Current through Register Vol. 46, No. 39, September 25, 2024
(a)
Approval of private schools for students with disabilities funded
pursuant to article 89 of the Education Law.
(1) General. General.
(i) Private schools and special-act school
districts for students with disabilities, including summer schools, shall be
eligible for approval by the commissioner to receive public funds for the
education of students with disabilities, provided such schools meet the
criteria in this Part.
(ii)
Facilities of educational programs located outside the continental United
States shall not be eligible for approval.
(iii) Reimbursement rates shall be calculated
according to New York State statutes and applicable regulations for all
approved private schools, including out-of-state schools and for special-act
school districts. However, the commissioner may accept reimbursement rates for
out-of-state schools calculated by the state in which the school is located,
provided those rates have been approved by the state in which the school is
located.
(iv) Private schools
seeking initial approval to be reimbursed with public funds shall have access
to sufficient capital or other financial resources, other than revenues
expected from New York State or local school districts, to cover all operating,
property maintenance, leasing or purchase costs during the year of conditional
approval.
(2) Approval of
private schools for reimbursement with public funds. Approval of private
schools for reimbursement with public funds.
(i) Conditional approval for private schools
shall be limited to a period of one school year, or the period of time required
to complete approval, and will be based on:
(a) submission of program information forms
and after September 8, 1995, the submission of documentation of regional need
and sufficient evidence to establish that the proposed program will serve only
those students who, because of the nature or severity of their disability,
would require a separate facility;
(b) submission of budget or financial
statement information, including evidence that the school has enough capital or
other financial resources, other than State or local sources of revenue, to be
able to operate for at least one year;
(c) a fire safety check by the New York State
Division of Fire Prevention and Control for in-state private schools, and a
State or local fire safety check for out-of-state schools;
(d) for schools operating as corporate
entities, evidence of the following:
(1) for
in-state not-for-profit schools, a charter or application for a charter from
the Board of Regents, incorporating a school authorized to provide special
education services;
(2) for
in-state for-profit schools, approval by the commissioner of the school's
incorporation for the provision of special education; or
(3) for out-of-state schools, a license or
charter from the state education agency of the state in which the school is
located;
(e) at least one
onsite program review visit by program or fiscal staff of the Education
Department; and
(f) submission for
approval of the school's procedures regarding behavioral
interventions.
(ii) Final
approval of schools which have had conditional approval:
(a) will be based on at least two site visits
by program or fiscal staff of the Education Department during the year of
conditional approval; and
(b) will
take effect as of the date a final approval letter is issued by the
commissioner, or his designee.
(3) Denial or termination of private school
approval. Private schools may be denied approval or removed from New York's
list of private schools approved for reimbursement with public funds, or such
approval may be terminated according to the following procedure:
(i) The commissioner or his/her designee will
notify the school in writing of the reasons why denial or termination of
approval is necessary, including a list of program or financial deficiencies
and violations of State and Federal law or regulations which the commissioner
believes to exist at the schools.
(ii) Schools may reply to the commissioner's
notification within 30 days, addressing the commissioner's statement of
reasons, indicating whether deficiencies or violations exist, what steps may be
taken to correct conceded deficiencies or violations, and the time period in
which deficiencies or violations will be corrected. If no reply is received,
termination will be effective 30 days from the date of receipt of the
commissioner's notification.
(iii)
Requests for a hearing to review a proposed decision to deny or terminate
approval may be made to the commissioner's designee. The request shall be made
in writing to the commissioner's designee within 10 business days of receipt of
a notice of removal from the list.
(iv) Schools may be removed from the approved
list five business days after written notice by the commissioner indicating
that there is a clear and present danger to the health or safety of students
attending the school, and listing the dangerous conditions at the school,
including, but not limited to, evidence that an approved private school is
using corporal punishment, aversive interventions, and/or seclusion as defined
in section 19.5 of this Title, to reduce or
eliminate behaviors of students.
(b) Operation and administration of private
schools and State-operated and State-supported schools.
(1) Parents of students attending schools
governed by this section shall not be asked to make any payments in lieu of, in
advance of or in addition to, State, school district or county payments for
allowable costs for students placed according to New York State
procedures.
(2) The confidentiality
of pupil records at schools governed by this Part shall be maintained, and
parental access to such records shall be permitted, in a manner comparable to
that required of school districts pursuant to section
200.2(b)(6) of
this Part.
