(a) Once a child has been referred for an initial assessment to determine whether the child is an individual with exceptional needs as defined in Section 56026 and to determine the educational needs of the child, these determinations shall be made, and an individualized education program meeting shall occur, within 60 days of receiving parental consent for the assessment in accordance with subparagraph (C) of paragraph (1) of subsection (a) of Section 1414 of Title 20 of the United States Code.

(b) The 60-day time period does not apply to a local educational agency if either of the following occurs:

Terms Used In California Education Code 56302.1

(1) A child enrolls in a school served by the local educational agency after the relevant time period has commenced but prior to a determination by his or her previous local educational agency of whether the child is an individual with exceptional needs. The exemption of this paragraph applies only if the subsequent local educational agency is making sufficient progress to ensure a prompt completion of the assessment, and the parent and subsequent local educational agency agree to a specific date by which the assessment shall be completed.

(2) The parent of a child repeatedly fails or refuses to produce the child for the assessment.

(Added by Stats. 2005, Ch. 653, Sec. 16. Effective October 7, 2005.)