Researcher: JC Page 1 5/6/21
OLR Bill Analysis
sSB 2 (File 246, as amended by Senate "A")*
AN ACT CONCERNING SOCIAL EQUITY AND THE HEALTH,
SAFETY AND EDUCATION OF CHILDREN.
SUMMARY
This bill makes various changes to laws affecting children and
pupils and related entities, such as the departments of Children and
Families (DCF), Education (SDE), Public Health (DPH); the Office of
Early Childhood (OEC); and local and regional boards of education.
Among other things, the bill:
1. requires DCF to (a) develop a policy to provide remote
visitation opportunities and (b) provide written notice and a list
of legal services providers when removing a child;
2. (a) expands the Birth-to-Three Program, (b) prohibits OEC from
charging for early intervention services, (c) allows Birth-to-
Three coordinators to participate in planning and placement
meetings and exempts them from certain disciplinary actions,
and (d) requires local or regional boards of education to monitor
certain children for developmental and social-emotional delays;
3. (a) allows local or regional boards of education to provide
virtual learning to high school students and remote parent-
teacher conferences, (b) requires the boards to integrate social-
emotional learning into professional training, (c) requires the
boards of education to allow up to two excused mental health
wellness days per school year, (d) prohibits school boards from
shaming a child for unpaid meals, and (e) allows minors to
receive more than six outpatient mental health treatment
sessions without their parent or guardian’s consent; and
4. requires SDE to develop a community resource document for 2021SB-00002-R01-BA.DOCX
Researcher: JC Page 2 5/6/21
children and families.
The bill also (1) sets up a youth suicide prevention training program
in local and district health departments, (2) adds specified mental
health training to DPH’s continuing education requirements for certain
healthcare professionals, and (3) establishes a 25-member task force on
children’s needs.
It also makes minor, technical, and conforming changes.
*Senate Amendment “A” strikes the underlying bill and replaces it
with similar provisions that: (1) make additional changes to mental
health training and education for healthcare professionals, including
removing the waiver of up to ten contact hours for registered or
licensed nurses who engage in certain activities; (2) limit student
mental health wellness days to two days taken nonconsecutively; (3)
require boards of education to add employees and third-party vendors
to policies or procedures for collecting unpaid meal charges; (4)
eliminate the DCF telephone Careline expansion provision and instead
require DCF to develop a software application for certain electronic
communications; (5) require boards of education to monitor certain
children for developmental and social-emotional delays; (6) eliminate
the adverse childhood experiences pilot program; (7) increase, from 24
to 25, the members of the task force to study children and expand its
duties; and (8) change the effective dates to upon passage for the
provisions on early intervention services fees and Birth-to-Three
expansion.
EFFECTIVE DATE: July 1, 2021, except that the sections related to
the SDE community resources document (§ 15), virtual or remote
school instruction (§ 16), excused and unexcused absence (§ 18), early
intervention services fees (§ 24), birth-to-three program expansion (§
28), and the children’s needs task force (§ 30) are effective upon
passage.
§ 1 — YOUTH SUICIDE PREVEN TION TRAINING PROGRAM
The bill requires the Youth Suicide Advisory Board (YSAB) and the 2021SB-00002-R01-BA.DOCX
Researcher: JC Page 3 5/6/21
Office of the Child Advocate (OCA) to jointly administer an evidence-
based youth suicide prevention training program in each local and
district health department and offer it at least once every three years,
starting by July 1, 2022.
Under the bill, an “evidence-based” training program is one that:
1. incorporates methods shown to be effective for the intended
population through scientifically based research, including
statistically controlled evaluations or randomized trials;
2. can be successfully replicated in the state with a set of
procedures;
3. achieves sustained, desirable outcomes; and
4. when possible, has been determined to be cost-beneficial.
The training program must provide certification in Question,
Persuade and Refer (QPR) Institute Gatekeeper Training (i.e., an
educational program designed to teach lay and professional
individuals who work with youth the warning signs of a suicide crisis
and how to respond). It must use a training model that allows
participants with valid certification to train other individuals,
including members of the public.