(3)
Policy on
school conduct and discipline. An approved private school, a
State-operated school, and a State-supported school shall develop a policy on
school conduct and discipline. The content of such policy shall be consistent
with the provisions of section
100.2(l)(1)(i)
(a)-(d),
(f)-(g) of this Title. The discipline of
students with disabilities attending any school governed by this section shall
be consistent with Part 201 of this Title. The code of conduct developed by the
Justice Center pursuant to article 20 of the Executive Law shall govern the
conduct of custodians, as such term is defined in section
200.15(b)(1) of
this Part, with respect to the safety, dignity and welfare of students
attending in-state residential schools governed by this section.
(4) The length of the school day for a
full-day session shall meet the requirements of section
200.1(q) of this
Part and the length of the school day for a half-day session shall meet the
requirements of section
200.1(v) of this
Part. The school day shall include instructional services and related services,
as required, but shall not include transportation.
(5) Instruction for not less than 180 days
each year shall be provided for each student. Approved private schools and
State-operated and State-supported schools shall submit calendars of such days
in session to the commissioner for approval by July 1st of the preceding school
year. All approved private schools shall comply with the Education Law
regarding attendance. Attendance registers shall be available for inspection by
appropriate personnel of the contracting school districts, the department, and
the school district in which the school is located. Any day that a school had
been is closed and the 180-day requirement was been waived pursuant to an
Executive Order(s) of the Governor pursuant to the State of emergency for the
COVID-19 crisis shall be waived from the 180-day requirement of this paragraph
in accordance with the terms of such Executive Order.
(6) Personnel qualifications and screening
procedures. All professional instructional and supervisory personnel at schools
governed by this section shall be appropriately certified in accordance with
the provisions of Part 80 of this Title and section
200.6 of this Part. All
noninstructional personnel at residential schools governed by this section
shall be appropriately qualified in accordance with the provisions of section
200.15 of this Part. All persons
applying to be employees or volunteers at residential schools governed by this
section shall be screened in accordance with the provisions of section
200.15(c) of this
Part. All persons providing preschool special education services established
pursuant to section
4410 of the
Education Law shall be screened in accordance with the provisions of sections
424-a and
495 (2) and
(3) of the Social Services Law.
(7) An approved private school, a
State-operated school, or a State-supported school shall conform to all
applicable fire and safety regulations of the State and municipality in which
it is located. Each such school shall cause an annual inspection to be made in
the manner set forth in subdivision 3 of section
807-a of the
Education Law. A report of such inspection shall be made upon forms supplied by
the commissioner and shall be maintained on file at the school. For schools
subject to provisions of section
807-a of the
Education Law, the report prepared pursuant thereto shall be deemed
equivalent.
(8) Pursuant to section
19.5 of this Title, an approved
preschool program, approved private school serving school age students with
disabilities, a State-operated school, or a State-supported school is
prohibited from using corporal punishment, aversive interventions and seclusion
to reduce or eliminate behaviors of students.
(9) Reporting of child abuse in an
educational setting. Schools governed by this section shall comply with the
requirements relating to reporting and training relating to child abuse in an
educational setting set forth in Article 23-B of the Education Law and child
abuse and maltreatment as set forth in Social Services Law 413 through 420 and
section 100.2(hh) of this
Title.
(10) Remote instruction due
to emergency conditions.
(i) If a school
governed by this section or approved preschool program serving preschool
students with disabilities, other than a multidisciplinary evaluation program,
would otherwise close due to an emergency, including but not limited to,
extraordinary adverse weather conditions, impairment of heating facilities,
insufficiency of water supply, shortage of fuel, destruction of a school
building, or a communicable disease outbreak, the school or program may remain
in session and provide remote instruction, as defined in section
100.1(u) of this
Title. Beginning with the 2023-2024 school year, such remote instruction shall
be consistent with such school's or program's emergency remote instruction plan
pursuant to subparagraph (ii) of this paragraph. Instruction provided on these
session days may be counted towards the 180 day requirement provided in
paragraph (5) of this subdivision.
(ii) Emergency remote instruction plan.
Beginning with the 20232024 school year, schools governed by this section and
approved preschool programs serving preschool students with disabilities, other
than a multidisciplinary evaluation component of a preschool program, shall
develop and adopt an emergency remote instruction plan, and shall annually
update such plan. Schools and programs must provide an opportunity for public
comments at least thirty days prior to the plan's adoption to allow school
personnel, parents, students and any other interested parties to inform the
emergency remote instruction plan. Such plan shall be posted on the school or
program website, provided, however, that if a school or program does not have a
public website, the school or program may identify an online platform that
allows the plan to be directly communicated to students and parent(s) or
person(s) in parental relationship, school or program staff, and the public.
