A. For the purposes of this section and section 15-764, children with disabilities who are being provided with special education in rehabilitation, corrective or other state and county supported institutions or facilities are the responsibility of that institution or facility, including children with disabilities who are not enrolled in a residential program and who are being furnished with daily transportation. Special education programs at the institution or facility shall conform to the conditions and standards prescribed by the director of the division of special education.

Terms Used In Arizona Laws 15-765

  • Child with a disability: means a child with a disability as defined in section 15-761. See Arizona Laws 15-101
  • Contract: A legal written agreement that becomes binding when signed.
  • Emotional disability: means a condition:

    (a) In which a child exhibits one or more of the following characteristics over a long period of time and to a marked degree that adversely affects the child's performance in the educational environment:

    (i) An inability to learn that cannot be explained by intellectual, sensory or health factors. See Arizona Laws 15-761

  • Home school district: means the school district or charter school that the child last attended or, if the child has not previously attended a public school in this state, the school district in which the person resides who has legal custody of the child, as provided in section 15-824, subsection B. See Arizona Laws 15-761
  • including: means not limited to and is not a term of exclusion. See Arizona Laws 1-215
  • Individualized education program: means a written statement, as defined in 20 United States Code §§ 1401 and 1412, for providing special education and related services to a child with a disability. See Arizona Laws 15-761
  • Individualized education program team: means a team whose task is to develop an appropriate educational program for the child and has the same meaning prescribed in 20 United States Code § 1414. See Arizona Laws 15-761
  • Out-of-home care: means the placement of a child with a disability outside of the home environment and includes twenty-four-hour residential care, group care or foster care on either a full-time or part-time basis. See Arizona Laws 15-761
  • Parent: means :

    (a) Either a natural or adoptive parent of a child. See Arizona Laws 15-761

  • person: means an individual, partnership, corporation, association or public or private organization of any kind. See Arizona Laws 15-101
  • Prior written notice: means written prior notice that a public educational agency is required to send to parents whenever the public educational agency proposes or refuses to initiate or change the identification, evaluation or educational placement of a child with a disability or the provision of a free appropriate public education. See Arizona Laws 15-761
  • Private school: means a nonpublic institution where instruction is imparted. See Arizona Laws 15-101
  • Probation: A sentencing alternative to imprisonment in which the court releases convicted defendants under supervision as long as certain conditions are observed.
  • public school: means any public institution established for the purposes of offering instruction to pupils in programs for preschool children with disabilities, kindergarten programs or any combination of elementary grades or secondary grades one through twelve. See Arizona Laws 15-101
  • Related services: means those supportive services, as defined in 20 United States Code § 1401, that are required to assist a child with a disability who is eligible to receive special education services in order for the child to benefit from special education. See Arizona Laws 15-761
  • Residential special education placement: means placing a child with a disability in a public or private residential program, as provided in section 15-765, subsection G, in order to provide necessary special education and related services as specified in the child's individualized education program. See Arizona Laws 15-761
  • School district: means a political subdivision of this state with geographic boundaries organized for the purpose of the administration, support and maintenance of the public schools or an accommodation school. See Arizona Laws 15-101
  • Special education: means specially designed instruction that meets the unique needs of a child with a disability and that is provided without cost to the parents of the child. See Arizona Laws 15-761
  • Subject: means a division or field of organized knowledge, such as English or mathematics, or a selection from an organized body of knowledge for a course or teaching unit, such as the English novel or elementary algebra. See Arizona Laws 15-101

B. Notwithstanding subsection A of this section, the department of economic security, the department of child safety or the Arizona health care cost containment system may request on behalf of a school-age child with a disability residing in a residential facility or foster home operated or supported by the department of economic security, the department of child safety or the Arizona health care cost containment system that the school district in which the facility or home is located enroll the school-age child in the district, subject to section 15-825. The school district, on the request by the department of economic security, the department of child safety or the Arizona health care cost containment system, shall enroll the child and provide any necessary special education and related services, subject to section 15-766. A school district in which a child with a disability is enrolled shall coordinate the development of an individualized education program with the development of an individual program or treatment plan. The provision of special education and related services to a child with a disability may be subject to subsection D of this section.

C. Before any placement is made in facilities described in this section, the school district of residence shall ensure that a full continuum of alternative placements is available to meet the needs of children with disabilities and that the proposed placement is the least restrictive environment in which appropriate education services can be provided to the child.

D. A school district or county school superintendent may contract with, and make payments to, other public or private schools, institutions and agencies approved by the division of special education, within or without the school district or county, for the education of and provision of services to children with disabilities if section 15-766 and the conditions and standards prescribed by the division of special education have been met and if unable to provide satisfactory education and services through its own facilities and personnel in accordance with the rules prescribed by the state board of education as provided in section 15-213. No school district may contract or make payments under the authority of this section or section 15-764 or any other provisions of law for the residential or educational costs of placement of children with disabilities in an approved private special education school, institution or agency unless the children are evaluated and placed by a school district. The following special provisions apply in order to qualify for the group B ED-P weight:

1. If the child is placed in a private special education program, the chief administrative official of the school district or county or other person designated by the school district or county as responsible for special education shall verify that the pupil is diagnosed with an emotional disability as defined in section 15-761, that no appropriate program exists within the school district or county, as applicable, and that no program can feasibly be instituted by the school district or county, as applicable.

