Special education: specialized deaf and hard-of-hearing services.

Assembly Member Hoover's legislation clarifies California's special education framework to explicitly permit individualized education programs (IEPs) that consist solely of specialized services for deaf and hard-of-hearing students. The measure amends the Education Code's definition of special education to address the distinct communication and educational access needs of these students.

The bill recognizes that deaf and hard-of-hearing pupils may require specialized support services without placement in special day classes or core academic instruction from special education teachers. Under current regulations, these services can include language development, auditory skill development, and educational accommodations. The amendment allows these specialized services, identified through Service Code 710 in California's Special Education Management Information System, to be provided independently when assessment indicates this meets a student's needs.

Local educational agencies would retain their existing obligations to identify and evaluate students while gaining explicit authorization to develop IEPs featuring only deaf and hard-of-hearing support services. The bill permits contracting with certified nonpublic, nonsectarian agencies for these specialized services when teachers deliver support services rather than core academic instruction. This maintains the requirement that all special education services be provided at no cost to parents while clarifying the permissible scope of service delivery options.