For the purposes of 20-7-435 and this section, the following definitions apply:

1. (1) "Appropriate educational opportunity" means:

   1. (a) for an eligible child without a disability:

      1. (i) if provided by a nonpublic school, an education program provided in accordance with the requirements for a nonpublic school under the provisions of 20-5-109; and
      2. (ii) if provided by a public school, an education program consistent with accreditation standards provided for in 20-7-111; and
   2. (b) for an eligible child with a disability, a free appropriate public education consistent with state standards for the provision of special education and related services.

2. (2)

   1. (a) "Children's psychiatric hospital" means a freestanding hospital in Montana that:

      1. (i) has the primary purpose of providing clinical care for children and youth whose clinical diagnosis and resulting treatment plan require in-house residential psychiatric care; and
      2. (ii) is accredited by the joint commission on accreditation of healthcare organizations, the standards of the centers for medicare and medicaid services, or other comparable accreditation.
   2. (b) The term does not include programs for children and youth for whom the treatment of chemical dependency is the primary reason for treatment.
3. (3) "Eligible child" means a Montana resident child or youth who is less than 19 years of age on September 10 of the school year and who has a serious emotional disturbance that is so severe that the child or youth has been placed in a qualifying facility for treatment.
4. (4) "Qualifying facility" means a children's psychiatric hospital, a residential treatment facility, a residential treatment center as defined in 50-5-101, or a therapeutic group home located in Montana.

5. (5)

   1. (a) "Residential treatment facility" means a facility in the state that:

      1. (i) provides services for children or youth with serious emotional disturbances;
      2. (ii) operates for the primary purpose of providing residential psychiatric care to individuals under 21 years of age;
      3. (iii) is licensed by the department of public health and human services; and
      4. (iv) participates in the Montana medicaid program for psychiatric facilities or programs providing psychiatric services to individuals under 21 years of age; or
      5. (v) notwithstanding the provisions of subsections (5)(a)(iii) and (5)(a)(iv), has received a certificate of need from the department of public health and human services pursuant to Title 50, chapter 5, part 3, prior to January 1, 1993.
   2. (b) The term does not include programs for children and youth for whom the treatment of chemical dependency is the primary reason for treatment.
6. (6) "Therapeutic group home" means an in-state treatment facility providing therapeutic services licensed and under contract with the department of public health and human services as a youth care facility, as defined in 52-2-602.

History: En. Sec. 10, Ch. 765, L. 1991; amd. Sec. 5, Ch. 375, L. 1993; amd. Sec. 34, Ch. 18, L. 1995; amd. Sec. 50, Ch. 418, L. 1995; amd. Sec. 70, Ch. 546, L. 1995; amd. Sec. 2, Ch. 479, L. 2003; amd. Sec. 4, Ch. 156, L. 2023; amd. Sec. 3, Ch. 364, L. 2025.