For purposes of this paragraph, remote instruction shall have the same meaning
as defined in section
100.1(u) of this
Chapter. Emergency remote instruction plans shall include:
(a) policies and procedures to ensure
computing devices will be made available to students or other means by which
students will participate in synchronous instruction and policies and
procedures to ensure students receiving remote instruction under emergency
conditions will access internet connectivity. Each school or program shall
survey students and parents and persons in parental relation to such students
to obtain information on student access to computing devices and access to
internet connectivity to inform the emergency remote instruction
plan;
(b) expectations for school
or program staff as to the proportion of time spent in synchronous and
asynchronous instruction of students on days of remote instruction under
emergency conditions with an expectation that asynchronous instruction is
supplementary to synchronous instruction;
(c) a description of how instruction will
occur for those students for whom remote instruction by digital technology is
not available or appropriate;
(d) a
description of how special education and related services will be provided to
students with disabilities, as defined in section
200.1(zz) of this
Chapter, and preschool students with disabilities, as defined in section
200.1(mm) of this
Chapter, as applicable, in accordance with their individualized education
programs to ensure the continued provision of a free appropriate public
education.
(c) Additional operational and administrative
provisions related solely to private schools.
(1) Application. An application shall be made
to the commissioner by the board of education for approval of the placement of
a student with a disability in an approved private educational facility which
has been determined to be the least restrictive environment for the student. An
annual application for the continued placement of a student with a disability
in such approved facility shall be submitted by the board of education to the
department prior to June 1st preceding the school year for which such continued
placement is sought.
(2) No student
with a disability shall be removed or transferred from an approved in-state
school without the approval of the school district contracting for education of
such student pursuant to section
4402 of the
Education Law. No student with a disability shall be removed or transferred
from an approved out-of-state school without such recommendation by the
committee on special education.
(3)
Educational programs initially approved for reimbursement after September 1,
1981 shall provide instruction to a minimum of 16 students by September 1,
1982.
(4) An educational progress
report on each student, which describes such student's progress toward meeting
the annual goals, shall be provided by the approved school to the committee on
special education of the referring district or the referring agency at least
annually. Other required data and/or reports shall be made available by the
private school to the referring district or agency on request.
(5) Residential schools may provide temporary
care for persons over the age of 21 who are receiving transitional care
pursuant to section
4402
(1)(b)(4)(e) of the Education Law. When an
individual receiving transitional care is about to be transferred from a
residential school to an adult placement, a transfer plan shall be prepared by
the residential school and forwarded to the receiving facility, the individual,
and unless the individual objects, the parents, guardian or other family
members prior to the transfer. The transfer plan shall include any information
necessary to facilitate a safe transfer such as specific problems, a schedule
for administering medications and behavior unique to the individual. In the
event an individual receiving transitional care at a residential school is
considered to adversely affect the health, safety and welfare of children
residing in the facility, notification may be made by the residential school to
the State Education Department to determine the need to discontinue the
transitional placement.
(6)
Repealed
(d) Appointment
of blind, deaf and severely physically disabled students to certain State-
operated and State-supported schools pursuant to articles 85, 87 and 88 of the
Education Law, chapter 1060 of the Laws of 1974 and chapter 474 of the Laws of
1996.
(1) Application for State appointment
of deaf, blind, severely physically disabled or severely emotionally disturbed
students to State-operated or State-supported schools for the blind, deaf,
severely physically disabled or severely emotionally disturbed shall be
initiated by parents through application to the commissioner, supported by
adequate written evidence of blindness, deafness or severe disability, or by
the committee on special education or committee on preschool special education
of the school district responsible for the student. The commissioner or the
committee on special education or committee on preschool special education will
direct the parents to make arrangements at a State-operated or State-supported
school designated by the commissioner for an evaluation. Such school shall
evaluate the student's special educational needs and eligibility for its
program.
(i) With respect to an application
for admission to a State-operated school, the State- operated school shall
notify the parents and commissioner of the results of such evaluation, and
recommend appointment if appropriate in accordance with the procedures set
forth below:
(a) Upon receipt of an
application for admission of a student who has not been recommended for
placement by the committee on special education or committee on preschool
special education of the school district responsible for the student, the
State- operated school shall immediately notify such school district of such
application. The State-operated school shall, upon request, make available to
such school district responsible for the student all records in its possession
relating to the evaluation, placement and educational performance, including
the results of any current evaluations, for each student who has applied for
admission or is attending the school.
