Connecticut 2023 2023 Regular Session

Connecticut House Bill HB06883 Comm Sub / Bill

Filed 04/13/2023

                     
 
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General Assembly  Substitute Bill No. 6883  
January Session, 2023  
 
 
 
AN ACT CONCERNING STUDENTS WITH DEVELOPMENTAL 
DISABILITIES.  
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General 
Assembly convened: 
 
Section 1. (NEW) (Effective July 1, 2023) (a) As used in this section and 1 
sections 3, 4 and 11 of this act: 2 
(1) "Transition service" means a service for a student who requires 3 
special education to facilitate the student's transition from school to 4 
postsecondary activities such as postsecondary education and training, 5 
employment or independent living; 6 
(2) "Transition program" means a coordinated set of transition 7 
services; 8 
(3) "Transition resources" means sources of information, counseling 9 
or training concerning transition services or programs; 10 
(4) "Public transition program" means a program operated by a local 11 
or regional board of education or a regional educational service center 12 
to provide transition services for a student who requires special 13 
education and is eighteen to twenty-two years of age, inclusive, based 14 
on the goals set forth in such student's individualized education 15 
program; and 16 
(5) "Transition coordinator" means a director of pupil personnel or 17  Substitute Bill No. 6883 
 
 
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other person employed by a local or regional board of education, as 18 
designated by such director, who assists parents and students in the 19 
school district governed by such board navigate the transition resources, 20 
transition services and transition programs available for such students. 21 
(b) There is established an Office of Transition Services within the 22 
Department of Education's Bureau of Special Education. The Office of 23 
Transition Services shall (1) oversee the coordination of transition 24 
resources, transition services and transition programs operated by each 25 
state agency, including, but not limited to, the Departments of 26 
Education, Developmental Services, Aging and Disability Services, 27 
Mental Health and Addiction Services and Children and Families, (2) 28 
establish minimum standards for public transition programs and 29 
metrics for measuring such standards, (3) perform unannounced site 30 
visits of public transition programs for the purpose of determining the 31 
effectiveness of and suggesting improvements to such programs and 32 
post data on its Internet web site related to how such public transition 33 
program measured against the minimum standards established 34 
pursuant to subdivision (2) of this subsection, (4) develop and make 35 
available on the Department of Education's Internet web site a course 36 
for educators and school staff who do not provide transition services to 37 
inform such educators and staff about transition services and programs, 38 
including, but not limited to, about the purpose, essential programming 39 
and deadlines of such programs, (5) establish minimum standards for 40 
the training of transition coordinators and maintain a record of each 41 
transition coordinator completing the training program developed by 42 
the Department of Education pursuant to section 3 of this act, (6) 43 
establish best practices for the provision of transition services and 44 
distribute such best practices to each transition coordinator, and (7) 45 
develop, and update as needed, a training program concerning the legal 46 
requirements and best practice recommendations for special education 47 
and transition services to be delivered through on-demand online 48 
courses and, in the office's discretion, in person. 49 
(c) The Commissioner of Education shall, within the limits of 50  Substitute Bill No. 6883 
 
 
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available funds appropriated for the purpose of hiring staff, hire not 51 
fewer than two full-time staff to carry out the duties of the Office of 52 
Transition Services set forth in subsection (a) of this section. 53 
Sec. 2. Section 10-74n of the general statutes is repealed and the 54 
following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective January 1, 2024): 55 
(a) The State Board of Education and the Office of Transition Services, 56 
established pursuant to section 1 of this act, in collaboration with the 57 
Bureau of Rehabilitation Services, the Department of Developmental 58 
Services and the Office of Workforce Strategy, shall: (1) Coordinate the 59 
provision of transition resources, transition services and transition 60 
programs, as those terms are defined in section 1 of this act, to children 61 
requiring special education and related services, (2) [create, and update 62 
as necessary, a fact sheet that lists the state agencies that provide 63 
transition resources, services and programs and a brief description of 64 
such transition resources, services and programs and] develop and 65 
maintain an easily accessible and navigable online listing of the 66 
transition resources, transition services and transition programs 67 
provided by each such board, office or department, including, but not 68 
limited to, for each resource, service and program (A) a plain language 69 
description, (B) eligibility requirements, and (C) application deadlines 70 
and instructions, (3) disseminate a notice concerning such [fact sheet] 71 
online listing to local and regional boards of education for distribution 72 
to parents, teachers, administrators and boards of education, and [(3)] 73 
(4) annually collect information related to transition resources, 74 
programs and services provided by other state agencies. [and make such 75 
information available to parents, teachers, administrators and boards of 76 
education.] 77 
(b) For the school year commencing July 1, [2016] 2024, and each 78 
school year thereafter, the State Board of Education shall distribute [the 79 
information] a notice concerning the online listing described in 80 
subdivision (2) of subsection (a) of this section to each local or regional 81 
board of education. Each local or regional board of education shall 82 
annually distribute such [information] notice to the parent of a child 83  Substitute Bill No. 6883 
 
 
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requiring special education and related services in grades six to twelve, 84 
inclusive, at a planning and placement team meeting for such child. As 85 
used in this section, "parent" means the parent or guardian of a child 86 
requiring special education or the surrogate parent or, in the case of a 87 
pupil who is an emancipated minor or eighteen years of age or older, 88 
the pupil. 89 
Sec. 3. (NEW) (Effective July 1, 2023) (a) Not later than January 1, 2024, 90 
the Department of Education, in consultation with the Department of 91 
Developmental Services, the Bureau of Rehabilitation Services and the 92 
regional educational service centers, shall develop a training program 93 
for transition coordinators, educators and school staff. Such training 94 
program shall be in compliance with the minimum standards 95 
established by the Office of Transition Services pursuant to section 1 of 96 
this act. 97 
(b) Each regional educational service center shall provide the training 98 
program developed pursuant to subsection (a) of this section at no cost 99 
to transition coordinators and educators and school staff who provide 100 
transition services or any other educators or school staff interested in 101 
becoming a transition coordinator or providing transition services. 102 
Sec. 4. (NEW) (Effective July 1, 2023) (a) Not later than January 1, 2024, 103 
each local and regional board of education shall ensure that a transition 104 
coordinator has been appointed, who may be the director of pupil 105 
personnel or another employee of such board appointed as transition 106 
coordinator by such director. Each transition coordinator shall (1) 107 
complete the training program developed by the Department of 108 
Education pursuant to section 3 of this act during the three-year period 109 
immediately following the date upon which the regional educational 110 
service center that serves the school district in which such transition 111 
coordinator is employed starts providing such training program, 112 
provided each new transition coordinator appointed after the initiation 113 
of such training period shall complete such training program not later 114 
than one year after being appointed, and (2) ensure that parents of 115 
students requiring special education receive information concerning 116  Substitute Bill No. 6883 
 
