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General Assembly Substitute Bill No. 7352
January Session, 2019
AN ACT CONCERNING AS SORTED REVISIONS AND ADDITIONS TO
THE EDUCATION STATUT ES.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General
Assembly convened:
Section 1. Subsection (b) of section 10-91j of the general statutes is 1
repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective July 2
1, 2019): 3
(b) On and after July 1, 2019, a local or regional board of education 4
shall not be eligible for reimbursement pursuant to subsection (b) of 5
section 10-76g for any costs of special education paid by such board of 6
education to a private provider of special education services unless 7
such board of education has entered into a written contract with such 8
private provider of special education services for the provision of such 9
special education services. The individualized education program of a 10
child shall not be considered a contract between a local or regional 11
board of education and a private provider of special education services 12
for purposes of this section. Nothing in this subsection shall be 13
construed to limit or interrupt the provision of special education and 14
related services to a child by a local or regional board of education or 15
private provider of special education services. 16
Sec. 2. Section 10-16b of the general statutes is repealed and the 17
following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective July 1, 2019): 18 Substitute Bill No. 7352
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(a) In the public schools the program of instruction offered shall 19
include at least the following subject matter, as taught by legally 20
qualified teachers, the arts; career education; consumer education; 21
health and safety, including, but not limited to, human growth and 22
development, nutrition, first aid, including cardiopulmonary 23
resuscitation training in accordance with the provisions of section 10-24
16qq, disease prevention and cancer awareness, including, but not 25
limited to, age and developmentally appropriate instruction in 26
performing self-examinations for the purposes of screening for breast 27
cancer and testicular cancer, community and consumer health, 28
physical, mental and emotional health, including youth suicide 29
prevention, substance abuse prevention, including instruction relating 30
to opioid use and related disorders, safety, which shall include the safe 31
use of social media, as defined in section 9-601, and may include the 32
dangers of gang membership, and accident prevention; language arts, 33
including reading, writing, grammar, speaking and spelling; 34
mathematics; physical education; science, [which may include the] 35
including climate change in accordance with the curriculum described 36
in subsection (d) of this section; social studies, including, but not 37
limited to, citizenship, economics, geography, government, history and 38
Holocaust and genocide education and awareness in accordance with 39
the provisions of section 10-18f; computer programming instruction; 40
and in addition, on at least the secondary level, one or more world 41
languages and vocational education. For purposes of this subsection, 42
world languages shall include American Sign Language, provided 43
such subject matter is taught by a qualified instructor under the 44
supervision of a teacher who holds a certificate issued by the State 45
Board of Education. For purposes of this subsection, the "arts" means 46
any form of visual or performing arts, which may include, but not be 47
limited to, dance, music, art and theatre. 48
(b) If a local or regional board of education requires its pupils to 49
take a course in a world language, the parent or guardian of a pupil 50
identified as deaf or hard of hearing may request in writing that such 51
pupil be exempted from such requirement and, if such a request is 52 Substitute Bill No. 7352
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made, such pupil shall be exempt from such requirement. 53
(c) Each local and regional board of education shall on September 1, 54
1982, and annually thereafter at such time and in such manner as the 55
Commissioner of Education shall request, attest to the State Board of 56
Education that such local or regional board of education offers at least 57
the program of instruction required pursuant to this section, and that 58
such program of instruction is planned, ongoing and systematic. 59
(d) The State Board of Education shall make available curriculum 60
materials and such other materials as may assist local and regional 61
boards of education in developing instructional programs pursuant to 62
this section. The State Board of Education, within available 63
appropriations and utilizing available resource materials, shall assist 64
and encourage local and regional boards of education to include: (1) 65
Holocaust and genocide education and awareness; (2) the historical 66
events surrounding the Great Famine in Ireland; (3) African-American 67
history; (4) Puerto Rican history; (5) Native American history; (6) 68
personal financial management, including, but not limited to, financial 69
literacy as developed in the plan provided under section 10-16pp; (7) 70
