SB 884: Special education: mental health services.

Existing law requires the Superintendent of Public Instruction to administer the special education provisions of the Education Code and ensure provision of, and supervise, education and related services to individuals with exceptional needs, as required pursuant to the federal Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. Existing law provides for the establishment of Family Empowerment Centers on Disability to, among other things, ensure that children and young adults with disabilities receive the necessary educational support and services they need to complete their education.

Existing law separately requires the Controller, in consultation with the Department of Finance, the State Department of Education, and specified other entities, to propose the content of an audit guide for purposes of carrying out financial and compliance audits for local educational agencies.

This bill would require the audit guide to include audit procedures to review whether specified funding, which the bill would subject to existing state and federal audit requirements, for educationally related mental health services required by an individualized education program received by local educational agencies was used for its intended purpose in the 201617 fiscal year, and would require these audit procedures to be included in future fiscal years if recommended by the Controller, as specified. The bill would require the State Department of Education to include a link on the sample procedural safeguards maintained on its Internet Web site to the page on its Internet Web site that lists family empowerment centers and to include the link on specified forms. The bill would require the department to submit 2 reports, as specified, relating to the provision of mental health services to pupils through an individualized education program to the appropriate fiscal and policy committees of the Legislature by June 30, 2017.