The bill requires each local and district health department director
to determine the program’s eligibility criteria. Program participants
must be members from the following groups in each health district:
1. local and district health department employees,
2. youth service bureau employees,
3. school employees,
4. youth-serving organization employees and volunteers,
5. youth athletic activity employees and volunteers, 2021SB-00002-R01-BA.DOCX
Researcher: JC Page 4 5/6/21
6. municipal social service agency employees,
7. paid municipal or volunteer fire department members, and
8. local police department members.
The bill allows school employees to participate in the training
program as part of an in-service training program provided by local
and regional boards of education under existing law.
It also authorizes YSAB and OCA to contract with a
nongovernmental entity that provides evidence-based suicide
prevention training to administer the bill’s training program.
§§ 2-9 — MENTAL HEALTH TRAINING AND EDUCATION FOR
HEALTHCARE PROFESSIONALS
Starting on and after January 1, 2022, the bill expands the continuing
education requirements for certain healthcare professionals to include
at least two hours of training and education on (1) screening for post-
traumatic stress disorder, suicide risk, depression, and grief and (2)
suicide prevention training.
Except as noted below, the requirement applies (1) during the first
license or certification renewal period as applicable and (2) at least
once every six years after that.
This requirement applies to:
1. physician assistants;
2. physical therapists;
3. occupational therapists and occupational therapy assistants;
4. registered nurses and licensed practical nurses;
5. behavior analysts;
6. certified community health workers; and
7. emergency medical responders, emergency medical technicians, 2021SB-00002-R01-BA.DOCX
Researcher: JC Page 5 5/6/21
or emergency medical instructors.
The bill also requires two hours of this training for nurse’s aides, as
part of their registration requirements.
The bill specifies that the evidence-based youth suicide prevention
training program administered under Section 1 may satisfy the suicide
prevention training requirement for some of these healthcare
professionals. This applies to physical therapists, occupational
therapists and occupational therapist assistants, nurse’s aides,
behavior analysts, certified community health workers, emergency
medical responders, and emergency medical technicians.
Physician Assistants (§ 2)
The bill requires physician assistants to earn the required training
and education through a program administered by the American
Association of Physician Assistants, a hospital or other licensed health
care institution, or a regionally accredited higher education institution.
Physician assistants applying for license renewal must sign a statement
attesting that they have satisfied the requirements.
The bill requires each licensee to (1) retain attendance records or
certificates of completion that demonstrate compliance for a minimum
of three years following the year in which the continuing education
was completed and (2) submit records or certificates to the department
for inspection within 45 days after the department requests them.
Physical Therapists (§ 3)
Under the bill, physical therapists must include the training and
education, when required, as part of the existing minimum 20-hour
continuing education required during each registration period.
The bill specifies that the requirement applies during the first
license renewal period for which continuing education is required (i.e.,
the second license renewal) and every six years after that.
Occupational Therapists and Occupational Therapy Assistants (§
4) 2021SB-00002-R01-BA.DOCX
Researcher: JC Page 6 5/6/21
The bill requires occupational therapists and occupational therapy
assistants to complete the mental health training or education as an
additional requirement for licensure renewal. The training or
education must be offered or approved by the Connecticut
Occupational Therapy Association, a hospital or other licensed health
care institution, or a regionally accredited higher education institution.
Registered Nurses and Licensed Practical Nurses (§ 5)
The bill requires that actively practicing registered nurses and
licensed practical nurses include the mental health and suicide
prevention training as contact hours of training. The bill defines a
“contact hour” as a minimum of 50 minutes of continuing education
and activities. The requirements apply to registration periods (i.e., the
one-year period for which a license has been renewed) starting on or
after January 1, 2022.
Under the bill, qualifying continuing education courses include in-
person and online courses offered or approved by:
1. the American Nurses Association,
2. the Connecticut Hospital Association,
3. the Connecticut Nurses Association or Connecticut League for
Nursing,
4. a specialty nursing society or an equivalent organization in
another jurisdiction,
5. a hospital or other health care institution,
6. a regionally accredited academic institution, or
7. a state or local health department.
