HB 425 Summary

• Establishes the "Florida Bill of Rights for Children with Disabilities and their Parents or Guardians" guaranteeing free appropriate public education including related services such as occupational therapy and physical therapy

• Requires children with disabilities be educated in the least-restrictive environment with non-disabled students to the maximum extent appropriate, with placement selected from the state's full continuum of alternate placements

• Mandates individualized education plans (IEPs) developed with parental assistance that include present academic functioning levels, annual goals, educational services, general education participation degree, service initiation timelines, and annual evaluation procedures

• Provides procedural due process safeguards including parental rights to examine records, obtain independent evaluations, receive written notification in native language, request impartial hearings, and be represented by legal counsel

• Requires nondiscriminatory assessments by multidisciplinary teams using multiple assessment types that are not racially, culturally, or linguistically biased, and establishes shared database access for student disability information between K-12 schools and public postsecondary education systems

• Takes effect July 1, 2015