 
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transition resources, transition services or transition programs in 117 
accordance with section 10-74n of the general statutes, as amended by 118 
this act, and are aware of the eligibility requirements and application 119 
details of such resources, services and programs that specifically apply 120 
to such student. 121 
(b) Each educator and school staff who provides transition services 122 
shall complete the training program developed by the Department of 123 
Education pursuant to section 3 of this act during the five-year period 124 
immediately following the date upon which the regional educational 125 
service center that serves the school district in which such educator or 126 
school staff is employed starts providing such training program, 127 
provided each new educator and school staff employed to provide 128 
transition services after the initiation of such training period shall 129 
complete such training program not later than one year from the date 130 
such educator is hired to provide such services. 131 
Sec. 5. Subsection (b) of section 10-76d of the general statutes is 132 
repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective July 1, 133 
2023): 134 
(b) In accordance with the regulations of the State Board of Education, 135 
each local and regional board of education shall: (1) Provide special 136 
education for school-age children requiring special education who are 137 
described in subparagraph (A) of subdivision (5) of section 10-76a. The 138 
obligation of the school district under this subsection shall terminate 139 
when such child is graduated from high school or at the end of the 140 
school year during which such child reaches age [twenty-one] twenty-141 
two, whichever occurs first; and (2) provide special education for 142 
children requiring special education who are described in subparagraph 143 
(A) or (C) of subdivision (5) of section 10-76a. The State Board of 144 
Education shall define the criteria by which each local or regional board 145 
of education shall determine whether a given child is eligible for special 146 
education pursuant to this subdivision, and such determination shall be 147 
made by the board of education when requested by a parent or 148 
guardian, or upon referral by a physician, clinic or social worker, 149  Substitute Bill No. 6883 
 
 
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provided the parent or guardian so permits. To meet its obligations 150 
under this subdivision, each local or regional board of education may, 151 
with the approval of the State Board of Education, make agreements 152 
with any private school, agency or institution to provide the necessary 153 
preschool special education program, provided such private facility has 154 
an existing program which adequately meets the special education 155 
needs, according to standards established by the State Board of 156 
Education, of the preschool children for whom such local or regional 157 
board of education is required to provide such an education and 158 
provided such district does not have such an existing program in its 159 
public schools. Such private school, agency or institution may be a 160 
facility which has not been approved by the Commissioner of Education 161 
for special education, provided such private facility is approved by the 162 
commissioner as an independent school or licensed by the Office of 163 
Early Childhood as a child care center, group child care home or family 164 
child care home, as described in section 19a-77, or be both approved and 165 
licensed. 166 
Sec. 6. Subsection (b) of section 10-76ll of the general statutes is 167 
repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective July 1, 168 
2023): 169 
(b) On or before July 1, 2015, the State Board of Education shall draft 170 
a written bill of rights for parents of children receiving special education 171 
services to guarantee that the rights of such parents and children are 172 
adequately safeguarded and protected during the provision of special 173 
education and related services under this chapter. Such bill of rights 174 
shall inform parents of: (1) The right to request consideration of the 175 
provision of transition services for a child receiving special education 176 
services who is eighteen to [twenty-one] twenty-two, inclusive, years of 177 
age, (2) the right to receive transition resources and materials from the 178 
department and the local or regional board of education responsible for 179 
such child, (3) the requirement that the local or regional board of 180 
education responsible for such child shall create a student success plan 181 
for each student enrolled in a public school, beginning in grade six, 182  Substitute Bill No. 6883 
 
 
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pursuant to subsection (j) of section 10-221a, and (4) the right of such 183 
child to receive realistic and specific postgraduation goals as part of 184 
such child's individualized education program. 185 
Sec. 7. Subsection (a) of section 10-253 of the general statutes is 186 
repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective July 1, 187 
2023): 188 
(a) Children placed out by the Commissioner of Children and 189 
Families or by other agencies or persons, including offices of a 190 
government of a federally recognized Native American tribe, private 191 
child-caring or child-placing agencies licensed by the Department of 192 
Children and Families, and eligible residents of facilities operated by the 193 
Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services or by the 194 
Department of Public Health who are eighteen to twenty-one years of 195 
age or, for children requiring special education, twenty-two years of 196 
age, shall be entitled to all free school privileges of the school district 197 
where they then reside as a result of such placement, except as provided 198 
in subdivision (4) of subsection (e) of section 10-76d. Except as provided 199 
in subsection (d) of this section and subdivision (4) of subsection (e) of 200 
section 10-76d, payment for such education shall be made by the board 201 
of education of the school district under whose jurisdiction such child 202 
would otherwise be attending school where such a school district is 203 
identified. 204 
Sec. 8. Subdivision (3) of subsection (h) of section 10-253 of the general 205 
statutes is repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof 206 
(Effective July 1, 2023): 207 
(3) In each district, the liaison shall assist the school district, the Court 208 
Support Services Division of the Judicial Branch and any relevant 209 
educational service providers in ensuring that: 210 
(A) All persons [under] twenty-two years of age or younger in justice 211 
system custody are promptly evaluated for eligibility for special 212 
education services, pursuant to section 17a-65 and any other applicable 213  Substitute Bill No. 6883 
 
 
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law; 214 
(B) Students in justice system custody and returning to the 215 
community from justice system custody are promptly enrolled in school 216 
pursuant to this section and section 10-186; 217 
(C) Students in justice system custody and returning to the 218 
community from justice system custody receive appropriate credit for 219 
school work completed in custody, pursuant to this section or section 220 
10-220h; 221 
(D) All relevant school records for students who enter justice system 222 
custody and who return to the community from justice system custody 223 
are promptly transferred to the appropriate school district or 224 
educational service provider, pursuant to section 10-220h. 225 
Sec. 9. Subdivision (2) of section 10-76a of the general statutes is 226 
repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective July 1, 227 
2023): 228 
(2) "Child" means any person [under] twenty-two years of age or 229 
younger. 230 
Sec. 10. Subsection (b) of section 10-76ff of the general statutes is 231 
repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective July 1, 232 
2023): 233 
(b) (1) The planning and placement team, as part of an initial 234 
evaluation, if appropriate, and as part of any reevaluations, shall review 235 
existing evaluation data on the child, including evaluations and 236 
information provided by the parent or guardian or the child, classroom-237 
based assessments and observations and teacher and related services 238 
provider observations. On the basis of such review, and input from the 239 
child's parent or guardian, the planning and placement team shall 240 
identify what additional data, if any, is needed to determine: (A) 241 
Whether the child has a particular category of disability, or in the case 242 
of a reevaluation, whether the child continues to have such a disability; 243  Substitute Bill No. 6883 
 