The bill also requires each registered nurse and licensed practical
nurse applying for license renewal to sign a statement attesting that he
or she has satisfied the continuing education requirements on a form
prescribed by DPH. Each licensee must (1) retain attendance records or 2021SB-00002-R01-BA.DOCX
Researcher: JC Page 7 5/6/21
completion certificates demonstrating compliance with the bill’s
continuing education requirements for at least three years after the
year in which the continuing education was completed and (2) submit
the records or certificates to the department for inspection within 45
days after the department requests them.
Nurse Aides (§ 6)
The bill requires that nurse aides include the continuing education
as part of the existing minimum 100 -hour training program
requirement. The suicide prevention training must be offered or
approved by (1) the American Nurses Association, (2) the Connecticut
Hospital Association, (3) the Connecticut Nurses Association or
Connecticut League for Nursing, (4) a specialty nursing society or
equivalent organization in another jurisdiction, (5) a hospital or other
health care institution, (6) a regionally accredited academic institution,
or (6) a state or local health department.
Behavior Analysts (§ 7)
The bill requires behavioral analysts to complete the mental health
training or education as an additional requirement for licensure
renewal. The training or education must be offered or approved by the
Connecticut Association for Behavior Analysis, a hospital or other
licensed health care institution, or a regionally accredited higher
education institution.
Certified Community Health Workers (§ 8)
Under the bill, certified community health workers must include the
mental health and suicide prevention training as part of the existing
minimum 30-hour continuing education requirement for license
renewal every three years. The training must be provided by the
Community Health Worker Advisory Body or providers the body
approves.
Emergency Medical Services Personnel (§ 9)
The bill requires emergency medical responders, emergency
medical technicians, or emergency medical services instructors seeking
certification renewal to complete mental health and suicide prevention 2021SB-00002-R01-BA.DOCX
Researcher: JC Page 8 5/6/21
training. Emergency medical responders and technicians must have
completed the training within the six years before the certification
renewal. For instructors, the requirement applies during the first
renewal period and at least once every six years after that. In all cases,
the requirement starts on January 1, 2022.
The law already requires paramedics to complete mental health first
aid training as part of their licensing application.
§ 10 — OUTPATIENT MENTAL HEALTH TREATMENT FOR
MINORS
By law, a psychiatrist, a psychologist, an independent social worker,
or a marital and family therapist may provide outpatient mental health
treatment to a minor without the consent or notification of a parent or
guardian at the request of the minor under certain conditions. Current
law requires a mental health provider to notify the minor that the
consent, notification, or involvement of a parent or guardian is
required to continue treatment after the sixth session, unless it would
be seriously detrimental to the minor’s well-being. The bill allows
minors to request and receive as many outpatient mental health
treatment sessions as necessary without the consent or notification of a
parent or guardian.
Under the bill, a provider may notify a parent or guardian of
treatment provided without the minor’s consent or notification, if (1)
the provider determines that notification or disclosure is necessary for
the minor’s well-being, (2) the treatment provided to the minor is
solely for mental health and not for a substance use disorder, and (3)
the minor is given an opportunity to object to the notification or
disclosure.
The bill requires the provider to document his or her determination
regarding the notification or disclosure and any objections expressed
by the minor in the minor’s clinical record. The provider may disclose
to a minor’s parent or guardian the following information regarding
the minor’s outpatient mental health treatment:
1. diagnosis; 2021SB-00002-R01-BA.DOCX
Researcher: JC Page 9 5/6/21
2. treatment plan and progress;
3. recommended medications, including risks, benefits, side
effects, typical efficacy, dose, and schedule;
4. psychoeducation about the minor’s mental health;
5. referrals to community resources;
6. coaching on parenting or behavioral management strategies;
and
7. crisis prevention planning and safety planning.
It also requires a provider to release a minor’s entire clinical record
to another provider upon the request of the minor or the minor’s
parent or guardian.
