O F F I C E O F L E G I S L A T I V E R E S E A R C H
P U B L I C A C T S U M M A R Y
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PA 23-167—sSB 1
Education Committee
Appropriations Committee
AN ACT CONCERNING TR ANSPARENCY IN EDUCAT ION
TABLE OF CONTENTS:
§ 1 — PUBLISHING SCHOOL DISTRICT RECEIPTS, EXPENDITURES,
AND STATISTICS
Requires SDE, starting by February 15, 2024, to annually publish each school district’s receipts,
expenditures, and statistics for the previous fiscal year; requires SDE, starting by February 15,
2025, to prepare and publish the same data in a format that allows financial comparisons between
school districts and schools
§§ 2 & 3 — NEW BOARD OF EDUCATION MEMBER REQUIRED
TRAINING
Requires SDE to provide, and newly elected school board members to take, training on the
responsibilities and obligations of being a school board member
§§ 4 & 5 — ALLIANCE DISTRICTS
Expands allowable alliance district funding uses to include establishing a family resource center
in each elementary school in the district; requires SDE to publish each alliance district’s
improvement plan
§ 6 — WHOLESOME SCHO OL MEALS PILOT PROGRAM
Requires SDE to administer a wholesome school meals pilot program to award five grants to
alliance districts to embed a professional chef in the district to assist school meal programs
§ 7 — VIRTUAL REALITY STUDY
Requires SDE to study the use of virtual reality in grade 9-12 classroom instruction
§ 8 — EDUCATOR APPRENTICESHIP PROGRAM
Requires SDE to establish an educator apprenticeship initiative to enable students in teacher
preparation programs to gain paid classroom teaching experience
§§ 9 & 10 — SDE REVIEW OF SCHOOL BOARDS’ INCREASING
EDUCATOR DIVERSITY PLANS
Requires each school board to (1) submit its increasing educator diversity plan (referred to in
prior law as the minority educator recruitment plan) to the education commissioner by March 15,
2024, for review and approval and (2) implement its approved plan beginning with the 2024-25
school year
§§ 11 & 18 — ASPIRING EDUCATORS DIVERSITY SCHOLARSHIP
PROGRAM O L R P U B L I C A C T S U M M A R Y
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Changes the name of the “minority teacher candidate” scholarship program to the “aspiring
educators diversity” scholarship program; reduces the maximum annual grant amount from
$20,000 to $10,000; requires SDE to hire four staff members to administer the program
§§ 12-14 — EDUCATOR DIVERSITY POLICY OVERSIGHT COUNCIL
Changes the name of the Minority Teacher Recruitment Oversight Council to the Increasing
Educator Diversity Policy Oversight Council and the term “minority” to “diverse” regarding
students and educators
§ 15 — ADJUNCT PROFESSOR PERMIT
Allows SBE to issue adjunct professor permits to allow part-time, nontenured college instructors
to work part-time for a school district; establishes employment limits and criteria
§ 16 — ADDING CURSIVE WRITING AND WORLD LANGUAGES TO THE
MODEL CURRICULUM
Adds cursive writing and world languages to the kindergarten to grade eight model curriculum
that SDE must develop
§ 17 — HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATION CREDIT FOR CREDIT RECOVERY
PROGRAMS
Allows school boards to award high school graduation credit for completing an approved credit
recovery program
§ 19 — USE OF CERTAIN OPEN CHOICE FUNDS
Changes terminology describing excess Open Choice funds from “nonlapsing” to “additional,”
limits the amount of these funds for one earmarked use, and allows any remaining funds to lapse
§§ 20-23 & 86 — IMPLEMENTATION OF READIN G MODELS OR
PROGRAMS
Requires a school board that received a waiver from using one of the state-approved reading
models to implement its alternative model under the waiver by the 2024-25 school year; allows
school boards without a waiver, but that have not adopted a state-approved model, to partially
implement a state-approved model over time; eliminates a provision that allowed the
commissioner to grant a school board more time for implementation due to insufficient resources
or funding; extends a notification deadline
§ 24 — REVIEW OF ISSUES RELATED TO IMPLEMENTING THE
READING MODEL OR PRO GRAM
Requires SDE’s literacy center to review issues related to implementation of the reading
curriculum models and programs
§ 25 — STATEWIDE MASTERY TEST AUDIT
Requires the education commissioner to audit statewide mastery test and local testing
requirements along with the preparation and administration time associated with them
§§ 26 & 27 — LOCAL FOOD FOR SCHOOLS INCENTIVE PROGRAM
Creates in DoAg the local food for schools incentive program to reimburse eligible school boards
for buying locally or regionally sourced food for school meal programs; sets reimbursement rates
for locally- and regionally-sourced food; outlines the grant process and requires DoAg to develop O L R P U B L I C A C T S U M M A R Y
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guidelines; redirects unexpended CT Grown for CT Kids Grant Program funds to the new
program
§§ 28 & 33 — AEROSPACE AND AVIATION TRAINING
Allows school boards to partner with local businesses to provide aerospace and aviation
apprenticeship training programs to students; requires creation of a working group to study the
feasibility of an aviation and aerospace high school
§ 29 — MODEL PARAEDU CATOR TRAINING PROGR AM FOR HIGH
SCHOOL STUDENTS
Requires the education commissioner, by January 1, 2024, and in consultation with the School
Paraeducator Advisory Council, to develop a model paraeducator training program for high
school students
§ 30 — DISSEMINATING INFORMATION ON SCHO OL OPTIONS
Requires school boards to annually distribute information on vocational, technical, technological,
and postsecondary education school options to middle school students
§ 31 — HIGH SCHOOL PRE-APPRENTICESHIP GRANT PROGRAM
Requires SDE, by January 1, 2024, to establish a pre-apprenticeship grant program for boards of
education that have DOL-registered pre-apprenticeship programs in their high school curriculum
§ 32 — EXPANSION OF DUAL CREDIT AND DUAL ENROLLMENT
PROGRAMS
Requires SDE, in partnership with boards of education and public higher education institutions, to
expand opportunities for dual credit and dual enrollment for high school students, including
courses required for health care occupations
§§ 34 & 35 — SCHOOL NURSES AND NURSE PRACTITIONERS
Exempts school nurses and nurse practitioners from the work experience requirement in state
regulations; requires employing boards of education to provide 15 hours of professional
development biennially to school nurses and nurse practitioners beginning with the 2024-25
school year
§ 36 — COMMISSION TO STUDY EDUCATION FUN DING AND
ACCOUNTABILITY MEASU RES
Creates a new commission to study various educational issues, including funding for local school
districts, charter schools, and magnet schools, and related accountability measures
§ 37 — ANNUAL ENROLLMENT REPORTS
Requires local and regional boards of education, magnet school operators, and charter school
governing councils to annually report enrollment data as of April 1 to SDE
§§ 38-40 — RENAMING AND REVISING THE ALLIANCE DISTRICTS
Renames the alliance districts as the educational reform districts and reduces the number of these
designated districts to 20; makes conforming changes in ECS and tiered PILOT grants law
§ 41 — ALLIANCE DISTRICT HOLDBACK FOR MINORITY TEACHER
PROGRAM FUNDING O L R P U B L I C A C T S U M M A R Y
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Requires SDE to calculate alliance districts’ funding holdback for minority teacher residency
candidates using a new formula for FY 24; limits this formula to FY 24 only
§ 42 — INDOOR AIR QUALITY WORKING GROUP
Expands the school indoor air quality working group’s charge and extends its reporting deadline
§§ 43 & 44 — SCHOOL INDOOR AIR QUALITY PROGRAM
Requires more frequent indoor air quality inspections; requires the inspection reports to be
submitted to DAS on a form the agency creates
§ 45 — OPTIMAL TEMPERATURE COMFORT RANGE GUIDELINES
Requires DPH to develop temperature comfort range guidelines for school buildings
§ 46 — PATHWAYS IN TECHNOLOGY E ARLY COLLEGE HIGH SCHOOL
PROGRAM GRANT
Requires SDE to create a grant for new or expanded pathways in technology early college high
school programs in alliance districts
§§ 47-71, 74 & 87 — CHANGES TO SCHOOL CLIMATE DUTIES AND
PROCEDURES
Makes various changes to school climate duties and procedures, including defining “school
climate” and related terms; requires (1) the Social and Emotional Learning and School Climate
Advisory Collaborative to develop school climate standards based on national guidelines; (2)
each school district to have a school climate coordinator and each school to have a school climate
specialist and a school climate committee; (3) each school climate committee to biennially
administer a school climate survey; and (4) the creation of a school climate improvement plan
that aligns with the state’s school climate standards
§§ 72 & 73 — SCHOOL RESOURCE OFFICERS
Requires that the MOU that assigns an SRO to schools specify the SRO’s duties and procedures;
requires school boards to post the MOUs on their website and in the SRO’s assigned school;
requires each SRO to submit a report for each investigation or behavioral intervention the SRO
conducts
§ 75 — SCHOOL DISCIPLINE PRACTICES WORKING GROUP
Requires the SDE commissioner to establish a working group, under the Connecticut School
Discipline Collaborative, to study current school discipline practices and report the study’s
results to the Education Committee
§§ 76-82 — SCHOOL SUSPENSION AND EXPULSION
Makes various changes in the education statutes governing suspension and expulsion
§§ 83 & 84 — GRANTS FOR HIRING VARIOUS SCHOOL MENTA L
HEALTH PERSONNEL
Removes in two SDE grant programs for hiring school mental health personnel the requirement
that grant recipients refund unexpended grant amounts; delays by one year the dates when SDE
must administer the school mental health therapist grant program; adjusts education
commissioner reporting dates O L R P U B L I C A C T S U M M A R Y
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§ 85 — GRANT FOR DELIVERY OF STUDENT MENTAL HEALTH
SERVICES
Delays by one year the dates when SDE must administer a grant program for boards of education
and youth camp and summer program operators to provide mental health services; removes the
requirement that grant recipients refund unexpended grant amounts to SDE
§ 87 — REPEALER
Repeals laws containing school climate requirements for school boards and SDE that conflict with
the act’s provisions
§ 1 — PUBLISHING SCHOOL DISTRICT RECEIPTS, EXPENDITURES, AND
STATISTICS
Requires SDE, starting by February 15, 2024, to annually publish each school district’s receipts,
expenditures, and statistics for the previous fiscal year; requires SDE, starting by February 15,
2025, to prepare and publish the same data in a format that allows financial comparisons between
school districts and schools
By law, school superintendents must report returns of the school district’s
receipts, expenditures, and statistics to the education commissioner by September
1 of each year while allowing for revisions up to December 31. The returns must
be certified by an independent public accountant by December 31. The act requires
that the returns be filed according to the commissioner’s instructions, rather than
made under those instructions as under prior law.
The act also requires the State Department of Education (SDE), by February
15, 2024, and each following year, to publish on its website the data in the required
reports and returns by education program type, expense function, expense object,
and funding source. Sources must include federal, combined state and local, and
combined private and other sources for the school and district level. SDE must also
develop and publish a guide with definitions for each category of expenditure and
funding source.
Additionally, the act requires SDE, beginning by February 15, 2025, and each
following year, to develop and publish (presumably, on its website) the data
mentioned above in a format that allows financial comparisons between school
districts and schools, including student enrollment and demographic statistics as of
October 1 of the school year in which the reports and returns were filed.
EFFECTIVE DATE: July 1, 2023
§§ 2 & 3 — NEW BOARD OF EDUCATION MEMBER REQUIRED TRAINING
Requires SDE to provide, and newly elected school board members to take, training on the
responsibilities and obligations of being a school board member
The act requires SDE to develop an annual training program for newly elected
school board members that at least includes a school board member’s role and
responsibilities, a board of education’s duties and obligations, and school district
budgeting and education finance. When developing and providing the training, O L R P U B L I C A C T S U M M A R Y
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SDE may collaborate with an association that represents Connecticut boards of
education and accept gifts, grants, and donations, including in-kind donations.
