The Board, any two or more local educational agencies, and any other agency and any State department, agency, or division having responsibility for the education, treatment, or habilitation of children with disabilities may enter into interlocal cooperative undertakings under Part 1 of Article 20 of Chapter 160A of the N.C. Gen. Stat. or into undertakings with a State agency such as the Departments of Public Instruction, Health and Human Services, or Public Safety, or their divisions, agencies, or units, for the purpose of providing for the special education and related services, treatment, or habilitation of these children within the jurisdiction of the agency or unit, and shall do so when it is unable to provide the appropriate public special education or related services for these children. In entering into such undertakings, the local agency and State department, agency, or division shall also contract to provide the special education or related services that are educationally appropriate to the children with disabilities for whose benefit the undertaking is made and provide these services by or in the local agency unit or State department, agency, or division located in the place most convenient to these children. ?(1977, c. 927, s. 1; 1981, c. 423, s. 1; 1997-443, s. 11A.118(a); 1998-202, s. 4(m); 2000-137, s. 4(p); 2006-69, s. 2; 2017-186, s. 2(bbbbb).)