Code of Massachusetts Regulations
603 CMR - DEPARTMENT OF ELEMENTARY AND SECONDARY EDUCATION
Title 603 CMR 18.00 - Program and safety standards for approved public or private day and residential special education school programs
Section 18.02 - Definitions

Approved Private Special Education School or Approved Program shall mean a private day or residential school, within or outside Massachusetts, that has applied to, and received approval from, the Department according to the requirements specified in 603 CMR 28.09: Approval of Public or Private Day and Residential Special Education School Programs.

Approved Public Special Education School shall mean a program operated by a public school or an educational collaborative providing full day or residential special education services to eligible students in a facility serving primarily students with disabilities. Such program shall be approved when it has applied to, and received approval from, the Department according to the requirements specified in 603 CMR 28.09: Approval of Public or Private Day and Residential Special Education School Programs.

Consent shall mean agreement by a parent who has been fully informed of all information relevant to the activity for which agreement is sought, in his or her native language or other mode of communication, that the parent understands and agrees in writing to the carrying out of the activity, and understands that the agreement is voluntary and may be revoked at any time. The agreement describes the activity and lists the records (if any) which will be released and to whom. In seeking parental consent, a public education program shall not condition admission or continued enrollment upon agreement to the proposed use of any restraint.

Day shall mean calendar day unless 603 CMR 18.00 specifies School Day, which shall mean any day, including a partial day, that students are in attendance at school for instructional purposes.

Department shall mean the Massachusetts Department of Education.

District or School District shall mean a Massachusetts municipal school department or regional school district, acting through its school committee or superintendent of schools; a county agricultural school, acting through its board of trustees or superintendent/director; and any other Massachusetts public school established by statute or charter, acting through its governing board or director.

Eligible Student shall mean a person aged three through three through 21 who has not attained a high school diploma or its equivalent, who has been determined by an IEP Team to have a disability(ies), and as a consequence is unable to progress effectively in the general education program without specially designed instruction or is unable to access the general curriculum without a related service. An eligible student shall have the right to receive special education and any related services that are necessary for the student to benefit from special education or that are necessary for the student to access the general curriculum. In determining eligibility, the school district must thoroughly evaluate and provide a narrative description of the student's educational and developmental potential.

Emergency Termination shall mean removal of a student from a program due to an unplanned circumstance, including a student endangering his/her physical health or safety or endangering the physical health or safety of others.

Individualized Education Program (IEP) shall mean a written statement, developed and approved in accordance with federal special education law in a form established by the Department that identifies a student's special education needs and describes the services a school district shall provide to meet those needs.

Parent shall mean father, mother, guardian, person acting as a parent of the child, or an educational surrogate parent appointed in accordance with federal law. For students in the Department of Children and Families care or custody, an Educational Surrogate Parent's authority to act as a parent is limited to special education decision-making. When the father and mother are not living together, the parent shall be the father or mother with legal custody of the child for the purposes of educational decision-making. In the absence of any court decree to the contrary, legal authority of the parent shall transfer to the student when the student reaches 18 years of age.