Florida Senate - 2018 SB 1544
By Senator Farmer
34-01537-18 20181544__
1 A bill to be entitled
2 An act relating to speech-language pathologists
3 employed by a school district; creating s. 1012.441,
4 F.S.; providing requirements for the caseloads of
5 speech-language pathologists employed by a school
6 district; providing a weighted calculation methodology
7 for such caseloads; requiring school districts to use
8 certain student counts to determine caseloads;
9 requiring each school district to develop and
10 implement a district-wide workload plan for such
11 speech-language pathologists; providing workload plan
12 requirements; providing an effective date.
13
14 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
15
16 Section 1. Section 1012.441, Florida Statutes, is created
17 to read:
18 1012.441 Student caseload limitations and calculations and
19 workload plans for speech-language pathologists working in
20 public schools.—
21 (1) A speech-language pathologist, licensed under s.
22 468.1185, who is employed full-time by a school district shall
23 provide speech-language therapy services to no more than the
24 equivalent of 40 students with disabilities in prekindergarten;
25 55 students with disabilities in kindergarten through grade 5;
26 and 60 students with disabilities in grades 6 through 12. The
27 following weighted methodology shall be used to determine the
28 number of students for each speech-language pathologist’s
29 caseload, and must be included in the school district’s workload
30 plan under subsection (2):
31 (a) A student with a speech or language impairment as his
32 or her primary exceptionality who is receiving 61 minutes or
33 more of speech-language therapy per week is equal to 1.6 on the
34 weighted scale.
35 (b) A student with a speech or language impairment as his
36 or her primary exceptionality who is receiving 15 to 60 minutes
37 of speech-language therapy per week is equal to 1.3 on the
38 weighted scale.
39 (c) A student with a speech or language impairment as his
40 or her secondary or other exceptionality who is receiving
41 speech-language services in the general education setting is
42 equal to 2.0 on the weighted scale.
43 (d) A student with a speech or language impairment as his
44 or her secondary or other exceptionality who is receiving
45 speech-language services through direct instruction in a
46 resource setting or cluster site is equal to 3.0 on the weighted
47 scale.
48 (e) A prekindergarten student receiving speech-language
49 services in a voluntary prekindergarten education program or
50 inclusion class is equal to 2.0 on the weighted scale.
51 (f) A prekindergarten student receiving speech-language
52 services in a self-contained class is equal to 2.5 on the
53 weighted scale.
54 (g) A student receiving speech-language services for
55 consultation is equal to 0.2 on the weighted scale.
56
57 Each school district shall determine each speech-language
58 pathologist’s caseload using the February FTE count for students
59 enrolled in speech-language therapy from the previous school
60 year.
61 (2) Each school district shall develop and implement a
62 district-wide workload plan for speech-language pathologists
63 employed by the school district. Such plan must be based on an
64 analysis of the activities for which the speech-language
65 pathologists are responsible and, at a minimum, must include:
66 (a) Individualized instruction and interventions.
67 (b) Consultation services and collaboration among staff
68 members.
69 (c) Attendance at individual education plan meetings and
70 other staff conferences, as appropriate.
71 (d) Required documentation and reporting.
72 (e) Student diagnostic activities.
73 (f) Medicaid billing and related activities.
74 (g) Response to student interventions.
75 Section 2. This act shall take effect July 1, 2018.