FLORIDA DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
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STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION
John L. Winn
Commissioner of Education
F. PHILIP HANDY,
Chairman
T. WILLARD FAIR,
Vice Chairman
Members
DONNA G. CALLAWAY
JULIA L. JOHNSON
ROBERTO MARTÍNEZ
PHOEBE RAULERSON
LINDA K. TAYLOR
October 14, 2005
TO:
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Exceptional Student Education Directors
FROM:
John L. Winn
SUBJECT:
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Clarification of Provision of Speech/Language Services to Students with
Disabilities
This letter is in response to the confusion by parent constituents on the options for accessing speech/
language services for students with disabilities. Please review and help parents better understand
services available to their children. As you know, there are currently
two options
for a student to be
eligible to receive speech/language services in Florida.
Option One
A student must meet the initial eligibility criteria under Rule 6A-6.03012, Florida Administrative
Code (FAC),
Special Programs for Students Who Are Speech and Language Impaired
. Once the
student is determined eligible for exceptional student education (ESE), speech/language impaired is
either reported as the primary disability (the student’s only ESE program) or as a secondary
disability (student is in more than one ESE program).
Option Two
The Florida Department of Education’s July 2004 Grant Award letter from the U.S. Office of
Special Education Programs established a Special Condition in the area of speech/language. In order
to ensure that students with disabilities who need speech/language services continue to benefit from
special education, the Department provided a second option for students identified as autistic, deaf or
hard-of-hearing (D/HH), traumatic brain injured (TBI), and developmentally delayed (DD). This
option is available to students identified as autistic, D/HH, TBI, or DD if an individual educational
plan (IEP) team or individualized family support plan (IFSP) team determines that the student
325 W. GAINES STREET • SUITE 1514 • TALLAHASSEE, FL 32399-0400 • (850) 245-0505 • www.fldoe.org
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has a delay or absence of communication skills as documented by the initial
speech/language evaluation
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is in need of speech or language services
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does not have to meet the eligibility criteria under State Board of Education rule.
Please see the attached technical assistance paper for additional information regarding this second
option.
It is imperative that schools and the IEP or ISFP team are knowledgeable of this policy and
implement it accordingly. Quality services should be provided to students regardless of the
eligibility option used for placement into the speech/language program.
I want to encourage you to work with parents to ensure that there is a clear understanding of the
procedures related to the provision of speech/language services. In order to assist with this effort,
the Department has developed an informational letter for parents and guardians of students with
disabilities (see attachment). The letter addresses both eligibility criteria under Rule 6A-6.03012,
FAC, as well as clarifies the additional option for autistic, D/HH, TBI, and DD students. Please
disseminate the attached letter to parents of students with disabilities
no later than October 31,
2005
.
If you have questions concerning this information, please contact Lezlie Cline, Program Director, at
(850) 245-0478 or via electronic mail at Lezlie.cline@fldoe.org.
Thank you for your attention and assistance in this matter and for providing accessible, high quality
services to students with disabilities.
JW/efdh
Attachments (2)
