In accordance with the public participation requirements set forth in the Part B regulations at 34 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Sec.300.148 and 300.280-300.284, and in Sec.441(b)(7) of the General Education Provisions Act (GEPA) (20 USC 1232d(B)(7)(B), the Arkansas Department of Education hereby gives notice of a 60 day review period for the policies and procedures (hereafter, eligibility documents) that are required to comply with Part B of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) Amendments of 1997 (Public Law 105-17), in order for the State to be eligible to receive a grant award under Part B.
The eligibility documents consist of policies and procedures governing the provision of special education services to children with disabilities in the State, as set forth in State statute and as adopted by the Arkansas Board of Education. These eligibility documents are available for a 60 day period of public review. Written comments on these eligibility documents will be accepted until 4:30 PM on Friday, April 14, 2001. In addition to sites identified in the attachment below which indicate where print copies of the eligibility documents are available for public review, these policies and procedures may also be accessed electronically on the Arkansas Department of Education web site at http://arkedu.state.ar.us/acct/htm . Public hearings will be held on these eligibility documents as listed in the attachment below. Interpreters will be provided at the hearing(s) upon participant request. Such a request must be made at least seven (7) business days prior to the public hearing the individual wishes to attend. Individuals requesting an interpreter must contact Ms. Marie Dukes at (501) 682-4221.
All public meetings will be held from 5:00 PM to 7:00 PM.
The ADE must submit its policies and procedures to the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP), Washington, D. C. In the event the ADE proposes changes to these documents following public review, the ADE will submit any proposed changes to OSEP in a timely manner.
Written comments from the public about the policies and procedures will be accepted until 4:30 PM on Friday, April 14, 2000. Those comments should be sent to:
Marcia Harding, Associate Director
Arkansas Department of Education
Special Education
#4 Capitol Mall, Room 105-C
Little Rock, AR 72201-1071