The act requires SDE to begin offering the annual training on and after July 1,
2023. First-time elected school board members must complete the training at a time
and in a way SDE determines, but within one year after assuming office.
EFFECTIVE DATE: July 1, 2023
§§ 4 & 5 — ALLIANCE DISTRICTS
Expands allowable alliance district funding uses to include establishing a family resource center
in each elementary school in the district; requires SDE to publish each alliance district’s
improvement plan
The act expands the items that alliance district funding may be spent on to
include establishing a family resource center in each elementary school under the
school board’s jurisdiction. (PA 23-208, § 3, repeals this provision.) Family
resource centers provide child care services, remedial educational and literacy
services, families-in-training programs, and support services to parents getting
temporary family assistance or to other parents in need.
By law, alliance districts must spend their alliance funds (1) according to the
plan submitted with the application; (2) on the minority candidate certification,
retention, and residency program; (3) on Education Cost Sharing (ECS) spending
requirements; and (4) on any other items allowed under SDE guidelines. The act
specifies that the plan is an “improvement plan” (see Background — Alliance
Districts).
The act requires SDE to publish on its website the improvement plan that each
alliance district must submit with its application for the alliance portion of its ECS
aid. It also requires school boards for alliance district towns to annually submit
these improvement plans to SDE.
EFFECTIVE DATE: July 1, 2023
Background — Alliance Districts
By law, there are currently 36 alliance districts that have been designated for
five years. The designation applies to (1) the 33 school districts with the lowest
accountability index (AI) scores and (2) 3 districts that were designated in previous
years but that may not now be among the 33 with the lowest scores (see below).
State law allows the education commissioner to withhold some of an alliance
district’s ECS aid until the district has submitted a satisfactory application and
improvement plan.
Background — Accountability Index Scores
By law, the “accountability index score” for a school district or an individual
school is the score resulting from multiple weighted measures that (1) include the
mastery test scores (i.e., the performance index score) and high school graduation
rates and (2) may include academic growth over time, attendance and chronic O L R P U B L I C A C T S U M M A R Y
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absenteeism, postsecondary education and career readiness, enrollment in and
graduation from higher education institutions and postsecondary education
programs, civics and arts education, and physical fitness (CGS § 10-223e(a)).
§ 6 — WHOLESOME SCHO OL MEALS PILOT PROGRAM
Requires SDE to administer a wholesome school meals pilot program to award five grants to
alliance districts to embed a professional chef in the district to assist school meal programs
For FYs 24 to 26, the act requires SDE to administer a wholesome school meals
pilot program that awards five grants to embed a professional chef in five alliance
districts. The chef must help school meal programs build food service staff
capacity, improve meal quality, increase diner satisfaction, streamline operations,
and establish a financially viable school meal program.
The act requires SDE to partner with an organization that specializes in placing
chefs for the pilot program’s purposes.
Under the act, an alliance district may apply for the grant by October 1, 2023,
on an application the department establishes. SDE must review each application
and award five grants. Each grant recipient must receive an annual $150,000 grant
in each year of the pilot.
By January 1, 2027, SDE must report on the school meals pilot program to the
Appropriations and Education committees.
EFFECTIVE DATE: July 1, 2023
§ 7 — VIRTUAL REALITY STUDY
Requires SDE to study the use of virtual reality in grade 9-12 classroom instruction
The act requires SDE to study the use of virtual reality as part of grade 9-12
classroom instruction. The study must include at least the following: (1) a review
of best practices for using virtual reality in the classroom, (2) appropriate safety
measures for its use, and (3) ways that local or regional boards of education may
responsibly invest in and purchase virtual reality equipment and programs. SDE
must report its findings and any recommendations to the Education Committee by
January 1, 2025.
EFFECTIVE DATE: Upon passage
§ 8 — EDUCATOR APPRENTICESHIP PROGRAM
Requires SDE to establish an educator apprenticeship initiative to enable students in teacher
preparation programs to gain paid classroom teaching experience
The act requires SDE to establish an educator apprenticeship initiative starting
in FY 24 to enable students enrolled in educator preparation programs, residency
programs, or alternate route to certification (ARC) programs to get classroom
teaching experience while working towards becoming full-time, certified teachers
after successfully completing the programs. O L R P U B L I C A C T S U M M A R Y
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The act also requires SDE to develop (1) participation guidelines for educator
preparation programs, residency programs, and ARC programs included under the
initiative; (2) administrative implementation guidelines that are consistent with
federal laws and regulations; and (3) compensation levels for students enrolled in
any of the three types of programs included under the educator apprenticeship
initiative. Under the act, SDE must seek state Department of Labor certification for
the initiative to leverage federal grants and funding.
By law, participants in an apprenticeship must be paid (CGS § 31-22m).
Teacher residency program participants were paid prior to the act (CGS § 10-
156gg), but the educator preparation and ARC program participants were not.
EFFECTIVE DATE: July 1, 2023
Residency Programs and Apprenticeship Participation
Under the act, the education commissioner may permit a student enrolled in a
residency program to participate in the apprenticeship program upon the request of
the superintendent for the school district where the student is assigned for the
residency program. Upon successfully completing a residency program and with
the superintendent’s recommendation, the State Board of Education (SBE) must
issue an initial educator certificate to the student, and the student is exempted from
the statutory teacher subject area assessment requirements.
§§ 9 & 10 — SDE REVIEW OF SCHOOL BOARDS’ INCREASING
EDUCATOR DIVERSITY PLANS
Requires each school board to (1) submit its increasing educator diversity plan (referred to in
prior law as the minority educator recruitment plan) to the education commissioner by March 15,
2024, for review and approval and (2) implement its approved plan beginning with the 2024-25
school year
Prior law required every local and regional board of education (i.e., school
board) to develop and implement a “minority educator recruitment” plan for each
school district to give its students opportunities to interact with teachers from other
racial, ethnic, and economic backgrounds to reduce racial, ethnic, and economic
isolation. The act changes the plan’s name to the “increasing educator diversity”
plan and requires each school board to submit its plan to the education
commissioner by March 15, 2024, for review and approval.
The act requires the commissioner to review each increasing educator diversity
plan. She may approve it or return the plan to the school board with instructions to
revise it, in which case the school board must revise the plan according to the
instructions by May 15, 2024, and resubmit the plan for approval.
Under the act, beginning with the 2024-25 school year, school boards must
implement their commissioner-approved plans and post them on their websites.
SDE must also posts the plans on its website.
EFFECTIVE DATE: July 1, 2023
O L R P U B L I C A C T S U M M A R Y
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§§ 11 & 18 — ASPIRING EDUCATORS DIVERSIT Y SCHOLARSHIP
PROGRAM
Changes the name of the “minority teacher candidate” scholarship program to the “aspiring
educators diversity” scholarship program; reduces the maximum annual grant amount from
$20,000 to $10,000; requires SDE to hire four staff members to administer the program
Under prior law, SDE administered a minority teacher candidate scholarship
program to award an annual scholarship to “minority” students who met the
following criteria:
1. graduated from a public high school in a “priority school district” (i.e.,
generally, districts whose students receive low standardized test scores and
have high levels of poverty (CGS § 10-266p(a))) and
2. were enrolled in a teacher preparation program at a four-year higher
education institution.
The act renames the program as the “aspiring educators diversity” scholarship
program. It also makes a conforming change by replacing references to “minority”
students with references to “diverse” students. (The terms have the same meaning
under prior law and the act.)
The act makes other changes affecting the program, such as (1) reducing the
maximum annual scholarship and (2) requiring SDE to hire four staff members to
administer the program.
EFFECTIVE DATE: July 1, 2023
Scholarship Grant Changes
The act reduces the maximum annual scholarship amount that a student may
receive from $20,000 to $10,000. It adds the requirement that scholarship recipients
be in good standing in their teacher preparation programs.
It also requires the education commissioner to develop scholarship repayment
criteria for recipients who are not employed as certified teachers by a local or
regional board of education after graduating from a teacher preparation program.
Any amounts repaid to the department must be deposited in the General Fund.
Scholarship Administration Policy
The act modifies the scholarship administration policy that prior law required
SDE to develop by January 1, 2023. But the act does not specify a deadline for SDE
to update the policy. By law, the policy must address the payment and distribution
of the scholarships. The act specifies that the policy must include payment and
distribution through the teacher preparation programs the recipients are enrolled in.
Existing law also requires that the policy address notifying high school students
in priority school districts about the scholarship program. The act adds that this
must include the opportunity to apply for the program’s scholarship while enrolled
in high school and before graduation if the student will be enrolled in a teacher
preparation program during the following fall semester at a four-year higher
education institution. O L R P U B L I C A C T S U M M A R Y
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Reporting Requirement
The act requires SDE, starting by January 1, 2024, to annually develop a report
that includes data on the race and ethnicity of the scholarship recipients and the
teacher preparation programs in which they are enrolled. SDE must submit the
report to the Education Committee.
Program Staff (§ 18)
The act requires the Office of Policy and Management, in consultation with
SDE, to reclassify at least four existing unfilled positions at SDE to administer the
aspiring educators diversity scholarship program and implement recruitment and
retention programs for diverse educators. Under the act, the reclassification is for
FY 24, and SDE must use the funds appropriated to its personal services account to
fill four reclassified staff positions.
The act specifies that one reclassified position must require experience in
communications, be placed in the Talent Office, and be responsible for marketing
the scholarship program and the recruitment and retention programs.
§§ 12-14 — EDUCATOR DIVERSITY POLICY OVERSIGHT COUNCIL
Changes the name of the Minority Teacher Recruitment Oversight Council to the Increasing
Educator Diversity Policy Oversight Council and the term “minority” to “diverse” regarding
students and educators
The act renames the Minority Teacher Recruitment Oversight Council as the
Increasing Educator Diversity Policy Oversight Council. Under existing law,
unchanged by the act, the council is a seven-member body within SDE charged
with advising the education commissioner on ways to encourage minority students
and professionals from other fields to pursue teaching careers. The act makes
related changes by replacing the term (1) “minority” with “diverse” (without
changing its underlying meaning) and (2) “teachers” with “educators.”
EFFECTIVE DATE: July 1, 2023
§ 15 — ADJUNCT PROFESSOR PERMIT
Allows SBE to issue adjunct professor permits to allow part-time, nontenured college instructors
to work part-time for a school district; establishes employment limits and criteria
Under existing law, SBE may issue adjunct instructor permits allowing a person
with specialized training, experience, or expertise in the arts to teach in certain
interdistrict arts magnet high schools (CGS § 10-145n). Beginning with the 2023-
24 school year, the act allows SBE to issue adjunct professor permits to allow part-
time, nontenured college instructors to be employed by a school board and work
part-time for a school district.
The act limits eligibility to instructors who work at either a public or
independent higher education institution in Connecticut. It allows permit holders to O L R P U B L I C A C T S U M M A R Y
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teach in public high schools for up to 25 classroom instructional hours per week as
part of college and career readiness programming, including advanced placement
classes, career and technical education, and International Baccalaureate, dual
enrollment, dual credit, apprenticeship, and early college experience programs.
Under the act, the adjunct professor permit is valid for three years, and the
education commissioner may renew it for good cause upon the request of the
employing district’s superintendent.
While working, permit holders must be under the supervision of the
superintendent or a principal, administrator, or supervisor designated by the
superintendent who must regularly observe, guide, and evaluate the permit holder’s
performance. Additionally, school boards that employ the permit holders must
provide a program to assist them, including academic and classroom support
services.
