[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 231 (Monday, December 4, 2023)]
[Notices]
[Pages 84165-84166]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2023-26518]



[[Page 84165]]

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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Indian Affairs

[245A2100DD/AAKC001030/A0A501010.999900]


Request for Nominations of Members To Serve on the Bureau of 
Indian Education Advisory Board for Exceptional Children

AGENCY: Bureau of Indian Affairs, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of request for nominations.

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SUMMARY: Pursuant to the Federal Advisory Committee Act and the 
Individuals with Disabilities Education Act of 2004 (IDEA), the Bureau 
of Indian Education (BIE) requests nominations of individuals to serve 
on the Advisory Board for Exceptional Children (Advisory Board). There 
will be three positions available to specifically serve in the areas of 
Indian persons with disabilities; or State education officials; or 
State Interagency Coordinating Councils (for States having Indian 
reservations). Board members shall serve a staggered term of two or 
three years from the date of their appointment. The BIE will consider 
nominations received in response to this request for nominations, as 
well as other sources.

DATES: Please submit nominations by Wednesday, January 31, 2024.

ADDRESSES: Please submit nominations to Ms. Jennifer Davis, Designated 
Federal Officer (DFO), Bureau of Indian Education, Division of 
Performance and Accountability, 2600 N Central Ave., Suite 800, 
Phoenix, AZ 85004; email to [email protected]; or fax to (602) 
265-0293.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Jennifer Davis, DFO, 
[email protected]; (202) 860-7845.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Advisory Board was established in 
accordance with the Federal Advisory Committee Act, Public Law 92-463. 
The following provides information about the Committee, the membership 
and the nomination process.

1. Objective and Duties

    (a) Members of the Advisory Board will provide guidance, advice and 
recommendations with respect to special education and related services 
for children with disabilities in BIE funded schools in accordance with 
the requirements of IDEA;
    (b) The Advisory Board will:
    (1) Provide advice and recommendations for the coordination of 
services within the BIE and with other local, State and Federal 
agencies;
    (2) Provide advice and recommendations on a broad range of policy 
issues dealing with the provision of educational services to American 
Indian children with disabilities;
    (3) Serve as advocates for American Indian students with special 
education needs by providing advice and recommendations regarding best 
practices, effective program coordination strategies, and 
recommendations for improved educational programming;
    (4) Provide advice and recommendations for the preparation of 
information required to be submitted to the Secretary of Education 
under 20 U.S.C. 1411 (h)(2);
    (5) Provide advice and recommend policies concerning effective 
inter/intra agency collaboration, including modifications to 
regulations, and the elimination of barriers to inter- and intra-agency 
programs and activities; and
    (6) Will report and direct all correspondence to the Assistant 
Secretary--Indian Affairs through the Director, BIE with a courtesy 
copy to the Designated Federal Officer (DFO).

2. Membership

    (a) Pursuant to 20 U.S.C. 1411(h)(6), the Advisory Board will be 
composed of up to fifteen individuals involved in or concerned with the 
education and provision of services to American Indian infants, 
toddlers, children, and youth with disabilities. The Advisory Board 
composition will reflect a broad range of viewpoints and will include 
at least one member representing each of the following interests: 
American Indians with disabilities; teachers of children with 
disabilities; American Indian parents or guardians of children with 
disabilities; service providers; State education officials; local 
education officials; State interagency coordinating councils (for 
States having Indian reservations); Tribal representatives or Tribal 
organization representatives; and other members representing the 
various divisions and entities of the BIE.
    (b) The Assistant Secretary--Indian Affairs may provide the 
Secretary of the Interior recommendations for the chairperson; however, 
the chairperson and other Advisory Board members will be appointed by 
the Secretary of the Interior. Advisory Board members shall serve 
staggered terms of two years or three years from the date of their 
appointment.

3. Miscellaneous

    (a) Members of the Advisory Board will not receive compensation, 
but will be reimbursed for travel, including subsistence, and other 
necessary expenses incurred in the performance of their duties in the 
same manner as persons employed intermittently in Government Service 
under 5 U.S.C. 5703.
    (b) A member may not participate in matters that will directly 
affect, or appear to affect, the financial interests of the member or 
the member's spouse or minor children, unless authorized by the 
appropriate ethics official. Compensation from employment does not 
constitute a financial interest of the member so long as the matter 
before the committee will not have a special or distinct effect on the 
member or the member's employer, other than as part of a class. The 
provisions of this paragraph do not affect any other statutory or 
regulatory ethical obligations to which a member may be subject.
    (c) The Advisory Board meets at least twice a year, budget 
permitting, but additional meetings may be held as deemed necessary by 
the Assistant Secretary--Indian Affairs or the DFO.
    (d) All Advisory Board meetings are open to the public in 
accordance with the Federal Advisory Committee Act regulations.

4. Nomination Information

    (a) Nominations are requested from individuals, organizations, and 
federally recognized Tribes, as well as from State Directors of Special 
Education (within the 23 States in which BIE-funded schools are 
located) concerned with the education of Indian children with 
disabilities as described above.
    (b) Nominees should have expertise and knowledge of the issues and/
or needs of American Indian children with disabilities. Such knowledge 
and expertise are needed to provide advice and recommendations to the 
BIE regarding the needs of American Indian children with disabilities.
    (c) A summary of the candidates' qualifications (resume or 
curriculum vitae) must be included with a completed nomination 
application form, which is located on the Bureau of Indian Education 
website. Nominees must have the ability to attend Advisory Board 
meetings, carry out Advisory Board assignments, participate in 
teleconference calls, and work in groups.
    (d) The Department of the Interior is committed to equal 
opportunities in the workplace and seeks diverse Committee

[[Page 84166]]

membership, which is bound by Indian Preference Act of 1990 (25 U.S.C. 
472).

5. Basis for Nominations

    If you wish to nominate someone for appointment to the Advisory 
Board, please do not make the nomination until the person has agreed to 
have his or her name submitted to the BIE for this purpose. A person 
can also self-nominate.

6. Nomination Application

    Please submit a complete application form and a copy of the 
nominee's resume or curriculum vitae to the DFO by Wednesday, January 
31, 2024. The nomination application form can be found on the BIE 
website at https://www.bie.edu/sites/default/files/inline-files/Advisory-Board-Membership-Nomination-Form%20%28Expires%206-30-24%29.pdf.

7. Information Collection

    This collection of information is authorized by OMB Control Number 
1076-0179, ``Solicitation of Nominations for the Advisory Board for 
Exceptional Children,'' with a June 30, 2024, expiration date.

(Authority: 5 U.S.C. ch. 10; 20 U.S.C. 1400 et seq.)

Bryan Newland,
Assistant Secretary--Indian Affairs.
[FR Doc. 2023-26518 Filed 12-1-23; 8:45 am]
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