training in cardiopulmonary resuscitation and the use of automatic 71
external defibrillators; (8) labor history and law, including organized 72
labor, the collective bargaining process, existing legal protections in the 73
workplace, the history and economics of free market capitalism and 74
entrepreneurialism, and the role of labor and capitalism in the 75
development of the American and world economies; (9) climate 76
change consistent with the Next Generation Science Standards; (10) 77
topics approved by the state board upon the request of local or 78
regional boards of education as part of the program of instruction 79
offered pursuant to subsection (a) of this section; [and] (11) instruction 80
relating to the Safe Haven Act, sections 17a-57 to 17a-61, inclusive; and 81
(12) social-emotional learning. The Department of Energy and 82
Environmental Protection shall be available to each local and regional 83
board of education for the development of curriculum on climate 84
change as described in this subsection. 85 Substitute Bill No. 7352
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Sec. 3. Subdivision (6) of subsection (a) of section 10-151 of the 86
general statutes is repealed and the following is substituted in lieu 87
thereof (Effective July 1, 2019): 88
(6) "Tenure" means: 89
(A) The completion of forty school months of full-time continuous 90
employment for the same board of education, provided the 91
superintendent offers the teacher a contract to return for the following 92
school year on the basis of effective practice as informed by 93
performance evaluations conducted pursuant to section 10-151b. For 94
purposes of calculating continuous employment towards tenure, the 95
following shall apply: (i) For a teacher who has not attained tenure, 96
two school months of part-time continuous employment by such 97
teacher shall equal one school month of full-time continuous 98
employment except, for a teacher employed in a part-time position at a 99
salary rate of less than twenty-five per cent of the salary rate of a 100
teacher in such position, if such position were full-time, three school 101
months of part-time continuous employment shall equal one school 102
month of full-time continuous employment; (ii) a teacher who has not 103
attained tenure shall not count layoff time towards tenure, except that 104
if such teacher is reemployed by the same board of education within 105
five calendar years of the layoff, such teacher may count the previous 106
continuous employment immediately prior to the layoff towards 107
tenure; (iii) a teacher who has not attained tenure shall not count 108
authorized leave time towards tenure if such time exceeds ninety 109
student school days in any one school year, provided only the student 110
school days worked that year by such teacher shall count towards 111
tenure and shall be computed on the basis of eighteen student school 112
days or the greater fraction thereof equaling one school month; (iv) for 113
a teacher who has not attained tenure and who is employed by a local 114
or regional board of education that enters into a cooperative 115
arrangement pursuant to section 10-158a, such teacher may count the 116
previous continuous employment with such board immediately prior 117
to such cooperative arrangement towards tenure; and (v) for a teacher 118 Substitute Bill No. 7352
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who has not attained tenure and who is employed by a local board of 119
education or as part of a cooperative arrangement, pursuant to section 120
10-158a, and such board or cooperative arrangement joins a regional 121
school district, such teacher may count the previous continuous 122
employment with such local board or cooperative arrangement 123
immediately prior to employment by the regional board of education 124
towards tenure. 125
(B) For a teacher who has attained tenure prior to layoff, tenure shall 126
resume if such teacher is reemployed by the same board of education 127
within five calendar years of the layoff. 128
(C) Except as provided in subparagraphs (B) [,] and (D) [and (E)] of 129
this subdivision, any teacher who has attained tenure with any one 130
board of education and whose employment with such board ends for 131
any reason and who is reemployed by such board or is subsequently 132
employed by any other board, shall attain tenure after completion of 133
twenty school months of continuous employment, provided the 134
superintendent offers the teacher a contract to return for the following 135
school year on the basis of effective practice as informed by 136
performance evaluations conducted pursuant to section 10-151b. The 137
provisions of this subparagraph shall not apply if, (i) prior to 138
completion of the twentieth school month following commencement of 139
employment by such board such teacher has been notified in writing 140
that his or her contract will not be renewed for the following school 141
year, or (ii) for a period of five or more calendar years immediately 142
prior to such subsequent employment, such teacher has not been 143
employed by any board of education. 144
[(D) Any certified teacher or administrator employed by a local or 145
regional board of education for a school district identified as a priority 146
school district pursuant to section 10-266p may attain tenure after ten 147
