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Committee reviews special-education AR updates and child-abuse reporting forms; recommends adopting OSBA language
Summary
Staff recommended required updates to special-education administrative rules to reflect recent Senate bills and proposed replacing the district's child-abuse reporting forms with OSBA's updated versions, including a provision to prohibit contractors from campus pending investigation.
The committee considered required updates to administrative rules for special education and a substantial revision to child-abuse reporting procedures and forms.
For special education, staff said language changes are required to comply with Senate Bill 756 and Senate Bill 819. The updates include specifying staff assignments who work with students with specialized needs and clarifying participation expectations. Staff advised adding required language from OSBA sample material to the district administrative rules.
On the child-abuse reporting policy and administrative rule (JHFE/GBNAB and attendant forms), staff recommended deleting the district's older form and adopting OSBA's updated reporting forms and ARs. Key changes include a standard incident form used when law enforcement or DHS comes on campus, updated definitions of "substantiated report" (as determined by law enforcement or DHS), and a provision that would prohibit a contractor, agent or volunteer from providing services while an investigation is ongoing if the district determines there is reasonable cause to support the suspected abuse report. Staff said the district will reinstate such individuals if law enforcement/DHS determine the report is unsubstantiated and that the contractor or volunteer has appeal rights pursuant to collective-bargaining rules if applicable.
Staff also described practical details for the forms, including capturing the identity and badge of investigators who come on campus, and noted that investigators usually sign the campus form; staff said if an investigator refuses to sign the record, staff will annotate that fact. Several board members supported the stronger language to immediately prohibit access while investigations proceed.
The committee asked staff to return with the final redrafts with the agreed bracketed language inserted and the AR templates for adoption.
