[Federal Register Volume 73, Number 207 (Friday, October 24, 2008)]
[Notices]
[Pages 63503-63504]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E8-25203]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Indian Affairs


Tribal Consultation on Proposed Special Education Policies and 
Procedures

AGENCY: Bureau of Indian Affairs, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of tribal consultation meetings.

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SUMMARY: The Bureau of Indian Education (BIE), Division of Performance 
and Accountability (DPA), will conduct tribal consultation meetings to 
obtain oral and written comments on proposed BIE Special Education 
Policies and Procedures. The proposed policies and procedures are 
available at http://www.enan.bia.edu under the ``News and 
Announcements'' section of the Web site or by calling the individual in 
the FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT section of this notice.

DATES: The SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section contains the complete 
schedule for the consultation meetings. Submit written comments on the 
proposed BIE Special Education Policies and Procedures by December 15, 
2008, to the address stated in the ADDRESSES section.

ADDRESSES: Send or hand-deliver written comments on the proposed BIE 
Special Education Policies and Procedures to Stan Holder, Chief, 
Division of Performance and Accountability, 1011 Indian School Road, 
NW., Suite 332, Albuquerque, New Mexico 87104. Submissions by facsimile 
should be sent to (505) 563-5281.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Gloria Yepa, (505) 563-5264. You may 
obtain a copy of the proposed BIE Special Education Policies and 
Procedures by contacting Sally Hollow Horn at (505) 563-5276 or by 
visiting the Web site http://www.enan.bia.edu.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

    In order to receive Federal funds (``Part B funds'') available 
under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act of 2004 (IDEA), 
the BIE must meet eligibility requirements identified in the law. The 
U.S. Department of Education published final regulations, which became 
effective on October 13, 2006, implementing Part B of IDEA regarding 
eligibility for Federal funds. See 71 FR 46540 (August 14, 2006). BIE 
has drafted the proposed Special Education Policies and Procedures, 
which revises its 2002 Eligibility Document, to ensure consistency with 
IDEA and the U.S. Department of Education's final regulations. All 
Bureau-funded schools, including grant and contract schools, must 
comply with the policies and procedures to be eligible to receive Part 
B funding and ensure that students with disabilities are appropriately 
served.

Purpose of the Consultation

    The purpose of the consultation is to provide Indian tribes, school 
boards, parents, Indian organizations, and other interested parties 
with an opportunity to comment on the BIE's proposed Special Education 
Policies and Procedures. The proposed policies and procedures are 
available by calling the individual in the FOR FURTHER INFORMATION 
CONTACT section of this notice.

[[Page 63504]]



                                                Meeting Schedule
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                  Date                            Location                  Local contact           Phone No.
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November 12............................  Phoenix, AZ...............  Luvette Russell...........     602-265-1592
November 12............................  Minneapolis, MN...........  Lynn Lafferty.............     612-713-4400
November 13............................  Albuquerque, NM...........  Bart Stevens..............     505-563-5235
November 13............................  Rapid City, SD............  Norma Tibbetts............     605-867-3601
November 14............................  Seattle, WA...............  Tony Dearman..............     206-220-7975
November 14............................  Nashville, TN.............  Roxanne Brown.............     615-564-6636
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    A consultation booklet for the meetings is being distributed to 
federally recognized Indian tribes, Bureau of Indian Affairs Regional 
and Agency Offices and BIE-funded schools. The booklets will also be 
available from local contact persons at each meeting. The consultation 
booklet contains the information presented in this notice, as well as 
additional background information. For specific meeting location 
information, please contact the local contacts at the telephone numbers 
listed above.

Suggested Format for Comments

    Because BIE anticipates receiving many comments from meeting 
participants, please include the following information, if possible:
     Specific suggestions or concerns related to the proposed 
Special Education Policies and Procedures;
     The name of the commenter; and
     The name and address of the organization, if any, that the 
commenter represents.

Public Comment Availability

    Comments, including names, street addresses, and other contact 
information of respondents, will be available for public review at the 
address listed under the ADDRESSES section during regular business 
hours (7:45 a.m. to 4:15 p.m. EST), Monday through Friday, except 
Federal holidays. Before including your address, telephone number, e-
mail address, or other personal identifying information in your 
comment, be advised that your entire comment--including your personal 
identifying information--may be made publicly available at any time. 
While you can ask us in your comment to withhold from public review 
your personal identifying information, we cannot guarantee that we will 
be able to do so.

    Authority: This notice is published in accordance with the 
authority delegated by the Secretary of the Interior to the 
Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary--Indian Affairs by 209 DM 8.1.

    Dated: October 14, 2008.
George T. Skibine,
Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary for Policy and Economic Development--
Indian Affairs.
[FR Doc. E8-25203 Filed 10-23-08; 8:45 am]
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