months of employment in such priority school district, if such certified 148
teacher or administrator previously attained tenure with another local 149
or regional board of education in this state or another state.] 150 Substitute Bill No. 7352
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[(E)] (D) For a teacher who has attained tenure and is employed by a 151
local or regional board of education that enters into a cooperative 152
arrangement pursuant to section 10-158a, such teacher shall not 153
experience a break in continuous employment for purposes of tenure 154
as a result of such cooperative arrangement. 155
[(F)] (E) For a teacher who has attained tenure and is employed by a 156
local board of education or as part of a cooperative arrangement, 157
pursuant to section 10-158a, and such board or cooperative 158
arrangement joins a regional school district, such teacher shall not 159
experience a break in continuous employment for purposes of tenure 160
as a result of joining such regional school district. 161
Sec. 4. (Effective from passage) (a) There is established a working 162
group to study issues relating to the implementation of the pre-service 163
performance assessment, edTPA, as adopted by the State Board of 164
Education on December 7, 2016, as part of teacher preparation 165
programs, as defined in section 10-10a of the general statutes. The 166
working group shall examine how such assessment is being 167
implemented in teacher preparation programs in the state, the 168
financial costs associated with such assessment on institutions of 169
higher education and students enrolled in teacher preparation 170
programs, whether such assessment is evidence-based or a best 171
practice, whether other states are using such assessment as part of 172
teacher preparation programs or requiring completion of such 173
assessment for professional certification, and any effect on world 174
languages instruction. 175
(b) The working group shall consist of the following members: 176
(1) The Commissioner of Education, or the commissioner's designee; 177
(2) One appointed by the Governor, who has expertise in pre-service 178
performance assessments for teacher preparation programs; 179
(3) One appointed by the Senate chairperson of the joint standing 180
committee of the General Assembly having cognizance of matters 181 Substitute Bill No. 7352
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relating to education, who is a student who is currently enrolled in a 182
teacher preparation program in the state; 183
(4) One appointed by the House chairperson of the joint standing 184
committee of the General Assembly having cognizance of matters 185
relating to education, who is a professor in a teacher preparation 186
program in the state; 187
(5) One appointed by the Senate ranking member of the joint 188
standing committee of the General Assembly having cognizance of 189
matters relating to education, who is a recent graduate of a teacher 190
preparation program in the state; and 191
(6) One appointed by the House ranking member of the joint 192
standing committee of the General Assembly having cognizance of 193
matters relating to education, who is a student currently enrolled in a 194
teacher preparation program in the state. 195
(c) All appointments to the working group shall be made not later 196
than thirty days after the effective date of this section. Any vacancy 197
shall be filled by the appointing authority. 198
(d) The Commissioner of Education, or the commissioner's 199
designee, shall schedule the first meeting of the working group, which 200
shall be held not later than sixty days after the effective date of this 201
section. The members of the working group shall elect the chairperson 202
of the working group from among the members of the working group 203
at the first meeting. 204
(e) The administrative staff of the joint standing committee of the 205
General Assembly having cognizance of matters relating to education 206
shall serve as administrative staff of the working group. 207
(f) Not later than January 1, 2020, the working group shall submit a 208
report on its findings and recommendations to the joint standing 209
committee of the General Assembly having cognizance of matters 210
relating to education, in accordance with the provisions of section 11-211 Substitute Bill No. 7352
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4a of the general statutes. The working group shall terminate on the 212
date that it submits such report or January 1, 2020, whichever is later. 213
Sec. 5. Section 10-155k of the general statutes is repealed and the 214
following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective July 1, 2019): 215
On and after July 1, 2013, the Commissioner of Education shall 216
establish a School Paraprofessional Advisory Council, which on and 217
after July 1, 2019, shall be known as the School Paraeducator Advisory 218
Council, consisting of (1) one school [paraprofessional] paraeducator 219
from each state-wide bargaining representative organization that 220
represents school [paraprofessionals] paraeducators with instructional 221
responsibilities, (2) one representative from each of the exclusive 222
bargaining units for certified employees, chosen pursuant to section 223
