Board committee reworks language for specialized treatment centers; clarifies enrollment and diploma responsibilities

Department staff presented revisions to the administrative code governing specialized treatment centers (STCs), including updated placement categories and clearer rules about enrollment, diploma responsibility and IDEA implementation.

The proposed changes update definitions of STC types and clarify three placement categories the department uses: (1) LEA‑placed students (enrolled in the placing LEA and the placing LEA remains responsible for FAPE and the diploma); (2) students placed by the state (enrolled where the STC is located and that local LEA is responsible for the diploma and IDEA implementation); and (3) parent‑placed students in public or private STCs (enrollment and diploma responsibilities vary depending on whether the receiving program is public or private, and the code limits the ability to place financial obligations back on a student’s home LEA).

Staff said the revisions remove references to the Alabama High School Graduation Exam that remain in older code language and align reporting expectations to current student information systems (PowerSchool). The revisions also restate monitoring requirements and seek more consistent access to instruction, assessment and transitions planning across STC types.

Board staff asked for clarifying guidance on complex local situations — for example when an STC is located inside a county that contains multiple LEAs (such as city and county systems) — and staff said they will return with language or examples explaining which LEA is the enrolling district in that circumstance.

The changes are being presented as amendments to the administrative code with an explanatory “cheat sheet” summarizing definitions and responsibilities. Staff invited board members to review the full draft language and return questions before formal notice and rulemaking steps.