Senate Bill 89 and Dyslexia Handbook 2021 Training and Communication Requirements
| ٲٱ: | March 31, 2022 |
|---|---|
| Subject: | Senate Bill 89 and Dyslexia Handbook 2021 Training and Communication Requirements |
| Category: | Special Education |
| Next Steps: | Share with appropriate staff, designate staff to complete requirements, and provide assurances in the Legal Framework portal. |
This letter provides notice to local educational agencies (LEAs) of required activities and associated assurances that must be completed in the Legal Framework in 2022.
Senate Bill (SB) 89 Requirement
SB 89, the COVID-19 Special Education Recovery Act, was signed by the governor on June 7, 2021, and addresses special education and related service interruptions during the COVID-19 pandemic. SB 89 established requirements in Texas Education Code (TEC), §29.0052, that require LEAs to include a written supplement to be included with the individualized education program (IEP) of each student enrolled in LEAs’ special education programs during the 2019-2020 or 2020-2021 school year.
No later than May 1, 2022,Admission, Review, and Dismissal (ARD) committees must complete the required supplement for each student with an IEP enrolled in LEAs’ special education programs during the 2019-2020 or 2020-2021 school years, andLEAs must submit an assurance statement throughby June 1, 2022 affirming compliance with the requirements established by SB 89.
As stated in theJuly 22, 2021 “To the Administrator Addressed”correspondence on this topic, if the student’s ARD committee documented all required information in the written statement of the IEP during the 2020-2021 school year, then the ARD committee is not required to prepare an additional supplement for this purpose.
For further information regarding this topic refer to the document titledFrequently Asked Questions (FAQ) on SB 89.
Dyslexia Handbook 2021 Update Training and Communication Requirement
Required action stemming from therequired TEA to develop a communication and a training plan to ensure that LEAs are informed of theDyslexia Handbook 2021 Update, which went into effect on February 10, 2022.
As part of the plan TEA was required to submit to OSEP by August 31, 2022, allLEAs mustprovide an assurance through the Legal Framework thatat least one staff member has attended the agency-developed training titledTexas Dyslexia Academy 2 (TDA 2): The Dyslexia Handbook 2021 UpdatebyAugust 31, 2022.This requirement ensures that each LEA in the state is aware of and has at least one trained staff member who can support local dissemination and implementation of the updated handbook requirements.TDA 2: The Dyslexia Handbook 2021 Updatetrainingis offered through each regional education service center (ESC).
Additionally, byJune 1, 2022LEAs must provide an assurance through the Legal Framework that they have placed a link to this TEA document in bothEnglishandSpanishon their local public facing website and have updated all websites, materials, static resources, and information available to parents and staff to reflect theDyslexia Handbook 2021 Update.
In Summary
| Action Required | Required Completion Date |
|---|---|
| Complete all Activities Required by SB 89 | May 1, 2022 |
| Provide assurance through the Legal Framework that LEA has complied with the requirements of SB 89 | June 1, 2022 |
| Provide assurance through the Legal Framework that LEA has posted links inEnglishandSpanishto required TEA documents on their local public facing website and have updated all websites, materials, static resources, and information available to parents and staff to reflect theDyslexia Handbook 2021 update | June 1, 2022 |
| Provide assurance through the Legal Framework that at least one staff member in the LEA who is well placed to disseminate information has attended the agency-developed trainingTexas Dyslexia Academy 2 (TDA 2): The Dyslexia Handbook 2021 | August 31, 2022 |
For questions regarding the requirements contained in this document, please contact TEA’s Division of Special Education Programs atsped@tea.texas.gov.