Substitute House Bill No. 7215
Public Act No. 19-166
AN ACT CONCERNING SC HOOL CLIMATES.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General
Assembly convened:
Section 1. (NEW) (Effective from passage) (a) There is established a
social and emotional learning and school climate advisory
collaborative. The collaborative shall (1) collect information concerning
the school climate improvement efforts of local and regional boards of
education, (2) document any needs articulated by local and regional
boards of education for technical assistance and training relating to
fostering positive school climates, (3) identify best practices for
promoting positive school climates, (4) direct resources to support
state-wide and local initiatives on issues relating to fostering and
improving positive school climates and improving access to social and
emotional learning in schools, (5) develop an assessment for screening
students in grades three to twelve, inclusive, to determine whether
such students are at risk for suicide, (6) develop a biennial state-wide
school climate survey, as described in subsection (c) of section 2 of this
act, (7) develop a model positive school climate policy, as described in
subsection (a) of section 2 of this act, (8) develop a plain language
explanation of the rights and remedies available under sections 10-4a
and 10-4b of the general statutes for distribution to parents and
guardians pursuant to subdivision (2) of subsection (c) of section 10- Substitute House Bill No. 7215
Public Act No. 19-166 2 of 13
222d of the general statutes, as amended by this act, and provide such
explanation to each local and regional board of education not later
than January 1, 2021, and (9) perform other functions concerning social
and emotional learning and fostering positive school climates.
(b) The collaborative shall consist of the following members:
(1) Five appointed by the speaker of the House of Representatives,
one of whom is a member of the Juvenile Justice Policy and Oversight
Committee, established pursuant to section 46b-121n of the general
statutes; one of whom is a representative of the Connecticut
Association of Boards of Education; one of whom is a school
administrator with experience in district-level, equity-focused and
cross-disciplinary social and emotional learning; one of whom is a
representative of an organization that provides free or reduced-cost
legal services; and one of whom is a representative of Connecticut
Parent Power;
(2) Five appointed by the president pro tempore of the Senate, one
of whom is a representative of the Connecticut Association of Schools;
one of whom is a representative of the Connecticut Association of
School Administrators; one of whom is a representative of the Social
Emotional Learning Alliance for Connecticut; one of whom is a
representative of the Connecticut School Counselor Association; and
one of whom is a representative of the Connecticut Association of
Public School Superintendents;
(3) Three appointed by the majority leader of the House of
Representatives, one of whom is a representative of Special Education
Equity for Kids of Connecticut; one of whom is a representative of the
Connecticut Parent Advocacy Center; and one of whom is a
representative of African Caribbean American Parents of Children
with Disabilities, Inc.; Substitute House Bill No. 7215
Public Act No. 19-166 3 of 13
(4) Three appointed by the majority leader of the Senate, one of
whom is a representative of the Center for Children's Advocacy; one of
whom is a representative of the Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence;
and one of whom is a representative of the Neag School of Education
at The University of Connecticut;
(5) Three appointed by the minority leader of the House of
Representatives, one of whom is a representative of the American
Federation of Teachers-Connecticut; one of whom is a representative of
the Center for Social and Emotional Learning at Central Connecticut
State University; and one of whom is a representative of the
Connecticut Parent Teacher Association;
(6) Three appointed by the minority leader of the Senate, one of
whom is a representative of the Connecticut Education Association;
one of whom is a representative of the National Alliance on Mental
Illness, Connecticut; and one of whom is a representative of the Youth
Suicide Advisory Board established pursuant to section 17a-52 of the
general statutes;
(7) The Commissioner of Education, or the commissioner's designee;
(8) The chairpersons and ranking members of the joint standing
committees of the General Assembly having cognizance of matters
relating to children and education;
(9) The Child Advocate, or the Child Advocate's designee; and
(10) The executive director of the Commission on Women, Children
and Seniors, or the executive director's designee.
(c) All appointments to the collaborative shall be made not later
than thirty days after the effective date of this section. Any vacancy
shall be filled by the appointing authority. Substitute House Bill No. 7215
Public Act No. 19-166 4 of 13
(d) The cochairpersons of the collaborative shall be the executive
director of the Commission on Women, Children and Seniors, or the
executive director's designee, and a cochairperson elected from among
the members. The first meeting of the collaborative shall be held not
later than sixty days after the effective date of this section.
(e) The collaborative may designate subcommittees and advisory
groups to carry out its functions, provided any subcommittees so
designated shall be comprised of members of the collaborative.
(f) The staff of the Commission on Women, Children and Seniors
shall serve as administrative staff of the collaborative.
