N.M. Admin. Code § 6.31.2.7

Current through Register Vol. 35, No. 20, October 22, 2024

Section 6.31.2.7 - DEFINITIONS

A. Terms defined by federal laws and rules. All terms defined in the following federal laws and rules and any other federally defined terms that are incorporated there by reference are incorporated here for purposes of these rules.

(1) The federal Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act of 2004 (IDEA), 20 USC Sec. 1400 et seq.

(2) The IDEA rules, 34 CFR Parts 300 and 301.

(3) Pursuant to the paperwork reduction provisions of IDEA, 20 USC Sec. 1408, all definitions, with the exception of those found in Subsection B of 6.31.2.7 NMAC, contained in IDEA Parts 300 and 301 at 34 CFR Secs. 300.1 through 300.45, will be adopted by reference.

B. The following terms shall have the following meanings for purposes of these rules.

(1)"CFR" means the code of federal regulations, including future amendments.

(2)"Child with a disability" means a child who meets all requirements of 34 CFR Sec. 300.8 and:

(a) is age three through 21 or who will turn age three at any time during the school year;

(b) has been evaluated in accordance with 34 CFR Secs. 300.304 through 300.311 and any additional requirements of these or other department rules and standards and as having one or more of the disabilities specified in 34 CFR Sec. 300.8 including an intellectual disability; a hearing impairment, including deafness, speech or language impairment; a visual impairment, including blindness; emotional disturbance; orthopedic impairment; autism; traumatic brain injury; other health impairment; a specific learning disability; deaf-blindness; or being developmentally delayed as defined in Paragraph (4) of Subsection B of 6.31.2.7 NMAC; and who has not received a high school diploma; and

(c) at the discretion of each local educational agency and subject to the additional requirements of Paragraph (2) of Subsection F of 6.31.2.10 NMAC, may include a child age three through nine who is evaluated as being developmentally delayed and who, because of that condition, needs special education and related services.

(3)"Developmentally delayed" means a child age three through nine or who will turn age three at any time during the school year with documented delays in development which are at least two standard deviations below the mean on a standardized test instrument or thirty percent below chronological age and who in the professional judgment of the IEP team and one or more qualified evaluators needs special education and related services in at least one of the following areas: communication development, cognitive development, physical development, social or emotional development, or adaptive development. Use of the developmentally delayed option by individual local educational agencies is subject to the further requirements of Paragraph (2) of Subsection F of 6.31.2.10 NMAC. Local educational agencies shall use appropriate diagnostic instruments and procedures to ensure that the child qualifies as a child with a developmental delay in accordance with the definition in this paragraph.

(4)"Dual discrepancy" means the child does not achieve adequately for the child's age or to meet grade-level standards established in New Mexico standards for excellence, 6.29.1 through 6.29.17 NMAC; and

(a) does not make sufficient progress to meet age or grade-level standards; or

(b) exhibits a pattern of strengths and weaknesses in performance, achievement, or both, relative to age, grade level standards, or intellectual development.

(5) "Dyslexia" means a condition of neurological origin that is characterized by difficulty with accurate or fluent word recognition and by poor spelling and decoding abilities, which characteristics typically result from a deficit in the phonological component of language that is often unexpected in relation to other cognitive abilities and the provision of effective classroom instruction and may result in problems in reading comprehension and reduced reading experience that may impede the growth of vocabulary and background knowledge.

(6) The "educational jurisdiction" of a public agency includes the geographic area, age range, and all facilities including residential treatment centers, day treatment centers, hospitals, mental health institutions, juvenile justice facilities, state supported schools, or programs within which the public agency is obligated under state laws, rules, or by enforceable agreements including joint powers agreements (JPAs) or memoranda of understanding (MOUs) to provide educational services for children with disabilities. In situations such as transitions, transfers, and special placements, the educational jurisdiction of two or more public agencies may overlap and result in a shared obligation to ensure that a particular child receives all the services to which the child is entitled.

(7) A "free appropriate public education" or "FAPE" means special education and related services which meet all requirements of 34 CFR Sec. 300.17 and which, pursuant to 34 CFR Sec. 300.17(b), meet all applicable department rules and standards, including but not limited to these rules; the New Mexico standards for excellence; and department rules governing school personnel preparation, licensure, and performance; student rights and responsibilities; and student transportation.

