Substitute House Bill No. 5182
Public Act No. 24-29
AN ACT CONCERNING THE LEGISLATIVE COMMISSIONERS'
RECOMMENDATIONS FOR TECHNICAL REVISIONS TO THE
EDUCATION AND EARLY CHILDHOOD STATUTES.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General
Assembly convened:
Section 1. Section 10-4a of the 2024 supplement to the general statutes
is repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective from
passage):
For purposes of sections 10-4, 10-4b and 10-220, and subdivision (1)
of subsection (b) of section 10-66dd, the educational interests of the state
shall include, but not be limited to, the concern of the state that (1) each
child shall have for the period prescribed in the general statutes equal
opportunity to receive a suitable program of educational experiences;
(2) each school district shall finance at a reasonable level and at least, as
appropriate, equal to the minimum budget requirement pursuant to the
provisions of section 10-262j, an educational program designed to
achieve this end; (3) in order to reduce racial, ethnic and economic
isolation, each school district shall provide educational opportunities
for its students to interact with students and teachers from other racial,
ethnic [,] and economic backgrounds and may provide such
opportunities with students from other communities; and (4) the
mandates in the general statutes pertaining to education within the Substitute House Bill No. 5182
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jurisdiction of the State Board of Education be implemented.
Sec. 2. Subsection (b) of section 10-144d of the 2024 supplement to the
general statutes is repealed and the following is substituted in lieu
thereof (Effective from passage):
(b) There is established the Connecticut Advisory Council for Teacher
Professional Standards. The council shall be composed of nineteen
members as follows: (1) The Governor shall appoint one public member
who shall represent business and industry; the State Board of Education
shall appoint two members, both of whom shall be a member of the
faculty or administration of a State Board of Education approved
teacher preparation program; the president pro tempore of the Senate
shall appoint one member who shall be a school administrator
employed by a local or regional board of education; the speaker of the
House of Representatives shall appoint one member who shall be a
parent or guardian of a child attending a public elementary or
secondary school; the majority leader of the Senate shall appoint one
member who shall be a member of a local or regional board of
education; the majority leader of the House of Representatives shall
appoint one member who shall be a school superintendent; the minority
leader of the Senate shall appoint one member who shall be a parent of
a child attending a secondary school; the minority leader of the House
of Representatives shall appoint one member who shall be a
superintendent for a regional school district; the Connecticut Education
Association shall appoint four members who shall be classroom
teachers at the time of their appointment and during the term of their
membership on the council, two of whom shall be elementary school
teachers, one of whom shall be a special education teacher and one of
whom shall be a secondary school teacher; and the American Federation
of Teachers-Connecticut shall appoint four members who shall be
classroom teachers at the time of their appointment and during the term
of their membership on the council, two of whom shall be secondary Substitute House Bill No. 5182
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school [teacher] teachers, one of whom shall be an elementary school
teacher and one of whom shall be a special education teacher; and (2)
the Teacher of the Year for the prior year and the current Teacher of the
Year. All appointments shall be made and the names of the persons
appointed shall be submitted to the Commissioner of Education not
later than October 1, 1990.
Sec. 3. Subsection (d) of section 10-215m of the 2024 supplement to
the general statutes is repealed and the following is substituted in lieu
thereof (Effective from passage):
(d) Any locally sourced food or regionally sourced food for which an
eligible board of education seeks reimbursement payments under this
section [,] shall comply with the nutrition standards established by the
department pursuant to section 10-215e.
