanding between this special governing board and
the board of directors of the organization that clearly outlines the
relationship between the board and the committee and the decision
making responsibilities and authority of each.
Priority
Under section 682 of the Act, and 34 CFR 75.105(c)(3), the
Secretary proposes to give an absolute preference to applications that
meet the following priority. The Secretary proposes to fund under this
competition only those applications that meet this proposed priority:
Proposed Absolute Priority--Parent Training and Information Centers
(84.328M)
Background
The IDEA Amendments of 1997 strengthen the role of parents and
increase their involvement in decisions about their children's
education. Other changes in the law, increased dependence on and the
use of technology, and a greater emphasis on networking and promoting
partnerships between parents and school personnel require the PTI
centers to be strengthened and refocused. In order to allocate
resources more equitably, create a unified system of service delivery,
and provide the broadest coverage for the parents and families in every
State, the Department will begin to make awards in four(4)-year cycles
for each State. Beginning in FY 1999, applications for awards will be
accepted for the following States: Arizona, Delaware, District of
Columbia, Iowa, Indiana, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Mississippi,
Missouri, South Dakota, Virginia, Washington, and Wyoming.
In addition to the above State awards, the Secretary intends to
fund a maximum of two awards. One award that focuses on the needs of
Native-American families who have children with disabilities and one
award that focuses on the needs of Military families who have children
with disabilities.
Until the first four(4)-year cycle is completed, there may be a
need to have an interim schedule for awards in States where there are
more than one PTI and their current awards do not have the same end
date. Therefore, we will hold a competition for one or more awards in
these States for the time periods needed to match the end date of the
last Center funded. Applications will be accepted for FY 1999 interim
competitions for the following States: (1) California--3-year award,
(2) Illinois--3-year award, and (3) New York--2-year award.
Priority
The Secretary proposes to establish an absolute priority to support
parent training and information centers that--
[[Page 14557]]
(a) Provide training and information that meets the training and
information needs of parents of children with disabilities in the area
served by the center, particularly underserved parents and parents of
children who may be inappropriately identified;
(b) Assist parents to understand the availability of, and how to
effectively use, procedural safeguards under IDEA, including
encouraging the use, and explaining the benefits, of alternative
methods of dispute resolution, such as the mediation process described
in IDEA;
(c) Serve the parents of infants, toddlers, and children with the
full range of disabilities;
(d) Assist parents to--
(1) Better understand the nature of their children's disabilities
and their educational and developmental needs;
(2) Communicate effectively with personnel responsible for
providing special education, early intervention, and related services;
(3) Participate in decision making processes and the development of
individualized education programs and individualized family service
plans;
(4) Obtain appropriate information about the range of options,
programs, services, and resources available to assist children with
disabilities and their families;
(5) Understand the provisions of the Act for the education of, and
the provision of early intervention services to, children with
disabilities; and
(6) Participate in school reform activities;
(f) Contract with the State education agency, if the State elects
to contract with the parent training and information center, for the
purpose of meeting with parents who choose not to use the mediation
process to encourage the use, and explain the benefits, of mediation
consistent with sections 615(e)(2)(B) and (D) of IDEA;
(g) Network with appropriate clearinghouses, including
organizations conducting national dissemination activities under
section 685(d) of IDEA, and with other national, State, and local
organizations and agencies, such as protection and advocacy agencies,
that serve parents and families of children with the full range of
disabilities;
(h) Establish cooperative relations with the Community Parent
Resource Center or Centers in their State in accordance with section
683(b)(3) of IDEA; and
(i) Annually report to the Secretary on--
(1) The number of parents to whom it provided information and
training in the most recently concluded fiscal year, and
(2) The effectiveness of strategies used to reach and serve
parents, including underserved parents of children with disabilities;
and
(j) If there is more than one parent center in a particular State,
coordinate their activities to ensure the most effective assistance to
parents in that State.
An applicant must identify the strategies it will undertake--
(a) To ensure that the needs for training and information of
underserved parents of children with disabilities in the areas to be
served are effectively met, particularly in underserved areas of the
State; and
(b) To work with the community-based organizations, particularly in
the underserved areas of the State.
A parent training and information center that receives assistance
under this absolute priority may also conduct the following
activities--
(a) Provide information to teachers and other professionals who
provide special education and related services to children with
disabilities;
(b) Assist students with disabilities to understand their rights
and responsibilities on reaching the age of majority, as included under
section 615(m) of IDEA; and
(c) Assist parents of children with disabilities to be informed
participants in the development and implementation of the State
improvement plan under IDEA.
A project's budget must include funds to attend a two-day Project
Directors' meeting to be held in Washington, D.C. each year of the
project.
In order to demonstrate eligibility to receive a grant, an
applicant must describe how its board or special governing committee
meets the criteria for a parent organization in section 682(g) of IDEA.
In addition, any parent organization that establishes a special
governing committee under section 682(g)(2) of IDEA must demonstrate
that the by-laws of its organization allows the governing committee to
be responsible for operating the project (consistent with existing
fiscal policies of its organization).
Current funding levels, population of school age children, and the
relative proportion of children living in poverty will be considered in
determining funding levels for grants.
Intergovernmental Review
The Training and Information for Parents of Children with
Disabilities program in this notice is subject to the requirements of
Executive Order 12372 and the regulations in 34 CFR Part 79. The
objective of the Executive order is to foster an intergovernmental
partnership and a strengthened federalism by relying on processes
developed by State and local governments for coordination and review of
proposed Federal financial assistance.
In accordance with the order, this document is intended to provide
early notification of the Department's specific plans and actions for
this program.
Invitation To Comment
Interested persons are invited to submit comments and
recommendations regarding this proposed priority.
All comments submitted in response to this notice will be available
for public inspection, during and after the comment period, in Room
3524, 300 C Street, SW, Washington, D.C., between the hours of 8:30
a.m. and 4:00 p.m., Monday through Friday of each week except Federal
holidays.
Electronic Access to This Document
Anyone may view this document, as well as all other Department of
Education documents published in the Federal Register, in text or
portable document format (pdf) on the World Wide Web at either of the
following sites:
http://ocfo.ed.gov/fedreg.htm
http://www.ed.gov/news.html
To use the pdf you must have the Adobe Acrobat Reader Program with
Search, which is available free at either of the previous sites. If you
have questions about using the pdf, call the U.S. Government Printing
Office at (202) 512-1530 or, toll free at 1-888-293-6498.
Anyone may also view these documents in text copy only on an
electronic bulletin board of the Department. Telephone: (202) 219-1511
or, toll free, 1-800-222-4922. The documents are located under Option
G--Files/Announcements, Bulletins, and Press Releases.
Note: The official version of a document is the document
published in the Federal Register.
(Program Authority: 20 U.S.C. 1482)
(Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance Number: Training and
Information for Parents of Children with Disabilities, (84.328))
Dated: March 19, 1999.
Curtis L. Richards,
Acting Assistant Secretary for Special Education and Rehabilitative
Services.
[FR Doc. 99-7243 Filed 3-24-99; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4000-01-U