(8) The "general education curriculum," pursuant to 34 CFR Sec. 300.320, means the same curriculum that a public agency offers for nondisabled children. For New Mexico public agencies whose non-special education programs are subject to department rules, the general curriculum includes the content standards, benchmarks, and all other applicable requirements of the New Mexico standards for excellence and any other department rules defining curricular requirements.

(9)"LEA" means a local educational agency as defined in 34 CFR Sec. 300.28.

(10)"Individualized education program" or "IEP" means a written statement for a child with a disability that is developed, reviewed, and revised in accordance with 34 CFR Secs. 300.320 through 300.324.

(11)"IEP team" means, pursuant to 34 CFR Sec. 300.321, the public agency shall ensure that the IEP team for each child with a disability includes:

(a) the parents of the child;

(b) not less than one regular education teacher of the child (if the child is, or may be, participating in the regular education environment);

(c) not less than one special education teacher of the child, or where appropriate, not less than one special education provider of the child;

(d) a representative of the public agency who:

(i) is qualified to provide, or supervise the provision of, specially designed instruction to meet the unique needs of children with disabilities;

(ii) is knowledgeable about the general education curriculum; and

(iii) is knowledgeable about the availability of resources of the public agency;

(e) an individual who can interpret the instructional implications of evaluation results, who may be a member of the team described in Subparagraphs (b) through (e) of Paragraph (11) of Subsection B of 6.31.2.7 NMAC;

(f) at the discretion of the parent or public agency, other individuals who have knowledge or special expertise regarding the child, including related services personnel as appropriate; and

(g) whenever appropriate, the child with a disability.

(12)"Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act" or "IDEA" means the federal Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act of 2004, 20 USC Secs. 1401 et seq., including future amendments.

(13)"NMAC" means the New Mexico administrative code, including future amendments.

(14)"NMSA 1978" means the 1978 compilation of New Mexico statutes annotated, including future amendments.

(15)"Parent" includes, in addition to the persons specified in 34 CFR Sec. 300.30, a child with a disability who has reached age 18 and for whom there is no court-appointed general guardian, limited guardian, or other court-appointed person who has legal custody or has otherwise been authorized by a court to make educational decisions on the child's behalf as provided in Subsection K of 6.31.2.13 NMAC. Pursuant to 34 CFR Sec. 300.519 and department policy, a foster parent of a child with a disability may act as a parent under Part B of IDEA if:

(i) the foster parent or the state children, youth, and families department (CYFD) provides appropriate documentation to establish that CYFD has legal custody and has designated the person in question as the child's foster parent; and

(ii) the foster parent is willing to make the educational decisions required of parents under IDEA, and has no interest that would conflict with the interests of the child. A foster parent who does not qualify under the requirements but who meets all requirements for a surrogate parent under 34 CFR Sec. 300.519 may be appointed as a surrogate if the public agency responsible for making the appointment deems such action appropriate.

(16)"Public agency" means the state educational agency, local educational agencies (LEAs), educational services agencies (ESAs), or nonprofit public charter schools that are not otherwise included as LEAs or ESAs and are not a school of an LEA or ESA and any other political subdivisions of the state that are responsible for providing education to children with disabilities pursuant to 34 CFR Sec. 300.33.

(17)"Puente para los ninos fund" means a risk pool fund in New Mexico to support high cost students with disabilities identified by LEAs pursuant to 34 CFR Sec. 300.704(c)(3)(i).

(18)"SAT" means the student assistance team, which is a school-based group of people whose purpose is to provide additional educational support to students who are experiencing difficulties that are preventing them from benefiting from general education.

(19)"SED" means the special education division of the department.

(20)"Special education" means specially designed instruction, at no cost to the parents, to meet the unique needs of a child with a disability, including instruction conducted in the classroom, in the home, in hospitals and institutions, and in other settings; and instruction in physical education.

(a) As authorized by 34 CFR Secs. 300.8(a)(2)(ii) and 300.39(a)(2)(i), "special education" in New Mexico may include speech-language pathology services.

(b) Speech-language pathology services shall meet the following standards to be considered special education:

(i) the service is provided to a child who has received appropriate tier I universal screening under Subsection D of 6.29.1.9 NMAC as it may be amended from time to time, before being properly evaluated under 34 CFR Secs. 300.301 through 300.306 and Subsection E of 6.31.2.10 NMAC;

(ii) the IEP team that makes the eligibility determination finds that the child has a communication disorder, such as stuttering, impaired articulation, a language impairment, or a voice impairment, that adversely affects a child's educational performance;

(iii) the speech language pathology service consists of specially designed instruction that is provided to enable the child to have access to the general curriculum and meet the educational standards of the public agency that apply to all children; and

(iv) the service is provided at no cost to the parents under a properly developed IEP that meets the requirements of Subsection B of 6.31.2.11 NMAC.

