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OLR Bill Analysis
sHB 6642 (as amended by House "A")*
AN ACT CONCERNING A TITLE IX COMPLIANCE TOOLKIT FOR
SCHOOL DISTRICTS.
SUMMARY
This bill requires the Commission on Women, Children, Seniors,
Equity and Opportunity (CWCSEO) to 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 their parents and
guardians. (Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 prohibits sex-
based discrimination in education programs and activities that receive
federal financial assistance.)
Under the bill, each local and regional board of education must
annually (1) beginning with the 2025-2026 school year, implement the
toolkit in their efforts to prevent, identify, and respond to reports of
child sexual abuse, harassment, and discrimination, and (2) beginning
with the 2026-2027 school year, submit a report to the State Department
of Education (SDE) on their Title IX compliance.
*House Amendment “A” (1) requires CWCSEO, rather than SDE, to
convene a Title IX working group, requires the commission to lead the
group, and adds the CWCSEO executive director to the group’s
members; (2) delays, from January 1, 2024, to the school year beginning
July 1, 2026, the reporting requirement for local and regional boards of
education to report to SDE on their Title IX compliance and requires
them to do so annually; (3) delays the implementation of the Title IX
toolkit by one year; (4) delays, from July 1, 2024, to October 1, 2024, the
date by which SDE is required to distribute the toolkit to local and
regional boards of education; and (5) requires SDE to annually review
submitted Title IX compliance reports, rather than once by July 1, 2024.
EFFECTIVE DATE: July 1, 2023 2023HB-06642-R01-BA.DOCX
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ANNUAL REPORT ON TIT LE IX COMPLIANCE
Under the bill, beginning with the 2026-2027 school year, each local
and regional board of education must annually submit a Title IX
compliance report to SDE as the department determines. The report
must include the following:
1. the name and contact information of any person the board
designated to serve as the school district’s Title IX coordinator,
including the dates they served;
2. any training the board offered or provided to school personnel
on Title IX laws and implementation, including its content and
frequency;
3. the Title IX policy and any supplemental misconduct policy for
the school district, including a description of where the policies
are available to students, parents and guardians, and school
personnel; and
4. guidelines or resources, if any, the board used or provided in the
implementation to any student, parent, or guardian who makes
a complaint concerning a Title IX violation.
The bill requires SDE to annually review the compliance reports and
develop a report based on its findings. SDE must make the report
available on its website and submit it to the Children’s Committee.
TITLE IX COMPLIANCE TOOLKIT
Contents
The Title IX compliance toolkit must include training for school
administrators, Title IX coordinators, school personnel, students, and
their parents and guardians that includes:
1. information on the prevention, identification, and response to
adult sexual misconduct in schools, as described in the U.S.
Department of Education’s “Training Guide for Administrators
and Educators on Addressing Adult Sexual Misconduct in the
School Setting”; and 2023HB-06642-R01-BA.DOCX
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2. research and data on the prevalence of child sexual abuse, adult
sexual misconduct, and the unique risk to sexual abuse for
students with disabilities or who are lesbian, gay, bisexual,
transgender, queer (LGBTQ), or another sexual orientation or
identity.
The toolkit must also include the following:
1. a model antidiscrimination and abuse prevention policy and
procedures that include policies addressing the needs of students
who are disabled, LGBTQ, or another sexual orientation or
gender identity;
2. a summary of applicable state and federal statutory and
regulatory requirements and how they affect the rights of
students, including students who are disabled, LGBTQ, or
another sexual orientation or gender identity, to be free from
discrimination, harassment, and abuse;
3. the process for reporting an incident of adult sexual misconduct,
including documents accessible to students, their parents and
guardians, school personnel, and administrators;
4. requirements for investigating reports of adult sexual
misconduct, including information on the need to offer safety
planning and services to the complainant or victim;
5. an explanation of the Title IX complaint procedures, including
the various methods accessible to students, their parents and
guardians, school personnel and administrators for submitting
complaints;
6. information explaining a person’s right to seek redress from the
Commission on Human Rights and Opportunities (CHRO) and
the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Office for
Civil Rights that is accessible to students, their parents and
guardians, school personnel, and administrators;
7. procedures for publishing and spreading information to 2023HB-06642-R01-BA.DOCX
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students, their parents and guardians, school personnel, and
administrators from the Connecticut School Health Survey and
school climate assessment instruments (see BACKGROUND);
8. available personnel and resources at the state and federal level to
give ongoing technical assistance and support to local and
regional boards of education on their Title IX compliance; and
9. available resources to support students, educators, and parents
and guardians on preventing, identifying, and responding to
child sexual harassment, discrimination, and abuse.
Working Group Membership and Report
Under the bill, the working group’s members include the CWCSEO
and CHRO executive directors or their designees; the commissioners of
Children and Families, Education, and Public Health or their designees;
and the Child Advocate or her designee. It also includes representatives
from the following organizations, designated by each:
1. the Connecticut Alliance to End Sexual Violence,
2. the Connecticut Children’s Alliance,
3. Disability Rights of Connecticut,
4. the Connecticut Association of Public School Superintendents,
and
5. the Connecticut Association of Boards of Education.
The CWCSEO executive director may also designate more members
who have expertise in human resources and internet technology.
The working group must submit the toolkit to the Children’s
Committee by July 1, 2024. The group sunsets on the date they submit
their toolkit or July 1, 2024, whichever is later.
By October 1, 2024, the bill requires SDE to distribute the toolkit to
local and regional boards of education and give technical assistance to 2023HB-06642-R01-BA.DOCX
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them in implementing it. SDE must also post the toolkit on its website.
BACKGROUND
Connecticut School Health Survey
Existing law requires the Department of Public Health, when
receiving funding from the federal Centers for Disease Control (CDC),
to biennially conduct the Connecticut School Health Survey, an
anonymous school-based survey of a representative sample of public
high school students, based on the CDC’s Youth Risk Behavior Survey.
As part of the survey process, parents and guardians are given
advanced notice and the option to opt their student out from
participating (CGS § 10-217h et seq.).
School Climate Assessment Instruments
By law, schools must conduct school climate assessments, which
include surveys to gauge the perspectives and opinions of students. The
surveys must allow students to complete them anonymously. SDE must
(1) use the information collected from the surveys as part of an annual
analysis that includes the number of verified acts of bullying in the state,
the school districts’ responses, and any other recommendations to
improve school climate and (2) submit the analysis to legislative leaders
and the Education and Children’s committees (CGS §§ 10-222h & 222-
k).
COMMITTEE ACTION
Committee on Children
Joint Favorable Substitute
Yea 19 Nay 0 (02/28/2023)