(g) Not later than January 1, 2021, and annually thereafter, the
collaborative shall submit a report concerning (1) its efforts to (A)
monitor the school climate improvement efforts of local and regional
boards of education, (B) document needs articulated by local and
regional boards of education for technical assistance and training
relating to fostering positive school climates, (C) identify best practices
for promoting positive school climates, and (D) direct resources to
support state-wide and local initiatives on issues relating to fostering
and improving positive school climates and improving access to social
and emotional learning, and (2) any recommendations, to the joint
standing committees of the General Assembly having cognizance of
matters relating to children and education, in accordance with the
provisions of section 11-4a of the general statutes.
Sec. 2. (Effective from passage) (a) Not later than January 1, 2020, the
social and emotional learning and school climate advisory
collaborative established pursuant to section 1 of this act shall develop
a model positive school climate policy. In developing such model
policy, the collaborative may review safe school climate plans
developed and implemented by local and regional boards of education
pursuant to section 10-222d of the general statutes, as amended by this Substitute House Bill No. 7215
Public Act No. 19-166 5 of 13
act.
(b) Not later than July 1, 2020, the social and emotional learning and
school climate advisory collaborative established pursuant to section 1
of this act shall submit the assessment it developed pursuant to section
1 of this act for screening students at risk for suicide and
recommendations for implementation of such assessment in public
elementary, middle and high schools to the joint standing committees
of the General Assembly having cognizance of matters relating to
children and education, in accordance with the provisions of section
11-4a of the general statutes.
(c) Not later than July 1, 2021, the social and emotional learning and
school climate advisory collaborative established pursuant to section 1
of this act shall develop a biennial state-wide school climate survey
and provide such survey to the Department of Education. Such survey
shall be designed to obtain confidential information from school
employees and the parents and guardians of students concerning such
employees' and parents' and guardians' impressions of the school
climate at the school for which such school employees are assigned or
such parents' and guardians' children are enrolled. Such survey shall
inquire as to, but need not be limited to, such school employees' and
parents' and guardians' impressions of (1) the student learning
environment at the school, including academic supports and resources
available to students and school safety, (2) communication by school
employees to parents and guardians concerning students, (3) the
teaching environment at the school, which includes resources, support
and professional development for school employees, leadership within
the school and the availability of collaborative planning time, (4)
whether a positive school climate exists at the school, (5) whether
individuals of all races, ethnicities and cultural backgrounds feel
welcomed at the school, and (6) the availability of supports and
strategies for the development and retention of teachers and Substitute House Bill No. 7215
Public Act No. 19-166 6 of 13
administrators, including, but not limited to, minority teachers and
administrators, school psychologists and school counselors, and
suggestions for increasing the availability of such supports and
strategies.
(d) Not later than August 1, 2021, the Department of Education shall
publish the model positive school climate policy developed pursuant
to subsection (a) of this section and the biennial state-wide school
climate survey developed pursuant to subsection (c) of this section on
the Internet web site of the department.
Sec. 3. Section 10-222d of the general statutes is repealed and the
following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective July 1, 2021):
(a) As used in this section, sections 10-222g to 10-222i, inclusive,
[and] section 10-222k and sections 1 and 2 of this act:
(1) "Bullying" means [(A) the repeated use by one or more students
of a written, oral or electronic communication, such as cyberbullying,
directed at or referring to another student attending school in the same
school district, or (B) a physical act or gesture by one or more students
repeatedly directed at another student attending school in the same
school district, that: (i) Causes physical or emotional harm to such
student or damage to such student's property, (ii) places such student
in reasonable fear of harm to himself or herself, or of damage to his or
her property, (iii) creates a hostile environment at school for such
student, (iv) infringes on the rights of such student at school, or (v)
substantially disrupts the education process or the orderly operation of
a school] an act that is direct or indirect and severe, persistent or
pervasive, which (A) causes physical or emotional harm to an
individual, (B) places an individual in reasonable fear of physical or
emotional harm, or (C) infringes on the rights or opportunities of an
individual at school. "Bullying" shall include, but need not be limited
to, a written, oral or electronic communication or physical act or Substitute House Bill No. 7215
Public Act No. 19-166 7 of 13
gesture based on any actual or perceived differentiating characteristic,
such as race, color, religion, ancestry, national origin, gender, sexual
orientation, gender identity or expression, socioeconomic status,
academic status, physical appearance, or mental, physical,
developmental or sensory disability, or by association with an
individual or group who has or is perceived to have one or more of
such characteristics;
(2) "Cyberbullying" means any act of bullying through the use of the
Internet, interactive and digital technologies, cellular mobile telephone
or other mobile electronic devices or any electronic communications;
(3) "Teen dating violence" means any act of physical, emotional or
