An Act to create a commission to reduce oversight and compliance burdens in special education

              Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:

Notwithstanding any general or special law to the contrary, there shall be commission to make an investigation and to determine whether compliance and oversight procedures pertaining to special education can be streamlined so as to increase resources available for instruction, while assuring transparency and accountability for results in special education.

The commission shall be co-chaired by the House and Senate Co-chairs of the Joint Committee on Education who shall each appoint two additional members to the commission.  The Commissioner of Education or his designee shall be a member of the commission and the commissioner shall also appoint four additional members who  shall include at least two practicing special education teachers and at least two parents of children in special education programs.  The Commission shall meet one or more times with an advisory group that shall be constituted of designees of the following organizations: the Massachusetts Association of School Committees, the Massachusetts Teachers Association, the Massachusetts Association of School Superintendents, the Massachusetts Administrators for Special Education, the Massachusetts Organization of Educational Collaboratives, the Massachusetts Association of 766 Approved Private Schools, the Massachusetts Advocates for Children, the Federation for Children with Special Needs, Massachusetts Developmental Disabilities Council.

The Commission shall file a report on the results of its investigation, and any recommendations relative thereto, with the joint committee on education no later than November 20, 2012.