OAR 581-015-2745: Prior Written Notice and Notice of Procedural Safeguards — EI/ECSE Program

(1) Prior written notice must be given to the parent or surrogate parent a reasonable time before the contractor or subcontractor proposes to initiate or change, or refuses to initiate or change, the identification, evaluation, placement of the child; or (a) The provision of appropriate EI services if the child is from birth to age three; or (b) The provision of a free appropriate public education to the child if the child is three years of age to eligibility for public school. (2) The content of the prior written notice must include: (a) A description of the action proposed or refused by the contractor or subcontractor; (b) An explanation of why the contractor or subcontractor proposed or refused to take the action; (c) A description of any options that the IFSP team and reasons why those options were rejected; (d) A description of each evaluation procedure, assessment, test, record, or report which is directly relevant to the proposal or refusal; (e) A description of any other factors relevant to the contractor's or subcontractor's proposal or refusal; (f) A statement that the parents of a child with a disability have procedural safeguards and, if it is not an initial referral for evaluation, the means by which a copy of the Notice of Procedural Safeguards may be obtained; (g) Sources for parents to contact to obtain assistance in understanding their procedural safeguards; and (h) For children in EI, a statement of the complaint procedures under OAR 581-015-2030, including a description of how to file a complaint and the timelines under those procedures. (3) The prior notice must be: (a) Written in language understandable to the general public; and (b) Provided in the native language of the parent or other mode of communication used by the parent, unless it is clearly not feasible to do so. (4) If the native language or other mode of communication of the parent is not a written language, the contractor or subcontractor must take steps to ensure that: (a) The notice is translated orally or by other means to the parent in the parent's native language or other mode of communication; (b) The parent understands the content of the notice; and (c) There is written evidence that the requirements in subsections (5)(a) and (b) of this rule have been met. (5) If a parent is deaf or blind, or has no written language, the mode of communication must be that normally used by the parent (such as sign language, Braille, or oral communication). (6) Notice of Procedural Safeguards: Contractors and subcontractors must provide notice of Procedural Safeguards as described in OAR 581-015-2315.