 
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(B) the present levels of performance and educational needs of the child; 244 
(C) whether the child needs special education and related services, or in 245 
the case of a reevaluation, whether the child continues to need special 246 
education and related services or whether the child is able to be served 247 
within the regular education program with existing supplemental 248 
services, available in the school district; and (D) whether any additions 249 
or modifications to the special education and related services are needed 250 
to enable the child to meet the measurable annual goals set out in the 251 
individualized education program of the child and to participate, as 252 
appropriate, in the general curriculum. (2) The local or regional board 253 
of education shall administer such tests and other evaluation materials 254 
as may be needed to produce the data identified by the planning and 255 
placement team pursuant to subdivision (1) of this subsection. (3) If the 256 
planning and placement team decides that no additional data is needed 257 
to determine that the child continues to be a child requiring special 258 
education and related services, the local or regional board of education 259 
shall notify the parent or guardian of the child of (A) the decision and 260 
the reasons for it, and (B) the right of the parent or guardian to request 261 
an assessment to determine whether the child continues to be a child 262 
requiring special education and related services. The local or regional 263 
board of education shall not be required to conduct such an assessment 264 
unless requested to do so by the parent or guardian of the child. (4) A 265 
local or regional board of education shall evaluate a child identified as 266 
requiring special education and related services, in accordance with this 267 
section, prior to determining that such child no longer requires such 268 
special education or related services, except that such evaluation shall 269 
not be required before the termination of a child's eligibility for special 270 
education due to graduation from high school with a regular education 271 
diploma, or due to exceeding the age eligibility for a free appropriate 272 
public education. [pursuant to state regulations.] For a child whose 273 
eligibility for special education terminates due to graduation from high 274 
school with a regular high school diploma or such child exceeds the age 275 
of eligibility for a free appropriate public education, the local or regional 276 
board of education shall provide the child with a summary of the child's 277 
academic achievement and functional performance, which shall include 278  Substitute Bill No. 6883 
 
 
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recommendations on how to assist the child in meeting the child's 279 
postsecondary goals. 280 
Sec. 11. (NEW) (Effective July 1, 2023) (a) The Department of Education 281 
shall establish a competitive grant program to assist local and regional 282 
boards of education and regional educational service centers to develop 283 
and provide public transition programs, as defined in section 1 of this 284 
act, that are innovative. 285 
(b) Grant applications shall be submitted annually to the 286 
Commissioner of Education at such time and on such forms as the 287 
commissioner prescribes. In determining whether to award a grant 288 
pursuant to this section and in determining the amount of the grant, the 289 
commissioner shall consider, but such consideration shall not be limited 290 
to, the following factors: (1) The innovative nature of the public 291 
transition program; (2) the potential number of students served by the 292 
public transition program; (3) the relative wealth of the applicant; and 293 
(4) the number of school districts included in the grant application.  294 
(c) If the commissioner finds that any grant awarded pursuant to this 295 
section is being used for purposes that do not conform to the purposes 296 
of this section, the commissioner may require repayment of the grant to 297 
the state. 298 
(d) Each grantee shall submit, at such time and in such form as the 299 
commissioner prescribes, such reports and financial statements as are 300 
required by the department, which shall include, but need not be limited 301 
to, an evaluation of the public transition program operated by such 302 
grantee and any new recommendations for best practices for such 303 
programs. 304 
Sec. 12. (Effective July 1, 2023) The State Education Resource Center, 305 
established pursuant to section 10-357a of the general statutes, shall 306 
review each public transition program, as defined in section 1 of this act. 307 
Such review shall examine aspects of each public transition program, 308 
including, but not limited to, the following: (1) The types of transition 309  Substitute Bill No. 6883 
 
 
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services, as defined in section 1 of this act, provided in such program, 310 
(2) the number and qualifications of the staff providing such transition 311 
services, (3) the location of such program relative to the residence of the 312 
student or the student's family, and (4) any metrics for measuring the 313 
performance of such program, such as student and family feedback and 314 
the placement of students in employment, postsecondary education or 315 
training or programs for adults. Not later than January 1, 2024, the State 316 
Education Resource Center shall submit, in accordance with the 317 
provisions of section 11-4a of the general statutes, to the joint standing 318 
committee of the General Assembly having cognizance of matters 319 
relating to education a report of its findings, including, but not limited 320 
to, a list of best practices and innovative programs. 321 
Sec. 13. Subdivision (10) of subsection (a) of section 10-76d of the 322 
general statutes is repealed and the following is substituted in lieu 323 
thereof (Effective July 1, 2023): 324 
(10) (A) Each local and regional board of education responsible for 325 
providing special education and related services to a child or pupil shall 326 
notify the parent or guardian of a child who requires or who may 327 
require special education, a pupil if such pupil is an emancipated minor 328 
or eighteen years of age or older who requires or who may require 329 
special education or a surrogate parent appointed pursuant to section 330 
10-94g, in writing, at least five school days before such board proposes 331 
to, or refuses to, initiate or change the child's or pupil's identification, 332 
evaluation or educational placement or the provision of a free 333 
appropriate public education to the child or pupil. 334 
(B) Upon request by a parent, guardian, pupil or surrogate parent, 335 
the responsible local or regional board of education shall provide such 336 
parent, guardian, pupil or surrogate parent an opportunity to meet with 337 
a member of the planning and placement team designated by such 338 
board prior to the referral planning and placement team meeting at 339 
which the assessments and evaluations of the child or pupil who 340 
requires or may require special education is presented to such parent, 341 
guardian, pupil or surrogate parent for the first time. Such meeting shall 342  Substitute Bill No. 6883 
 
 
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be for the sole purpose of discussing the planning and placement team 343 
process and any concerns such parent, guardian, pupil or surrogate 344 
parent has regarding the child or pupil who requires or may require 345 
special education. 346 
(C) Such parent, guardian, pupil or surrogate parent shall (i) be given 347 
at least five school days' prior notice of any planning and placement 348 
team meeting conducted for such child or pupil, (ii) have the right to be 349 
present at and participate in all portions of such meeting at which an 350 
educational program for such child or pupil is developed, reviewed or 351 
revised, (iii) have the right to have (I) advisors of such person's own 352 
choosing and at such person's own expense, (II) the school 353 
paraprofessional assigned to such child or pupil, if any, [and] (III) such 354 
child or pupil's birth-to-three service coordinator, if any, and (IV) a 355 
translator, automatically provided by the responsible local or regional 356 
board of education if there is an apparent need or upon the request of 357 
such parent, guardian, pupil or surrogate parent, attend and participate 358 
in all portions of such meeting at which an educational program for such 359 
child or pupil is developed, reviewed or revised, and (iv) have the right 360 
to have each recommendation made in such child or pupil's birth-to-361 
three individualized transition plan, as required by section 17a-248e, if 362 
any, addressed by the planning and placement team during such 363 
meeting at which an educational program for such child or pupil is 364 
developed. 365 
(D) Immediately upon the formal identification of any child as a child 366 
requiring special education and at each planning and placement team 367 
meeting for such child, the responsible local or regional board of 368 
education shall inform the parent or guardian of such child or surrogate 369 
parent or, in the case of a pupil who is an emancipated minor or eighteen 370 
years of age or older, the pupil of (i) the laws relating to special 371 
education, (ii) the rights of such parent, guardian, surrogate parent or 372 
pupil under such laws and the regulations adopted by the State Board 373 
of Education relating to special education, including the right of a 374 
parent, guardian or surrogate parent to (I) withhold from enrolling such 375  Substitute Bill No. 6883 
 