Existing law, unchanged by the bill, shields a parent or guardian
from liability for treatment costs if he or she is not informed of the
minor child’s outpatient mental health treatment.
§§ 11-13 — SOCIAL-EMOTIONAL LEARNING
The bill requires, starting with the 2021-2022 school year and every
school year after that, local and regional boards of education to
integrate the principles and practices of social-emotional learning
throughout the components of its district’s professional development
programs. Current law requires each board to make available, at no
cost, at least 18 hours of individual and small group professional
development each school year for certified employees.
The bill also requires each board of education of each local or
regional school district, in its statement of goals, to include goals for
integrating principles and practices of social-emotional learning in the
district’s professional development programs.
By law, local and regional boards of education must establish
professional development and evaluation committees to, among other
things, develop, evaluate, and annually update the district’s 2021SB-00002-R01-BA.DOCX
Researcher: JC Page 10 5/6/21
professional development plan for certified district employees (CGA §
10-220a). The bill requires each board’s professional development and
evaluation committee to consider student priorities and needs related
to student social-emotional learning and student academic outcomes
when developing, evaluating, and annually updating a district’s
professional development program.
§ 14 — REMOTE PARENT -TEACHER CONFERENCES
The bill requires each school district, beginning with the 2021-2022
school year and every school year after that, in their policies and
procedures encouraging parent-teacher cooperation, to:
1. offer parents the option of attending any parent-teacher
conference by telephone, video conference, or other
conferencing platform (i.e., remotely);
2. conduct (a) one parent-teacher conference, in addition to the
two per year required under current law, during a period when
the district provides virtual learning for more than three
consecutive weeks, and (b) one additional parent-teacher
conference every six months after that if sessions continue to be
provided virtually; and
3. request from each student’s parent the name and contact
information of an emergency contact person who may be
contacted if the parent cannot be reached to schedule a parent-
teacher conference required if the district is providing virtual
learning.
Under the bill, if, after three attempts, a teacher is unable to contact
a student’s parent in order to schedule a parent-teacher conference, he
or she must report this inability to the school principal, school
counselor, or other school administrator designated by the local or
regional board of education. The principal, counselor, or administrator
must contact the student’s emergency contact to determine the student
and family’s health and safety.
§ 15 — COMMUNITY RESOURCES DOCUMENT 2021SB-00002-R01-BA.DOCX
Researcher: JC Page 11 5/6/21
The bill requires SDE, by December 1, 2021, to develop and annually
update a document for local and regional boards of education that
provides information on educational, safety, mental health, and food
insecurity resources and programs available for students and their
families. The document must include:
1. providers of such resources and programs, including DCF, the
Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services, the
United Way of Connecticut, and local food banks;
2. descriptions of relevant resources and programs each provider
offers, including any program that provides laptop computers,
public Internet access, or home Internet service to students;
3. each provider’s, resource’s, and program’s contact information;
and
4. relevant websites.
SDE must annually electronically distribute the document to each
local and regional board of education.
§§ 16-18 — VIRTUAL LEARNING
Virtual Learning Standards and Policy (§§ 16 & 17)
The bill requires the SDE commissioner to develop, and update as
necessary, standards for virtual learning (i.e., instruction by means of
one or more Internet-based software platforms as part of an in-person
or remote learning model). It specifies that the standards must not be
deemed regulations.
It also allows local and regional school boards, starting with the
2021-2022 school year and each school year after that, to authorize
virtual learning to students in grades nine to 12, inclusive, if the
boards:
1. provide instruction in compliance with the standards developed
by SDE under the bill, and
2. adopt a policy on student attendance requirements during 2021SB-00002-R01-BA.DOCX
Researcher: JC Page 12 5/6/21
virtual learning, which must (a) comply with SDE guidance and
(b) count attendance of any student who spends at least one-half
of the day during virtual instruction engaged in virtual classes,
virtual meetings, activities on time-logged electronic systems,
and turning in assignments.
Under the bill, virtual learning must be considered an actual school
session, provided virtual learning is conducted in compliance with the
standards SDE must develop under the bill.