sexual abuse, including stalking, harassing and threatening, that
occurs between two students who are currently in or who have
recently been in a dating relationship;
(4) "Mobile electronic device" means any hand-held or other
portable electronic equipment capable of providing data
communication between two or more individuals, including, but not
limited to, a text messaging device, a paging device, a personal digital
assistant, a laptop computer, equipment that is capable of playing a
video game or a digital video disk, or equipment on which digital
images are taken or transmitted;
(5) "Electronic communication" means any transfer of signs, signals,
writing, images, sounds, data or intelligence of any nature transmitted
in whole or in part by a wire, radio, electromagnetic, photoelectronic
or photo-optical system;
(6) "Hostile environment" means a situation in which bullying
among students is sufficiently severe or pervasive to alter the
conditions of the school climate;
(7) "Outside of the school setting" means at a location, activity or Substitute House Bill No. 7215
Public Act No. 19-166 8 of 13
program that is not school related, or through the use of an electronic
device or a mobile electronic device that is not owned, leased or used
by a local or regional board of education;
(8) "School employee" means (A) a teacher, substitute teacher,
school administrator, school superintendent, guidance counselor,
school counselor, psychologist, social worker, nurse, physician, school
paraprofessional or coach employed by a local or regional board of
education or working in a public elementary, middle or high school; or
(B) any other individual who, in the performance of his or her duties,
has regular contact with students and who provides services to or on
behalf of students enrolled in a public elementary, middle or high
school, pursuant to a contract with the local or regional board of
education; [and]
(9) "School climate" means the quality and character of school life
[with a particular focus on the quality of the relationships within the
school community between and among students and adults.] based on
patterns of students', parents' and guardians' and school employees'
experiences of school life, including, but not limited to, norms, goals,
values, interpersonal relationships, teaching and learning practices and
organizational structures;
(10) "Positive school climate" means a school climate in which (A)
the norms, values, expectations and beliefs that support feelings of
social, emotional and physical safety are promoted, (B) students,
parents and guardians of students and school employees feel engaged
and respected and work together to develop and contribute to a shared
school vision, (C) educators model and nurture attitudes that
emphasize the benefits and satisfaction gained from learning, and (D)
each person feels comfortable contributing to the operation of the
school and care of the physical environment of the school;
(11) "Emotional intelligence" means the ability to (A) perceive, Substitute House Bill No. 7215
Public Act No. 19-166 9 of 13
recognize and understand emotions in oneself or others, (B) use
emotions to facilitate cognitive activities, including, but not limited to,
reasoning, problem solving and interpersonal communication, (C)
understand and identify emotions, and (D) manage emotions in
oneself and others; and
(12) "Social and emotional learning" means the process through
which children and adults achieve emotional intelligence through the
competencies of self-awareness, self-management, social awareness,
relationship skills and responsible decision-making.
(b) Each local and regional board of education shall develop and
implement a safe school climate plan to address the existence of
bullying and teen dating violence in its schools. Such plan shall: (1)
Enable students to anonymously report acts of bullying to school
employees and require students and the parents or guardians of
students to be notified at the beginning of each school year of the
process by which students may make such reports, (2) enable the
parents or guardians of students to file written reports of suspected
bullying, (3) require school employees who witness acts of bullying or
receive reports of bullying to orally notify the safe school climate
specialist, described in section 10-222k, or another school administrator
if the safe school climate specialist is unavailable, not later than one
school day after such school employee witnesses or receives a report of
bullying, and to file a written report not later than two school days
after making such oral report, (4) require the safe school climate
specialist to investigate or supervise the investigation of all reports of
bullying and ensure that such investigation is completed promptly
after receipt of any written reports made under this section and that
the parents or guardians of the student alleged to have committed an
act or acts of bullying and the parents or guardians of the student
against whom such alleged act or acts were directed receive prompt
notice that such investigation has commenced, (5) require the safe Substitute House Bill No. 7215
Public Act No. 19-166 10 of 13
school climate specialist to review any anonymous reports, except that
no disciplinary action shall be taken solely on the basis of an
anonymous report, (6) include a prevention and intervention strategy,
as defined by section 10-222g, for school employees to deal with
bullying and teen dating violence, (7) provide for the inclusion of
language in student codes of conduct concerning bullying, (8) require
each school to notify the parents or guardians of students who commit
any verified acts of bullying and the parents or guardians of students
against whom such acts were directed not later than forty-eight hours
after the completion of the investigation described in subdivision (4) of
this subsection (A) of the results of such investigation, and (B) verbally
and by electronic mail, if such parents' or guardians' electronic mail
addresses are known, that such parents or guardians may refer to the
plain language explanation of the rights and remedies available under
sections 10-4a and 10-4b published on the Internet web site of the local