 
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child in kindergarten, in accordance with the provisions of section 10-376 
184, and (II) have advisors and the school paraprofessional assigned to 377 
such child or pupil attend and participate in all portions of such meeting 378 
at which an educational program for such child or pupil is developed, 379 
reviewed or revised, in accordance with the provisions of subparagraph 380 
(C) of this subdivision, and (iii) any relevant information and resources 381 
relating to individualized education programs created by the 382 
Department of Education, including, but not limited to, information 383 
relating to transition resources and services for high school students. If 384 
such parent, guardian, surrogate parent or pupil does not attend a 385 
planning and placement team meeting, the responsible local or regional 386 
board of education shall mail such information to such person. Each 387 
responsible local or regional board of education shall provide a child or 388 
pupil's individualized education program, any documents relating to 389 
such program and all the information required pursuant to this 390 
subparagraph translated to the primary language spoken by such 391 
parent, guardian, surrogate parent or pupil automatically if there is an 392 
apparent need or upon the request of the parent guardian, surrogate 393 
parent or pupil. 394 
(E) Each local and regional board of education shall have in effect at 395 
the beginning of each school year an educational program for each child 396 
or pupil who has been identified as eligible for special education. 397 
(F) (i) At each initial planning and placement team meeting for a child 398 
or pupil, the responsible local or regional board of education shall 399 
inform the parent, guardian, surrogate parent or pupil of [(i)] the laws 400 
relating to physical restraint and seclusion pursuant to section 10-236b 401 
and the rights of such parent, guardian, surrogate parent or pupil under 402 
such laws and the regulations adopted by the State Board of Education 403 
relating to physical restraint and seclusion, and [(ii)] the right of such 404 
parent, guardian, surrogate parent or pupil, during such meeting at 405 
which an educational program for such child or pupil is developed, to 406 
have (I) such child or pupil's birth-to-three service coordinator attend 407 
and participate in all portions of such meeting, and (II) each 408  Substitute Bill No. 6883 
 
 
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recommendation made in the transition plan, as required by section 17a-409 
248e, by such child or pupil's birth-to-three service coordinator 410 
addressed by the planning and placement team. 411 
(ii) At the first planning and placement team meeting when a child or 412 
pupil reaches the age of seventeen, the responsible local or regional 413 
board of education shall inform the parent, guardian or surrogate parent 414 
of any child who may have an intellectual disability, as defined in 415 
section 1-1g, of the laws relating to becoming a conservator for such 416 
child through application to a probate court. 417 
(iii) Each responsible local or regional board of education shall 418 
provide the notice created by the Office of Mediation Services pursuant 419 
to subdivision (7) of subsection (a) of section 18 of this act to each parent, 420 
guardian or surrogate parent of any child who requires special 421 
education by (I) distributing such notice to such parents, guardians or 422 
surrogate parents at the beginning of each school year, and (II) reading 423 
such notice out loud at the conclusion of the first planning and 424 
placement team meeting at the beginning of each school year. 425 
(G) Upon request by a parent, guardian, pupil or surrogate parent, 426 
the responsible local or regional board of education shall provide the 427 
results of the assessments and evaluations used in the determination of 428 
eligibility for special education for a child or pupil to such parent, 429 
guardian, surrogate parent or pupil at least three school days before the 430 
referral planning and placement team meeting at which such results of 431 
the assessments and evaluations will be discussed for the first time. 432 
(H) Each local or regional board of education shall monitor the 433 
development of each child who, pursuant to subsection (a) of section 434 
17a-248e, has been (i) referred for a registration on a mobile application 435 
designated by the Commissioner of Early Childhood, in partnership 436 
with such child's parent, guardian or surrogate parent, or (ii) provided 437 
a form for such child's parent, guardian or surrogate parent to complete 438 
and submit to such local or regional board of education that screens for 439 
developmental and social-emotional delays using a validated screening 440  Substitute Bill No. 6883 
 
 
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tool, such as the Ages and Stages Questionnaire and the Ages and Stages 441 
Social-Emotional Questionnaire, or its equivalent. If such monitoring 442 
results in suspecting a child of having a developmental delay, the board 443 
shall schedule a planning and placement team meeting with such child's 444 
parent, guardian or surrogate parent for the purposes of identifying 445 
services for which such child may be eligible, including, but not limited 446 
to, a preschool program under Part B of the Individuals with Disabilities 447 
Act, 20 USC 1471 et seq. If a parent, guardian or surrogate parent of any 448 
child referred for a registration on the mobile application or provided a 449 
form to complete and submit, pursuant to subsection (a) of section 17a-450 
248e, fails to complete such registration or complete and submit such 451 
form after a period of six months from the date of such referral or 452 
provision of such form, the board shall send a reminder, in the form and 453 
manner determined by the board, to such parent, guardian or surrogate 454 
parent to complete such registration or complete and submit such form. 455 
The board shall send another reminder after a period of one year from 456 
such referral or provision of such form if such registration remains 457 
incomplete or such form is not submitted. 458 
(I) Prior to any planning and placement team meeting for a child or 459 
pupil in which an educational program for such child or pupil is 460 
developed, reviewed or revised, if the parent, guardian, pupil or 461 
surrogate parent has requested that the school paraprofessional 462 
assigned to such child or pupil attend such meeting, then the 463 
responsible local or regional board of education shall provide (i) 464 
adequate notice of such meeting to such school paraprofessional so that 465 
such school paraprofessional may adequately prepare for such meeting, 466 
and (ii) training, upon request of such school paraprofessional, on the 467 
role of such school paraprofessional at such meeting. Following such 468 
meeting, such school paraprofessional, or any other paraprofessional 469 
who is providing special education or related services to such child, 470 
shall be permitted to view such educational program in order to be able 471 
to provide special education or related services to such child or pupil in 472 
accordance with such educational program. 473  Substitute Bill No. 6883 
 
 
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Sec. 14. Subdivision (9) of subsection (a) of section 10-76d of the 474 
general statutes is repealed and the following is substituted in lieu 475 
thereof (Effective July 1, 2023): 476 
(9) (A) The planning and placement team shall, in accordance with 477 
the provisions of the Individuals With Disabilities Education Act, 20 478 
USC 1400, et seq., as amended from time to time, develop and include a 479 
statement of transition service needs in the individualized education 480 
program for each child requiring special education, beginning not later 481 
than the first individualized education program to be in effect when 482 
such child becomes fourteen years of age, or younger if the planning 483 
and placement team determines it is appropriate. Such individualized 484 
education program shall include [(A)] (i) appropriate measurable 485 
postsecondary goals based upon age -appropriate transition 486 
assessments related to training, education, employment and, where 487 
appropriate, independent living skills; and [(B)] (ii) the transition 488 
services, including courses of study, needed to assist such child in 489 
reaching those goals. Such individualized education program shall be 490 
updated annually thereafter in accordance with the provisions of this 491 
subdivision. Nothing in this subdivision shall be construed as requiring 492 
the Department of Aging and Disability Services to lower the age of 493 
transitional services for a child with disabilities from sixteen to fourteen 494 
years of age. 495 
(B) At the first planning and placement team meeting when a child 496 
reaches the age of fourteen and has a statement of transition service 497 
needs included in such child's individualized education program 498 
pursuant to subparagraph (A) of this subdivision, the planning and 499 
placement team shall, for each transition program, as defined in section 500 
1 of this act, and each program for adults for which such child may be 501 
eligible after graduation, (i) notify the state agency that provides such 502 
program about the potential eligibility of such child upon the approval 503 
of the parent or guardian of such child, or a surrogate parent of such 504 
child appointed pursuant to section 10-94g, or such child if such child is 505 
an emancipated minor, and (ii) provide such parent, guardian, 506  Substitute Bill No. 6883 
 
