The Legislature finds and declares all of the following:
(a) It is essential for the well-being and growth of deaf and hard-of-hearing pupils that educational programs recognize the unique nature of deafness and ensure that all deaf and hard-of-hearing pupils have appropriate, ongoing, and fully accessible educational opportunities.
(b) It is essential that a deaf or hard-of-hearing pupil obtain an education in which special education teachers, psychologists, speech therapists, assessors, administrators, and other school and residential program personnel understand the unique nature of deafness and are trained to work with a deaf or hard-of-hearing pupil.
(c) It is essential that a deaf or hard-of-hearing pupil obtain an education in which his or her special education teachers are proficient in the primary language mode of that pupil.
(d) It is essential that a deaf or hard-of-hearing pupil obtain an education in which his or her parents are involved in determining the extent, content, and purpose of programs.
(e) It is essential that a deaf or hard-of-hearing pupil, like all pupils, have programs in which his or her unique vocational needs are provided for, including appropriate research, curricula, programs, staff, and outreach.
(f) Each deaf or hard-of-hearing pupil should receive an education that allows him or her to master a primary language.
(Added by Stats. 2003, Ch. 865, Sec. 1. Effective January 1, 2004.)