(1) (a) There shall be permanently maintained in the city of Colorado Springs, in the county of El Paso, an institution for the support and education of deaf and blind children residing within the state of Colorado, to be known as the Colorado school for the deaf and the blind. The school shall be a body corporate. The school shall include such other facilities and programs located within the state as may be established and maintained pursuant to law.
(b) The school, the main campus of which shall be located in the city of Colorado Springs, in the county of El Paso, is declared to be one of the educational institutions of the state of Colorado and has for its object the education of the children of the state who, by reason of the impairment of their sense of hearing or of sight, cannot be advantageously educated in the other schools or educational institutions of the state. Said school shall not be regarded or classed as a reformatory or charitable institution.
(2) In addition to including a long-term residential school, the school shall be a resource to school districts, state institutions, and other approved education programs. Resource services shall include, but shall not be limited to, the following:
Assessment and identification of educational needs;
Special curricula;
Equipment and materials;
Supplemental related services;
Special short-term programs;
Program planning and staff development;
Programs for parents, families, and the public;
Research and development to promote improved educational programs and services.
(3) (a) For purposes of federal law, the school shall be a local educational agency, deemed to be a public authority legally constituted within the state for either administrative control or direction of, or to perform a service function for, public elementary schools or secondary schools in the state.
(b) Notwithstanding the provisions of paragraph (a) of this subsection (3) to the contrary, the school shall not be a local educational agency for the purposes of the federal "Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act", 42 U.S.C. sec. 1751 et seq., or the federal "Child Nutrition Act of 1966", 42 U.S.C. sec. 1771 et seq.
(4) (a) The school may, in the discretion of the board of trustees, provide additional educational services on a local or regional basis in the state. In providing the services, the school shall seek to employ innovative delivery systems, which may include delivery of services through:
Intergovernmental agreements with school districts or other local governmental entities;
Partnerships with boards of cooperative services created pursuant to article 5 of thistitle; or
Charter schools chartered by the board of trustees pursuant to paragraph (b) of thissubsection (4).
(b) The board of trustees is authorized to grant charters to applicants that propose a charter school that is designed to provide educational services solely to students who would qualify for admission to the Colorado school for the deaf and the blind. The board of trustees shall promulgate rules governing the contents of, procedures for, approval of, and appeals pertaining to, a charter application submitted pursuant to this paragraph (b) and renewal of a charter. The rules shall reflect the unique needs of and responsibilities of educating children with hearing or sight impairment.
(5) The school may enter into contracts and receive federal matching funds for moneys spent in providing student health services as provided in section 25.5-5-301 (6) or 25.5-5-318, C.R.S.
Source: L. 77: Entire article added, p. 1090, § 2, effective July 1. L. 91: Entire section amended, p. 524, § 1, effective April 17. L. 2003: (1) and IP(2) amended and (3), (4), and (5) added, p. 1577, § 3, effective July 1, 2004. L. 2006: (5) amended, p. 2006, § 65, effective July 1.