Education department opposes current C-1409 draft for schools, warns of operational gaps

At the Sept. 29 hearing on bill C-1409, a Department of Education representative testified the DPR supports removing illegitimate access barriers for people with disabilities but opposes the current draft’s automatic application to educational institutions.

The representative, speaking for Secretary Eliseth Ramos Paredes, said the bill ‘‘extiende su aplicación a las instituciones educativas sin incorporar un marco específico para que permita atender las particularidades de los planteles escolares y la población menor de edad’’ and listed unresolved operational questions: who would supervise or care for a student’s assistance animal when the student cannot, what funds or positions would be assigned, how insurance and incident responses would work, and how the measure would coordinate with Individualized Education Programs and Section 504 plans.

Committee members asked ARV and Education to provide numbers to estimate fiscal impact. Education recommended excluding schools from the bill’s scope until a tailored mechanism—developed with the Department of Education, Defensoría and relevant agencies—defines protocols, resources and timelines. The commission requested ARV’s case breakdown to help model potential education costs.

No vote was taken; the department said it remains available to collaborate on implementation details.