(b) Prior to any meeting of its
multidisciplinary team to develop an individualized education program for a
student, either upon initial admission to the school or in an annual review,
the State-operated school shall notify the school district responsible for the
student of such meeting and shall offer the district the opportunity to
identify and present to the multidisciplinary team, an alternative placement
recommendation for services in the least restrictive environment. In addition,
such notice shall advise the school district of its right to appoint additional
members to the multidisciplinary team pursuant to clause (c)
of this subparagraph.
(c) If the
school district responsible for the child elects to appoint additional members
to the multidisciplinary team, it shall send written notice of such election to
the State- operated school within seven business days of its receipt of notice
pursuant to clause (b) of this subparagraph. A school district
which fails to send such notice in a timely manner shall be deemed to have
waived its right to appoint additional members pursuant to this clause. In
addition to the members required for a committee on special education pursuant
to Education Law section 4402(1), the State-operated school's multidisciplinary
team shall include any additional members appointed by the board of education
of the school district responsible for the student, except as provided in
section 200.3(f) of this
Part. For each member appointed by the State-operated school, the school
district may appoint a corresponding member, including a representative of the
committee on special education who is qualified to teach or supervise special
education and who is knowledgeable about general education curriculum and
resources, a school psychologist, the student's special education teacher, a
regular education teacher of the student whenever the student is or may be
participating in the regular education environment, a parent member, an
individual who can interpret the instructional implications of evaluations,
others who are determined to have knowledge or special expertise regarding the
student, a physician where the parent requests attendance of the physician
member. The commissioner shall determine the location at which the
multidisciplinary team meeting will be held. In the event the multidisciplinary
team is unable to reach consensus and there is a tie vote on the
multidisciplinary team, the parents of the student being discussed shall cast
the deciding vote.
(d) The
multidisciplinary team shall state the reasons for its recommendation, and
submit such recommendation to the commissioner for consideration with regard to
the appointment or change in placement of the student at the State-operated
school. The multidisciplinary team shall consider any alternative placement
recommendation presented by the school district responsible for the student,
and, if it rejects the alternative, shall include in its recommendation a
statement of its reasons for doing so. If the representatives appointed by the
school district responsible for the student disagree with the recommendation of
the multidisciplinary team, they shall be entitled to prepare a dissenting
opinion on the placement recommendation and to submit such opinion to the
commissioner for consideration with regard to the appointment or change in
placement of the student at the State-operated school.
(e) The evaluation and placement of students
in State-operated schools must be completed in accordance with the timelines
established for such procedures in section
200.4 of this Part.
(f) In the case of a student not recommended
for appointment to a particular State- operated school, or in the event of a
change in a recommendation concerning the classification, placement or
provision of a free appropriate public education to a student at a
State-operated school, the State-operated school shall notify the parent. Such
notification shall be comparable to that required by section
200.5(a) of this
Part, shall include all reasons for lack of acceptance of the student into the
program or for the change in the recommendation, and shall include suggestions
for more appropriate placement or program. The parent may request mediation or
may, in accordance with section
200.5(i) of this
Part, file with the department a written request for a hearing before an
impartial hearing officer who will be designated by the department. Such
hearing officer shall not be an employee of the department. The procedures
relating to a resolution session, the conduct of the hearing and review of the
decision of the hearing officer shall be comparable to those set forth in
section 200.5(j) through
(k) of this Part.
(ii) With respect to an application for
admission of a school-age student to a State- supported school, the school
shall report the results of its evaluation to the committee on special
education. Upon receipt of such report, the committee on special education
shall conduct a meeting in accordance with the provisions of section
200.4(d)(4) of
this Part, provided that appropriate representatives of the State-supported
school shall be given the opportunity to attend and participate in the meeting
which may be held at the State-supported school. The committee may recommend
that the commissioner appoint the student to the State-supported school, or it
may recommend a different placement. If the parents disagree with the
recommendation of the committee on special education, they may request that the
board of education appoint an impartial hearing officer to review that
recommendation, and the hearing officer shall consider, together with all other
relevant information, the evaluation conducted by the State-supported school.
If the committee on special education has recommended a placement other than
the State-supported school, and the hearing officer finds that such
recommendation is inappropriate and that placement in the State-supported
school would be appropriate, the hearing officer may order that the board of
education recommend to the commissioner that the student be placed in the
State-supported school. The decision of the hearing officer may be appealed in
accordance with section
4404 of the
Education Law.
