SB 8

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                             CS FOR SENATE BILL NO. 8(EDC)
                     IN THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF ALASKA
                     THIRTY-FOURTH LEGISLATURE - FIRST SESSION
 BY THE SENATE EDUCATION COMMITTEE
 Offered: 5/7/25
 Referred: Finance
 Sponsor(s): SENATOR GRAY-JACKSON
                                               A BILL
                                   FOR AN ACT ENTITLED
1 "An Act relating to public school students who are deaf or hard of hearing."
2 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF ALASKA:
3  * Section 1. AS 14.30.272 is amended by adding new subsections to read:
4(c) A school district shall
5(1) provide a parent of a child who is deaf or hard of hearing, or who
6the school district suspects may be deaf or hard of hearing, with comprehensive,
7neutral, and unbiased information regarding
8(A) hearing technology, including hearing aids, bone-anchored
9hearing aids, cochlear implants, and remote microphone systems;
10(B) different methods of communication for a child who is deaf
11or hard of hearing, including listening and spoken language, a bilingual
12approach, cued speech, and total communication;
13(C) services and programs that are designed to meet the needs
14of children who are deaf or hard of hearing; and
15(D)    support and advocacy services offered by public and
 SB0008B  -1-  CSSB 8(EDC)
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1private agencies and other entities knowledgeable about the needs of children
2who are deaf or hard of hearing;
3(2) allow the parent of a child who is deaf or hard of hearing, or who
4the school district suspects may be deaf or hard of hearing, to choose the method of
5communication that the parent determines is most appropriate for the child and
6provide services using the parent's chosen method of communication for the child; and
7(3) deliver services to a child who is deaf or hard of hearing, or who
8the school district suspects may be deaf or hard of hearing, through professionals with
9training, experience, and a background in the chosen method of communication.
10(d) A school district shall inform a parent of a child who is deaf or hard of
11hearing, or who the school district suspects may be deaf or hard of hearing, of the
12school district's duties and of the parent's rights provided under (c) of this section.
13(e) In this section,
14(1) "bilingual approach" means the development of both sign language
15and English language literacy skills as a child's mode of receptive and expressive
16communication;
17(2) "cued speech" means a visual communication system that uses
18hand shapes and placements in combination with the mouth movements of speech to
19identify the phonemes of spoken language that look similar to one another;
20(3)   "deaf" means possessing hearing levels that, with or without
21hearing technology, substantially affect a child's ability to understand spoken
22language;
23(4) "hard of hearing" means possessing hearing levels that, with or
24without hearing technology, affect a child's ability to understand spoken language;
25(5)   "listening and spoken language" means communication that
26focuses on maximizing listening through the use of hearing technologies, professional
27intervention, and family involvement and support to facilitate the acquisition and
28development of the spoken language of the child's home and community;
29(6) "total communication" means the combined use of signs, speech,
30speech-reading, auditory training, visual aids, manual gestures, and writing to convey
31information.
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1  * Sec. 2. AS 14.30.276 is amended by adding a new subsection to read:
2(b) The department shall establish and operate a centralized program for the
3deaf to be made available to deaf students in the state. The program must provide
4residential services as part of its educational program. The program may be operated
5by a school district under an agreement with the department. If a school district
6operates the program, the school district shall annually submit a plan of operations to
7the department for approval and shall perform all duties of a local school district
8related to special education under state and federal law, except that the school district
9is required to offer transportation only to students who reside in the district. If a school
10district determines, in consultation with the child's parents, that placement at the
11program is appropriate for a child who resides in the district, the school district that
12makes the placement retains the school district's responsibilities for special education
13for that child under state and federal law. The department shall provide to a school
14district that operates the program funding for students who attend the program.
 SB0008B  -3-  CSSB 8(EDC)
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