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General Assembly Substitute Bill No. 5466
February Session, 2022
AN ACT CONCERNING ASSORTED REVISIONS AND ADDITIONS TO
THE EDUCATION STATUTES.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General
Assembly convened:
Section 1. (Effective July 1, 2022) The Department of Education shall 1
develop a report concerning recovery schools. Such report shall include, 2
but need not be limited to, an examination of how other states have 3
implemented and integrated recovery high schools into their public 4
school system and recommendations regarding the establishment and 5
implementation of one or more recovery high schools in the state. Not 6
later than January 1, 2023, the department shall submit such report on 7
its findings and recommendations to the joint standing committee of the 8
General Assembly having cognizance of matters relating to education, 9
in accordance with the provisions of section 11-4a of the general statutes. 10
For purposes of this section, "recovery high school" means a high school 11
designed specifically for students in recovery from substance use 12
disorder or co-occurring disorders. 13
Sec. 2. Subsection (a) of section 10-15b of the general statutes is 14
repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective July 1, 15
2022): 16
(a) Either parent or legal guardian of a minor student shall, upon 17
written request to a local or regional board of education and within a 18 Substitute Bill No. 5466
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reasonable time, be entitled to knowledge of and access to all 19
educational, medical, or similar records maintained in such student's 20
cumulative record, including such student's class rank, except that no 21
parent or legal guardian shall be entitled to information considered 22
privileged under section 10-154a. Nothing in this section shall be 23
construed to limit a parent who is incarcerated from being entitled to 24
knowledge of and access to all educational, medical or similar records 25
maintained in the cumulative record of any minor student of such 26
incarcerated parent, except that such incarcerated parent shall not be 27
entitled to such records if (1) such information is considered privileged 28
under section 10-154a, (2) such incarcerated parent has been convicted 29
in this state or any other state of a violation of section 53a-70, 53a-70a, 30
53a-71, 53a-72a, 53a-72b or 53a-73a, or (3) such incarcerated parent is 31
prohibited from knowledge of or access to such student's cumulative 32
record pursuant to a court order. 33
Sec. 3. (Effective from passage) (a) On or before September 1, 2022, the 34
governing authority for intramural and interscholastic athletics in the 35
state shall convene a working group to study the efficacy of throat 36
guards in preventing catastrophic neck injuries to interscholastic, 37
intramural and youth ice hockey athletes. The working group may 38
include representatives from organizations (1) representing athletic 39
trainers in the state, (2) representing sports medicine physicians, (3) that 40
research athlete safety and sudden death prevention, and (4) that 41
oversee youth hockey or independent interscholastic athletic leagues. 42
The working group may also include any member of the General 43
Assembly who would like to participate in the working group. The 44
study shall include, but need not be limited to, (A) a review of current 45
policies issued by national sport governing bodies on the use of throat 46
guards in ice hockey, and (B) an analysis of relevant studies (i) on the 47
prevalence of catastrophic throat injuries in interscholastic, intramural 48
and youth ice hockey, (ii) on the effectiveness of throat guards in 49
preventing catastrophic throat injuries in interscholastic, intramural and 50
youth ice hockey, and (iii) to identify any concerns associated with the 51
use of throat guards by interscholastic, intramural and youth ice hockey 52 Substitute Bill No. 5466
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athletes. 53
(b) Not later than January 1, 2023, the working group shall submit a 54
report on its findings and safety recommendations for interscholastic 55
and youth ice hockey programs to the joint standing committee of the 56
General Assembly having cognizance of matters relating to education, 57
in accordance with the provisions of section 11-4a of the general statutes. 58
The working group shall terminate on the date that it submits such 59
report or January 1, 2023, whichever is later. 60
Sec. 4. Section 3 of public act 21-95 is repealed and the following is 61
substituted in lieu thereof (Effective from passage): 62
(a) There is established a task force to study issues relating to the 63
provision and funding of special education in the state during the school 64
years commencing July 1, 2016, to July 1, 2020, inclusive. Such study 65
shall include, but need not be limited to, an examination of (1) the 66
provision of special education and related services, including whether 67
local and regional boards of education are providing such services 68
directly or partnering with regional educational service centers, 69
contracting with a private provider of special education services, as 70
defined in section 10-91g of the general statutes, or as part of a 71
cooperative arrangement pursuant to section 10-158a of the general 72
statutes, (2) the cost of providing special education and related services, 73