The act also requires permit holders to join the applicable exclusive bargaining
unit for certified employees and be subject to the same bargaining contract unless
the employing school board and the union agree otherwise. The act prohibits permit
holders from filling a position that would displace a certified teacher already
employed at the school.
Finally, the act makes these permit holders ineligible for membership in the
Teachers’ Retirement System (TRS) solely due to the permit; however, if permit
holders already have regular SBE-issued teacher’s certificates, then they cannot be
excluded from the TRS.
EFFECTIVE DATE: July 1, 2023
§ 16 — ADDING CURSIVE WRITING AND WORLD LANGU AGES TO THE
MODEL CURRICULUM
Adds cursive writing and world languages to the kindergarten to grade eight model curriculum
that SDE must develop
The law requires SDE to develop a model kindergarten to grade eight
curriculum by January 1, 2024, that school boards may use. The model curriculum
must be rigorous, age-appropriate, meet state content standards, follow the state’s
required program of instruction, and integrate several specific additional topics
throughout the curriculum (see Background — Required Program of Instruction
and Kindergarten to Grade Eight Model Curriculum Additional Topics).
The act adds cursive writing and world languages beginning in kindergarten to
the list of additional topics that must be included. It also specifies that school boards
may choose to use all or parts of the curriculum. (State law does not mandate that
districts use a specific curriculum.)
EFFECTIVE DATE: July 1, 2023
Background — Required Program of Instruction and Kindergarten to Grade
Eight Model Curriculum Additional Topics
By law, the required program of instruction includes, among other subjects, the
arts; career education; consumer education; health and safety; language arts; O L R P U B L I C A C T S U M M A R Y
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mathematics; physical education; science; and social studies, including citizenship,
geography, government, history, Holocaust and genocide awareness, African
American and Black studies, Puerto Rican and Latino studies, Native American
studies, computer programing, world languages for secondary education,
vocational education, and (as of July 1, 2025) Asian American and Pacific Islander
studies (CGS § 10-16b).
The additional topics that the model kindergarten to grade eight curriculum
must already include are the following:
1. Native American studies;
2. Asian American and Pacific Islander studies;
3. lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and other sexual orientations and
gender identities studies;
4. climate change;
5. personal financial management and financial literacy;
6. the military service and experience of American veterans;
7. civics and citizenship, including instruction in digital citizenship and media
literacy;
8. the principles of social-emotional learning; and
9. racism.
§ 17 — HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATION CREDIT FOR CREDIT RECOVERY
PROGRAMS
Allows school boards to award high school graduation credit for completing an approved credit
recovery program
The act allows local and regional school boards to award high school graduation
credit for completing an education commissioner-approved credit recovery
program.
EFFECTIVE DATE: July 1, 2023
§ 19 — USE OF CERTAIN OPEN CHOICE FUNDS
Changes terminology describing excess Open Choice funds from “nonlapsing” to “additional,”
limits the amount of these funds for one earmarked use, and allows any remaining funds to lapse
By March 1 each year, existing law requires the education commissioner to
determine whether the number of students enrolled in the Open Choice program
(see Background — Open Choice) is lower than the number used to set the
appropriated funds for the program. If the enrollment is below this number, then
she must use the additional funds in specific ways, such as to fund wrap-around
services (e.g., academic tutoring, family support, and experiential learning
opportunities).
The act limits the earmark for these services to $2 million a year. It also
eliminates terms and phrasing that describe the program’s excess funds as
“nonlapsing” or “not lapsing” and instead refers to the funds as “additional.” By
replacing these terms, the act allows any funds remaining after any mandated O L R P U B L I C A C T S U M M A R Y
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spending to lapse back into the General Fund.
EFFECTIVE DATE: July 1, 2023
Background — Open Choice
Open Choice is a voluntary interdistrict attendance program that allows students
from large urban districts to attend suburban schools and vice versa on a space-
available basis. Its purpose is to reduce racial, ethnic, and economic isolation;
improve academic achievement; and provide public school choice (CGS § 10-
266aa).
Background — Related Act
PA 23-204, § 313, requires the education commissioner to expend $500,000 of
any remaining Open Choice funds in FYs 24 and 25 for a grant to The Legacy
Foundation of Hartford, Inc. to provide wrap-around services for Open Choice
students.
§§ 20-23 & 86 — IMPLEMENTATION OF READING MODELS OR
PROGRAMS
Requires a school board that received a waiver from using one of the state-approved reading
models to implement its alternative model under the waiver by the 2024-25 school year; allows
school boards without a waiver, but that have not adopted a state-approved model, to partially
implement a state-approved model over time; eliminates a provision that allowed the
commissioner to grant a school board more time for implementation due to insufficient resources
or funding; extends a notification deadline
The law requires SDE’s Center for Literacy Research and Reading Success
director to review and approve at least five reading curriculum models or programs
for boards by July 1, 2022. The models or programs must be (1) evidence- and
scientifically-based and (2) focused on competency in the following reading areas:
oral language, phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, rapid automatic
name or letter name fluency, and reading comprehension. By law, beginning with
the 2023-24 school year, each school board generally must implement one of five
approved reading curriculum models or programs for grades pre-kindergarten to
three. The act removes pre-kindergarten from the grades subject to this requirement.
Waiver Implementation
By law, school boards may request a waiver from the SDE commissioner to use
an alternative reading curriculum model or program instead of an approved one.
The act specifies that school boards that receive a waiver must implement their
alternative models or programs according to their waivers’ provisions starting in
the 2024-25 school year.
It also eliminates a provision that allowed the commissioner to grant more time
for implementation to a school board that (1) showed it had insufficient resources O L R P U B L I C A C T S U M M A R Y
Page 14 of 43
or funding for implementation and (2) demonstrated ongoing efforts to implement
a model or program.
Partial Implementation for School Boards Without Waivers
The act requires boards that have not been granted a waiver and have not fully
implemented one of the SDE-approved reading models or programs by the 2023-
24 school year to begin partially implementing one of the models or programs so
long as the board fully implements it by the 2025-26 school year.
Notice to SDE on Chosen Model or Program
Beginning July 1, 2023, prior law required each school board to notify the
literacy center every two years about which model or program it is implementing.
The act extends this deadline to July 1, 2025. It correspondingly extends the
deadline, from September 1, 2023, to September 1, 2025, for (1) school boards to
report to the literacy center on the models and programs they have implemented
and (2) the literacy center to publish these choices.
Elimination of Director of Reading Initiatives Position
The act eliminates the requirement that SDE have a director of reading
initiatives (§ 86) and makes conforming and technical changes (§ 23).
EFFECTIVE DATE: Upon passage
§ 24 — REVIEW OF ISSUES RELATED TO IMPLEMENTING THE READING
MODEL OR PROGRAM
Requires SDE’s literacy center to review issues related to implementation of the reading
curriculum models and programs
The act requires SDE’s literacy center, in consultation with the Reading
Leadership Implementation Council, to review issues related to the school boards’
implementation of the comprehensive reading curriculum models or programs. The
review must include the following:
1. an examination of technical assistance provided to boards that have been
denied a waiver;
2. an examination of the impact of SDE’s science of reading master class (see
Background — Science of Reading Master Class) that uses all the
components of reading such as phonics, phonemic awareness, fluency,
vocabulary, and comprehension; and
3. upon completion of SDE’s independent impact evaluation, a determination
of how to scale it for use to develop educators who are ready and able to
support individual student learning and the science of reading.
EFFECTIVE DATE: Upon passage
Background — Science of Reading Master Class O L R P U B L I C A C T S U M M A R Y
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SDE’s science of reading master class offers professional learning for educators
from participating districts. The first master class began in 2022 with 11
participating districts and was funded with federal American Rescue Plan Act (P.L.
117-2) funds. The master class is a statewide professional learning program co-
created with the Connecticut Association of Public School Superintendents to
develop local capacity for the science of reading and components of comprehensive
kindergarten to grade three literacy instruction. Components include phonics,
phonemic awareness, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension.
§ 25 — STATEWIDE MASTERY TEST AUDIT
Requires the education commissioner to audit statewide mastery test and local testing
requirements along with the preparation and administration time associated with them
The act requires the education commissioner, by January 1, 2025, and within
available appropriations, to audit state and local testing requirements and
administration. The commissioner must submit a report on the audit to the
Appropriations and Education committees by this date.
The audit must focus on the following:
1. the statewide mastery examination (see Background — Statewide Mastery
Exams) and local standardized assessments used to monitor student and
district academic progress and achievement;
2. the amount of time devoted to student preparation or educator instruction
for the exam and assessments, including the amount of time taken away
from regular instruction; and
3. recommendations on limiting the amount of time devoted to administering
these exams and assessments.
Additionally, the act requires that the audit be done in a way that complies with
certain requirements in federal law (e.g., including in the audit information on how
teachers, principals, and other school leaders use assessment data to improve and
differentiate instruction (20 U.S.C. § 6362(e))) so that the commissioner may apply
for a grant to do the audit and related activities under the federal Every Student
Succeeds Act.
EFFECTIVE DATE: July 1, 2023
Background — Related Act
PA 23-150, § 5, contains substantially similar requirements.
Background — Statewide Mastery Exams
Public school students statewide must take the following SBE-approved
mastery exams that measure essential and grade-appropriate skills:
1. for grades three through eight, exams measuring reading, writing, and
mathematics skills;
2. for grades 5, 8, and 11, exams measuring science skills; and
3. for grade 11, a nationally recognized, SBE-approved college readiness O L R P U B L I C A C T S U M M A R Y
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assessment (i.e., the SAT) measuring reading, writing and mathematics
skills (CGS § 10-14n(a)).
§§ 26 & 27 — LOCAL FOOD FOR SCHOOLS INCENTIVE PROGRAM
Creates in DoAg the local food for schools incentive program to reimburse eligible school boards
for buying locally or regionally sourced food for school meal programs; sets reimbursement rates
for locally- and regionally-sourced food; outlines the grant process and requires DoAg to develop
guidelines; redirects unexpended CT Grown for CT Kids Grant Program funds to the new
program
Beginning FY 24 and each year after, the act requires the Department of
Agriculture (DoAg), in consultation with SDE, to administer the local food for
schools incentive program to reimburse school boards for the purchase of locally
sourced or regionally sourced food that may be used in an eligible school meal
program.
The act entitles an eligible school board to reimbursement payments in (1)
accordance with the guidelines the act requires to be developed and (2) amounts
equal to (a) one-half of the board’s expenditures for locally sourced foods and (b)
one-third of the board’s expenditures for regionally sourced foods. An “eligible
board of education” is a board of education participating in the National School
Lunch Program.
EFFECTIVE DATE: July 1, 2023
Definitions
Under the act, an “eligible meal program” is a meal program provided by an
eligible school board to its students or a meal provided as part of the board’s
participation in the National School Lunch Program, School Breakfast Program,
Seamless Summer Option, After School Snack Program, Summer Food Service
Program, or the At-Risk Afterschool Meals component of the Child and Adult Care
Food Program that the United States Department of Agriculture administers.
“Locally sourced food” is produce and other farm products that have a
traceable point of origin within Connecticut that are grown or produced at, or sold
by, a local farm. It includes value-added dairy, fish, pork, beef, poultry, eggs, fruits,
vegetables, and minimally processed foods. A “local farm” is a farm, farmers’
cooperative, food hub, or wholesale distributor located in Connecticut.
“Regionally sourced food” is produce and other farm products that have a
traceable point of origin within New York, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Vermont,
New Hampshire, or Maine that are grown or produced at, or sold by, a regional
farm. It includes value-added dairy, fish, pork, beef, poultry, eggs, fruits,
vegetables, and minimally processed foods. A “regional farm” is a farm, farmers’
cooperative, food hub, or wholesale distributor located in one of the six states
mentioned above.
