[Proposed Rules]
[Page 43865-43866]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr14au98-36]
[[Page 43865]]
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Part VI
Department of Education
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34 CFR Part 303
Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services; Part C of the
Individuals With Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) Amendments of 1997;
Proposed Rule
[[Page 43866]]
DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
34 CFR Part 303
Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services; Part C
of the Individuals With Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) Amendments of
1997
AGENCY: Department of Education.
ACTION: Reopening of the comment period.
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SUMMARY: The Secretary of Education (Secretary) reopens the comment
period for receiving advice and recommendations from the public on
whether to develop new regulations implementing the Early Intervention
Program for Infants and Toddlers with Disabilities under Part C of the
Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA).
DATES: The comment period will be open until 30 days following the
future publication of the final regulations implementing part B of IDEA
(34 CFR part 300), and containing conforming changes to Part C of IDEA
(34 CFR part 303). A separate document announcing the specific closing
date will be published after publication of those final regulations.
ADDRESSES: Comments should be addressed to Thomas Irvin, Office of
Special Education and Rehabilitative Services, U.S. Department of
Education, Room 3090, Mary E. Switzer Building, 330 C St., SW.,
Washington, DC 20202.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: JoLeta Reynolds or Thomas Irvin.
Telephone: (202) 205-5507. Individuals who use a telecommunications
device for the deaf (TDD) may call (202) 205-5465 or the Federal
Information Relay Service (FIRS) at 1-800-877-8339 between 8:00 a.m.
and 8:00 p.m., Eastern time, Monday through Friday, except Federal
holidays.
Individuals with disabilities may obtain a copy of this notice in
an alternate format (e.g., Braille, large print, audiotape, or computer
diskette) on request to Katie Mincey, Director of the Alternate Formats
Center. Telephone: (202) 205-8113.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Background
On April 14, 1998, the Secretary published in the Federal Register
(63 FR 18290) final regulations governing Part H of IDEA, the Early
Intervention Program for Infants and Toddlers with Disabilities (34 CFR
part 303). Those final regulations made technical changes to part 303
to incorporate the statutory amendments to Part H that were added by
the IDEA Amendments of 1997. The regulations became effective on July
1, 1998, and at that time, the Part H program was renamed ``Part C.''
In the same (April 14) issue of the Federal Register (63 FR 18297),
the Secretary also published a notice soliciting advice and
recommendations from the public--including persons with disabilities
and their representatives, parents, members of interagency coordinating
councils, service providers, program administrators, and Federal and
State administrators--as to whether to develop new regulations
implementing Part C. That comment period ended on July 31, 1998.
Invitation to Comment
The Secretary is reopening the comment period for the Part 303
regulations to further elicit the views of interested parties on
whether additional revisions to those regulations are needed to
implement the requirements of Part C of IDEA. In addition to
considering further regulatory changes based on the IDEA Amendments of
1997, the Secretary also invites comments on whether to revise the
regulations in areas unaffected by the statutory amendments.
If the Department regulates, it will do so consistent with its
Principles for Regulating, under which the Department considers whether
regulations are needed to promote quality and equality in educational
opportunity, whether a demonstrated problem requires the issuance of
regulations, whether regulations are needed to resolve ambiguity, and
whether a uniform approach to a situation is appropriate. In developing
regulations, the Department's policy is to provide flexibility and
minimize burden to the extent consistent with ensuring the
implementation of the Early Intervention Program for Infants and
Toddlers with Disabilities, Part C of IDEA. The Department is
particularly interested in public input on any areas in which the
statutory changes in Part C of IDEA may need clarification.
The Secretary requests that each commenter identify her or his role
in early intervention, special education, or regular education, if any,
and the perspective from which she or he views the early intervention
system--either as a representative of persons with disabilities or of
an association, agency, type of service provider (public or private),
or as an individual person with a disability, parent, or private
citizen. The Secretary urges commenters to be specific regarding their
comments, including identifying clearly the section or sections of the
regulations (or of Part C of IDEA, if appropriate) that each comment
addresses.
All comments submitted in response to this notice will be available
for public inspection during and after the comment period in Room 3090,
Mary E. Switzer Building, 330 C St., SW., Washington, DC, between the
hours of 9:00 a.m. and 4:30 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.
(Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance Number 84.027, Assistance to
States for Education of Children with Disabilities)
Dated: August 10, 1998.
Judith E. Heumann,
Assistant Secretary for Special Education and Rehabilitative Services.
[FR Doc. 98-21890 Filed 8-13-98; 8:45 am]
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