The individualized education program or plan pursuant to Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended from time to time, for any child identified as deaf or hard of hearing shall include a language and communication plan. In the case of a child with an individualized education program, the language and communication plan shall be developed by the planning and placement team for such child. Such language and communication plan shall address:

1. (1) The primary language or mode of communication chosen for the child,
2. (2) opportunities for direct communication with peers and professional personnel in the primary language or mode of communication for the child,
3. (3) educational options available to the child,
4. (4) the qualifications of teachers and other professional personnel administering such plan for the child, including such teacher's or personnel's proficiency in the primary language or mode of communication for the child,
5. (5) the accessibility of academic instruction, school services and extracurricular activities to the child,
6. (6) assistive devices and services for the child,
7. (7) communication and physical environment accommodations for the child, and
8. (8) an emergency communication plan that includes procedures for alerting the child of an emergency situation and ensuring that the specific needs of the child are met during the emergency situation.

(P.A. 12-173, S. 11; P.A. 17-202, S. 17; P.A. 19-184, S. 3.)

History: P.A. 12-173 effective June 15, 2012; P.A. 17-202 replaced “hearing impaired” with “hard of hearing”; P.A. 19-184 added “or plan pursuant to Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended from time to time,” and added “In the case of a child with an individualized education program, the language and communication plan shall be”, and added Subdiv. (8) re emergency communication plan, effective July 1, 2019.