Excused and Unexcused School Absences (§ 18)
The bill requires the State Board of Education (SBE) to change its
definition of the terms “excused absence” and “unexcused absence” to
exclude a student’s (1) (a) engagement in virtual classes, (b) virtual
meetings, (c) activities on time-logged electronic systems, and (d)
completion and submission of assignments, if the engagement
accounts for at least one-half of the school day in which virtual
learning is authorized.
§ 19 — MENTAL HEALTH WELLNE SS DAYS
The bill requires, for the 2021-2022 school year and every school
year after that, local or regional boards of education to allow any
student enrolled in grades kindergarten through 12, to take two mental
health wellness days during the school year, on which a student is not
required to attend school. However, a student cannot take these
mental health wellness days during consecutive school days.
§ 20 — SCHOOL LUNCH DEBT
The bill requires local or regional boards of education, starting with
the 2021-2022 school year, and each school year after that, to include
the following in policies or procedures for collecting unpaid school
meal charges applicable to employees and third-party vendors who
provide school meals:
1. a prohibition on publicly identifying or shaming a child for any
unpaid meal charges, by (a) delaying or refusing to serve a meal
to the child, (b) designating a specific meal for the child, or (c) 2021SB-00002-R01-BA.DOCX
Researcher: JC Page 13 5/6/21
taking any disciplinary action against the child;
2. a declaration of a child’s right to purchase one meal (which may
exclude a la carte items) for any school breakfast, lunch, or other
feeding; and
3. a procedure for communicating with parents or guardians
about collecting a child’s unpaid meal charges, including (a)
information on local food pantries, (b) applications for free or
reduced-price meals and the Department of Social Services’
supplemental nutrition assistance program, and (c) a link to the
school district’s website that lists any community services
available to town residents.
If a child’ unpaid meal charges equal or exceed the cost of 30 meals,
the bill requires the local or regional school board to refer the child’s
parent or guardian to the board’s local homeless education liaison. The
bill also allows local or regional boards of education to accept gifts,
donations, or grants from any public or private source to pay off
unpaid meal charges.
§ 21 — VISITATION OF CHILD IN DCF CARE AND CUSTODY
Virtual Visitation Requirement
By law, the DCF commissioner must ensure that children in the
department’s care and custody receive visits from their parents and
siblings, unless the court orders otherwise.
Under the bill, in the event of a pandemic or outbreak of a
communicable disease resulting in a declaration of a public health
emergency by the Governor or a declaration of a national emergency
by the President of the United States, the child must be given
opportunities to communicate with his or her parents and siblings by
telephone, video, or other conferencing platform instead of in-person
visitation for the duration of any such declaration.
The commissioner must ensure that opportunities for these visits
occur as often as reasonably possible, based on the best interest of the
child, as is the case for in-person visits under existing law. 2021SB-00002-R01-BA.DOCX
Researcher: JC Page 14 5/6/21
Remote Visitation Policy Related to Communicable Diseases
The bill requires the DCF commissioner, by January 1, 2022, to
develop a policy to temporarily stop in-person visitation, on a case-by-
case basis, if (1) a child or his or her parent or sibling is seriously ill
due to a communicable disease and (2) visitation could result in at
least one participant contracting the disease during the visit.
The policy must require that the child is provided an opportunity to
communicate with his or her parents and siblings by telephonic, video,
or other conferencing platform instead of an in-person visit. The bill
requires the commissioner to define the terms “seriously ill” and
“communicable disease” in the visitation policy.
§ 22 — DCF SOFTWARE APPLICA TION
The bill requires the DCF commissioner, by February 1, 2022, to
develop and maintain a software application for use on computers and
mobile devices to facilitate (1) the reporting of nonemergent incidents
to DCF by mandated reporters and (2) communication between
children in the commissioner’s care and custody and social workers
assigned to them.
