72-8193. Legislative task force on dyslexia; duties; membership. (a) There is hereby established the legislative task force on dyslexia. The task force shall advise and make recommendations to the governor, the legislature and the state board of education regarding matters concerning the use of evidence-based practices for students with dyslexia. The work of the task force should be completed by January 2, 2019, and a report prepared and submitted to the governor, the legislature and the state board of education by January 30, 2019.

(b) The recommendations and resource materials shall:

(1) Research and recommend evidence-based reading practices to address dyslexia or characteristics of dyslexia for use by schools;

(2) research and recommend high quality pre-service and in-service professional development activities to address reading difficulties like dyslexia, including identification of dyslexia and effective reading interventions to be used in schools and within degree programs, such as education, reading, special education, speech-language pathology and psychology;

(3) study and examine current state and federal laws and rules and regulations, and the implementation of such laws and rules and regulations that affect students with dyslexia; and

(4) identify valid and reliable screening and evaluation assessments and protocols that can be used and the appropriate personnel to administer such assessments in order to identify children with reading difficulties, such as dyslexia or the characteristics of dyslexia as part of an ongoing reading progress monitoring system, multi-tiered system of supports and child find special education eligibility for students.

(c) The task force shall consist of 16 voting members as follows:

(1) One member of the senate and one elementary school classroom teacher shall be appointed jointly by the chairperson and the ranking minority member of the senate committee on education;

(2) one member of the house of representatives and one elementary school classroom teacher shall be appointed jointly by the chairperson and the ranking minority member of the house committee on education;

(3) one member appointed by and from the state board of education, to serve as the chairperson of the task force;

(4) one member shall be a professor employed by a state educational institution with specialized expertise in effective evidence-based reading practices for dyslexia appointed by the president of the state board of regents;

(5) one member shall be a principal of a public school appointed by the united school administrators of Kansas;

(6) four members shall be the parents of children with a diagnosis of dyslexia with one appointed by keys for networking, inc., one appointed by families together, inc., one appointed by decoding dyslexia Johnson county and one appointed by the international dyslexia association Kansas Missouri branch, and such appointments shall be made with an effort to provide statewide representation, if possible;

(7) one member shall be appointed by the Kansas association of special education administrators;

(8) one member shall be an elementary school building-level reading specialist appointed by the state board of education;

(9) one member shall be an elementary school special education teacher appointed by the state board of education;

(10) one member shall be a licensed psychologist or speech-language pathologist who diagnoses dyslexia as a part of such person's practice appointed by the chairperson of the task force;

(11) one member, identified as a nonprofit service provider for children diagnosed with dyslexia, shall be appointed by the chairperson of the task force; and

(12) the following ex-officio members, who shall be non-voting members of the task force:

(A) One member shall be a licensed attorney from the Kansas state department of education appointed by the Kansas state department of education;

(B) one member shall be a licensed attorney who is familiar with dyslexia issues appointed jointly by the chairperson of the senate committee on education and the chairperson of the house committee on education; and

(C) one member shall be appointed by the disability rights center of Kansas.

(d) The chairperson shall call an organizational meeting of the task force on or before July 15, 2018. At such organizational meeting, the members shall elect a vice-chairperson from the membership of the task force. The task force also shall consider dates for future meetings, the agenda for such meetings and the need for electing a facilitator to assist in discussions among the members of the task force. The task force shall meet no more than six times in 2018 and may hold meetings by telephone or video conference, if necessary.

(e) The task force may meet at any time and at any place within the state on the call of the chairperson. A quorum of the task force shall be nine members. All actions of the task force shall be by motion adopted by a majority of those members present when there is a quorum.

(f) If approved by the legislative coordinating council, members of the task force attending meetings authorized by the task force shall be paid amounts for expenses, mileage and subsistence as provided in K.S.A. 75-3223(e), and amendments thereto.

(g) The staff of the office of revisor of statutes, the legislative research department and the division of legislative administrative services shall provide assistance as may be requested by the legislative task force on dyslexia.

History: L. 2018, ch. 64, § 1; July 1.