10-153b, (3) the most recent recipient of the Connecticut 224
[Paraprofessional] Paraeducator of the Year Award, (4) two 225
representatives from the regional educational service centers, 226
appointed by the Commissioner of Education, and (5) a school 227
administrator, appointed by the Connecticut Federation of School 228
Administrators. The council shall hold quarterly meetings and advise, 229
at least quarterly, the Commissioner of Education, or the 230
commissioner's designee, of the needs for (A) professional 231
development and the training of [paraprofessionals] paraeducators 232
and the effectiveness of the content and the delivery of existing 233
training for such [paraprofessionals] paraeducators, (B) appropriate 234
staffing strategies for [paraprofessionals] paraeducators, and (C) other 235
relevant issues relating to [paraprofessionals] paraeducators. The 236
council shall report, annually, in accordance with the provisions of 237
section 11-4a, on the recommendations given to the commissioner, or 238
the commissioner's designee, pursuant to the provisions of this section, 239
to the joint standing committee of the General Assembly having 240
cognizance of matters relating to education. 241
Sec. 6. (Effective from passage) Not later than January 1, 2020, the 242
School Paraeducator Advisory Council, established pursuant to section 243
10-155k of the general statutes, as amended by this act, shall conduct a 244 Substitute Bill No. 7352
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study concerning the following: (1) Safety issues relating to 245
paraeducators who work with students who have behavioral issues, 246
including the availability of appropriate safety equipment for 247
paraeducators at each school, (2) issues relating to the assignment of 248
substitute teaching duties to paraeducators, including emergency 249
situations when a paraeducator is asked to serve as a substitute 250
teacher, and (3) issues relating to the duties of paraeducators who 251
work with students who have individualized education programs. The 252
council shall submit such study and any recommendations to the joint 253
standing committee of the General Assembly having cognizance of 254
matters relating to education, in accordance with the provisions of 255
section 11-4a of the general statutes. 256
Sec. 7. (Effective July 1, 2019) For the fiscal years ending June 30, 257
2020, and June 30, 2021, the Department of Education shall establish 258
and administer a principal induction pilot program. Such pilot 259
program shall provide opportunities for peer mentoring for new 260
school principals and include executive leadership and workforce 261
development as key principles in the professional development for 262
new school principals. In developing the pilot program, the 263
department shall standardize existing principal induction programs 264
being administered by local and regional boards of education across 265
the state. The department shall permit any local or regional board of 266
education to participate in the pilot program, and may select up to five 267
additional boards of education to participate. A local or regional board 268
of education participating in the pilot program may partner with 269
businesses in the state to implement the pilot program. Not later than 270
January 1, 2022, the department shall submit an evaluation of the pilot 271
program to the joint standing committee of the General Assembly 272
having cognizance of matters relating to education, in accordance with 273
the provisions of section 11-4a of the general statutes. 274
Sec. 8. Section 10-264q of the general statutes is repealed and the 275
following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective July 1, 2019): 276
Notwithstanding subdivision (3) of subsection (b) of section 10-264l, 277 Substitute Bill No. 7352
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an interdistrict magnet school program that (1) does not assist the state 278
in meeting the goals of the 2008 stipulation and order for Milo Sheff, et 279
al. v. William A. O'Neill, et al., as extended, or the goals of the 2013 280
stipulation and order for Milo Sheff, et al. v. William A. O'Neill, et al., 281
as extended, as determined by the Commissioner of Education, and (2) 282
is not in compliance with the enrollment requirements for students of 283
racial minorities, pursuant to section 10-264l, following the submission 284
of student information data of such interdistrict magnet school 285
program to the state-wide public school information system, pursuant 286
to section 10-10a, on or before October 1, [2015] 2019, shall remain 287
eligible for an interdistrict magnet school operating grant pursuant to 288
section 10-264l for the fiscal years ending June 30, 2020, and June 30, 289
2021, if such interdistrict magnet school program submits a compliance 290
plan to the Commissioner of Education and the commissioner 291
approves such plan. 292
This act shall take effect as follows and shall amend the following
sections:
Section 1 July 1, 2019 10-91j(b)
Sec. 2 July 1, 2019 10-16b
Sec. 3 July 1, 2019 10-151(a)(6)
Sec. 4 from passage New section
Sec. 5 July 1, 2019 10-155k
Sec. 6 from passage New section
Sec. 7 July 1, 2019 New section
Sec. 8 July 1, 2019 10-264q
ED Joint Favorable Subst.