Program Reimbursement Grant Process
O L R P U B L I C A C T S U M M A R Y
Page 17 of 43
Under the act, DoAg must receive food reimbursement payment requests from
eligible school boards, similar to how the department receives applications under
the existing law for school meal programs.
Each eligible school board must keep its expenditure records for all locally or
regionally sourced food, as well as documentation, as DoAg requires, confirming
the food’s origin. Boards must also submit these records and the documentation
when DoAg requires it for review.
To be eligible for reimbursement, the locally or regionally sourced food must
comply with the existing school meal nutrition standards.
Guidelines
The act requires DoAg to develop guidelines that (1) set a maximum
reimbursement amount based on total student enrollment for each eligible school
board; (2) help eligible school boards participate in the program; and (3) promote
geographic, social, economic, and racial equity, which may include a preference
for socially disadvantaged farmers, as defined in federal law.
Program Survey
The act requires DoAg to develop a survey to be distributed annually to any
school board that gets reimbursement payments under the program. The survey
must be designed to collect information to help the department implement and
improve the program.
Supplemental Grants
The act allows DoAg, within available appropriations, to give supplemental
grants to eligible school boards in addition to the reimbursement payments. The
supplemental grant funds may be used for buying kitchen equipment; engaging with
school nutrition or farm-to-school consultants; or training on processing, preparing,
and serving locally and regionally sourced food. When awarding supplemental
grants, DoAg must give priority to an eligible school board for a town designated
as an alliance district.
Related Provisions
Beginning with FY 24, the act requires that the reimbursement payments be
reduced proportionately if the total amount for reimbursement payments calculated
in that year exceeds the amount appropriated for reimbursements for that year.
Additionally, any unexpended funds appropriated for the reimbursement grants do
not lapse at the end of the fiscal year; they instead remain available for expenditure
during the next fiscal year.
DoAg may accept gifts, grants, and donations, including in-kind donations, for
administering the local food for schools incentive program and implementing the
act’s requirements. O L R P U B L I C A C T S U M M A R Y
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Reporting Requirement
Beginning by January 1, 2025, DoAg must annually submit a report on the local
food for schools program to the Education Committee. The report must include an
accounting of the funds appropriated to and received by the department for the
program, descriptions of the reimbursement payments made, and an evaluation of
the program.
Remaining Funds From the CT Grown for CT Kids Program (§ 27)
Beginning with FY 24, the act also requires that any unexpended funds from
the CT Grown for CT Kids Grant Program be used to administer the local food for
schools incentive program created under the act. The CT Grown for CT Kids Grant
Program helps school boards develop farm-to-school programs to increase the
availability of local foods in child nutrition programs and encourages educators to
use hands-on educational techniques to teach students about nutrition and farm-to-
school connections.
§§ 28 & 33 — AEROSPACE AND AVIATION TRAINING
Allows school boards to partner with local businesses to provide aerospace and aviation
apprenticeship training programs to students; requires creation of a working group to study the
feasibility of an aviation and aerospace high school
The act allows a board of education to partner with local employers in the
aviation or aerospace industry to develop and offer an apprenticeship training
program for students within its school district. The program must give students (1)
on-site training where they learn immediate job skills and earn course credits, (2)
information on the CT Aero Tech School for Aviation Maintenance Technicians’
educational programs, and (3) help completing the school’s admissions application.
The act requires a school board that offers this apprenticeship program to start
annually reporting to the Education Committee within 60 days after the first student
cohort completes the program. The report must include the number of students who
(1) participated in and completed the program and (2) enrolled in the CT Aero Tech
School for Aviation Maintenance Technicians after doing so.
Aerospace Advanced Manufacturing High School Working Group (§ 33)
The act requires the Connecticut Technical Education Career System executive
director to convene a working group to determine the feasibility, cost, and plan to
develop an aerospace advanced manufacturing high school.
It requires the executive director to serve as the working group’s chairperson
and appoint its members, which must at least include representatives of (1) the
Governor’s Workforce Council, (2) the Department of Economic and Community
Development, and (3) business and community organizations related to the
aerospace industry.
The act requires the executive director to report the working group’s O L R P U B L I C A C T S U M M A R Y
Page 19 of 43
conclusions and recommendations to the Education Committee by January 1, 2025.
EFFECTIVE DATE: July 1, 2023, except that the provision convening the working
group takes effect upon passage.
§ 29 — MODEL PARAEDU CATOR TRAINING PROGR AM FOR HIGH
SCHOOL STUDENTS
Requires the education commissioner, by January 1, 2024, and in consultation with the School
Paraeducator Advisory Council, to develop a model paraeducator training program for high
school students
The act requires the SDE commissioner, by January 1, 2024, and in consultation
with the School Paraeducator Advisory Council, to (1) develop a model program
for paraeducator training for students in grades 9-12 that would qualify them to
work as paraeducators after graduating from high school and (2) distribute the
program to each board of education.
The act allows school boards to adopt the program. After doing so, they must
annually report to the Education Committee, beginning within one year after
adoption, on the number of students who (1) participated in and completed the
program by grade and (2) found employment as a paraeducator after graduation.
EFFECTIVE DATE: July 1, 2023
§ 30 — DISSEMINATING INFORMATION ON SCHO OL OPTIONS
Requires school boards to annually distribute information on vocational, technical, technological,
and postsecondary education school options to middle school students
By law, each local and regional school board must require its school counselors
to give middle and high school students and their parents information on the
availability of (1) vocational, technical, technological, and postsecondary education
and training at technical education and career schools and (2) agricultural science
and technology education at regional agricultural science and technology education
centers.
The act also requires each school board to annually distribute this information
to middle school students.
EFFECTIVE DATE: July 1, 2023
§ 31 — HIGH SCHOOL PRE-APPRENTICESHIP GRANT PROGRAM
Requires SDE, by January 1, 2024, to establish a pre-apprenticeship grant program for boards of
education that have DOL-registered pre-apprenticeship programs in their high school curriculum
The act requires SDE, by January 1, 2024, to establish a pre-apprenticeship
grant program within available appropriations. Under the program, the department
must award grants to any local or regional board of education that incorporates a
pre-apprenticeship program in its curriculum for grades 9-12, so long as the
program is registered with the Department of Labor (DOL) and meets any related
criteria SDE establishes. Under the act, SDE must award grants of at least $1,000 O L R P U B L I C A C T S U M M A R Y
Page 20 of 43
for each student who completes the program.
The act requires SDE, starting by January 1, 2025, to annually report to the
Education Committee on the grant program, including the amount of grants
awarded and types of pre-apprenticeship programs students completed during the
prior year.
EFFECTIVE DATE: July 1, 2023
§ 32 — EXPANSION OF DUAL CREDIT AND DUAL ENROLLMENT
PROGRAMS
Requires SDE, in partnership with boards of education and public higher education institutions, to
expand opportunities for dual credit and dual enrollment for high school students, including
courses required for health care occupations
The act requires SDE, by January 1, 2024, to expand dual credit and dual
enrollment opportunities for students in grades 9-12 in various subject areas,
including courses required to pursue health care occupations. The department must
do this (1) within available funding limits and (2) in partnership with local and
regional boards of education and public and independent higher education
institutions.
Under the act, SDE must include the following in the expanded opportunities:
1. new resources, such as an online inventory of dual credit and dual
enrollment programs, and model agreements to promote information
sharing between boards of education and higher education institutions;
2. support for curriculum development and teacher and faculty professional
development to create new career pathways for in-demand industries, such
as health care; and
3. tuition assistance for students who enroll in dual credit and dual enrollment
programs.
The act requires SDE to report to the Education Committee on its efforts to
expand dual credit and dual enrollment opportunities by January 1, 2024.
EFFECTIVE DATE: July 1, 2023
§§ 34 & 35 — SCHOOL NURSES AND NURSE PRACTITIONERS
Exempts school nurses and nurse practitioners from the work experience requirement in state
regulations; requires employing boards of education to provide 15 hours of professional
development biennially to school nurses and nurse practitioners beginning with the 2024-25
school year
Appointment Qualifications (§ 34)
Prior law required all school nurses and nurse practitioners who local or
regional boards of education appoint to meet the qualifications set in state
regulations, which SBE adopted in consultation with the Department of Public
Health (see Conn. Agencies Regs. § 10-212-2). The act creates an exception to the
work experience requirement in state regulation, specifically by exempting
appointed or contracted school nurses or nurse practitioners from having at least O L R P U B L I C A C T S U M M A R Y
Page 21 of 43
the equivalent of one year of full-time work experience as a registered nurse in the
five years immediately before their appointment or employment in the position.
Professional Development (§§ 34 & 35)
Beginning with the 2024-25 school year, the act requires each school nurse or
nurse practitioner appointed by or under contract with a board of education to
complete at least 15 hours of professional development programs or activities
biennially. The employing board must annually approve and provide these
programs or activities, which must include training and instruction in implementing
individualized education programs (IEP) and 504 plans (see Background — IEPs
and 504 Plans).
Additionally, for any new school nurse or nurse practitioner, the board must
provide the IEP and 504 plan training within 30 days after the person is appointed
by or begins a contract with the board.
EFFECTIVE DATE: July 1, 2023
Background — IEPs and 504 Plans
An IEP is a written statement detailing the student’s academic achievement
level, goals for future achievement, and specialized educational services needed to
reach the goals. Federal law requires school boards to develop IEPs for students
eligible to receive special education and related services (Individuals with
Disabilities Education Act, 20 U.S.C. § 1400 et seq.).
Section 504 of the federal Rehabilitation Act of 1973 protects students with
mental or physical disabilities from discrimination in public schools (29 U.S.C. §
794). Students who receive school accommodations under this law have them
memorialized in a written plan, commonly known as a “504 plan.”
§ 36 — COMMISSION TO STUDY EDUCATION FUN DING AND
ACCOUNTABILITY MEASU RES
Creates a new commission to study various educational issues, including funding for local school
districts, charter schools, and magnet schools, and related accountability measures
The act creates the Building Educational Responsibility with Greater
Improvement Networks Commission to study various educational issues, including
(1) funding for local school districts, charter schools, and magnet schools and (2)
accountability measures for alliance districts (educational reform districts and
legacy alliance districts, under the act), charter schools, and magnet schools.
It must also study the adequacy of financial reporting by (1) school boards,
including the reporting associated with participation in the Open Choice program;
(2) the governing councils of state and local charter schools and charter
management organizations; and (3) operators of interdistrict magnet school
programs. Additionally, the study must include the financial impact of interdistrict
magnet school programs, charter schools, and the Open Choice program on school
boards, including Education Cost Sharing (ECS) grant amounts; transportation O L R P U B L I C A C T S U M M A R Y
Page 22 of 43
costs; special education services; and other general educational costs for children
who live in the school district but do not attend a school under the school board’s
jurisdiction.
The act specifies four parts of the study. The first part examines school district,
charter school, and magnet school funding entitlements and must at least include
the following:
1. the compensation, benefits, retention, and recruitment of teachers,
paraprofessionals, and social workers;
2. restrictions on the use of, and reporting requirements for, any additional
funds received under the act (both ECS funds and the new grants);
3. optimal class sizes; and
4. the inclusion of special education as a need factor in the ECS grant formula.
The second part focuses on alliance districts and must at least include (1) an
analysis of how school boards develop alliance district plans and how the education
commissioner reviews and approves the plans and (2) recommendations for
narrowing the focus of or replacing the plans. The study must also consider the
following:
1. whether to eliminate SDE’s authority to withhold a portion of an alliance
district’s ECS grant for failing to comply with specified requirements,
2. the feasibility of creating independent financial audits of the expenditures
under the entire budget of an alliance district’s school board,
3. the feasibility of requiring alliance district school boards to hold hearings
on interventions and annually evaluate any new programming established
in the school district,
4. guidelines for hiring non-classroom personnel, and
5. interventions that SDE may take regarding an alliance district’s operations.
