Article 1. Administration of California Education Code >> Division 4. >> Title 2. >> Part 32. >> Chapter 1. >> Article 1.

There are two state schools for the deaf, known and designated as the California School for the Deaf, Northern California, and the California School for the Deaf, Southern California. The term "California School for the Deaf" shall refer to both schools unless the context otherwise requires.

The California School for the Deaf is part of the public school system of the state except that it derives no revenue from the State School Fund, and has for its object the education of the deaf who, because of their severe hearing loss and educational needs, cannot be provided an appropriate educational program and related services in the regular public schools.

The Legislature finds and declares all of the following:
  (a) It is essential for the well-being and growth of deaf and hard-of-hearing pupils that educational programs recognize the unique nature of deafness and ensure that all deaf and hard-of-hearing pupils have appropriate, ongoing, and fully accessible educational opportunities.
  (b) It is essential that a deaf or hard-of-hearing pupil obtain an education in which special education teachers, psychologists, speech therapists, assessors, administrators, and other school and residential program personnel understand the unique nature of deafness and are trained to work with a deaf or hard-of-hearing pupil.
  (c) It is essential that a deaf or hard-of-hearing pupil obtain an education in which his or her special education teachers are proficient in the primary language mode of that pupil.
  (d) It is essential that a deaf or hard-of-hearing pupil obtain an education in which his or her parents are involved in determining the extent, content, and purpose of programs.
  (e) It is essential that a deaf or hard-of-hearing pupil, like all pupils, have programs in which his or her unique vocational needs are provided for, including appropriate research, curricula, programs, staff, and outreach.
  (f) Each deaf or hard-of-hearing pupil should receive an education that allows him or her to master a primary language.

It is the intent of the Legislature that programs at the California School for the Deaf provide all of the following:
  (a) Each pupil should be assured an education appropriate to his or her needs in publicly supported programs through completion of his or her prescribed course of study or until the time that he or she has met proficiency standards.
  (b) Each pupil should have his or her educational goals, objectives, special education, and related services specified in a written individualized education program.
  (c) Procedures and materials for assessment and placement of individuals with exceptional needs should be selected and administered so as not to be racially, culturally, or sexually discriminatory. No single assessment instrument should be the sole criterion for determining placement of a pupil. The procedures and materials for assessment and placement should be in the individual's mode of communication. All assessment materials and procedures should be selected and administered pursuant to Section 56320.
  (d) Psychological and health services for individuals with exceptional needs should be available to each schoolsite.
  (e) Continuous evaluation of the effectiveness of these education programs should be made to ensure the highest quality educational offerings.
  (f) Appropriate qualified staff should be employed, consistent with credentialing requirements, to fulfill the educational responsibilities, and positive efforts are made to employ qualified deaf and hard-of-hearing individuals.
  (g) Educational and residential program personnel should be adequately prepared to provide educational instruction and services to individuals with exceptional needs in the appropriate communication mode, including American Sign Language.
  (h) There should be appropriate access to information and training in American Sign Language for parents and pupils to ensure that they are able to appropriately communicate with their families.

The California Schools for the Deaf are under the administration of the State Department of Education. The Superintendent of Public Instruction, in connection with the California Schools for the Deaf, shall do all of the following:
  (a) Provide educational assessments and individual educational recommendations for individuals who are referred for those services pursuant to Section 56326.
  (b) Maintain a comprehensive elementary educational program, including related services, for deaf individuals.
  (c) Serve as a regional secondary educational program providing a comprehensive secondary education, including a full-range academic curriculum, appropriate prevocational and vocational preparation opportunities, and nonacademic and extracurricular activities.

The Superintendent of Public Instruction, in connection with the California Schools for the Deaf and in cooperation with public and private agencies, may do one or more of the following:
  (a) Serve as a demonstration school to promote personnel development through student teaching, in-service education, internships, professional observations for special education and related services personnel in cooperation with institutions of higher education and local education agencies.
  (b) Serve as a resource center to develop and disseminate special curriculum, media teaching methods, and instructional materials adapted for deaf individuals, achievement tests and other assessment methods useful to the instruction of deaf individuals.
  (c) Provide counseling and information services for parents, guardians, and families of deaf individuals, and public information about deafness to community groups and other agencies.
  (d) Conduct experimental programs and projects to promote improvement in special education for deaf individuals.
  (e) Promote and coordinate community and continuing education opportunities for deaf individuals utilizing existing community resources.

The State Department of Education in relation to the California Schools for the Deaf shall:
  (a) Prescribe rules for the government of the schools.
  (b) Appoint the superintendents and other officers and employees.
  (c) Remove for cause any officer, teacher, or employee.
  (d) Fix the compensation of officers, teachers, and employees.

The superintendent of the school shall have had not less than three years' experience in the art of teaching the deaf and shall hold a credential issued by the State Board of Education authorizing him to teach in secondary schools of this state.

The powers and duties of the superintendents of the schools are such as are assigned by the Superintendent of Public Instruction.

The Superintendent of Public Instruction may authorize the California Schools for the Deaf to establish and maintain teacher training courses designed to prepare teachers of the public schools and such other persons holding a credential issued by the State Board of Education as are recommended by the president of a campus of the California State University, to give instruction to the deaf and the hard of hearing. The Superintendent of Public Instruction shall prescribe standards for the admission of persons to the courses, and for the content of the courses. The California Schools for the Deaf may enter into agreements with the Trustees of the California State University, the University of California, or any other university or college accredited by the State Board of Education as a teacher training educational institution, to provide practice teaching required for issuance of the credential authorizing the holder to teach the deaf and severely hard of hearing. The agreement may provide a reasonable payment, for services rendered, to teachers of the California Schools for the Deaf who have practice teachers under their direction.

The State Department of Education may employ any person, otherwise qualified, who has retired for service under either the Public Employees' Retirement System or the State Teachers' Retirement System as a substitute in a position requiring certification qualifications at the California Schools for the Deaf, except that the total of that service and any service rendered pursuant to Section 23919 shall not exceed 90 teaching days in any one fiscal year.

(a) The Department of Human Resources shall consider making salaries for teachers, specialists, and administrators of the California School for the Deaf competitive with the salaries of similarly qualified school teachers, specialists, and administrators who are employed by the encompassing school districts.
  (b) For purposes of this section, "teachers," "teacher specialists," and "administrators" mean those individuals who hold the appropriate teaching, service, or teaching and administrative credential, as appropriate, as issued by the Commission on Teacher Credentialing, as determined by the employing state agency.