 
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surrogate parent or child a listing of such programs that includes, but is 507 
not limited to, (I) a plain language description of such program, (II) 508 
eligibility requirements for such program, and (III) deadlines and 509 
instructions for applications to such programs. 510 
(C) Not later than the planning and placement team meeting that 511 
occurs approximately two years prior to a child's anticipated graduation 512 
from high school or the end of the school year in which a child will reach 513 
twenty-two years of age, whichever is expected to occur first based on 514 
such child's individualized education program, the planning and 515 
placement team shall (i) upon the approval of the parent or guardian of 516 
such child, or a surrogate parent of such child appointed pursuant to 517 
section 10-94g or such child if such child is an emancipated minor, (I) 518 
notify any state agency that provides a program for adults for which 519 
such child may be eligible about the potential eligibility of such child, 520 
(II) invite a representative from each such agency to attend the planning 521 
and placement team meeting for the purpose of establishing contact 522 
with and counseling the parent, guardian, surrogate parent or child on 523 
the process for the anticipated transfer of services upon such child 524 
graduating from high school or upon the end of the school year in which 525 
such child reaches twenty-two years of age, whichever is sooner, and 526 
(III) permit and facilitate contact and coordination between each such 527 
agency and such parent, guardian, surrogate parent or child for the 528 
purpose of easing the process for the transfer of services, (ii) provide 529 
such parent, guardian, surrogate parent or child a listing of each 530 
program for adults for which such child may be eligible that includes, 531 
but is not limited to, (I) a plain language description of such program, 532 
(II) eligibility requirements for such program, and (III) deadlines and 533 
instructions for applications to such programs, and (iii) assist such 534 
parent, guardian, surrogate parent or child in completing an application 535 
to any such programs. 536 
Sec. 15. (NEW) (Effective July 1, 2023) The Department of 537 
Developmental Services shall assist any child who is determined to be 538 
potentially eligible for services from the department by such child's 539  Substitute Bill No. 6883 
 
 
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planning and placement team pursuant to subparagraph (B) of 540 
subdivision (9) of subsection (a) of section 10-76d of the general statutes, 541 
as amended by this act, to secure and maintain suitable employment 542 
during the summer. 543 
Sec. 16. (NEW) (Effective July 1, 2023) The Department of 544 
Developmental Services and the Bureau of Rehabilitation Services shall 545 
each employ a sufficient number of employees to provide case 546 
management or benefit counseling services for children requiring 547 
special education who may be eligible to receive services from the 548 
department or bureau as determined by a planning and placement team 549 
pursuant to the provisions of subdivision (9) of subsection (a) of section 550 
10-76d of the general statutes, as amended by this act. 551 
Sec. 17. (Effective July 1, 2023) The Auditors of Public Accounts shall 552 
study the level of cooperation between state agencies that provide 553 
transition services, as defined in section 1 of this act. Such study shall 554 
include, but need not be limited to, the examination of any barriers to 555 
cooperation between such agencies and any inefficiencies in the system 556 
for the provision of transition services by such agencies. Not later than 557 
January 1, 2024, the Auditors of Public Accounts shall submit a report, 558 
in accordance with the provisions of section 11-4a of the general statutes, 559 
to the joint standing committee of the General Assembly having 560 
cognizance of matters relating to education. Such report shall include, 561 
but need not be limited to, suggestions to improve the cooperation 562 
between such agencies and the outcomes for recipients of such services. 563 
Sec. 18. (NEW) (Effective July 1, 2023) (a) There is established an Office 564 
of Mediation Services within the Department of Education's Bureau of 565 
Special Education which shall be separate and distinct from any 566 
investigatory or enforcement functions of the department. The Office of 567 
Mediation Services shall (1) expand the mediation services offered by 568 
the department in lieu of proceeding directly to a special education 569 
hearing pursuant to section 10-76h of the general statutes, as amended 570 
by this act, (2) oversee and coordinate such mediation services for each 571 
school district in the state, (3) maintain a list of special education 572  Substitute Bill No. 6883 
 
 
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mediators that meet the minimum training requirements set forth in 573 
subsection (c) of this section and are of a sufficient quantity to meet the 574 
needs of each school district in the state, (4) promote the benefits of 575 
mediation to each local or regional board of education, parents and 576 
guardians and special education advocacy groups, (5) solicit feedback 577 
from local and regional boards of education and parents and guardians 578 
about the mediation process through an annual open meeting, after the 579 
conclusion of any mediation and in any other manner as determined by 580 
the office, (6) establish and publish on its Internet web site (A) a 581 
statement of the impartiality of mediators and the confidentiality of 582 
matters discussed in mediation, which shall, at a minimum, provide that 583 
no employee of the office or mediator on the list of special education 584 
mediators may share information from any mediation with an employee 585 
of the department tasked with investigatory or enforcement functions 586 
unless required by state or federal law, and (B) a plain language 587 
resource explaining the mediation process and how to request and 588 
prepare for a mediation, which shall be translated into the most 589 
commonly spoken languages in the state, and (7) create a notice of the 590 
availability of mediation services that includes the link to the plain 591 
language resource pursuant to subparagraph (B) of subdivision (6) of 592 
this subsection, which shall be translated into the most commonly 593 
spoken languages in the state, for distribution by local or regional 594 
boards of education to parents, guardians and surrogate parents of 595 
children requiring special education pursuant to subparagraph (F) of 596 
subdivision (10) of subsection (a) of section 10-76d of the general 597 
statutes, as amended by this act. 598 
(b) The Commissioner of Education shall, within the limits of 599 
available funds appropriated for the purpose of hiring staff, hire one 600 
full-time staff to carry out the duties of the Office of Mediation Services 601 
set forth in this section and section 19 of this act. 602 
(c) The Office of Mediation Services shall verify that each mediator 603 
included on the list of special education mediators maintained by the 604 
office completes (1) not less than forty hours of training in mediation 605  Substitute Bill No. 6883 
 
