The period during which payments are made to a public entity from a grant under section 290ff(a) of this title may not exceed 6 fiscal years.
The Secretary may provide technical assistance under subsection (a) directly or through grants to, or contracts with, public and nonprofit private entities.
The Secretary shall, directly or through contracts with public or private entities, provide for annual evaluations of programs carried out pursuant to section 290ff(a) of this title. The evaluations shall assess the effectiveness of the systems of care operated pursuant to such section, including longitudinal studies of outcomes of services provided by such systems, other studies regarding such outcomes, the effect of activities under this part on the utilization of hospital and other institutional settings, the barriers to and achievements resulting from interagency collaboration in providing community-based services to children with a serious emotional disturbance, and assessments by parents of the effectiveness of the systems of care.
The Secretary shall, not later than 1 year after the date on which amounts are first appropriated under subsection (c), and annually thereafter, submit to the Congress a report summarizing evaluations carried out pursuant to paragraph (1) during the preceding fiscal year and making such recommendations for administrative and legislative initiatives with respect to this section as the Secretary determines to be appropriate.
Nothing in this part shall be construed as limiting the rights of a child with a serious emotional disturbance under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act [20 U.S.C. 1400 et seq.].