Researcher: RP Page 1 4/13/23
OLR Bill Analysis
sHB 6882
AN ACT CONCERNING EDUCATION MANDATE RELIEF.
SUMMARY
This bill makes the following changes to the state’s education laws:
1. requires the State Department of Education (SDE) to biennially
review the state’s education laws and regulations to identify
obsolete and duplicative mandates on the department and
boards of education and report its findings and
recommendations to the legislature (§ 1);
2. establishes an 11-member Education Mandates Review Task
Force to review mandates on SDE and boards of education in the
state’s statutes and regulations and federal law and report its
findings and recommendations to the legislature (§ 2);
3. eliminates the requirement that high school students graduating
in 2023 and after complete at least one credit in a mastery-based
diploma assessment (i.e., capstone project), but allows boards of
education to make this a part of their high school graduation
requirements (§ 4);
4. requires the in-service training on school violence prevention,
which boards of education must annually provide to teachers,
administrators, and other certified school employees, be aligned
with the Department of Emergency Services and Public
Protection’s (DESPP) school security and safety plan standards (§
3; see BACKGROUND); and
5. makes a technical change.
EFFECTIVE DATE: July 1, 2023, except the high school graduation
requirement change is effective upon passage. 2023HB-06882-R000591-BA.DOCX
Researcher: RP Page 2 4/13/23
§ 1 — BIENNIAL REVIEW OF EDUCATION MANDATES
Under the bill, SDE must develop a biennial review process to
examine the state’s education laws and regulations and identify obsolete
or duplicative mandates on SDE and local and regional boards of
education. In doing this review, SDE may provide an opportunity for
public comment or ask for input from students, parents, educators,
boards of education, and other education stakeholders. The
commissioner must biennially report on this review to the Education
Committee, starting by January 1, 2024, and include recommendations
for repealing and revising these obsolete or duplicative mandates.
§ 2 — EDUCATION MANDATES R EVIEW TASK FORCE
Charge
Under the bill, the Education Mandates Review Task Force must
identify mandates that are overly burdensome or limit or restrict
providing student instruction or services. For each mandate identified,
it must give a detailed analysis and indicate the specific statutory or
regulatory citation and how it is imposed on the department or board.
It may also recommend that any of these statutes or regulations be
changed.
Membership
The task force’s membership includes the education commissioner,
or designee; chairpersons and ranking members of the Education
Committee, and the six members appointed by the legislative leaders,
as shown in the following table.
Table: Education Mandates Review Task Force Appointees
Appointing Authority Required Qualifications
House speaker Connecticut Association of Boards of Education
representative
Senate president pro tempore Connecticut Association of Public Schools
Superintendents representative
House majority leader Connecticut Education Association representative
Senate majority leader American Federation of Teachers-Connecticut
representative
House minority leader Connecticut Association of Schools representative
Senate minority leader Connecticut Association of School Business
Officials representative 2023HB-06882-R000591-BA.DOCX
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The legislative leaders must make their initial appointments by July
31, 2023, and fill any vacancies. The House speaker and Senate president
pro tempore must select the chairpersons from the members. The
chairpersons must schedule and hold the first meeting no later than
August 30, 2023.
Reporting Requirement and Staff
The task force must submit its review, analysis, and
recommendations to the Education Committee by February 1, 2024. The
task force terminates on the day it submits these findings or on July 1,
2024, whichever is later. The Education Committee’s administrative
staff must serve as the task force’s administrative staff.
BACKGROUND
School Security and Safety Plans
The law requires DESPP, in consultation with SDE, to develop
standards for school security and safety plans and reevaluate and
update them every three years. SDE must distribute these standards to
all public schools. Each board of education must annually develop and
implement a school security and safety plan for each school within its
district based on these standards (CGS §§ 10-222n & -222m).
Related Bill
SB 1165 (File 257), favorably reported by the Education Committee,
adds a half-credit of personal financial management and financial
literacy to the high school graduation requirements beginning with the
graduating class of 2027.
COMMITTEE ACTION
Education Committee
Joint Favorable Substitute
Yea 44 Nay 0 (03/24/2023)