(iii) With respect
to an application for admission of a preschool student with a disability to a
State-supported school, the school shall report the results of its evaluation
to the committee on preschool special education. Upon receipt of such report,
the committee on preschool special education shall conduct a meeting in
accordance with the provisions of section
200.16 of this Part. The committee
may recommend that the commissioner appoint the student to the State-supported
school, or it may recommend a different placement. If the parents disagree with
the recommendation of the committee on preschool special education, they may
request mediation and/or submit a request for a due process impartial hearing
pursuant to section
200.5(i) and (j)
of this Part to review that recommendation. The impartial hearing officer shall
consider, together with all other relevant information, the evaluation
conducted by the State-supported school. If the committee on preschool special
education has recommended a placement other than the State-supported school,
and the impartial hearing officer finds that such recommendation is
inappropriate and that placement in the State-supported school would be
appropriate, the impartial hearing officer may order that the board of
education recommend to the commissioner that the student be placed in the
State- supported school. The decision of the impartial hearing officer may be
appealed in accordance with section
4404 of the
Education Law.
(2) The
approval of the commissioner in granting the State appointment, if appropriate,
will be determined upon the following criteria:
(i) Students between the ages of 3 and 21
residing in New York State, who are profoundly deaf, i.e.,
with a loss in excess of 80 db ISO in the better ear, or who are deaf and,
based on a full and individual evaluation, are determined to be functionally
profoundly deaf, who are deaf-blind, or who are severely physically disabled,
may receive appointments to the State-operated or State-supported schools and
be included for State support for their education.
(ii) Students residing in New York State who
are between the ages of 3 and 21 and who are legally blind may receive
appointments to the State-operated or State-supported schools and be included
for State support for their education.
(iii) Students between the ages of 3 and 21
residing in New York State who are severely emotionally disturbed may receive
appointments to the State-operated or State-supported schools and be included
for State support for their education.
(iv) Deaf or blind students appointed on a
day basis shall be appointed to the school for the deaf or blind nearest their
place of residence; provided that, with the consent of the student's parent, a
blind student may be appointed to the Lavelle School for the Blind in the City
of New York or the New York Institute for Education of the Blind in the City of
New York without regard to which such State-supported school is nearer to the
student's place of residence. Students may be appointed to a school for the
deaf or blind on a residential basis when daily transportation between the
student's place of residence and such school is not feasible, or when it is
established to the satisfaction of the commissioner that such placement is
necessary to meet the individual educational needs of the student. Appointments
for severely physically disabled students to attend the Henry Viscardi School
shall be on a day basis only.
(v)
The commissioner, or his or her designee, in determining whether to appoint the
student to a State-operated school, shall consider whether the placement at the
State- operated school is an appropriate placement in the least restrictive
environment, taking into account any alternative placement recommended by the
school district responsible for the student.
(3) If the commissioner, or his or her
designee, determines that placement in the State- operated school is not in the
least restrictive environment or otherwise disagrees with the recommendation of
the State-operated school, the commissioner shall state his or her reasons in
writing and shall send the recommendation back to the multidisciplinary team of
the State- operated school for reconsideration, with notice to the parents and
the school district responsible for the student. If the commissioner refers the
recommendation back to the multidisciplinary team for reconsideration, the
commissioner shall also notify the parents, the school district responsible for
the student and the multidisciplinary team in writing of the need to schedule a
meeting to ensure timely placement.
(4) If the commissioner declines to make a
State appointment of a student who has been recommended for appointment by a
State-operated or State-supported school, or if the commissioner seeks to
change a student's classification or placement against the recommendation of
the State-operated or State-supported school which such student attends, the
parent may request mediation or file with the department a written request for
a hearing before an impartial hearing officer who will be designated by the
department. Such a hearing officer shall not be an employee of the department.
The procedures relating to notice and review of a refusal of State appointment
or of a change of classification or placement by the commissioner shall be
comparable to those set forth in section
200.5(a) through
(f) of this Part, and shall be provided by
the Education Department. Review of the determination of the hearing officer
shall be available by means of a proceeding pursuant to article 4 of the Civil
Practice Law and Rules or 20
USC 1415, and may be instituted by any party
to the hearing.
(5) State-appointed
students shall be eligible for transfer between State-operated and/or
State-supported schools upon the approval of the commissioner. State-appointed
students being considered for transfer shall remain in the school they
currently attend until an alternate school placement is finalized. Such
transfers shall be subject to the applicable placement and review procedures
set forth in paragraph (1) of this subdivision.