The third part addresses charter schools and must include the following:
1. the feasibility of a full grade expansion of existing charters, including grade
expansion;
2. an examination of the impact of moratoriums on any new charter school
approval, as well as new magnet school program approval; and
3. a consideration of the duration of a charter’s validity and SBE’s standards
used to determine whether to renew a charter.
The fourth part of the study looks at magnet schools and must include oversight
policies on tuition increases, enrollment, and funding caps for magnet school
programs operated by regional education service centers (RESC).
EFFECTIVE DATE: Upon passage
Commission Membership
Under the act, the House speaker, Senate president pro tempore, education
commissioner, and Office of Policy and Management secretary, or their respective
designees, are commission members. The table below shows the 16 additional
members, their appointing authorities, and any required organizational affiliations.
O L R P U B L I C A C T S U M M A R Y
Page 23 of 43
Table: Commission to Study Education Funding Membership and Appointing
Authority
Appointing Authority
(Appointments)
Member Organization or Position
House speaker
(two)
• Connecticut Association of Public School Superintendents
representative
• RESC Alliance representative
Senate president pro
tempore
(two)
• Special Education Equity for Kids representative
• Center for Children’s Advocacy representative
House majority leader
(three)
• Connecticut School Counselor Association representative
• Connecticut Education Association representative
• Connecticut Voices for Children representative
Senate majority leader
(three)
• American Federation of Teachers-Connecticut representative
• ConnCAN representative
• School and State Finance Project representative
House minority leader
(three)
• Connecticut Association of School Administrators representative
• Connecticut Association of School Business Officials representative
• Local or regional board of education member for an alliance district,
selected in consultation with the Connecticut Association of Boards
of Education
Senate minority leader
(three)
• Connecticut Charter School Association representative
• Executive director of an agricultural science and technology
education center
• Connecticut Council of Administrators of Special Education
representative
Organizational Matters and Report Deadline
Under the bill, appointing authorities must make all initial commission
appointments by July 28, 2023, and fill any vacancies. The House speaker and
Senate president pro tempore, or their designees, serve as the chairpersons. They
must schedule and hold the commission’s first meeting by August 27, 2023. The
Education Committee’s administrative staff must serve as the commission’s
administrative staff.
The commission must submit the part of its study on funding for local and
regional boards of education, charter schools, and magnet schools, with findings
and recommendations, to the Appropriations and Education committees by
February 1, 2024. It must submit the remaining parts to the Education Committee
by January 15, 2025. The commission terminates when it submits the last report or
on July 1, 2025, whichever is later.
§ 37 — ANNUAL ENROLLMENT REPORTS
Requires local and regional boards of education, magnet school operators, and charter school
governing councils to annually report enrollment data as of April 1 to SDE O L R P U B L I C A C T S U M M A R Y
Page 24 of 43
The act requires each local and regional board of education, interdistrict magnet
school operator, and state or local charter school governing council to submit to
SDE by May 20 each year the number of students enrolled in their schools (as of
April 1).
The act also imposes an additional reporting requirement on any local or
regional board of education that (1) is a sending district or receiving district
participating in the statewide interdistrict public school attendance program (i.e.,
Open Choice) or (2) operates an interdistrict magnet school program or an
agricultural science and technology educator center. These boards must annually
submit to SDE the number of students participating in the applicable program as of
April 1. The data must be reported separately for in-district and out-of-district
students.
EFFECTIVE DATE: July 1, 2023
§§ 38-40 — RENAMING AND REVISING THE ALLIANCE DISTRICTS
Renames the alliance districts as the educational reform districts and reduces the number of these
designated districts to 20; makes conforming changes in ECS and tiered PILOT grants law
Beginning in FY 25, the act renames the alliance districts as “educational
reform districts” and revises the alliance district program. The act reduces the
number of districts with this designation from 36 to 20. It also defines a “legacy
alliance district” as a school district for a town that was designated as an alliance
district for FYs 13-24. This means the legacy alliance districts include all the
educational reform districts and the 16 other districts that are no longer designated
alliance districts. (PA 23-208, § 12, repeals these changes.)
By law (and now unchanged due to PA 23-208), an alliance district is a school
district that (1) is among the towns with the 33 lowest accountability index (AI)
scores as calculated by SDE or (2) was previously designated as an alliance district
from FYs 13-22. Additionally, the law requires the education commissioner to
designate 36 alliance districts for the five-year period from FYs 23-27.
The act requires the education commissioner to designate as educational reform
districts the districts among the towns with the 20 lowest AI scores for a two-year
period beginning with FY 25. It also repeals the definition of “educational reform
district,” which is an alliance district that is among the 10 lowest AI scores in the
state.
Under prior law, the state comptroller must withhold from an alliance district
town any increase in ECS funds that exceeds the amount the town received in FY
12 (the year the alliance district program began). But, for districts designated as
alliance districts for the first time for FY 23, the comptroller must withhold ECS
funds over the FY 22 amount. The comptroller must transfer the money to the
education commissioner to withhold until she approves the district’s alliance
district application and plan to improve academic performance.
Under the act, beginning with FY 25, the amount that must be withheld for the
20 educational reform districts is the amount of ECS funds they are entitled to that
exceeds the amount the town received in FY 12.
By law, the alliance districts must spend their alliance funds (1) according to O L R P U B L I C A C T S U M M A R Y
Page 25 of 43
the plan submitted with the application; (2) on the minority candidate certification,
retention, and residency program; (3) on ECS spending requirements; and (4) for
any other items allowed under SDE guidelines. The act refers to the plan
specifically as an “improvement plan.”
The act requires each participating school board to submit the improvement
plan to SDE. Under prior law, this was just referred to as a plan, but it is the same
requirement.
The act also allows a school district that has not been designated an educational
reform district, but is among the 50 towns with the lowest AI scores, to request
technical assistance or other interventions from SDE to provide student academic
support services. (PA 23-208, § 12, repeals the changes made in § 38.)
Conforming Changes for ECS and Payment in Lieu of Taxes (PILOT) Funds (§§
39 & 40)
The act makes conforming changes in two laws that reference alliance districts.
EFFECTIVE DATE: July 1, 2024
Background — Related Act
PA 23-208, § 12, repeals the changes made in §§ 39-40, except the language
specifying the alliance district plan is an “improvement” plan.
§ 41 — ALLIANCE DISTRICT HOLDBACK FOR MI NORITY TEACHER
PROGRAM FUNDING
Requires SDE to calculate alliance districts’ funding holdback for minority teacher residency
candidates using a new formula for FY 24; limits this formula to FY 24 only
Existing law requires each alliance district to partner with a minority teacher
residency program operator to enroll minority candidates and place them in the
district for a 10-month residency. SDE withholds from each alliance district 10%
of an increase in alliance aid for grant payments to cover costs associated with these
candidates’ (1) enrollment in a residency program, (2) teacher certification process,
(3) hiring after successful program completion, or (4) retention as certified
employees (CGS § 10-156gg).
Prior law required the education commissioner, beginning in FY 23, to withhold
10% of any increase in funds that the district receives for that FY that exceeds the
amount of funds it received in FY 20. The act instead (1) limits this withholding
requirement to FY 24 only and (2) for FY 24, requires the commissioner to calculate
the withheld amount as 10% of any increase in funds the alliance district received
in FY 21 over the amount of funds it received in FY 20.
EFFECTIVE DATE: July 1, 2023
Background — Alliance Districts
By law, alliance districts are the 36 school districts that have the lowest O L R P U B L I C A C T S U M M A R Y
Page 26 of 43
achievement, as rated by the state’s accountability index (CGS § 10-262u(b)(3)).
Calculated by SDE, the accountability index ranks school districts by combining
various measures of student performance, primarily standardized assessment
scores, into a single score (CGS § 10-223e).
§ 42 — INDOOR AIR QUALITY WORKING GROUP
Expands the school indoor air quality working group’s charge and extends its reporting deadline
PA 22-118 created a 23-member working group on school indoor air quality to
study and make recommendations on various related issues, such as (1) optimal
temperature ranges to ensure healthy air and promote student learning; (2)
emergency air quality conditions that warrant temporary school closures; and (3)
best practices for properly maintaining school heating, ventilation, and air
conditioning system (HVAC) systems. For the third issue, the act specifies that the
group’s recommendations must also include the frequency and scope of the
maintenance.
The act also requires the working group to study and recommend (1) a needs-
based system for equitably distributing funds under the HVAC system grant
program for schools and (2) ways to make accessible and searchable the reports and
results of the uniform inspections and evaluations of the indoor air quality and
HVAC systems.
The act extends, from January 4, 2023, to July 1, 2024, the deadline by which
the working group must report to the Education, Labor and Public Employees, and
Public Health committees.
EFFECTIVE DATE: Upon passage
§§ 43 & 44 — SCHOOL INDOOR AIR QUALITY PROGRAM
Requires more frequent indoor air quality inspections; requires the inspection reports to be
submitted to DAS on a form the agency creates
The act requires school districts to do more frequent inspections and evaluations
of public school indoor air quality and to submit the inspection results to the
Department of Administrative Services (DAS), which must post them on its
website. Prior law required these inspections every three years for any school
constructed, extended, renovated, or replaced on or after January 1, 2003. The act
instead requires them annually beginning January 1, 2024.
It also gives school districts more time to have a less frequent HVAC inspection
that must be done by a certified technician, certified industrial hygienist, or a
mechanical engineer. Prior law required these inspections to be done before January
1, 2024, and every five years after that. The act moves the deadline to January 1,
2025, and creates a waiver process for certain situations.
Annual Air Quality Inspection or Evaluation
Prior law required school districts to do uniform indoor air quality inspections O L R P U B L I C A C T S U M M A R Y
Page 27 of 43
and evaluations every three years for any school built or renovated on or after
January 1, 2003. It allowed them to do so using the federal Environmental
Protection Agency’s (EPA) Indoor Air Quality Tools for School Program (see
Background — Tools for Schools). The act instead makes the inspections annual
and requires the inspections to use this EPA program.
By law, unchanged by the act, the inspection or evaluation must cover the
following, among other things: HVAC systems; radon levels; potential for exposure
to microbiological airborne particles, including fungi, mold, and bacteria; chemical
compounds of concern to indoor air quality, including volatile organic compounds;
pest infestation, including insects and rodents; the degree of pesticide usage;
plumbing, including water distribution and drainage systems; and indoor air quality
maintenance training for staff.
By law, the inspection results must be made public at a school board meeting
and posted online.
HVAC Inspection by Certified Technician or Hygienist or Mechanical Engineer
The act extends, from January 1, 2024, to January 1, 2025, the deadline for
school districts to start having five-year HVAC inspections done by a certified
testing, adjusting, and balancing technician; industrial hygienist certified by the
American Board of Industrial Hygiene or the Board for Global EHS Credentialing;
or a mechanical engineer.
By law, a “certified testing, adjusting and balancing technician” is (1) a
technician certified to do testing, adjusting, and balancing of HVAC systems by the
Associated Air Balance Council, the National Environmental Balancing Bureau, or
the Testing, Adjusting and Balancing Bureau (TABB) or (2) someone training
under the supervision of a (a) TABB-certified technician or (b) person certified to
do ventilation assessments of HVAC systems through a certification body
accredited by the American National Standards Institute.
Waiver
The act creates a process for DAS to grant one-year waivers for the January 1,
2025, deadline.
Upon a school board’s request, DAS may waive the deadline if it finds that:
1. there are not enough certified testing, adjusting, and balancing technicians;
certified industrial hygienists; or mechanical engineers to do the inspection
and evaluation or
2. the board scheduled the inspection and evaluation for a date after January
1, 2025.