 
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skills through a module or course that has been approved by the office, 606 
and (2) training in special education law for a minimum number of 607 
hours prescribed by the office through a module or course provided by 608 
the Department of Education or by another provider approved by the 609 
office. The office may, in its discretion, waive one such training 610 
requirement for any applicant for inclusion on the list of special 611 
education mediators who (A) submits proof of completion of a forty-612 
hour mediation skills training or an equivalent course of study related 613 
to mediation skills from an institution of higher education for waiver of 614 
the mediation skill training requirement, or (B) has sufficient and direct 615 
professional experience in special education law or submits proof of 616 
completion of a comparable course of study related to special education 617 
law from an institution of higher education for waiver of the special 618 
education law training requirement. Each mediator approved by the 619 
office for inclusion on the list of special education mediators shall 620 
complete at least two hours of continuing education every two years in 621 
subject areas prescribed by the office which may be provided by the 622 
Department of Education or any other organization approved by the 623 
office. Each mediator shall remain impartial and maintain the 624 
confidentiality of any matter discussed during mediation. 625 
(d) The Office of Mediation Services shall exempt five mediators who 626 
conducted special education mediation for the Department of Education 627 
prior to July 1, 2023, from the initial training requirements set forth in 628 
subdivisions (1) and (2) of subsection (c) of this section and include such 629 
mediators on the list of special education mediators maintained by the 630 
office pursuant to subsection (c) of this section. 631 
Sec. 19. (NEW) (Effective July 1, 2023) (a) A parent or guardian of a 632 
child requiring special education and related services, pursuant to 633 
sections 10-76a to 10-76g, inclusive, of the general statutes, as amended 634 
by this act, a child if such child is an emancipated minor or eighteen 635 
years of age or older requiring such services, a surrogate parent 636 
appointed pursuant to section 10-94g of the general statutes, the 637 
Commissioner of Children and Families, or a designee of said 638  Substitute Bill No. 6883 
 
 
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commissioner, on behalf of any such child in the custody of said 639 
commissioner or the local or regional board of education responsible for 640 
providing special education and related services for a child, may request 641 
a mediation through the Office of Mediation Services, established 642 
pursuant to section 18 of this act, at any time for any matter related to 643 
the provision of special education for a child, including, but not limited 644 
to, identification, evaluation, educational placement or implementation 645 
of an individualized education program. 646 
(b) Upon receipt of a request for a mediation, the Office of Mediation 647 
Services shall provide notification to the requester of such mediation 648 
and any other parties subject to the request of such mediation (1) that a 649 
conflict exists between such parties, (2) about the mediation process, 650 
including, but not limited to, stating that mediation is voluntary, 651 
facilitated by a neutral mediator and nonbinding, and (3) to invite all 652 
parties to participate in mediation. The office shall provide a translator 653 
at the mediation upon the request of any party. 654 
Sec. 20. Section 10-76h of the general statutes is repealed and the 655 
following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective July 1, 2023): 656 
(a) (1) A parent or guardian of a child requiring special education and 657 
related services pursuant to sections 10-76a to 10-76g, inclusive, as 658 
amended by this act, a pupil if such pupil is an emancipated minor or 659 
eighteen years of age or older requiring such services, a surrogate parent 660 
appointed pursuant to section 10-94g, or the Commissioner of Children 661 
and Families, or a designee of said commissioner, on behalf of any such 662 
child in the custody of said commissioner, may request a hearing of the 663 
local or regional board of education or the unified school district 664 
responsible for providing such services whenever such board or district 665 
proposes or refuses to initiate or change the identification, evaluation or 666 
educational placement of or the provision of a free appropriate public 667 
education to such child or pupil. Such request shall be made by sending 668 
a written request to such board or district with a copy to the Department 669 
of Education. 670  Substitute Bill No. 6883 
 
 
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(2) The local or regional board of education or the unified school 671 
district responsible for providing special education and related services 672 
for a child or pupil requiring such services under sections 10-76a to 10-673 
76g, inclusive, as amended by this act, may request, upon written notice 674 
to the parent or guardian of such child, the pupil if such pupil is an 675 
emancipated minor or is eighteen years of age or older, the surrogate 676 
parent appointed pursuant to section 10-94g, or the Commissioner of 677 
Children and Families, or a designee of said commissioner, on behalf of 678 
any such child or pupil in the custody of said commissioner, a hearing 679 
concerning the decision of the planning and placement team established 680 
pursuant to section 10-76d, as amended by this act, whenever such 681 
board or district proposes or refuses to initiate or change the 682 
identification, evaluation or educational placement of or the provision 683 
of a free appropriate public education placement to such child or pupil, 684 
including, but not limited to, refusal of the parent or guardian, pupil if 685 
such pupil is an emancipated minor or is eighteen years of age or older 686 
or the surrogate parent appointed pursuant to section 10-94g, to give 687 
consent for initial evaluation or reevaluation or the withdrawal of such 688 
consent. The local or regional board of education or unified school 689 
district shall provide a copy of the request to the Department of 690 
Education. In the event a planning and placement team proposes private 691 
placement for a child or pupil who requires or may require special 692 
education and related services and the parent, guardian, pupil if such 693 
pupil is an emancipated minor or is eighteen years of age or older or 694 
surrogate parent appointed pursuant to section 10-94g withholds or 695 
revokes consent for such placement, the local or regional board of 696 
education shall request a hearing in accordance with this section and 697 
may request mediation pursuant to subsection (f) of this section, 698 
provided such action may be taken only in the event such parent, 699 
guardian, pupil or surrogate parent has consented to the initial receipt 700 
of special education and related services and subsequent to the initial 701 
placement of the child, the local or regional board of education seeks a 702 
private placement. For purposes of this section, a "local or regional 703 
board of education or unified school district" includes any public agency 704 
which is responsible for the provision of special education and related 705  Substitute Bill No. 6883 
 
 
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services to children requiring special education and related services. 706 
(3) The request for a hearing shall contain a statement of the specific 707 
issues in dispute. 708 
(4) A party shall have two years to request a hearing from the time 709 
the board of education proposed or refused to initiate or change the 710 
identification, evaluation or educational placement or the provision of a 711 
free appropriate public education placement to such child or pupil 712 
provided, if the parent, guardian, pupil or surrogate parent is not given 713 
notice of the procedural safeguards, in accordance with regulations 714 
adopted by the State Board of Education, including notice of the 715 
limitations contained in this section, such two-year limitation shall be 716 
calculated from the time notice of the safeguards is properly given. 717 
(b) Upon receipt of a written request for a special education hearing 718 
made in accordance with subsection (a) of this section, the Department 719 
of Education shall appoint an impartial hearing officer who shall 720 
schedule a hearing which shall be held and the decision written and 721 
mailed not later than forty-five days after the commencement of the 722 
hearing pursuant to the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, 20 723 
USC 1400 et seq., as amended from time to time. An extension of the 724 
forty-five-day time limit may be granted by the hearing officer at the 725 
request of either party to the hearing. 726 
(c) (1) The Department of Education shall provide training to hearing 727 
officers in administrative hearing procedures, including due process, 728 
and in the special educational needs of children. Hearing officers and 729 
members of hearing boards shall not be employees of the Department 730 
of Education or any local or regional board of education, unified school 731 
district or public agency involved in the education or care of the child. 732 
A person who is paid to serve as a hearing officer is not deemed to be 733 
an employee of the Department of Education. No person who 734 
participated in the previous identification, evaluation or educational 735 
placement of or the provision of a free appropriate public education to 736 
the child or pupil nor any member of the board of education of the 737  Substitute Bill No. 6883 
 