or regional board of education pursuant to section 4 of this act, (9)
require each school to invite the parents or guardians of a student
against whom such act was directed to a meeting to communicate to
such parents or guardians the measures being taken by the school to
ensure the safety of the student against whom such act was directed
and policies and procedures in place to prevent further acts of
bullying, (10) require each school to invite the parents or guardians of
a student who commits any verified act of bullying to a meeting,
separate and distinct from the meeting required in subdivision (9) of
this subsection, to discuss specific interventions undertaken by the
school to prevent further acts of bullying, (11) establish a procedure for
each school to document and maintain records relating to reports and
investigations of bullying in such school and to maintain a list of the
number of verified acts of bullying in such school and make such list
available for public inspection, and annually report such number to the
Department of Education, and in such manner as prescribed by the
Commissioner of Education, (12) direct the development of case-by-
case interventions for addressing repeated incidents of bullying Substitute House Bill No. 7215
Public Act No. 19-166 11 of 13
against a single individual or recurrently perpetrated bullying
incidents by the same individual that may include both counseling and
discipline, (13) prohibit discrimination and retaliation against an
individual who reports or assists in the investigation of an act of
bullying, (14) direct the development of student safety support plans
for students against whom an act of bullying was directed that address
safety measures the school will take to protect such students against
further acts of bullying, (15) require the principal of a school, or the
principal's designee, to notify the appropriate local law enforcement
agency when such principal, or the principal's designee, believes that
any acts of bullying constitute criminal conduct, (16) prohibit bullying
(A) on school grounds, at a school-sponsored or school-related activity,
function or program whether on or off school grounds, at a school bus
stop, on a school bus or other vehicle owned, leased or used by a local
or regional board of education, or through the use of an electronic
device or an electronic mobile device owned, leased or used by the
local or regional board of education, and (B) outside of the school
setting if such bullying (i) creates a hostile environment at school for
the student against whom such bullying was directed, or (ii) infringes
on the rights of the student against whom such bullying was directed
at school, or (iii) substantially disrupts the education process or the
orderly operation of a school, (17) require, at the beginning of each
school year, each school to provide all school employees with a written
or electronic copy of the school district's safe school climate plan, and
(18) require that all school employees annually complete the training
described in section 10-220a or section 10-222j. The notification
required pursuant to subdivision (8) of this subsection and the
invitation required pursuant to subdivision (9) of this subsection shall
include a description of the response of school employees to such acts
and any consequences that may result from the commission of further
acts of bullying.
(c) Not later than September 1, 2014, each local and regional board Substitute House Bill No. 7215
Public Act No. 19-166 12 of 13
of education that has not had a safe school climate plan, developed
pursuant to this section, previously reviewed and approved by the
Department of Education shall submit a safe school climate plan to the
department for review and approval in accordance with the provisions
of section 10-222p. Not later than thirty calendar days after approval
by the department of such safe school climate plan, the board shall
make such plan available on the board's and each individual school in
the school district's Internet web site and ensure that such plan is
included in the school district's publication of the rules, procedures
and standards of conduct for schools and in all student handbooks.
(d) On and after July 1, 2012, and biennially thereafter, each local
and regional board of education shall require each school in the district
to complete an assessment using the school climate assessment
instruments, including surveys, approved and disseminated by the
Department of Education pursuant to section 10-222h. Each local and
regional board of education shall collect the school climate assessments
for each school in the district and submit such school climate
assessments to the department.
Sec. 4. (NEW) (Effective July 1, 2019) Not later than June 30, 2021,
each local and regional board of education shall publish on the Internet
web site of such board the plain language explanation of the rights and
remedies available under sections 10-4a and 10-4b of the general
statutes provided pursuant to subsection (a) of section 1 of this act.
Sec. 5. (NEW) (Effective July 1, 2019) Each local and regional board of
education, in consultation with the Department of Education and the
social and emotional learning and school climate advisory
collaborative established pursuant to section 1 of this act, shall provide
on the Internet web site of the department training materials to school
administrators regarding the prevention of and intervention in
discrimination against and targeted harassment of students based on
such students' (1) actual or perceived differentiating characteristics, Substitute House Bill No. 7215
Public Act No. 19-166 13 of 13
such as race, color, religion, ancestry, national origin, gender, sexual
orientation, gender identity or expression, socioeconomic status,
academic status, physical appearance or mental, physical,
developmental or sensory disability, or (2) association with individuals
or groups who have or are perceived to have one or more of such
characteristics. Such training materials may be developed in
consultation with or provided by one or more organizations offering
training on identifying, preventing and intervening in discrimination.