The act also allows school boards that had an inspection done in a different
format that DAS deems equivalent to use the inspection instead of the uniform
inspection and evaluation required under the law.
School Indoor Air Quality and HVAC Reporting Forms (§ 43)
O L R P U B L I C A C T S U M M A R Y
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The act requires DAS to develop standard school building indoor air quality
reporting forms for boards of education to use when conducting either the annual
air quality inspection or five-year HVAC inspection. DAS must make the forms
available on its website, and it may consult with representatives from the indoor air
quality and HVAC industry to develop them.
The act requires that school boards submit the report and results for both
inspections to DAS using these standard forms.
EFFECTIVE DATE: July 1, 2023
Background — Tools for Schools
The EPA’s Tools for Schools program helps schools identify and address
indoor air quality issues, including by using its action kit, which has guidance for
existing school staff to do practical inspections and take other steps at little or no
cost.
§ 45 — OPTIMAL TEMPERATURE COMFORT RANGE GUIDELINES
Requires DPH to develop temperature comfort range guidelines for school buildings
The act requires the Department of Public Health (DPH), by July 1, 2024, to
develop guidelines for an optimal temperature comfort range of 65 to 80 degrees
Fahrenheit in school buildings and facilities. It allows gymnasiums and natatoriums
to have a larger range.
EFFECTIVE DATE: July 1, 2023
§ 46 — PATHWAYS IN TECHNOLOGY EARLY COLLEGE HIGH SCHOOL
PROGRAM GRANT
Requires SDE to create a grant for new or expanded pathways in technology early college high
school programs in alliance districts
The act requires SDE to create a grant for new or expanded pathways in
technology early college high school programs in alliance districts. Under the act,
a “pathways in technology early college high school program” is an instructional
program in which students in grades 9-12, inclusive, complete high school and
college-level coursework while also engaging in industry-guided workforce
development.
Starting with FY 2024, SDE must annually issue a request for proposals to
alliance district school boards to (1) enhance an existing pathways in technology
early college high school program or (2) establish a new public-private partnership
(i.e., a relationship between an alliance district board of education, a community
college, and a private entity to create a pathways in technology early college high
school program). (PA 23-208, § 6, changes the program start date to FY 2025.)
The department must review the proposals and award a grant to two school
boards for the costs associated with establishing a new public-private partnership
or enhancing a pathways in technology early college high school program. O L R P U B L I C A C T S U M M A R Y
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EFFECTIVE DATE: July 1, 2023
§§ 47-71, 74 & 87 — CHANGES TO SCHOOL CL IMATE DUTIES AND
PROCEDURES
Makes various changes to school climate duties and procedures, including defining “school
climate” and related terms; requires (1) the Social and Emotional Learning and School Climate
Advisory Collaborative to develop school climate standards based on national guidelines; (2)
each school district to have a school climate coordinator and each school to have a school climate
specialist and a school climate committee; (3) each school climate committee to biennially
administer a school climate survey; and (4) the creation of a school climate improvement plan
that aligns with the state’s school climate standards
The law imposes various duties and procedures on school employees, local and
regional boards of education, SDE, and other entities aimed at creating safe school
climates and preventing and investigating bullying. The act changes these duties
and procedures by, among other things, requiring (1) the Social and Emotional
Learning and School Climate Advisory Collaborative to develop school climate
standards based on national guidelines, (2) the creation of a school climate
improvement plan to enhance classroom safety, (3) each school district to have a
school climate coordinator and each school to have a school climate specialist and
school climate committee, and (4) the SDE commissioner to establish a working
group to study current school discipline practices.
EFFECTIVE DATE: July 1, 2023, except the provisions modifying or repealing
existing statutes (§§ 56-70 & 87) are effective July 1, 2025.
Connecticut School Climate Policy and the Social and Emotional Learning and
School Climate Advisory Collaborative (§§ 47-49, 65-66 & 87)
Under the act, the “Connecticut school climate policy” is the school climate
policy developed, updated, and approved by a Connecticut association representing
boards of education. Also, the policy must (1) be adopted by the collaborative; (2)
have a framework for an effective and democratically informed school climate
improvement process that implements the Connecticut school climate standards;
and (3) include a continuous cycle of planning and preparation, evaluation, action
planning, and implementation (§ 47).
The act creates a transition period before its new provisions are required to be
implemented. Over the next two school years (2023-24 and 2024-25), the act allows
local and regional boards of education to adopt and implement the Connecticut
school climate policy. Under the act, boards that do so are no longer required to,
among other things:
1. implement a safe school climate plan and administer school climate
assessments (CGS § 10-222d);
2. use bullying and teen dating violence prevention and intervention strategies
(CGS §§ 10-222d & 10-222g); and
3. appoint a district safe school climate coordinator to work with safe school
climate specialists and safe school climate committees for the schools in
their respective districts (CGS § 10-222k). O L R P U B L I C A C T S U M M A R Y
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By the 2025-26 school year, the act requires, rather than allows, all boards of
education to adopt and implement the Connecticut school climate policy, since the
act repeals the above statutes effective July 1, 2025 (§§ 49 & 87).
Relatedly, the act requires the Social and Emotional Learning and School
Climate Advisory Collaborative to convene a subcommittee to do the following:
1. provide guidance to local and regional boards on implementing the
Connecticut school climate policy;
2. develop Connecticut school climate standards based on nationally
recognized school climate research and best practices by February 1, 2024;
and
3. create a uniform bullying complaint form for SDE and local and regional
boards of education to include on their websites and student handbooks (§
48).
The act also makes minor and conforming changes to the collaborative’s
statutes to reflect other changes in the act (§§ 65 & 66).
Definitions. Under the act, “school climate” is the quality and character of the
school life, with a particular focus on the quality of the relationships within the
school community, which is based on patterns of people’s experiences of school
life, reflecting the school community’s norms, goals, values, interpersonal
relationships, teaching, learning, leadership practices, and organizational
structures. The “school community” is the (1) people, groups, businesses, public
institutions, and nonprofit organizations invested in the school system’s welfare
and vitality; (2) students and their families; (3) board of education members; and
(4) school volunteers and employees (§ 47). This school climate definition is similar
to the one under current law that the act repeals (see § 87 and CGS § 10-222d(a)(9)).
“Bullying” is unwanted and aggressive behavior among children in grades
kindergarten to 12, inclusive, that involves a real or perceived power imbalance.
This definition is different from the one under law that the act repeals. Under
current law, “bullying” is a severe, persistent, or pervasive direct or indirect act that
(1) causes physical or emotional harm to an individual, (2) places an individual in
reasonable fear of physical or emotional harm, or (3) infringes on an individual’s
rights or opportunities at school. It includes a written, oral, or electronic
communication or a physical act or gesture based on any actual or perceived
differentiating characteristic, such as race, color, religion, ancestry, national origin,
gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, socioeconomic status,
academic status, physical appearance, or mental, physical, developmental or
sensory disability; or by association with an individual or group who had or was
perceived to have one or more of these characteristics (see § 87 and CGS § 10-
222d(1)).
School Climate Personnel (§§ 47, 50-52 & 87)
Current law establishes a hierarchy of people within schools and school districts
responsible for developing and implementing safe school climate plans, biennial
school climate assessments, and other reporting requirements (CGS § 10-222k).
The act sunsets this hierarchy (§ 87), and beginning with the 2025-26 school year, O L R P U B L I C A C T S U M M A R Y
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requires district- and school-level administrators and staff to assume similar roles
to implement the act’s replacement provisions (§§ 50-52).
District School Climate Coordinator (§ 50). Under the act, each school
district’s superintendent, or an administrator appointed by the superintendent, must
serve as the district’s school climate coordinator. This differs slightly from current
law, which requires the superintendent to appoint a district safe school climate
coordinator from among existing school district staff (see § 87 and CGS § 10-
222k(a)). Under the act, the school climate coordinator’s duties include the
following, which are similar to those for district safe school climate coordinators
under current law:
1. giving all schools district-level leadership and support for implementing
their school climate improvement plans (see § 54 below);
2. collaborating with each school’s school climate specialist to (a) develop a
continuum of strategies to prevent, identify, and respond to challenging
behavior, including alleged bullying and harassment in the school
environment, and (b) communicate the strategies to the school community,
including through publishing them in the district student handbook;
3. collecting and maintaining data about school climate improvement,
including school discipline records, school climate assessments, attendance
rates, social and emotional learning assessments, academic growth data,
types of bullying complaints submitted by school community members,
types of challenging behavior addressed using the restorative practices
response policy (see § 74 below), and data on the implementation of
restorative practices; and
4. meeting at least semiannually during the school year with each school’s
school climate specialist to (a) identify strategies to improve “school
climate” (see above), including by responding to challenging behavior and
implementing evidence and research-based interventions, such as
restorative practices; (b) propose revisions to the school climate
improvement plan; and (c) help complete the school climate survey (see §
53 below).
Under the act, “challenging behavior” is behavior that negatively impacts
school climate or interferes, or is at risk of interfering, with the learning or safety
of a student or the safety of a school employee (§ 47). This term is somewhat similar
to “hostile environment” under current law that the act repeals, which is a situation
in which bullying among students is sufficiently severe or pervasive to alter the
conditions of the school climate (see § 87 and CGS § 10-222d).
The “school environment” under the act is a school-sponsored or school-related
activity, function, or program done on or off school grounds, including at a school
bus stop or on a school bus or other vehicle owned, leased, or used by a local or
regional board of education. It may also include other activities, functions, and
programs that occur outside of a school-sponsored or school-related activity,
function, or program if the bullying done at it negatively impacts the school
environment (§ 47). Current law does not have an equivalent definition.
School Climate Specialist (§ 51). Under the act, each school’s principal must
serve as the school climate specialist for the school unless he or she designates a O L R P U B L I C A C T S U M M A R Y
Page 32 of 43
professionally certified school employee trained in school climate improvement or
restorative practices to be the specialist. This is similar to current law, which
requires each principal to be the safe school climate specialist unless he or she
designates someone else (see § 87 and CGS § 10-222k(b)). Under the act, the school
climate specialist’s duties include the following, which are similar to those for safe
school climate specialists under current law:
1. leading in the prevention, identification, and response to challenging
behavior, including reports of alleged bullying and harassment;
2. implementing evidence- and research-based interventions, including
restorative practices;
3. scheduling meetings for and leading the school climate committee; and
4. leading the school climate improvement plan’s implementation.
School Climate Committee (§ 52). The act requires each school to have a school
climate committee with racially, culturally, and linguistically diverse members who
are appointed by the school climate specialist and representative of various roles in
the school community. The specialist, in coordination with the school climate
coordinator, must annually review and approve the committee’s membership,
which must consist of the following people:
1. the school climate specialist;
2. a teacher selected by the certified employees’ union;
3. a group of students (of an unspecified number) that is demographically
representative of the school, as developmentally appropriate;
4. enrolled students’ families; and
5. other school community members whom the school climate specialist
wishes to appoint.
Current law requires schools to have similar committees, although the act does
not continue the current requirement that the school’s medical and mental health
personnel serve on the committee (see § 87 and CGS § 10-222k(c)).
Under the act, the school climate committee’s responsibilities include the
following, which are similar to those for committees under current law:
1. helping with the annual school climate survey’s development, scheduling,
and administration;
2. reviewing and using school climate survey data to identify strengths and
challenges to improve school climate;
3. creating or proposing revisions to the school climate improvement plan;
4. helping with the school climate improvement plan’s implementation;
5. advising on strategies to improve school climate and implementing
evidence and research-based interventions, including restorative practices,
in the school community;
6. annually notifying the school community about the uniform bullying
complaint form or a similar form used by the school; and
7. engaging the school community in the school climate improvement plan’s
implementation at meetings during the school year held at least
semiannually.