 
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school district under review, shall be a hearing officer or a member of a 738 
hearing board. 739 
(2) Both parties shall participate in a prehearing conference to resolve 740 
the issues in dispute, if possible and narrow the scope of the issues. Each 741 
party to the hearing shall disclose, not later than five business days prior 742 
to the date the hearing commences, (A) documentary evidence such 743 
party plans to present at the hearing and a list of witnesses such party 744 
plans to call at the hearing, and (B) all completed evaluations and 745 
recommendations based on the offering party's evaluations that the 746 
party intends to use at the hearing. Except for good cause shown, the 747 
hearing officer shall limit each party to such documentary evidence and 748 
witnesses as were properly disclosed and are relevant to the issues in 749 
dispute. A hearing officer may bar any party who fails to comply with 750 
the requirements concerning disclosure of evaluations and 751 
recommendations from introducing any undisclosed evaluation or 752 
recommendation at the hearing without the consent of the other party. 753 
(3) The hearing officer or board shall hear testimony relevant to the 754 
issues in dispute offered by the party requesting the hearing and any 755 
other party directly involved, and may hear any additional testimony 756 
the hearing officer or board deems relevant. The hearing officer or board 757 
shall hear the testimony offered by the local or regional board of 758 
education or the unified school district responsible for providing special 759 
education to a child or pupil first in any dispute concerning the 760 
provision of free appropriate public education. The hearing officer or 761 
board may require a complete and independent evaluation or 762 
prescription of educational programs by qualified persons, the cost of 763 
which shall be paid by the board of education or the unified school 764 
district. The hearing officer or board shall cause all formal sessions of 765 
the hearing and review to be recorded in order to provide a verbatim 766 
record. 767 
(d) (1) The hearing officer or board shall have the authority (A) to 768 
confirm, modify, or reject the identification, evaluation or educational 769 
placement of or the provision of a free appropriate public education to 770  Substitute Bill No. 6883 
 
 
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the child or pupil, (B) to determine the appropriateness of an 771 
educational placement where the parent or guardian of a child requiring 772 
special education or the pupil if such pupil is an emancipated minor or 773 
eighteen years of age or older, has placed the child or pupil in a program 774 
other than that prescribed by the planning and placement team, or (C) 775 
to prescribe alternate special educational programs for the child or 776 
pupil. If the parent or guardian of such a child who previously received 777 
special education and related services from the district enrolls the child, 778 
or the pupil who previously received special education and related 779 
services from the district enrolls in a private elementary or secondary 780 
school without the consent of or referral by the district, a hearing officer 781 
may, in accordance with the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, 782 
20 USC 1400 et seq., as amended from time to time, require the district 783 
to reimburse the parents or the pupil for the cost of that enrollment if 784 
the hearing officer finds that the district had not made a free appropriate 785 
public education available to the child or pupil in a timely manner prior 786 
to that enrollment. In the case where a parent or guardian, or pupil if 787 
such pupil is an emancipated minor or is eighteen years of age or older, 788 
or a surrogate parent appointed pursuant to section 10-94g, has refused 789 
consent for initial evaluation or reevaluation, the hearing officer or 790 
board may order an initial evaluation or reevaluation without the 791 
consent of such parent, guardian, pupil or surrogate parent except that 792 
if the parent, guardian, pupil or surrogate parent appeals such decision 793 
pursuant to subdivision (4) of this subsection, the child or pupil may not 794 
be evaluated or placed pending the disposition of the appeal. The 795 
hearing officer or board shall inform the parent or guardian, or the 796 
emancipated minor or pupil eighteen years of age or older, or the 797 
surrogate parent appointed pursuant to section 10-94g, or the 798 
Commissioner of Children and Families, as the case may be, and the 799 
board of education of the school district or the unified school district of 800 
the decision in writing and mail such decision not later than forty-five 801 
days after the commencement of the hearing pursuant to the Individuals 802 
with Disabilities Education Act, 20 USC 1400 et seq., as amended from 803 
time to time, except that a hearing officer or board may grant specific 804 
extensions of such forty-five-day period in order to comply with the 805  Substitute Bill No. 6883 
 
 
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provisions of subsection (b) of this section. The hearing officer may 806 
include in the decision a comment on the conduct of the proceedings. 807 
The findings of fact, conclusions of law and decision shall be written 808 
without personally identifiable information concerning such child or 809 
pupil, so that such decisions may be promptly indexed and published 810 
and available for public inspections pursuant to sections 4-167 and 4-811 
180a. 812 
(2) If the local or regional board of education or the unified school 813 
district responsible for providing special education for such child or 814 
pupil requiring special education does not take action on the findings or 815 
prescription of the hearing officer or board within fifteen days after 816 
receipt thereof, the State Board of Education shall take appropriate 817 
action to enforce the findings or prescriptions of the hearing officer or 818 
board. Such action may include application to the Superior Court for 819 
injunctive relief to compel such local or regional board or school district 820 
to implement the findings or prescription of the hearing officer or board 821 
without the necessity of establishing irreparable harm or inadequate 822 
remedy at law. 823 
(3) If the hearing officer or board upholds the local or regional board 824 
of education or the unified school district responsible for providing 825 
special education and related services for such child or pupil who 826 
requires or may require special education on the issue of evaluation, 827 
reevaluation or placement in a private school or facility, such board or 828 
district may evaluate or provide such services to the child or pupil 829 
without the consent of the parent or guardian, pupil if such pupil is an 830 
emancipated minor or is eighteen years of age or older, or the surrogate 831 
parent appointed pursuant to section 10-94g, subject to an appeal 832 
pursuant to subdivision (4) of this subsection. 833 
(4) Appeals from the decision of the hearing officer or board shall be 834 
taken in the manner set forth in section 4-183, except the court shall hear 835 
additional evidence at the request of a party. Notwithstanding the 836 
provisions of section 4-183, such appeal shall be taken to the judicial 837 
district wherein the child or pupil resides. In the event of an appeal, 838  Substitute Bill No. 6883 
 