(6) State-operated or State-supported schools
may apply to the commissioner for the termination of the appointment of a
student who had been admitted to the school pursuant to subparagraph (1)(i) of
this subdivision. An application for this purpose shall set forth the basis for
such action and shall be made only after compliance with the applicable notice
and review procedures set forth in paragraph (1) of this subdivision. No
placement of a school-age student in a State-supported school may be terminated
prior to review by the committee on special education. No appointment to a
State-operated or State-supported school shall be terminated until the student
can be transferred to a more appropriate program without interruption of the
continuity of such student's education program.
(7) The eligibility of deaf infants to
receive educational services pursuant to section
4204-a of the
Education Law, and the approval of educational facilities to provide such
services, shall be determined in accordance with the provisions of this
paragraph.
(i) For the purposes of this
paragraph:
(a)
Deaf infant
means a child of less than three years of age who has a severe hearing loss
which precludes the learning of spoken language through the sense of hearing
alone except that, commencing July 1, 1991, a child who, as of his or her third
birthday, is already receiving services pursuant to section
4204-a of the
Education Law may, if the parent chooses, continue to receive such services
through August 31st of the calendar year in which the child first becomes
eligible to receive services pursuant to section
4410 of the
Education Law. Infants who are unable to respond to sounds presented at
intensities of 60 decibels (db) sound pressure level (SPL) shall be eligible
for special educational assistance in order to develop spoken language. Infants
of less than two years of age who are unable to respond at 60 decibels (db)
sound pressure level (SPL) may be eligible for such services, provided that
they have been recommended by a diagnostic agency.
(b)
Approved facilities
means the schools for the deaf which are enumerated in section
4201 of the
Education Law, and other public and private agencies which have been approved
by the commissioner in accordance with the provisions of subparagraph (iii) of
this paragraph.
(ii)
Eligibility of infant. An annual application for services shall be filed by the
parents or legal guardians of deaf infants on forms prescribed by the
commissioner. The initial application for each infant shall be accompanied by
audiological, otological and other appropriate reports which will be used in
determining eligibility for program assistance. If an infant is determined to
be eligible, a referral will be made to an approved facility by the
commissioner. Continuation in the program shall be dependent upon infant
progress reports which shall be submitted quarterly by the facility which each
infant attends. If a facility indicates that an infant cannot benefit from the
educational program to which such infant has been admitted, the facility shall
forward to the commissioner its recommendations for termination of the infant's
participation in such program and for any appropriate educational services for
such infant.
(iii) Eligibility of
facilities. A facility shall be approved to provide educational services to
such infants on an annual basis, following an inspection of such facility,
provided that the plant, staff and program thereof meet the following
standards:
(a) The facility shall provide an
educational program, for both infant and parent or legal guardian, which shall
include language development, auditory stimulation, speech and speech reading.
Language development may include any system of oral or manual communication or
combination of both. Such program shall also provide orientation to parents
regarding the implications of deafness, developmental needs of deaf infants,
and the psychosocial problems encountered by parents or legal guardians of deaf
infants.
(b) An approved facility
shall have a physical plant appropriately equipped to serve infants who are
deaf, and shall be subject to a site visitation by the commissioner.
(c) An approved facility shall adhere to all
provisions of paragraph (b)(7) of this section.
(d) An approved facility shall employ
teachers of the deaf or teachers of the speech and hearing-handicapped who are
certified or licensed pursuant to Part 80 of this Title.
(e) A register of approved facilities will be
maintained by the department.
(e) Notice of closing, transfer of ownership
or voluntary termination of approval by approved private schools.
The owner or operator of an approved private residential or
nonresidential school for students with disabilities that receives public funds
pursuant to articles 81 and/or 89 of the Education Law, who intends to cease
the operation of such school or chooses to transfer ownership, possession or
operation of the premises and facilities of such school or to voluntarily
terminate its status as an approved school, shall submit to the commissioner
written notice of such intention not less than 90 days prior to the intended
effective date of such action. Such notice shall set forth a detailed plan
which makes provision for the safe and orderly transfer of each student with a
disability who was publicly placed in such approved private school. The owner
or operator of any such approved private school shall not cease to provide
services to any student with a disability until the required notice and plan
have been received, reviewed and approved by the commissioner, and a transfer
of such student has been arranged in accordance with the approved
plan.