Among other differences, the act does not continue the following duties for
committees under current law: O L R P U B L I C A C T S U M M A R Y
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1. receiving copies of completed reports after bullying investigations and
2. implementing the school security and safety plan’s provisions that govern
the collection, evaluation, and reporting of information on instances of
disturbing or threatening behavior that may not meet the definition of
bullying (see § 87 and CGS § 10-222k(c)).
School Climate Survey (§§ 47, 53 & 87)
The act requires each school’s school climate committee, beginning in the
2025-26 school year, to biennially administer a school climate survey to students,
their families, and school employees. Students’ parents or guardians must (1)
receive prior written notice that the survey is being administered and about its
content and (2) have a reasonable opportunity to opt students out of the survey (§
53).
Under the act, a “school climate survey” is a research-based, validated, and
developmentally appropriate survey administered to students, their families, and
school employees in the predominant languages of the school community, that
measures and identifies school climate needs and tracks progress through a school
climate improvement plan (see § 54 below) (§ 47).
The surveys under the act replace the requirements on school climate
assessments and related analyses under current law that the act repeals. Among
other things, current law requires SDE to distribute department-approved school
climate assessments to all public schools, schools to biennially administer the
assessments, and SDE to analyze district efforts to prevent and respond to bullying
in schools and annually report on this analysis to the Education and Children’s
committees (see § 87 and CGS §§ 10-222d & 10-222h).
School Climate Improvement Plan (§§ 47, 54, 71 & 87)
Beginning in the 2025-26 school year, the act requires each school’s school
climate specialist, in collaboration with the district’s school climate coordinator, to
develop a school climate improvement plan and update it as needed (§ 54).
Under the act, “school climate improvement plan” is a building-specific plan
developed by the school climate committee, in collaboration with the school
climate specialist, using school climate survey data and other relevant information
through a process that engages and involves all school community members in a
series of overlapping systemic improvements, schoolwide instructional practices,
and relational practices that prevent, identify, and respond to challenging behavior,
including alleged bullying and harassment in the school environment (§ 47).
The plans under the act replace the requirement for schools to develop safe
school climate plans, which the act repeals. Among other things, current law
requires:
1. local and regional boards of education to develop and implement safe school
climate plans that generally address the existence of bullying and teen
dating violence in their schools;
2. district safe school climate coordinators to implement their district’s safe O L R P U B L I C A C T S U M M A R Y
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school climate plan; and
3. SDE to review safe school climate plans submitted by boards of education
for approval or rejection (see § 87 and CGS §§ 10-222d, 10-222k & 10-
222p).
The act requires each school climate improvement plan to align with the
Connecticut school climate standards and be based on (1) the results of its school
climate survey, (2) any recommendations from its school climate committee, (3)
certain protocols and supports, and (4) any other data its school climate specialist
and school climate coordinator consider relevant (§§ 54 & 71). The plan must be
submitted to the school climate coordinator by December 31 each year for review
and approval. Once approved, the plan must be made available to the school
community in written or electronic form and be used to prevent, identify, and
respond to challenging behavior (§ 54). (The act does not give a deadline for the
climate coordinator to act on the submitted plan and does not indicate what happens
if the plan is not approved.)
School Climate Improvement Plans’ Protocols and Supports. Under the act,
school climate improvement plans’ protocols and supports must enhance classroom
safety and address challenging behavior. They must also at least include the
following:
1. contact information for (a) the administrator the school climate specialist
designates to be notified by school employees about any challenging
behavior incidents that result in student discipline or removal from the
classroom and (b) any other administrator or school employee to be notified
of these incidents in the designated administrator’s absence;
2. the process the designated administrator will use to assess the facts, severity,
and intentionality of a challenging behavior incident;
3. each designated location where a student may be sent when he or she is
temporarily removed from a classroom, and the supports the student may
receive there, including (a) intervention from a trained school employee, (b)
therapeutic resources, (c) available mental health supports, (d) instructional
materials, and (e) technology or other resources to address the student’s
temporary needs;
4. ways to address challenging behavior, enhance resiliency, increase the use
of de-escalation strategies, and improve social and emotional skills,
including training, therapeutic mental health supports, restorative practices,
or trauma-informed instructional strategies;
5. the safeguards established to ensure that any supports, services, or
interventions given to any student who receives special education or
accommodation for a disability comply with the student’s individualized
education program under state special education law or an accommodation
plan under federal law; and
6. a prohibition on discriminating or retaliating against anyone who reports or
assists in the investigation of a challenging behavior incident.
Protocols and Supports Tiered Responses. The act further requires the protocols
and supports to specify tiered responses to challenging behavior incidents, based
on their level of impact or frequency, that: O L R P U B L I C A C T S U M M A R Y
Page 35 of 43
1. require temporarily clearing a classroom or removing a majority of students
to reduce likelihood of injury;
2. indicate credible intention to cause bodily harm to self or others; or
3. result in an injury that requires medical attention beyond basic first aid, or
less severe injuries caused by the same person on more than one occasion,
verified by the school nurse or other medical professional.
These tiered responses must include at least the following:
1. for a single incident, the school principal must notify the parents or
guardians of each student involved in a way that complies with the federal
Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA);
2. for each following incident, the school principal must invite the parents or
guardians of each student involved to a meeting (either in person at the
school or virtually) to discuss the specific supports or interventions that are
applicable to the student, including restorative practices; and
3. for multiple incidents, or a single incident that causes severe harm, the
school principal must give notice to the parents or guardians of each student
involved about other resources for supports and interventions, including the
211 Infoline program, Behavioral Health Partnership services or programs,
or other resources for professional services, support, or crisis intervention.
Protocols and Supports Reports and Meetings. Relatedly, the act requires the
protocols and supports to also have a requirement for the superintendent to, at least
annually, report the number of challenging behavior incidents that occurred the
previous year to the school board. This report must also include the grade level of
each student involved and the supports, services, or interventions given in response
to address the needs of the students and school employees. The report must be made
in a way that does not result in the disclosure of identifiable student data in keeping
with FERPA and federal Department of Education data suppression guidelines.
Lastly, for challenging behavior incidents, the act requires the protocols and
supports to require a meeting, within two days after the incident, between an
administrator and the school employee who witnessed the incident to determine the
supports and interventions required to address the students’ and school employees’
needs. If a student who receives special education is involved, notice about the
incident must be submitted to the student’s planning and placement team within
two days after the incident and the student’s supports and interventions must be
determined by his or her team. The protocols and supports must also specify a
process for a teacher to request a behavior intervention meeting with the school’s
crisis intervention team (§ 71).
Comparison to Current Law. Among other things, the act’s school climate
improvement plans do not continue the following elements that current law
explicitly requires for safe school climate plans:
1. enabling students to anonymously report, and parents or guardians to report
in writing, acts of bullying to school employees;
2. including language about bullying in student codes of conduct;
3. establishing a procedure for each school to maintain a list of the number of
verified acts of bullying in the school, make this list available for public
inspection, and annually report this number to SDE; and O L R P U B L I C A C T S U M M A R Y
Page 36 of 43
4. requiring the principal of a school, or the principal’s designee, to notify the
appropriate local law enforcement agency when the principal, or the
principal’s designee, believes that any bullying is criminal conduct (see §
87 and CGS § 10-222d(b)).
Training Resources (§§ 47, 55 & 87)
Beginning in the 2024-25 school year, the act requires each local and regional
board of education to provide training and resources to school employees on (1)
school climate and culture; (2) social and emotional learning; and (3) evidence- and
research-based interventions, including restorative practices (see § 74 below). The
act allows the resources and training to be made available at each school under the
board’s jurisdiction and to include technical assistance for implementing a school
climate improvement plan. The school climate coordinator must select and approve
the training providers, and any school employee may participate in the training (§
55).
Under the act, a “school employee” is any of the following people:
1. a teacher, substitute teacher, administrator, school superintendent, school
counselor, school psychologist, social worker, school nurse, physician,
paraeducator, or coach employed by a local or regional board of education
or
2. anyone else who, under contract with a board of education, (a) has duties
that bring them in regular contact with students and (b) provides services
to, or on behalf of, students enrolled in a public school.
“Social and emotional learning” is the process by which children and adults
achieve emotional intelligence through self-awareness, self-management, social
awareness, relationship skills, and responsible decision-making. Under the act,
“emotional intelligence” is the ability to do the following:
1. perceive, recognize, and understand emotions in oneself or others;
2. use emotions to facilitate cognitive activities, including reasoning, problem
solving, and interpersonal communication;
3. understand and identify emotions; and
4. manage emotions in oneself and others (§ 47).
These definitions are substantially similar to ones under current law that the act
repeals (see § 87 and CGS § 10-222d). The act also relatedly repeals from current
law the statewide safe school climate resource network, which SDE had to establish
to make available to all schools information, training opportunities, and resource
materials to improve the school climate and diminish bullying and teen dating
violence (see § 87 and CGS § 10-222i).
Restorative Practices Response Policy (§ 47 & 74)
Beginning with the 2025-26 school year, the act requires each local and regional
board of education to adopt a restorative practices response policy to be
implemented by school employees for challenging behavior incidents or nonviolent
student conflict that does not constitute a crime. The act prohibits the policy from O L R P U B L I C A C T S U M M A R Y
Page 37 of 43
including the involvement of a school resource officer or other law enforcement
official unless the challenging behavior or conflict escalates to violence or
constitutes a crime (§ 74).
Under the act, “restorative practices” are evidence and research-based system-
level practices that focus on the following:
1. building high-quality, constructive relationships among the school
community;
2. holding the student accountable for challenging behavior; and
3. ensuring the student has a role in repairing relationships and reintegrating
into the school community (§ 47).
Minor, Conforming, and Technical Changes (§§ 47, 56-64, 67-70 & 87)
The act makes minor, conforming, and technical changes in the education laws
relating to statutes the act repeals and the new school climate personnel and plans
the act creates. These include the following:
1. carrying forward definitions for “cyberbullying,” “teen dating violence,”
“mobile electronic device,” and “electronic communication” under current
law that the act repeals (see §§ 47 & 87 and CGS § 10-222d);
2. revising the school climate personnel for purposes of training by SDE and
the Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services (§§ 61 & 70);
3. replacing the safe climate plan that provides the basis for the bar on damage
claims against school employees and others for responding to bullying or
teen dating violence (§ 62); and
4. prohibiting parents and guardians serving as school security and safety
committee members from accessing information reported to the committee
that would violate FERPA (§ 63).
§§ 72 & 73 — SCHOOL RESOURCE OFFICERS
Requires that the MOU that assigns an SRO to schools specify the SRO’s duties and procedures;
requires school boards to post the MOUs on their website and in the SRO’s assigned school;
requires each SRO to submit a report for each investigation or behavioral intervention the SRO
conducts
By law, each local and regional board of education that assigns a school
resource officer (SRO; i.e., sworn police officer) to its schools must have a
memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the SRO’s local law enforcement
agency. The MOU must address the SRO’s role and responsibility in the school,
including the officer’s interactions with students and staff, and training
requirements.
Starting July 1, 2023, the act requires that these MOUs also include provisions
that specify the SRO’s duties and procedures for restraining students, using
firearms, making school-based arrests, and reporting on investigations and
behavioral interventions. It also requires school boards to (1) post their MOU on
their website and in the school where the SRO is assigned and (2) maintain the
MOU in a central location in the school district. O L R P U B L I C A C T S U M M A R Y
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The act additionally requires each SRO to give his or her agency’s police chief
a report for each investigation or behavioral intervention the SRO conducts within
five days after doing so. Under the act, an “investigation or behavioral intervention”
is a circumstance in which an SRO is conducting (1) a fact-finding inquiry on
student behavior or school safety, including emergency circumstances, or (2) an
intervention to resolve violent or nonviolent student behavior or conflicts. The
report must include at least the following:
1. the date, time, and location of the investigation or behavioral intervention;
2. the SRO’s name and badge number;
3. the race, ethnicity, gender, age, and disability status for each student
involved in the investigation or intervention;
4. the reason for and nature and disposition of the investigation or intervention;
and
5. whether any student involved in the investigation or intervention was (a)
searched; (b) informed about their constitutional rights; (c) issued a citation
or a summons; (d) arrested; or (e) detained, including the duration of the
detainment.
