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General Assembly Raised Bill No. 6483
January Session, 2021
LCO No. 3630
Referred to Committee on VETERANS' AFFAIRS
Introduced by:
(VA)
AN ACT CONCERNING TH E ENROLLMENT OF CHIL DREN OF
MEMBERS OF THE ARMED FORCES IN PUBLIC SCHOOLS AND THE
ESTABLISHMENT OF A P URPLE STAR SCHOOL PR OGRAM.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General
Assembly convened:
Section 1. Subsection (a) of section 10-186 of the general statutes is 1
repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective July 1, 2
2021): 3
(a) Each local or regional board of education shall furnish, by 4
transportation or otherwise, school accommodations so that each child 5
five years of age and over and under twenty-one years of age who is not 6
a graduate of a high school or technical education and career school may 7
attend public school, except as provided in section 10-233c and 8
subsection (d) of section 10-233d. For purposes of establishing the 9
residency of a child of a member of the armed forces, as defined in 10
section 27-103, and who is seeking enrollment in a school under the 11
jurisdiction of a local or regional board of education for a town in which 12
such child is not yet a resident, such board shall accept the military 13
orders directing such member to the state, and any other documents 14 Raised Bill No. 6483
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such board may require, as proof of residency. Any board of education 15
which denies school accommodations, including a denial based on an 16
issue of residency, to any such child shall inform the parent or guardian 17
of such child or the child, in the case of an emancipated minor, a pupil 18
eighteen years of age or older or an unaccompanied youth, as described 19
in 42 USC 11434a, as amended from time to time, of his or her right to 20
request a hearing by the board of education in accordance with the 21
provisions of subdivision (1) of subsection (b) of this section. A board of 22
education which has denied school accommodations shall advise the 23
board of education under whose jurisdiction it claims such child should 24
be attending school of the denial. For purposes of this section, (1) a 25
"parent or guardian" shall include a surrogate parent appointed 26
pursuant to section 10-94g, and (2) a child residing in a dwelling located 27
in more than one town in this state shall be considered a resident of each 28
town in which the dwelling is located and may attend school in any one 29
of such towns. For purposes of this subsection, "dwelling" means a 30
single, two or three-family house or a condominium unit. 31
Sec. 2. (NEW) (Effective July 1, 2021) (a) As used in this section, 32
"military-connected student" means a student enrolled in a public 33
school who (1) is a dependent of a current or former member of the 34
armed forces, as defined in section 27-103 of the general statutes, or (2) 35
was a dependent of a member of the armed forces who was killed in the 36
line of duty. 37
(b) The State Board of Education shall establish a Purple Star School 38
Program. The state board shall award a Purple Star School designation 39
to any school that (1) employs a staff member who serves as a military 40
liaison for the school and whose duties include (A) identifying military-41
connected students enrolled at the school, (B) serving as the point of 42
contact between the school and military-connected students and their 43
families, (C) identifying appropriate school services available to 44
military-connected students, and (D) assisting in coordinating school 45
programs relevant to military-connected students; (2) compiles and 46
makes available on the Internet web site for the school, information and 47
resources available to military-connected students and their families, 48 Raised Bill No. 6483
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including, but not limited to, (A) the registration process for enrollment 49
and the transferring of student records to the school, (B) academic 50
planning, including curriculum and advanced placement classes offered 51
at the school, (C) counseling and other support services available for 52
military-connected students enrolled at the school, and (D) the contact 53
information for the military liaison of the school; (3) provides a 54
transition program led by students, where appropriate, that assists 55
military-connected students in transitioning to the school; (4) provides 56
in-service training or professional development for staff members on 57
issues related to military-connected students; and (5) offers at least one 58
of the following initiatives: (A) A resolution showing support for 59
military-connected students and their families, (B) recognition of the 60
Month of the Military Child or Military Family Month, with relevant 61
events hosted by the school, or (C) a partnership with a local military 62
installation that provides opportunities for active duty members of the 63
armed forces to volunteer at the school, speak at an assembly or host a 64
field trip. 65
(c) A local or regional board of education may apply to the State 66
Board of Education, in a manner and form prescribed by the state board, 67
for the Purple Star School designation for any school under the 68
jurisdiction of such local or regional board that satisfies the 69
requirements of subsection (b) of this section. 70
(d) A local or regional board of education may partner with the 71
Department of Education to provide assistance or materials for the (1) 72
provision of the in-service training or professional development 73
described in subdivision (4) of subsection (b) of this section, or (2) 74
offering of an initiative described in subdivision (5) of subsection (b) of 75
this section. 76
This act shall take effect as follows and shall amend the following
sections:
Section 1 July 1, 2021 10-186(a)
Sec. 2 July 1, 2021 New section
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Statement of Purpose:
To allow military orders to be accepted as proof of residency for the
purpose of enrollment in a public school by children of members of the
armed forces and to establish a Purple Star School Program.
[Proposed deletions are enclosed in brackets. Proposed additions are indicated by underline, except
that when the entire text of a bill or resolution or a section of a bill or resolution is new, it is not
underlined.]