(a) At any time, a party or all parties to a dispute involving a matter with respect to the provision of appropriate early childhood intervention services or a potential or actual violation of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, Part C or other applicable federal or Texas statutes or regulations or rules may request mediation of that dispute by sending the request in writing to the Texas Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC) Director of Early Childhood Intervention (ECI). A request for mediation must:      
        (1) be in writing and signed by the requesting party;       
        (2) state the dispute to be mediated with some detail showing it is a matter with respect to the provision of appropriate early childhood intervention services to a particular child or children, or that it is a matter with respect to a potential or actual violation of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, Part C or other applicable federal or Texas statutes or regulations or rules;       
        (3) name the opposing party or parties and, if they have agreed to mediation, contain their signatures;       
        (4) give contact information for all parties to the extent known by the requestor; and       
        (5) show that the request for mediation has also been sent to all other parties or that attempts have been made to do so, if possible.       
      (b) If the request for mediation is also a complaint pursuant to §350.215 of this subchapter (relating to Early Childhood Intervention Procedures for Filing Complaints), it will be handled both as a complaint and as a request for mediation under subsection (c) of this section. If the request for mediation is also a request for a due process hearing, it will be handled both as a request for a due process hearing and a request for mediation under subsection (c) of this section. If the request for mediation does not clearly designate itself as a complaint or request for a due process hearing, or if it does not comply with the filing requirements for those procedures, it will be handled only as a request for mediation under this section.     
      (c) If the parties to a request for a due process hearing as described in 40 TAC §101.1107 (relating to Administrative Hearings Concerning Individual Child Rights) agree to mediate the dispute in accordance with 40 TAC §101.947 (relating to Mediation Procedures), those procedures shall apply, but the mediation shall also comply with the requirements of federal regulation 34 CFR §303.431.     
      (d) If the parties to a complaint filed with HHSC under §350.215 of this subchapter agree to mediate the dispute in accordance with §350.217 of this subchapter (relating to Procedures for Investigation and Resolution of Complaints), the procedures in this section apply except for those in subsections (b) and (c) of this section.     
      (e) If not all parties have agreed to mediation, HHSC will make reasonable efforts to contact the other parties and give them the opportunity to agree to or to decline mediation. If neither HHSC nor the requesting party is able to obtain agreement to mediate by all parties within a reasonable time, HHSC may notify the requesting party and treat the original request for mediation as having been declined by the other party or parties.     
      (f) The parties may agree to mediate some or all of the disputes described in the request for mediation, and they may amend the disputes to be mediated by agreeing in writing.     
      (g) If HHSC is not a party to the dispute being mediated, HHSC will not be a party to any mediation resolution agreement and will not sign it, but HHSC may assist in the enforcement of it if requested.     
     Source Note:        The provisions of this §350.218 adopted to be effective June 30, 2019, 44 TexReg 3280; transferred effective March 1, 2021, as published in the Texas Register February 5, 2021, 46 TexReg 941; amended to be effective March 17, 2022, 47 TexReg 1280