Section 0520-04-03-.02 - STANDARDS OF ELIGIBILITY FOR ADMISSION TO THE TENNESSEE SCHOOL FOR THE DEAF AND WEST TENNESSEE SCHOOL FOR THE DEAF(1) Students ages three (3) through twenty-one (21) who are residents of the state of Tennessee (Student) and who have a hearing impairment that is so significant that the child is impaired in processing linguistic information through hearing, with or without amplification, that adversely affects a child's educational performance, shall be eligible for admission to the Tennessee School for the Deaf and West Tennessee School for the Deaf.(2) A student who meets one (1) or more of the following hearing impairments shall be eligible for admission to the Tennessee School for the Deaf or West Tennessee School for the Deaf: (a) A permanent or fluctuating hearing threshold level evidenced by:1. An unaided hearing threshold level of 30 dB or greater based on the pure tone average of 500, 1000, and 2000 Hz in the better ear;2. A high frequency hearing threshold level of 30 dB or greater based on the pure tone average of 1000, 2000 and 3000 Hz;3. An unilateral hearing threshold level of 30 dB or greater, based on the pure tone average of 500, 1000, and 2000 Hz unaided; or4. An auditory evoked potential response evidencing permanent hearing loss at multiple frequencies equivalent to or in excess of the decibel hearing loss threshold criteria for pure tone audiometric testing specified above.(b) A hearing threshold that interferes with progress in developmental skills or academic performance, social-emotional development, or linguistic and communicative skills.(c) An inability to discriminate speech within the normal range, or a medical condition that prevents the child from processing spoken language auditorily in spite of normal hearing.(d) Evidence of genetic deafness history in the student's family and early identification of progressive hearing loss.(3) Students with disabilities in addition to a hearing impairment shall be eligible for admission to the Tennessee School for the Deaf and West Tennessee School for the Deaf.(4) The Director of Schools for the Tennessee School for the Deaf and West Tennessee School for the Deaf shall admit students who meet the eligibility criteria, provided: (a) The student has been evaluated and referred by his or her Individual Education Program (IEP) team, that includes a representative from the Tennessee School for the Deaf or West Tennessee School for the Deaf, upon the IEP team's determination that the Tennessee School for the Deaf or West Tennessee School for the Deaf will provide the student a free appropriate public education in the student's least restrictive environment; and(b) The student meets the criteria in the Tennessee Schools for the Deaf Policy 6.2030, School Admissions and Enrollment.(5) The student's district of origin and the Tennessee School for the Deaf or West Tennessee School for the Deaf shall annually sign a placement agreement that outlines the responsibilities of the district of origin and Tennessee School for the Deaf or West Tennessee School for the Deaf regarding the student's free and appropriate public education and services provided pursuant to the student's IEP.(6) Student admittance to the Tennessee School for the Deaf residential program shall be based on the school's Policy 3.7000, Residential Program.Tenn. Comp. R. & Regs. 0520-04-03-.02
Original rule filed August 26, 1986; effective November 29, 1986. Repeal and new rule filed March 16, 1992; effective June 29, 1992. Amendments filed April 4, 2018; effective July 3, 2018. Amendments filed April 7, 2021; effective 7/6/2021.Authority: T.C.A. §§ 49-10-701, 49-10-901, 49-10-902, and 49-50-1001, et seq.