§ 23 — DCF WRITTEN REMOVAL NOTICE AND LIST
By law, if the DCF commissioner receives a complaint of child abuse
or neglect, at the first face-to-face contact with the child’s parent or
guardian, DCF must provide a written notice explaining certain
matters in plain language. (The bill appears to suspend this
requirement until October 1, 2021.)
Under existing law, among other things, the notice must state that
the parent or guardian is entitled to seek the representation of an
attorney and to have an attorney present when the parent or guardian
is questioned by a DCF representative. The bill specifies that this
includes at any meeting conducted to determine whether the child
should be removed from the home.
In addition to the written notice, the bill also requires DCF to
provide these parents or guardians with a list of free and low-cost legal 2021SB-00002-R01-BA.DOCX
Researcher: JC Page 15 5/6/21
services providers through which they may obtain legal advice.
As is the case under existing law for the written notice, the bill
requires DCF to (1) make reasonable efforts to ensure that the list is
written in a manner and in a language that the parent or guardian can
understand and (2) request the parent or guardian to sign and date the
notice as evidence of receiving the list.
§ 24 — EARLY INTERVENTION S ERVICES FEES
Under current law, the OEC commissioner must establish and
periodically revise a schedule of fees for early intervention services
based on a sliding scale relative to the financial resources of the
parents or legal guardians of eligible children. The bill eliminates this
requirement and instead prohibits the commissioner from charging a
fee for early intervention services to the parents or legal guardians of
eligible children.
Current law requires the commissioner to develop and implement
procedures to hold a recipient harmless for the impact of pursuit of
payment for early intervention services against lifetime insurance
limits. The bill limits this requirement to services rendered prior to its
passage.
§ 25 — PLANNING AND PLACEME NT TEAM MEETINGS
Expansion of Parental Notification Requirements
By law, a local or regional board of education responsible for
providing special education and related services to a child or pupil
generally must provide written notice to the child’s parent or guardian
or to a pupil who is an emancipated minor before (1) proposing to, or
refusing to, initiate or change the child’s or pupil’s identification,
evaluation, or educational placement or (2) providing free appropriate
public education to the child or pupil. The law also gives the parent,
guardian, or pupil, upon request, the right to meet with a member of
the planning and placement team (PPT) before the referral team
meeting.
Under current law, the parent, guardian, pupil, or surrogate parent 2021SB-00002-R01-BA.DOCX
Researcher: JC Page 16 5/6/21
must (1) be given at least five-days’ notice before any PPT meeting; (2)
have the right to be present at and participate in all portions of a
meeting at which an educational program for the child or pupil is
developed, reviewed, or revised; and (3) have the right to have certain
professionals present and participate. The bill expands this by
requiring that during any meeting at which an educational program
for the child or pupil is developed, the parent, guardian, pupil, or
surrogate parent must also have the right to have each
recommendation made in the child or pupil ’s Birth-to-Three
individualized transition plan, addressed by the PPT.
Birth-to-Three Service Coordinator PPT Participation
Additionally, the bill gives the parent, guardian, pupil, or surrogate
parent the right to have the child or pupil’s Birth-to-Three service
coordinator, if any, attend and participate in any part of the meeting at
which an educational program for the child or pupil is developed,
reviewed, or revised.
The bill maintains the right under current law to have advisors and
school paraprofessionals attend and participate in these meetings, but
no longer requires them to be present.
Additional Notification Requirements
The bill expands the information that the responsible local or
regional board of education must give the parent, guardian, surrogate
parent, or pupil at each initial PPT meeting. Under existing law, the
boards must tell the parent, guardian, surrogate parent, or pupil about
physical restraint and seclusion laws and regulations. Under the bill,
during the meeting at which an educational program for the child or
pupil is developed, the local or regional board of education must also
inform them of their right to have:
1. the child or pupil’s Birth-to-Three service coordinator attend
and participate in all portions of the meeting and
2. each recommendation made in the transition plan by the service
coordinator addressed by the PPT. 2021SB-00002-R01-BA.DOCX
Researcher: JC Page 17 5/6/21
Monitoring Developmental Delay
Required Monitoring. The bill requires each local or regional board
of education to monitor the development of each child who has been
(1) referred for a registration on a mobile application designated by the
OEC commissioner (see § 27 below), in partnership with the child’s
parent, guardian, or surrogate parent, or (2) provided a form for the
child’s parent, guardian, or surrogate parent to complete and submit to
the board of education that screens for developmental and social-
emotional delays using a validated screening tool, such as the Ages
and Stages Questionnaire and the Ages and Stages Social-Emotional
Questionnaire, or its equivalent.