 
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upon request and at the expense of the State Board of Education, said 839 
board shall supply a copy of the transcript of the formal sessions of the 840 
hearing officer or board to the parent or guardian or the emancipated 841 
minor or pupil eighteen years of age or older or surrogate parent or said 842 
commissioner and to the board of education of the school district or the 843 
unified school district. 844 
(e) Hearing officers and members of the hearing board shall be paid 845 
reasonable fees and expenses as established by the State Board of 846 
Education. 847 
(f) (1) In lieu of proceeding directly to a hearing, pursuant to 848 
subsection (a) of this section, [the parties] any party may [agree in 849 
writing to request the Commissioner of Education to appoint a state 850 
mediator] request mediation through the Office of Mediation Services, 851 
established pursuant to section 18 of this act. Upon the receipt of a 852 
[written] request for mediation, [signed by both parties, the 853 
commissioner] the office shall appoint a mediator, [knowledgeable in 854 
the fields and areas significant to the review of the special educational 855 
needs of the child or pupil] in accordance with section 19 of this act, and 856 
invite all parties to a mediation with a person selected from the list of 857 
special education mediators maintained by said office. The mediator 858 
shall attempt to resolve the issues in a manner which is acceptable to the 859 
parties. The mediator shall certify in writing to the [Department of 860 
Education] office and to the parties whether the mediation was 861 
successful or unsuccessful. 862 
(2) If the dispute is not resolved through mediation, [either] any party 863 
may proceed to a hearing. 864 
(g) The Department of Education shall establish and publish on its 865 
Internet web site a plain language resource explaining the (1) process by 866 
which the department resolves complaints, and (2) hearing process 867 
established pursuant to this section and how to request and prepare for 868 
a hearing, both of which shall be translated into the most commonly 869 
spoken languages in the state.  870  Substitute Bill No. 6883 
 
 
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Sec. 21. (NEW) (Effective July 1, 2023) The Department of Education 871 
shall initiate a program of overseeing the implementation of the 872 
Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, 20 USC 1400 et seq., as 873 
amended from time to time, in school districts throughout the state. 874 
Under such program, the department shall conduct audits of special 875 
education programs in randomly selected school districts each year. 876 
Such audits shall include, but need not be limited to, (1) interviewing 877 
teachers and staff who provide special education services and parents 878 
or guardians of children requiring special education, (2) conducting 879 
unannounced on-site visits, and (3) reviewing individualized education 880 
programs upon the approval of the parent or guardian of the child to 881 
whom such individualized education program applies. 882 
Sec. 22. Subsection (a) of section 10-220a of the general statutes is 883 
repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective July 1, 884 
2023): 885 
(a) Each local or regional board of education shall provide an in-886 
service training program for its teachers, administrators and pupil 887 
personnel who hold the initial educator, provisional educator or 888 
professional educator certificate. Such program shall provide such 889 
teachers, administrators and pupil personnel with information on (1) 890 
the nature and the relationship of alcohol and drugs, as defined in 891 
subdivision (17) of section 21a-240, to health and personality 892 
development, and procedures for discouraging their abuse, (2) health 893 
and mental health risk reduction education that includes, but need not 894 
be limited to, the prevention of risk-taking behavior by children and the 895 
relationship of such behavior to substance abuse, pregnancy, sexually 896 
transmitted diseases, including HIV-infection and AIDS, as defined in 897 
section 19a-581, violence, teen dating violence, domestic violence and 898 
child abuse, (3) school violence prevention, conflict resolution, the 899 
prevention of and response to youth suicide and the identification and 900 
prevention of and response to bullying, as defined in subsection (a) of 901 
section 10-222d, except that those boards of education that implement 902 
any evidence-based model approach that is approved by the 903  Substitute Bill No. 6883 
 
 
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Department of Education and is consistent with subsection (c) of section 904 
10-145a, sections 10-222d, 10-222g and 10-222h, subsection (g) of section 905 
10-233c and sections 1 and 3 of public act 08-160, shall not be required 906 
to provide in-service training on the identification and prevention of 907 
and response to bullying, (4) cardiopulmonary resuscitation and other 908 
emergency life saving procedures, (5) the requirements and obligations 909 
of a mandated reporter, (6) the detection and recognition of, and 910 
evidence-based structured literacy interventions for, students with 911 
dyslexia, as defined in section 10-3d, (7) culturally responsive pedagogy 912 
and practice, including, but not limited to, the video training module 913 
relating to implicit bias and anti-bias in the hiring process in accordance 914 
with the provisions of section 10-156hh, [and] (8) the principles and 915 
practices of social-emotional learning and restorative practices, and (9) 916 
the laws governing the implementation of planning and placement team 917 
meetings and concerning plans pursuant to Section 504 of the 918 
Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended from time to time. Each local or 919 
regional board of education may allow any paraprofessional or 920 
noncertified employee to participate, on a voluntary basis, in any in-921 
service training program provided pursuant to this section. 922 
This act shall take effect as follows and shall amend the following 
sections: 
 
Section 1 July 1, 2023 New section 
Sec. 2 January 1, 2024 10-74n 
Sec. 3 July 1, 2023 New section 
Sec. 4 July 1, 2023 New section 
Sec. 5 July 1, 2023 10-76d(b) 
Sec. 6 July 1, 2023 10-76ll(b) 
Sec. 7 July 1, 2023 10-253(a) 
Sec. 8 July 1, 2023 10-253(h)(3) 
Sec. 9 July 1, 2023 10-76a(2) 
Sec. 10 July 1, 2023 10-76ff(b) 
Sec. 11 July 1, 2023 New section 
Sec. 12 July 1, 2023 New section 
Sec. 13 July 1, 2023 10-76d(a)(10) 
Sec. 14 July 1, 2023 10-76d(a)(9)  Substitute Bill No. 6883 
 
 
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Sec. 15 July 1, 2023 New section 
Sec. 16 July 1, 2023 New section 
Sec. 17 July 1, 2023 New section 
Sec. 18 July 1, 2023 New section 
Sec. 19 July 1, 2023 New section 
Sec. 20 July 1, 2023 10-76h 
Sec. 21 July 1, 2023 New section 
Sec. 22 July 1, 2023 10-220a(a) 
 
Statement of Legislative Commissioners:   
In Section 2(a)(2), "transition" was added before "services" and 
"programs" and "such state agency" was changed to "each such board, 
office or department" for clarity; in Section 3(b), "educators and support 
staff" was changed to "other educators or school staff" for accuracy and 
consistency; in Section 4(a)(1), "not later than three years after the date 
when" was changed to "during the three-year period immediately 
following the date upon which" and "but thereafter, each new transition 
coordinator" was changed to "provided each new transition coordinator 
appointed after the initiation of such training period" for clarity; in 
Section 4(b), "not later than five years after the date when" was changed 
to "during the five-year period immediately following the date upon 
which" and "but thereafter, each new educator and school staff who 
provides transition services" was changed to "provided each new 
educator and school staff employed to provide transition services after 
the initiation of such training period" for clarity; in Section 5, "at" was 
added before "the end" and "when" was changed to "during which" for 
clarity; in Section 11(b)(1), "innovate" was changed to "innovative" for 
accuracy; in Section 11(d), "operated by such grantee" was added after 
"public transition program" for clarity; in Section 12, "study" was 
changed to "review" for accuracy; in Section 18(a)(4), "special education" 
was added before "advocacy groups" for clarity; in Section 18(a)(6)(A), 
"include, but not be limited to, a statement" was changed to "at a 
minimum, provide" for conciseness; in Section 18(a)(7), "established" 
was deleted for conciseness; and in Section 19(a), ", as amended by this 
act" was added to conform with standard drafting conventions. 
 
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