SEA 475 – Developmental Delay
A proposal to help identify students with a developmental delay to ensure they receive the state educational resources they need to succeed in school was the first bill offered by Sen. Melton to pass the legislature. SEA 475 will require the State Board of Education to amend its rule stating that developmental delay is a disability only identifiable for students between the ages of three and five, extending the upward age cap to nine years of age based on a recommendation from a 2015 legislative summer study committee. Experts who testified at the committee stated that there is a crucial age gap from five to eight years old where children do not receive necessary services, and this newly enacted law would close that gap. The language will provide a continuum of services for children and their families, reduce inaccurate labeling of children with disabilities, and will be more cost-effective in the long-term.