(a) Except as otherwise provided in subsection (e) of this section, the Department of Education shall (1) purchase, in accordance with the provisions of section 4a-57, a digital individualized education program form software for purposes of creating, submitting and sharing digital copies of a student’s individualized education program and related documents among authorized users, and (2) provide such digital individualized education program form software at no cost to local and regional boards of education and the Technical Education and Career System.

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(b) On or before October 1, 2015, the department shall issue a request for proposals to eligible software companies for the purchase of the digital individualized education program form software. Such request for proposals shall require that the digital individualized education program form software: (1) Allow authorized users to create and submit a complete digital copy of a student’s individualized education program and related documents to the portal and share such digital copy with (A) the department for purposes of conducting a remote audit; and (B) a local or regional board of education or the Technical Education and Career System in a case where the student may transfer, (2) provide twenty-four-hour access for an unlimited number of authorized users to use the digital individualized education program form software, (3) provide an electronic catalog of goals and objectives aligned with the curriculum standards adopted by the State Board of Education, (4) allow local and regional boards of education and the Technical Education and Career System to purchase additional programs to supplement the digital individualized education program form software, and (5) protect a student’s individual education program and related documents that are created, submitted and shared using the digital individualized education program form software from unauthorized access, destruction, use, modification or disclosure in accordance with current industry standards.

(c) When evaluating the responses to the request for proposals and selecting a digital individualized education program form software, the department shall consider the types of digital individualized education program form software currently used and successfully implemented by local and regional boards of education and the Technical Education and Career System.

(d) For the school year commencing July 1, 2016, and each school year thereafter, if the department purchases a digital individualized education program under this section, the department shall provide such digital individualized education program form software to fifty per cent of the local and regional boards of education and to fifty per cent of the technical education and career schools under the jurisdiction of the Technical Education and Career System. For the school year commencing July 1, 2017, and each school year thereafter, the department shall provide the digital individualized education program form software to the remaining fifty per cent of the local and regional boards of education and to the remaining fifty per cent of the technical education and career schools under the jurisdiction of the Technical Education and Career System.

(e) The department shall not be required to purchase a digital individualized education program form software under this section if the department is unable to select a digital individualized education program form software because (1) none of the digital individualized education program form software included in the responses to the request for proposals satisfy the requirements described in subsection (b) of this section, or (2) the cost of a digital individualized education program form software included in the responses to the request for proposals exceeds the amount appropriated for the purchase of a digital individualized education program form software. If the department does not purchase a digital individualized education program form software, then the department shall conduct a study of the feasibility of the department creating and administering its own digital individualized education form software for the purposes described in subsection (a) of this section. Not later than April 1, 2016, the department shall submit such study to the joint standing committee of the General Assembly having cognizance of matters relating to education, in accordance with the provisions of section 11-4a.