(1) There is hereby created the office of the education ombuds within the office of the governor for the purposes of providing information to parents, students, and others regarding their rights and responsibilities with respect to the state's public elementary and secondary education system, and advocating on behalf of elementary and secondary students.
(2)(a) The governor shall appoint an ombuds who shall be a person of recognized judgment, independence, objectivity, and integrity and shall be qualified by training or experience or both in the following areas:
(i) Public education law and policy in this state;
(ii) Dispute resolution or problem resolution techniques, including mediation and negotiation; and
(iii) Community outreach.
(b) The education ombuds may not be an employee of any school district, the office of the superintendent of public instruction, or the state board of education while serving as an education ombuds.
(3) Before the appointment of the education ombuds, the governor shall share information regarding the appointment to a six-person legislative committee appointed and comprised as follows:
(a) The committee shall consist of three senators and three members of the house of representatives from the legislature.
(b) The senate members of the committee shall be appointed by the president of the senate. Two members shall represent the majority caucus and one member the minority caucus.
(c) The house of representatives members of the committee shall be appointed by the speaker of the house of representatives. Two members shall represent the majority caucus and one member the minority caucus.
(4) If sufficient appropriations are provided, the education ombuds shall delegate and certify regional education ombuds. The education ombuds shall ensure that the regional ombuds selected are appropriate to the community in which they serve and hold the same qualifications as in subsection (2)(a) of this section. The education ombuds may not contract with the superintendent of public instruction, or any school, school district, or current employee of a school, school district, or the office of the superintendent of public instruction for the provision of regional ombuds services.
(5)(a) Subject to amounts appropriated for this specific purpose, the education ombuds shall delegate and certify at least one special education ombuds to serve each educational service district region. The education ombuds shall ensure that the special education ombuds selected are appropriate to the community in which they serve and hold the same qualifications as in subsection (2)(a) of this section. The education ombuds may not contract with the superintendent of public instruction, or any school, school district, educational service district, or current employee of a school, school district, educational service district, or the office of the superintendent of public instruction for the provision of special education ombuds services.
(b) Special education ombuds must serve as a resource for students eligible for special education services and their parents, including:
(i) Advocating on behalf of the student for a free and appropriate public education from the public school system that emphasizes special education and related services that are:
(A) Provided in the least restrictive environment;
(B) Designed to meet the student's unique needs;
(C) Appropriately ambitious and reasonably calculated to enable a student to make progress in light of the student's circumstances; and
(D) Addressing the student's further education, employment, and independent living goals.
(ii) Assisting students and parents with individualized education program development, including:
(A) Preparing for a meeting to develop or update a student's individualized education program;
(B) Attending individualized education program meetings to help present the parents' concerns, negotiate components that meet the parents' goals and requests, or otherwise assist the parent in understanding and navigating the individualized education program process; and
(C) Attending an individualized education program meeting to assist in writing an appropriate program when a parent opts out or otherwise cannot attend.
