SB 353 Summary

• Department of Education shall solicit time-use studies from school districts and educational service centers by June 30, 2013, and every five years thereafter, tracking occupational and physical therapists' hours across 15 specified activities including evaluations, IEP development, service provision, and professional development.

• Studies must cover two separate two-week periods (one by January 31, one by May 31) and include information on buildings served, travel time, use of assistant personnel, and available support resources.

• Department shall classify tracked activities into four categories: direct services to disabled children, educational programming development, support for nondisabled students, and compliance with federal or state legal requirements.

• Department shall develop a formula based on study data to determine appropriate caseload ratios for each type of therapist, ensuring providers can fulfill all job responsibilities within full-time work hours without exceeding capacity.

• School districts and educational service centers must implement the Department's workload adjustment directions provided following each study review, with the Department reporting findings to the State Board of Education within 90 days.