AB 1861: Special education: complaint database.

Existing law requires that every individual with exceptional needs, as defined, who is eligible be provided with educational instruction, services, or both, at no cost to their parent or guardian or, as appropriate, to them. Under existing law, a free appropriate public education is required to be made available to individuals with exceptional needs in accordance with specified federal regulations adopted pursuant to the federal Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. Existing law requires the State Department of Education to investigate a complaint alleging a violation of the act and to issue a written decision within 60 days of the complaint being filed, as provided. Existing law requires the findings and declarations of the written decision to be made available to the public after any personally identifiable information has been deleted.

This bill would require the department, on or before January 1, 2028, to create and maintain an online database of all complaints described above that the department receives beginning with an unspecified school year. The bill would require the department, before entering any documents into the database, to redact any personally identifiable information, as provided.