PPT Meeting. If, based on this monitoring, a child is suspected of
having a developmental delay, the board must schedule a PPT meeting
with the parent, guardian, or surrogate parent to identify services for
which the child may be eligible, including a preschool program under
Part B of the Individuals with Disabilities Act.
Reminders. If a parent, guardian, or surrogate parent of a child
referred for a registration on the mobile application or provided such a
screening form, fails to complete the registration or complete and
submit the form after six months, the board must send that person a
reminder, in the form and manner determined by the board, to
complete the registration or complete and submit the form. The board
must send another reminder after one year from the referral or
provision of the form if the registration remains incomplete or the form
is not submitted.
§ 26 — BIRTH-TO-THREE COORDINATOR DI SCIPLINARY
PROTECTIONS
Existing law prohibits local or regional boards of education from
disciplining, suspending, terminating, or otherwise punishing any PPT
member employed by the board who discusses or makes
recommendations about providing special education and related
services for a child during a PPT meeting. The bill extends this
protection to Birth-to-Three service coordinators or qualified personnel
concerning PPT meetings or transition plans. 2021SB-00002-R01-BA.DOCX
Researcher: JC Page 18 5/6/21
§ 27 — DEVELOPMENTAL AND SO CIAL-EMOTIONAL DELAY
SCREENINGS
Existing law generally requires each eligible child (see below) and
his or her family to receive (1) a multidisciplinary assessment, (2) a
written individualized family service plan, and (3) a review of the
individualized family service plan within set time frames.
The bill expands this by requiring that within two months after a
child is determined to be ineligible for participation in preschool
programs under Part B of the Individuals with Disabilities Act, the
child and his or her family receive a referral to register for a mobile
application designated by the OEC commissioner to continue
screening for developmental and social-emotional delays in
partnership with the local or regional board of education for the school
district where the child lives. Under the bill, a screening form using a
validated screening tool, such as the Ages and Stages Questionnaire
and the Ages and Stages Social-Emotional Questionnaire, or its
equivalent, must be provided to any family upon request for the
purpose of completing and submitting the form to the applicable
board of education.
Eligible Child
By law, an “eligible child” is a child up to age 36 months, who is not
eligible for special education and related services and who needs early
intervention services because he or she is (1) experiencing a significant
developmental delay as measured by standardized diagnostic
instruments and procedures or (2) diagnosed as having a physical or
mental condition that has a high probability of resulting in
developmental delay (CGS § 17a-248(4)).
§ 28 — BIRTH-TO-THREE PROGRAM EXPANS ION
Under the bill, by July 1, 2022, the OEC commissioner must develop
and implement a plan to expand the Birth-to-Three Program to
provide early intervention services to any child who:
1. is enrolled in the program; 2021SB-00002-R01-BA.DOCX
Researcher: JC Page 19 5/6/21
2. turns age three on or after May 1 and not later than the first day
of the next school year commencing July 1; and
3. is eligible for participation in preschool programs under Part B
of the federal Individuals with Disabilities Act (however, the
services must terminate when the child starts participating in
the preschool program).
The bill authorizes the commissioner to adopt implementing
regulations.
§ 29 — SCHOOL READINESS LIA ISON
For the school year starting July 1, 2022, and each school year
thereafter, in any school district that serves a town that has not
convened or established a local or regional school readiness council,
the bill requires the district’s local or regional board of education to
designate a school readiness liaison.
The liaison must (1) be an employee of the school district and (2)
serve as an informational resource for parents of children transitioning
from the Birth-to-Three program to enrollment in a public elementary
school in the school district.