Police chiefs must submit SROs’ reports to their school districts’
superintendents at least monthly. Superintendents must submit them to their school
districts’ local or regional board of education.
EFFECTIVE DATE: July 1, 2023
Background — Related Act
PA 23-208, §§ 9 & 10, limit this act’s SRO reporting provisions to just
investigations and behavioral interventions that involve challenging behavior or
conflict that escalates to violence or constitutes a crime. It also requires that the
MOU provisions on SRO duties be in keeping with any laws or policies concerning
police officer duties.
§ 75 — SCHOOL DISCIPLINE PRACTICES WORKING GROUP
Requires the SDE commissioner to establish a working group, under the Connecticut School
Discipline Collaborative, to study current school discipline practices and report the study’s
results to the Education Committee
The act requires the SDE commissioner to establish a working group under the
Connecticut School Discipline Collaborative to study current school discipline
practices, including those that lead to students becoming “justice-involved” (i.e.,
involved with the juvenile justice system due to being accused of a delinquent or
criminal act).
Under the act, the working group’s members must be appointed by the
commissioner and representative of students, educators, community members,
child welfare and development experts, mental health care providers, and
restorative practices experts. The working group must submit a report to the
Education Committee on the study’s results and any recommendations for school
discipline reform by July 1, 2024. O L R P U B L I C A C T S U M M A R Y
Page 39 of 43
EFFECTIVE DATE: July 1, 2023
§§ 76-82 — SCHOOL SUSPENSION AND EXPULSION
Makes various changes in the education statutes governing suspension and expulsion
The act makes various changes in the education statutes governing suspension
and expulsion. Specifically, it requires the following:
1. school districts with high rates of in- and out-of-school suspension and
expulsion to (a) develop strategies to reduce suspensions and expulsions and
(b) submit these strategies to SDE (§§ 76 & 77);
2. SDE to report to the Juvenile Justice Policy and Oversight Committee
(JJPOC; see Background — JJPOC) on expulsions and related alternative
education program placements (§ 81); and
3. SDE to provide, and allows school boards to use, recommended
assessments for screening students who exhibit mental health distress or
who have been identified as at risk for suicide (§§ 79 & 80).
EFFECTIVE DATE: January 1, 2024, except the provisions on (1) expulsion and
alternative education reporting and the Connecticut School Discipline
Collaborative’s duties take effect upon passage and (2) student mental health
assessments take effect July 1, 2023.
Strategies to Reduce Suspensions and Expulsions (§§ 76-78)
By law, local and regional boards of education must annually submit certain
data on each of their schools to SDE in their strategic school profile report. This
data includes the number of in-school and out-of-school suspensions and
expulsions (CGS § 10-220(c)(3)).
Beginning July 1, 2024, the act requires districts with a rate of suspensions and
expulsions that is high or disproportionate, as determined by the education
commissioner, to (1) develop strategies to reduce the number of suspensions and
expulsions, and (2) submit these strategies to SDE in the form and manner the
commissioner prescribes. Starting that same date, SDE must, within available
appropriations, provide support, on-site monitoring, and oversight of schools
implementing these strategies.
By law, SDE must annually examine the suspension and expulsion data
submitted as part of the strategic school profile report, disaggregate the data, and
submit a report to the State Board of Education (SBE). The act requires SDE to post
this report on its website and include the above strategies and the results from them.
Assessments Addressing Suicide Risks (§§ 79 & 80)
Under the act, by January 1, 2024, SDE must give local and regional boards of
education a list of recommended assessments for determining the suicide risk of
students who (1) exhibit mental health distress, (2) have been identified as at risk
of suicide, or (3) are considered to be at an increased risk of suicide based on certain
risk factors. The risk factors must be based on the state-wide strategic suicide O L R P U B L I C A C T S U M M A R Y
Page 40 of 43
prevention plan developed by the Connecticut Suicide Advisory Board, and must
include at least youth who are:
1. bereaved by suicide;
2. disabled or have chronic health conditions, such as mental health or
substance use disorders;
3. involved in the juvenile justice system;
4. experiencing homelessness or placed in an out-of-home setting, such as
foster care; or
5. lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, or questioning.
The list may include the Columbia Suicide Severity Rating Scale (see
Background — Columbia Suicide Severity Rating Scale).
Relatedly, the act allows boards to use an assessment from the SDE-provided
list to screen identified students beginning July 1, 2023. The act requires students
who are assessed based on the risk factors based on the suicide prevention plan
developed by the Connecticut Suicide Advisory Board to receive heightened
consideration during their mental health assessment.
Student Expulsion and Alternative Educational Opportunities Reporting (§ 81)
The act requires SDE, by January 1, 2025, to report to JJPOC on the educational
experiences and outcomes of students who are expelled and placed in alternative
educational opportunities, and how these opportunities compare to the standards
adopted by SBE. The report must include at least the following:
1. the number of students who were expelled and placed in alternative
educational opportunities during the previous school year,
2. the types of alternative educational opportunities in which the students were
placed, and
3. any engagement and outcome measures for these students.
Connecticut School Discipline Collaborative Advisement on Suspensions and
Expulsions (§ 82)
The act requires SDE’s Connecticut School Discipline Collaborative to advise
the SDE commissioner and SBE on strategies to reduce the overall and
disproportionate use of out-of-school suspensions and expulsions. Beginning by
October 1, 2023, the act makes the collaborative responsible for the following
duties concerning grades preschool through two:
1. developing guidance to reduce the number of out-of-school suspensions and
expulsions in these grades;
2. providing evidence-based and developmentally appropriate definitions and
examples of conduct that is violent or sexual in nature that may allow an
out-of-school suspension for students in these grades; and
3. recommending developmentally appropriate interventions for students in
these grades as an alternative to out-of-school suspension.
Background — JJPOC O L R P U B L I C A C T S U M M A R Y
Page 41 of 43
State law charges JJPOC with evaluating policies related to the juvenile justice
system and the expansion of juvenile jurisdiction to include 16- and 17-year-olds.
Its members include legislators, judicial branch leaders, state agency heads, and
child and victim advocates, among others (CGS § 46b-121n).
Background — Columbia Suicide Severity Rating Scale
According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Substance
Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, the Columbia Suicide Severity
Rating Scale is a short questionnaire that can be administered quickly in the field
by responders with no formal mental health training, and it is relevant in a wide
range of settings and for people of all ages.
§§ 83 & 84 — GRANTS FOR HIRING VARIOUS SCHOOL MENTAL HEALTH
PERSONNEL
Removes in two SDE grant programs for hiring school mental health personnel the requirement
that grant recipients refund unexpended grant amounts; delays by one year the dates when SDE
must administer the school mental health therapist grant program; adjusts education
commissioner reporting dates
Prior law required SDE, for FYs 23 to 25, to administer grant programs for local
and regional boards of education to (1) hire and retain more school social workers,
school psychologists, school counselors, nurses, and licensed marriage and family
therapists and (2) hire additional school mental health specialists.
School Social Workers, School Psychologists, School Counselors, Nurses, and
Licensed Marriage and Family Therapists Grant Program (§ 83)
For the grant program to hire and retain school social workers, school
psychologists, school counselors, nurses, and licensed marriage and family
therapists, the act removes the requirement that grant recipients refund the
unexpended amounts to SDE. However, by law and unchanged by the act,
recipients must refund amounts not spent according to the plan in the board’s
approved grant application.
School Mental Health Specialists Grant Program (§ 84)
For the grant program to hire additional school mental health specialists, the act
delays by one year the dates when SDE must administer the program from FYs 23-
25 to FYs 24-26. It correspondingly delays by one year the requirements that the
commissioner must follow in each of these fiscal years when determining grant
award amounts.
The act also makes corresponding changes to reporting deadlines for the
education commissioner. Under the act, the commissioner must report to the
Children’s and Education committees on each grant recipient’s utilization rate and
the grant program’s return on investment beginning by January 1, 2025, rather than O L R P U B L I C A C T S U M M A R Y
Page 42 of 43
2024, and then annually through January 1, 2027, rather than 2026. Additionally,
the commissioner must develop recommendations by January 1, 2027, rather than
2026, on (1) whether the grant program should be extended further and (2) the grant
award amount under the program.
Additionally, the act removes the requirement that grant recipients refund the
unexpended amounts to SDE. However, by law and unchanged by the act,
recipients must refund amounts not spent according to the plan in the board’s
approved grant application.
EFFECTIVE DATE: Upon passage
Related Act
PA 23-204, §§ 335 & 336, are identical to these provisions.
§ 85 — GRANT FOR DEL IVERY OF STUDENT MEN TAL HEALTH
SERVICES
Delays by one year the dates when SDE must administer a grant program for boards of education
and youth camp and summer program operators to provide mental health services; removes the
requirement that grant recipients refund unexpended grant amounts to SDE
Prior law required SDE to administer a program to award grants in FYs 23-25
to local and regional boards of education, youth camp operators, and other summer
program operators for delivering mental health services to students. It also required
grant recipients to refund to the department any unspent grant amounts at the end
of the fiscal year when it was awarded.
The act (1) delays by one year the dates when SDE must administer the grant
program, from FYs 23-25 to FYs 24-26, and (2) removes the requirement that grant
recipients refund the unexpended amounts. It correspondingly delays by one year
the requirements that the commissioner must follow in each of these fiscal years
when determining grant award amounts.
The act also makes corresponding changes to reporting deadlines for the
education commissioner. Under the act, the commissioner must report to the
Children’s and Education committees on each grant recipient’s utilization rate
beginning by January 1, 2025, rather than 2024, and annually through January 1,
2027, rather than 2026. Additionally, the commissioner must develop
recommendations by January 1, 2027, rather than 2026, on (1) whether the grant
program should be extended further and (2) the grant award amount under the
program.
EFFECTIVE DATE: Upon passage
Related Act
PA 23-204, § 337, is identical to this provision.
§ 87 — REPEALER
O L R P U B L I C A C T S U M M A R Y
Page 43 of 43
Repeals laws containing school climate requirements for school boards and SDE that conflict with
the act’s provisions
Prior law required local and regional boards of education to follow various
provisions for creating a safe school climate and preventing and investigating
bullying, cyberbullying, and teen dating violence. The act creates new provisions
and repeals, effective July 1, 2025, laws with the following requirements for boards
of education:
1. implementing a safe school climate plan and submitting it to SDE for
approval and administering school climate assessments (CGS § 10-222d);
2. using bullying and teen dating violence prevention and intervention
strategies (CGS § 10-222g); and
3. appointing a district safe school climate coordinator, safe school climate
specialists, and safe school climate committees for the schools in their
respective districts (CGS § 10-222k).
It also repeals laws containing the following requirements for SDE:
1. analyzing district efforts to prevent and respond to bullying in schools and
annually reporting on this analysis to the Education and Children’s
committees (CGS § 10-222h),
2. disseminating grade-level-appropriate school climate assessments to all
public schools (CGS § 10-222h),
3. establishing and maintaining the statewide safe school climate resource
network (CGS § 10-222i), and
4. reviewing safe school climate plans submitted by boards of education for
approval or rejection (CGS § 10-222p).
EFFECTIVE DATE: July 1, 2025