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General Assembly Raised Bill No. 976
January Session, 2021
LCO No. 4301
Referred to Committee on EDUCATION
Introduced by:
(ED)
AN ACT CONCERNING SP ECIAL EDUCATION.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General
Assembly convened:
Section 1. Section 10-76q of the general statutes is repealed and the 1
following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective July 1, 2021): 2
(a) The State Board of Education, in accordance with regulations 3
adopted by said board, shall: (1) Provide the professional services 4
necessary to identify, in accordance with section 10-76a, children 5
requiring special education who are enrolled at a technical education 6
and career school; (2) identify each such child; (3) determine the 7
appropriateness of the technical education and career school for the 8
educational needs of each such child; (4) provide an appropriate 9
educational program for each such child; (5) maintain a record thereof; 10
and (6) annually evaluate the progress and accomplishments of special 11
education programs provided by the Technical Education and Career 12
System. 13
(b) Where it is deemed appropriate that a child enrolled in a technical 14
education and career school receive special education, the parents or 15 Raised Bill No. 976
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guardian of such child shall have a right to the hearing and appeal 16
process as provided for in section 10-76h. 17
(c) [If a planning and placement team determines that a student 18
requires special education services which preclude such student's 19
participation in the vocational education program offered by a technical 20
education and career school, the student shall be referred to the board 21
of education in the town in which the student resides for the 22
development of an individualized educational program and such board 23
of education shall be responsible for the implementation and financing 24
of such program.] Prior to a student's enrollment in a technical 25
education and career school, the local or regional board of education for 26
the town in which such student resides shall convene a planning and 27
placement team meeting. The purpose of such meeting shall be to 28
address such student's transition to such technical education and career 29
school and ensure that such student's individualized education 30
program reflects the current supports and services that such student 31
requires in order to access a free and appropriate public education in the 32
least restrictive environment. A representative from such technical 33
education and career school shall be invited to such meeting. 34
Sec. 2. (Effective from passage) (a) There is established a task force to 35
study issues relating to the provision and funding of special education 36
in the state. Such study shall examine (1) the provision of special 37
education and related services, including whether local and regional 38
boards of education are providing such services directly or partnering 39
with regional educational service centers, contracting with a private 40
provider of special education services, as defined in section 10-91g of 41
the general statutes, or as part of a cooperative arrangement pursuant 42
to section 10-158a of the general statutes, (2) the cost of providing special 43
education and related services, including the total aggregate amount per 44
school district per year, and the annual percentage increase or decrease 45
per school district of such cost, (3) the effect that the cost of special 46
education has on a board of education's minimum budget requirement, 47
and (4) the level of state reimbursement to boards of education for 48
special education, including the total amount for reimbursement 49 Raised Bill No. 976
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submitted by each school district per year and the total amount received 50
by such school district per year, and the percentage increase or decrease 51
per year of the difference of the total amount submitted and the total 52
amount received for each school district. 53
(b) The task force shall consist of the following members: 54
(1) Two appointed by the speaker of the House of Representatives, 55
one of whom is a representative of the Connecticut Association of 56
Boards of Education and one of whom is the parent or guardian of a 57
student who is enrolled in a public school and receiving special 58
education services; 59
(2) Two appointed by the president pro tempore of the Senate, one of 60
whom is a representative of the Connecticut Education Association and 61
one of whom is the parent or guardian of a student who is enrolled in a 62
public school and receiving special education services; 63
(3) Two appointed by the majority leader of the House of 64
Representatives, one of whom is a representative of the American 65
Federation of Teachers-Connecticut and one of whom is a representative 66
of the Connecticut Parent Advocacy Center; 67
(4) Two appointed by the majority leader of the Senate, one of whom 68
is a representative of the Connecticut Council of Administrators of 69
Special Education and one of whom is a representative of the RESC 70
Alliance; 71
(5) Two appointed by the minority leader of the House of 72
Representatives, one of whom is a representative of the Connecticut 73
Association of School Administrators and one of whom is a 74
representative of the Connecticut Conference of Municipalities; 75
(6) Two appointed by the minority leader of the Senate, one of whom 76
is a representative of the Connecticut Association of Schools and one of 77
whom is a representative of the Connecticut Association of School 78
Business Officials; 79 Raised Bill No. 976
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(7) The executive director of the Connecticut Association of Public 80
School Superintendents; and 81
(8) The Commissioner of Education, or the commissioner's designee. 82
(c) Any member of the task force appointed under subdivision (1), 83
(2), (3), (4), (5) or (6) of subsection (b) of this section may be a member 84
of the General Assembly. 85
(d) All appointments to the task force shall be made not later than 86
thirty days after the effective date of this section. Any vacancy shall be 87
filled by the appointing authority. 88
(e) The executive director of the Connecticut Association of Public 89
School Superintendents shall serve as the chairperson of the task force. 90
The chairperson shall schedule the first meeting of the task force, which 91
shall be held not later than sixty days after the effective date of this 92
section. 93
(f) The administrative staff of the joint standing committee of the 94
General Assembly having cognizance of matters relating to education 95
shall serve as administrative staff of the task force. 96
(g) Not later than January 1, 2020, the task force shall submit a report 97
on its findings and recommendations to the joint standing committee of 98
the General Assembly having cognizance of matters relating to 99
education, in accordance with the provisions of section 11-4a of the 100
general statutes. The task force shall terminate on the date that it 101
submits such report or January 1, 2022, whichever is later. 102
This act shall take effect as follows and shall amend the following
sections:
Section 1 July 1, 2021 10-76q
Sec. 2 from passage New section
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Statement of Purpose:
To require the Technical Education and Career System to accept and
enroll students with individualized education programs, and to
establish a task force to study issues relating to the provision and
funding of special education in the state.
[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.]