the total aggregate amount per school district per year and the annual 74
percentage increase or decrease per school district of such cost, (3) the 75
effect that the cost of special education has on a board of education's 76
minimum budget requirement, (4) the level of state reimbursement to 77
boards of education for special education, including the total amount 78
for reimbursement submitted by each school district per year and the 79
total amount received by such school district per year, and the 80
percentage increase or decrease per year of the difference of the total 81
amount submitted and the total amount received for each school 82
district, and (5) the criteria and manner by which school districts are 83
identifying students who require special education and related services, 84
including whether school districts are overidentifying or 85 Substitute Bill No. 5466
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underidentifying such students and the causes and reasons for such 86
overidentification and underidentification. 87
(b) The task force shall consist of the following members: 88
(1) Three appointed by the speaker of the House of Representatives, 89
one of whom is a representative of the Special Education Equity for Kids 90
of Connecticut, one of whom is a representative of the Connecticut 91
Association of Boards of Education and one of whom is the parent or 92
guardian of a student who is enrolled in a public school and receiving 93
special education services; 94
(2) Three appointed by the president pro tempore of the Senate, one 95
of whom is a representative of the Connecticut Association of Public 96
School Superintendents, one of whom is a representative of the 97
Connecticut Education Association and one of whom is the parent or 98
guardian of a student who is enrolled in a public school and receiving 99
special education services; 100
(3) Two appointed by the majority leader of the House of 101
Representatives, one of whom is a representative of the American 102
Federation of Teachers-Connecticut and one of whom is a representative 103
of the Connecticut Parent Advocacy Center; 104
(4) Two appointed by the majority leader of the Senate, one of whom 105
is a representative of the Connecticut Council of Administrators of 106
Special Education and one of whom is a representative of the RESC 107
Alliance; 108
(5) Two appointed by the minority leader of the House of 109
Representatives, one of whom is a representative of the Connecticut 110
Association of School Administrators and one of whom is a 111
representative of the School and State Finance Project; 112
(6) Two appointed by the minority leader of the Senate, one of whom 113
is a representative of the Connecticut Association of Schools and one of 114
whom is a representative of the Connecticut Association of School 115 Substitute Bill No. 5466
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Business Officials; 116
(7) The Commissioner of Education, or the commissioner's designee. 117
(c) All appointments to the task force shall be made not later than 118
thirty days after the effective date of this section. Any vacancy shall be 119
filled by the appointing authority. 120
(d) The speaker of the House of Representatives and the president 121
pro tempore of the Senate shall select the cochairpersons of the task force 122
from among the members of the task force. Such cochairpersons shall 123
schedule the first meeting of the task force, which shall be held not later 124
than sixty days after the effective date of this section. 125
(e) The administrative staff of the joint standing committee of the 126
General Assembly having cognizance of matters relating to education 127
shall serve as administrative staff of the task force. 128
(f) Not later than January 1, [2022] 2024, the task force shall submit a 129
report on its findings and recommendations to the joint standing 130
committee of the General Assembly having cognizance of matters 131
relating to education, in accordance with the provisions of section 11-4a 132
of the general statutes. The task force shall terminate on the date that it 133
submits such report or January 1, [2022] 2024, whichever is later. 134
Sec. 5. (Effective July 1, 2022) The Department of Education shall 135
conduct a study of the funding process for incorporated or endowed 136
high schools or academies approved pursuant to section 10-34 of the 137
general statutes. The department may consult with any incorporated or 138
endowed high school or academy while conducting such study. Not 139
later than January 1, 2023, the department shall submit a report of the 140
results of such study and any recommendations for legislation 141
containing proposed amendments to the general statutes relating to the 142
funding process for incorporated or endowed high schools or academies 143
to the joint standing committee of the General Assembly having 144
cognizance of matters relating to education, in accordance with the 145
provisions of section 11-4a of the general statutes. 146 Substitute Bill No. 5466
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This act shall take effect as follows and shall amend the following
sections:
Section 1 July 1, 2022 New section
Sec. 2 July 1, 2022 10-15b(a)
Sec. 3 from passage New section
Sec. 4 from passage PA 21-95, Sec. 3
Sec. 5 July 1, 2022 New section
Statement of Legislative Commissioners:
Section 3(a) was reworded for clarity.
ED Joint Favorable Subst. C/R APP