(c) If all of the standards are met, the service shall be considered as special education rather than a related service.

(d) Student/staff caseloads for special education shall meet the requirements of Paragraphs (1) and (2) of Subsection H of 6.29.1.9 NMAC.

(21) A"state-supported educational program" means a publicly-funded program that:

(a) provides special education and related services to children with disabilities who come within the program's educational jurisdiction;

(b) is operated by, or under contractual arrangements for, a state school, state educational institution, other state institution, state hospital, or state agency; and

(c) is primarily funded through direct legislative appropriations or other direct state support to a public agency other than a local school district.

(22)"USC" means the United States code, including future amendments.

C. Definitions related to dispute resolution. The following terms are listed in the order that reflects a continuum of dispute resolution options and shall have the following meanings for the purposes of these rules.

(1)"Facilitated IEP meeting" or "FIEP meeting" or "FIEP" means an IEP meeting that utilizes an independent, state-approved, state-funded, trained facilitator as an IEP facilitator to assist the IEP team to communicate openly and effectively, in order to resolve conflicts related to a student's IEP.

(2)"Mediation" means a meeting or series of meetings that utilizes an independent, state-approved, state-funded, trained mediator to assist parties to reconcile disputed matters related to a student's IEP or other educational, non-IEP-related issues.

D. The definitions in Subsection D of 6.31.2.7 NMAC apply only to Subsection I of 6.31.2.13 NMAC.

(1)"Expedited hearing" means a hearing that is available on request by a parent or a public agency under 34 CFR Sec. 300.532(c) and is subject to the requirements of 34 CFR Sec. 300.532(c).

(2)"Transmit" means to mail, send by electronic mail (email) or telecopier (facsimile machine), or hand deliver a written notice or other document and obtain written proof of delivery by one of the following means:

(a) an email system's confirmation of a completed transmission to an email address that is shown to be valid for the individual to whom the transmission was sent;

(b) a telecopier machine's confirmation of a completed transmission to a number which is shown to be valid for the individual to whom the transmission was sent;

(c) a receipt from a commercial or government carrier showing to whom the article was delivered and the date of delivery;

(d) a written receipt signed by the secretary of education or designee showing to whom the article was hand-delivered and the date delivered; or

(e) a final decision to any party not represented by counsel for a due process hearing by the U.S. postal service, certified mail, return receipt requested, showing to whom the articles was delivered and the date of delivery.

E. The definitions in Subsection E of 6.31.2.7 NMAC apply only to Subsection B of 6.31.2.9 NMAC and Subsection L of 6.31.2.11 NMAC:

(1)"Qualified student" means, pursuant to Paragraph (1) of Subsection A of Section 22-13-8 NMSA 1978, a public school student who:

(a) has not graduated from high school;

(b) is regularly enrolled in one-half or more of the minimum course requirements approved by the department for public school students; and

(c) in terms of age:

(i) is at least five years of age prior to 12:01 a.m. on September 1 of the school year or will be five years of age prior to 12:01 a.m. on September 1 of the school year if the student is enrolled in a public school extended-year kindergarten program that begins prior to the start of the regular school year;

(ii) is at least three years of age at any time during the school year and is receiving special education pursuant to rules of the department; or

(iii) has not reached the student's 22nd birthday on the first day of the school year and is receiving special education in accordance with federal law.

(2)"School-age person" means, pursuant to Paragraph (2) of Subsection A of Section 22-13-8 NMSA 1978, a person who is not a qualified student but who meets the federal requirements for special education and who:

(a) will be at least three years old at any time during the school year;

(b) is not more than 21 years of age; and

(c) has not received a high school diploma or its equivalent.

N.M. Admin. Code § 6.31.2.7

6.31.2.7 NMAC - Rp, 6.31.2.7 NMAC, 6/29/07; A, 12/31/09; A, 7/29/11; A, 02/29/12, Adopted by New Mexico Register, Volume XXXI, Issue 13, July 14, 2020, eff. 7/14/2020, Amended by New Mexico Register, Volume XXXIV, Issue 01, January 18, 2023, eff. 7/1/2023, Amended by New Mexico Register, Volume XXXIV, Issue 14, July 31, 2023, eff. 7/31/2023