Assembly Bill 455

By a 63-0 vote, the California State Assembly approved a bill by Assembly Majority Leader Alberto Torrico, D-Fremont, to require parents with children being assessed for an individualized education program be given information about the California School for the Blind and the California School for the Deaf.

California has three special schools. The California School for the Blind is located in Fremont and the California School for the Deaf has two campuses, one in Fremont and one in Riverside.

Students from across the state attend the CSB and the CSD, including many from rural districts where there are insufficient resources to provide adequate services to deaf and blind students.

Currently, parents and guardians of disabled children are given a notice of procedural safeguards that provides them with an overview of their educational rights. The notice must be given to parents the first time their child is referred for a special education assessment.

Under Torrico's bill, the notice would include information regarding the School for the Blind and the School for the Deaf.

Text of Assembly Bill 455