Substitute House Bill No. 6642
Public Act No. 23-66
AN ACT CONCERNING A TITLE IX COMPLIANCE TOOLKIT FOR
SCHOOL DISTRICTS.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General
Assembly convened:
Section 1. (NEW) (Effective July 1, 2023) (a) The Commission on
Women, Children, Seniors, Equity and Opportunity shall convene and
lead a working group to identify or develop a Title IX compliance toolkit
for use by local and regional boards of education, students and parents
and guardians of students. For purposes of this section and sections 2 to
4, inclusive, of this act, "Title IX" means the provisions of Title IX of the
Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1972, 20 USC 1681 et seq.,
as amended from time to time.
(b) The Title IX compliance toolkit shall include:
(1) Training for school administrators, Title IX coordinators, school
personnel, students and parents and guardians of students that includes
(A) information regarding the prevention, identification and response
to adult sexual misconduct in schools, as described in the United States
Department of Education's "Training Guide for Administrators and
Educators on Addressing Adult Sexual Misconduct in the School
Setting", and (B) research and data regarding the prevalence of child
sexual abuse, adult sexual misconduct and the unique risk to sexual Substitute House Bill No. 6642
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abuse for students with disabilities or who are lesbian, gay, bisexual,
transgender, queer or another sexual orientation or gender identity;
(2) A model antidiscrimination and abuse prevention policy and
procedures that include but are not limited to, policies addressing the
needs of students with disabilities or who are lesbian, gay, bisexual,
transgender, queer or another sexual orientation or gender identity;
(3) A summary of applicable state and federal statutory and
regulatory requirements and how such requirements affect the rights of
students, including students with disabilities or who are lesbian, gay,
bisexual, transgender, queer or another sexual orientation or gender
identity, to be free from discrimination, harassment and abuse;
(4) Provisions relating to the process for reporting an incident of adult
sexual misconduct, including documents accessible to parents and
guardians of students, students, school personnel and administrators;
(5) Requirements for investigating reports of adult sexual
misconduct, including information regarding the need to offer safety
planning and services to the complainant or victim;
(6) An explanation of the Title IX complaint procedures, including,
but not limited to, the various methods accessible to parents and
guardians of students, students, school personnel and administrators of
submitting complaints;
(7) Information explaining the right of an individual to seek redress
from the Commission on Human Rights and Opportunities and the
United States Department of Health and Human Services' Office for
Civil Rights that is accessible to parents and guardians of students,
students, school personnel and administrators;
(8) Procedures for publishing and disseminating information to
parents and guardians of students, students, school personnel and Substitute House Bill No. 6642
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administrators from the Connecticut School Health Survey,
administered pursuant to section 10-217h of the general statutes, and
school climate assessment instruments, completed pursuant to section
10-222d of the general statutes;
(9) Information relating to personnel and resources at the state and
federal level that are available to provide ongoing technical assistance
and support to local and regional boards of education with regard to
such boards' compliance with Title IX requirements; and
(10) Information relating to resources that are available to provide
support to students, educators and parents and guardians regarding
prevention, identification and response to child sexual harassment,
discrimination and abuse.
(c) The working group shall consist of: (1) The executive director of
the Commission on Women, Children, Seniors, Equity and
Opportunity, or the executive director's designee, (2) the Commissioner
of Education, or the commissioner's designee, (3) the Commissioner of
Children and Families, or the commissioner's designee, (4) the
Commissioner of Public Health, or the commissioner's designee, (5) the
executive director of the Commission on Human Rights and
Opportunities, or the executive director's designee, (6) the Child
Advocate, or the Child Advocate's designee, (7) a representative from
each of the following organizations, designated by each such
organization: (A) The Connecticut Alliance to End Sexual Violence, (B)
the Connecticut Children's Alliance, (C) Disability Rights of
Connecticut, (D) the Connecticut Association of Public School
Superintendents, and (E) the Connecticut Association of Boards of
Education, and (8) any additional members who have expertise in
human resources and Internet technology, designated by the executive
director of the Commission on Women, Children, Seniors, Equity and
Opportunity. Substitute House Bill No. 6642
Public Act No. 23-66 4 of 5
(d) Not later than July 1, 2024, the working group shall submit the
Title IX compliance toolkit to the joint standing committee of the
General Assembly having cognizance of matters relating to children, in
accordance with the provisions of section 11-4a of the general statutes.
The working group shall terminate on the date that it submits such
toolkit or July 1, 2024, whichever is later.
Sec. 2. (NEW) (Effective July 1, 2023) (a) Not later than October 1, 2024,
the Department of Education shall distribute the Title IX compliance
toolkit, identified or developed pursuant to section 1 of this act, to local
and regional boards of education and provide technical assistance to
such boards in the implementation of such toolkit.
(b) The department shall post the Title IX compliance toolkit on the
department's Internet web site.
Sec. 3. (NEW) (Effective July 1, 2023) For the school year commencing
July 1, 2025, and each school year thereafter, each local and regional
board of education shall implement the Title IX compliance toolkit,
identified or developed pursuant to section 1 of this act, in such board's
efforts to prevent, identify and respond to reports of child sexual abuse,
harassment and discrimination.
Sec. 4. (NEW) (Effective July 1, 2023) (a) For the school year
commencing July 1, 2026, and each school year thereafter, each local and
regional board of education shall submit a Title IX compliance report to
the Department of Education, in such form and manner as prescribed
by the department. Such report shall include (1) the name and contact
information of the individual, if any, designated by the board to serve
as the Title IX coordinator for the school district, including the dates on
which such individual has served as the Title IX coordinator, (2) the
training, if any, offered or provided by the board to school personnel
regarding the laws and implementation of Title IX, including the content
and frequency of such training, (3) the Title IX policy and any Substitute House Bill No. 6642
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supplemental misconduct policy, if any, for the school district, including
a description of where such policies are available to students, parents
and guardians and school personnel, and (4) guidelines or resources, if
any, used or provided by the board in the implementation to any
student, parent or guardian who makes a complaint concerning a
violation of Title IX.
(b) The department shall annually review the Title IX compliance
reports submitted pursuant to subsection (a) of this section and develop
a report based on its findings of such review. The department shall make
such report available on its Internet web site and submit such report to
the joint standing committee of the General Assembly having
cognizance of matters relating to children, in accordance with the
provisions of section 11-4a of the general statutes.