§ 30 — TASK FORCE TO STUDY CHILDREN’S NEEDS
The bill establishes a 25-member task force to study the (1)
comprehensive needs of children in the state and (2) extent to which
the needs are being met by educators, community members, and local
and state agencies.
Task Force Duties
The task force must:
1. identify children’s needs using certain tenets of the whole child
initiative developed by the Association for Supervision and
Curriculum Development;
2. recommend new programs or changes to existing programs
operated by educators or local or state agencies to better 2021SB-00002-R01-BA.DOCX
Researcher: JC Page 20 5/6/21
address children’s needs;
3. recognize any exceptional efforts to meet the comprehensive
needs of children by educators, local or state agencies, and
community members (i.e., any individual or private
organization that provides services or programs for children);
4. identify and advocate for funds and other resources required to
meet the needs of children in the state;
5. identify redundancies in existing services or programs for
children and advocate for the elimination of redundancies; and
6. assess all publicly available data concerning the children’s
comprehensive needs identified and collect, or make
recommendations for the state to collect, any data that is not
being collected by educators, community members, or local or
state agencies.
The task force must identify children’s needs using the tenets that
each student:
1. enters school healthy and learns about and practices a healthy
lifestyle;
2. learns in an environment that is physically and emotionally safe
for students and adults;
3. is actively engaged in learning and is connected to the school
and broader community;
4. has access to personalized learning and is supported by
qualified, caring adults; and
5. is challenged academically and prepared for success in college
or further study and for employment and participation in a
global environment.
Membership and Appointing Authorities 2021SB-00002-R01-BA.DOCX
Researcher: JC Page 21 5/6/21
The task force must consist of the following 25 members:
1. two appointed by the House speaker, one of whom is an
educator employed by a local or regional board of education
and one of whom is a licensed social worker working with
children;
2. two appointed by the Senate president pro tempore, one of
whom is a representative of the board of directors of the
Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development
affiliate in the state, and one of whom is a representative of a
higher education institution in the state;
3. one appointed by the House majority leader, who is a school
administrator employed by a local or regional board of
education;
4. one appointed by the Senate majority leader, who is a
chairperson of a local or regional board of education;
5. one appointed by the House minority leader, who is a director
or employee of a private nonprofit organization in the state that
provides services or programs for children;
6. one appointed by the Senate minority leader, who is a director
or employee of a private nonprofit organization in the state that
provides health-related services or programs for children;
7. the Agriculture, Children and Families, Developmental
Services, Early Childhood, Economic and Community
Development, Education, Housing, Labor, Mental Health and
Addiction Services, Public Health, Social Services, and
Transportation commissioners or their designees;
8. the healthcare advocate, or his designee;
9. the Commission on Human Rights and Opportunities executive
director, or her designee; 2021SB-00002-R01-BA.DOCX
Researcher: JC Page 22 5/6/21
10. the Technical Education and Career System superintendent, or
his designee;
11. the chief court administrator, or his designee; and
12. the director of Special Education Equity for Kids of
Connecticut, or the director’s designee.
All initial appointments must be made within 30 days after the bill
passes. The appointing authority must fill any vacancy within 30 days
after the vacancy. Task force chairpersons may fill a vacancy if it is not
filled by the appointing authority. Members of the General Assembly
may serve on the task force.
The House speaker and the Senate president pro tempore must
select the chairpersons of the task force from among its members. The
chairpersons must schedule the first meeting of the task force, which
must be held within 60 days after the bill passes.
The Children’s Committee administrative staff must serve as
administrative staff of the task force.
Reporting Requirements
The bill requires the task force to submit a report on its findings and
recommendations to the Children’s Committee by January 1, 2022. The
task force terminates on the date that it submits the report or January
1, 2022, whichever is later.
COMMITTEE ACTION
Committee on Children
Joint Favorable Substitute
Yea 9 Nay 5 (03/15/2021)
Appropriations Committee
Joint Favorable
Yea 33 Nay 15 (05/03/2021)