2. If the child is placed in a special program that provides intensive services within a school district, the chief administrative official of the school district or county or other person as designated by the school district or county as responsible for special education shall verify that the pupil placed in such a program is diagnosed with an emotional disability as defined in section 15-761 and that appropriate services cannot be provided in traditional resource and self-contained special education classes.

E. When a state placing agency initially places a pupil in a private residential facility, the home school district must conduct an evaluation pursuant to section 15-766 or review the educational placement of a pupil who has previously been determined eligible for special education services. The school district shall notify the appropriate state placing agency when a child requires an evaluation for possible receipt of services provided by that agency or a residential special education placement. The school district and the state agency shall jointly evaluate the child, including consideration of relevant information from additional sources, including probation or parole officers, caseworkers, guardians ad litem and court appointed special advocates.

F. If the child is not eligible for special education or does not require residential special education placement, sections 15-1182 and 15-1183 apply.

G. If the individualized education program team determines that a residential special education placement is the least restrictive environment in which an appropriate educational program can be provided, the home school district shall submit the following documentation to the department of education:

1. A residential special education voucher application signed by designated representatives of the state placing agency, as defined in section 15-1181, and the home school district, respectively.

2. The educational reasons for recommending the residential special education placement, including an evaluation or addendum to the evaluation that describes the instructional and behavioral interventions that were previously attempted and the educational reasons for recommending the residential special education placement, including documentation that the nature or severity of the disability is such that education in a less restrictive environment is not appropriate.

3. Exit criteria as required in subsection K of this section.

4. That prior written notice for a change in the child’s placement was provided.

H. If a residential special education placement is required by the child’s individualized education program, the educational component of the residential facility shall be one that is approved by the department of education for the specific special education services required.

I. The residential component of the facility in which the residential special education placement is made shall be licensed by the department of economic security, the department of child safety or the department of health services, whichever is appropriate.

J. Following and in accordance with the consensus decision of the individualized education program team as prescribed in section 15-766, a residential special education placement shall be made by the school district and the appropriate state agency. The individualized education program team shall determine whether a residential special education placement is necessary. The state placing agency shall consider the recommendations of the individualized education program team in selecting the specific residential facility. The department of education shall enter into interagency services agreements with the department of economic security, the department of child safety or the Arizona health care cost containment system to establish a mechanism for resolving disputes if the school district and the department of economic security, the department of child safety or the Arizona health care cost containment system cannot mutually agree on the specific residential placement to be made. Dispute resolution procedures may not be used to deny or delay residential special education placement.

K. The individualized education program for any child who requires residential special education placement must include exit criteria that indicate when the educational placement of the child shall be reviewed to determine whether the child can be moved to a less restrictive placement.

L. All noneducational and nonmedical costs incurred by the placement of a child with a disability in a private or public school program and concurrent out-of-home care program shall be paid by the department of economic security for those children eligible to receive services through the division of developmental disabilities, by the department of child safety for the children for which it has legal responsibility and by the Arizona health care cost containment system for those children eligible to receive behavioral health or children’s rehabilitation services through the Arizona health care cost containment system administration. This section does not prevent or limit the Arizona health care cost containment system, the department of child safety and the department of economic security from joint case management of any child who qualifies for services from two or more of these agencies or from sharing the noneducational costs of providing those services. The educational costs incurred by the placement of a child with a disability in an out-of-home care facility shall be paid as follows:

1. Through a residential special education placement voucher as provided in section 15-1184 if the child is determined to require a residential special education placement as defined in section 15-761.

2. Through an initial or continuing residential education voucher if a child is placed in a private residential facility by a state placing agency, as defined in section 15-1181, for care, treatment and safety reasons and the child needs educational services while in that placement.

3. Through a certificate of educational convenience if the child is attending a public school not within the child’s school district of residence as provided in section 15-825.

4. By the home school district, pursuant to a contract with a public or private school as provided in subsection D of this section, if the home school district is unable to provide satisfactory education and services through its own facilities and personnel.

M. The department of economic security, the department of child safety or the Arizona health care cost containment system, whichever is appropriate, shall determine if the child placed for purposes of special education in a private or public school and concurrent out-of-home care is covered by an insurance policy that provides for inpatient or outpatient child or adolescent psychiatric treatment. The appropriate state agency may only pay charges for treatment costs that are not covered by an insurance policy. Notwithstanding any other law, the appropriate state agency may pay for placement costs of the child before the verification of applicable insurance coverage. On the depletion of insurance benefits, the appropriate state agency shall resume payment for all noneducational and nonmedical costs incurred in the treatment of the child. The appropriate state agency may request the child’s family to contribute a voluntary amount toward the noneducational and nonmedical costs incurred as a result of residential placement of the child. The amount that the appropriate state agency requests the child’s family to contribute shall be based on guidelines in the rules of the appropriate state agency governing the determination of contributions by parents and estates. This subsection does not require parents to incur any costs for required special education and related services or shall be construed to result in a reduction in lifetime insurance benefits available for a child with a disability.

N. If appropriate services are offered by the school district and the parent or the child chooses for the child to attend a private facility, either for day care or for twenty-four-hour care, neither the school district nor the respective agency is obligated to assume the cost of the private facility. If residential twenty-four-hour care is necessitated by factors such as the child’s home condition and is not related to the special educational needs of the child, the agency responsible for the care of the child is not required to pay any additional costs of room and board and nonmedical expenses pursuant to this section.