REPORT TITLE:
D.O.E Speech Pathologists


DESCRIPTION:
Limits the caseload of department of education speech
pathologists to 40 students.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
                                                        2915
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES                H.B. NO.           
TWENTIETH LEGISLATURE, 2000                                
STATE OF HAWAII                                            
                                                             
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                   A  BILL  FOR  AN  ACT

RELATING TO EDUCATION.



BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF HAWAII:

 1      SECTION 1.  The legislature has long recognized the positive
 
 2 correlation between the number of students being serviced by a
 
 3 teacher, and the effectiveness of those services being rendered.
 
 4 However, the ratio of speech pathologists to special education
 
 5 students requiring their services has never been addressed
 
 6 statutorily.  Department of education speech pathologists often
 
 7 contend with case loads of seventy-five or more special education
 
 8 students.  These heavy case loads have two main detrimental
 
 9 results.  First, they result in the deterioration of the services
 
10 provided by the speech pathologists.  Secondly, the heavy work
 
11 load and the frustration of providing less than optimal services
 
12 to the students results in the early burn out of service
 
13 providers and retention and recruitment difficulties for the
 
14 department of education.
 
15      The purpose of this Act is to limit the case loads of
 
16 department of education speech pathologists to forty special
 
17 education students, and to vary the case loads based on the type
 
18 of disablility, the severity of disability, and the type and
 
19 amount of services required by a given speech pathologists'
 
20 students.
 

 
Page 2                                                     2915
                                     H.B. NO.           
                                                        
                                                        

 
 1      SECTION 2.  Chapter 302A, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is
 
 2 amended by adding a new section to be appropriately designated
 
 3 and to read as follows:
 
 4      "§302A-    Speech pathologists in the department of
 
 5 education.  The case load of each speech pathologist in the
 
 6 department of education shall consist of no more than forty
 
 7 special education students.  The case load of speech pathologists
 
 8 shall also be varied based on the type of disability, the
 
 9 severity of disability, and the type and amount of services
 
10 required by a given speech pathologist's students."
 
11      SECTION 3.  New statutory material is underscored.
 
12      SECTION 4.  This Act shall take effect upon its approval.
 
13 
 
14                       INTRODUCED BY:  ___________________________