The purposes of the Regional Education Service Center Act are:

1. To expand the services of the Regional Education Service Centers, personnel, and certain selected material to ensure that students with learning difficulty or exceptional capability which shall include any gifted child will receive proper screening, diagnosis, and evaluation or consultation in order to benefit from an appropriate public education;

2. To provide an educational screening program for students in every school district in the state and services to assist in the identification, location and evaluation of children with disabilities who are in need of special education and related services in accordance with the IDEA; and

3. To provide Regional Education Service Centers to assist and coordinate with local educational agencies for educational evaluation and in meeting their obligations for child identification in accordance with federal requirements under the IDEA.

It is not the intent of the Regional Education Service Center Act to supplant present or future special education appropriations or to reduce the number of present or proposed special education classes.

It is intended by the Regional Education Service Center Act that the State of Oklahoma meet its responsibility to ensure that every student in the public schools throughout the state has the opportunity to receive an appropriate education for the benefit of his future life in society.

It is further intended by the Regional Education Service Center Act that guidelines shall be promulgated to permit curriculum materials to be utilized by the student's teacher for such period of time as is necessary to assist said student during the school year.

Added by Laws 1974, c. 271, § 2, emerg. eff. May 29, 1974. Amended by Laws 1976, c. 147, § 1, emerg. eff. May 26, 1976; Laws 1987, c. 44, § 1, emerg. eff. April 23, 1987; Laws 1993, c. 116, § 21, eff. July 1, 1993.