Dyslexia Testing Amendments

Added a new subsection prohibiting school districts and charter schools from disciplining, retaliating against, or taking adverse employment actions against educational professionals solely for recommending or referring a student for dyslexia screening.

Added specific definitions for 'Diagnosis,' 'Screening,' and 'Qualified professional' to clarify that a screening is a risk assessment tool, not a formal medical determination of dyslexia.

Added a clarification stating that an educational professional's recommendation for a dyslexia screening does not constitute a diagnosis of dyslexia.

Updated definitions in Sections 58-60-102 and 58-61-102 regarding mental health therapy and psychology to align with current professional standards and remove outdated terminology.

Added a new definition for 'dyslexia assessment' to clarify it includes both diagnostic assessments for identification and psychoeducational evaluations for diagnosis.

Updated the definition of 'mental illness' to explicitly state it is a condition or disorder defined in an approved diagnostic and statistical manual for mental disorders.

Modified the definition of 'qualifying dyslexia assessment' to require that the administrator be competent by training, education, and experience, in addition to being licensed and practicing within their scope.

Amended the scope of practice for mental health therapists and psychologists to explicitly include the evaluation and treatment of disorders as defined in the approved diagnostic and statistical manual.

Changed the effective date of the bill from May 6, 2026, to May 6, 2026 (note: the date text in the diff appears identical but the timestamp changed, indicating a procedural update to the versioning).

Expanded the list of professionals permitted to administer dyslexia assessments to include any licensed individual (e.g., psychologists, physicians, nurses) practicing within their scope of practice, replacing the previous restriction to mental health therapists.

Updated definitions for 'mental health therapist' and 'practice of mental health therapy' to explicitly include the evaluation and treatment of disorders defined in standard diagnostic manuals, such as dyslexia.

Revised the definition of a 'qualifying dyslexia assessment' to reflect the new broader category of licensed professionals who can perform these tests.

Added new sections defining the scope of practice for psychologists and updated related definitions to align with the expanded testing provisions.