Sec. 4. Subsection (b) of section 10-264o of the 2024 supplement to the
general statutes is repealed and the following is substituted in lieu
thereof (Effective from passage):
(b) For the fiscal year ending June 30, 2013, and each fiscal year
thereafter, any tuition charged to a local or regional board of education
by a regional educational service center operating an interdistrict
magnet school assisting the state in meeting its obligations pursuant to
the decision in Sheff v. O'Neill, 238 Conn. 1 (1996), or any related
stipulation or order in effect, as determined by the Commissioner of
Education, for any student enrolled in kindergarten to grade twelve,
inclusive, in such interdistrict magnet school shall be in an amount equal
to the difference between (1) the average per pupil expenditure of the
magnet school for the prior fiscal year, and (2) the amount of any per
pupil state subsidy calculated under subsection (c) of section 10-264l,
plus any revenue from other sources calculated on a per pupil basis,
except for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2025, and each fiscal year
thereafter, the per student tuition charged to a local or regional board of Substitute House Bill No. 5182
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education shall not exceed fifty-eight per cent of the per student tuition
charged during the fiscal year ending June 30, 2024. If any such board
of education fails to pay such tuition, the commissioner may withhold
from such board's town or towns a sum payable under section 10-262i
in an amount not to exceed the amount of the unpaid tuition to the
magnet school and pay such money to the fiscal agent for the magnet
school as a supplementary grant for the operation of the interdistrict
magnet school program. In no case shall the sum of such tuitions exceed
the difference between (A) the total expenditures of the magnet school
for the prior fiscal year, and (B) the total per pupil state subsidy
calculated under subsection (c) of section 10-264l, plus any revenue from
other sources. The commissioner may conduct a comprehensive review
of the operating budget of a magnet school to verify such tuition rate.
Sec. 5. Subsection (a) of section 3-123l of the 2024 supplement to the
general statutes is repealed and the following is substituted in lieu
thereof (Effective from passage):
(a) As used in this section:
(1) "Actuarial value" means the level of coverage provided by a health
benefit plan as a percentage of the full actuarial value of the benefits
provided under such plan;
(2) "Eligible paraeducator" means a paraeducator who (A) is
employed by a local or regional board of education, (B) is ineligible for
(i) the Covered Connecticut program, established under section 19a-
754c, or (ii) Medicaid, and (C) does not have access to coverage under a
health benefit plan that is available [(i) through the employer of]
through an employer of (i) such paraeducator's spouse and has an
actuarial value of at least seventy-five per cent, or (ii) [available through
an employer of] such paraeducator and has an actuarial value that is
equivalent to the actuarial value of a qualified health plan that is offered
through the Connecticut Health Insurance Exchange at a silver level of Substitute House Bill No. 5182
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coverage through any employer;
(3) "Health benefit plan" has the same meaning as provided in section
38a-1080;
(4) "Qualified health plan" has the same meaning as provided in
section 38a-1080; and
(5) "Silver level of coverage" has the same meaning as provided in 42
USC 18022(d), as amended from time to time.
Sec. 6. Section 10-74v of the 2024 supplement to the general statutes
is repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective from
passage):
Not later than January 1, 2024, the Department of Education shall
develop an informational handout for students that explains what it
means for a student to have an individualized education program or a
plan pursuant to Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as
amended from time to time, including what rights such student is
entitled to in the classroom under such program or plan. Such handout
shall (1) be age-appropriate, (2) be prepared separately for students in
grades (A) kindergarten to four, inclusive, (B) five to eight, inclusive,
and (C) nine to twelve, inclusive, (3) be translated into multiple
languages, including English, Spanish, Portuguese, French and Polish,
and (4) include a glossary of the most common tools used in the
implementation of such program or plan. The department shall make
such handout available to local and regional boards of education and
post such handout [available] on the department's Internet web site.
Sec. 7. Subparagraph (A) of subdivision (9) of subsection (a) of section
10-76d of the 2024 supplement to the general statutes is repealed and the
following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective from passage):
(9) (A) The planning and placement team shall, in accordance with Substitute House Bill No. 5182
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the provisions of the Individuals [With] with Disabilities Education Act,
20 USC 1400, et seq., as amended from time to time, develop and include
a statement of transition service needs in the individualized education
program for each child requiring special education, beginning not later
than the first individualized education program to be in effect when
such child becomes fourteen years of age, or younger if the planning
and placement team determines it is appropriate. Such individualized
education program shall include (i) appropriate measurable
postsecondary goals based upon age -appropriate transition
assessments related to training, education, employment and, where
appropriate, independent living skills; and (ii) the transition services,
including courses of study, needed to assist such child in reaching those
goals. Such individualized education program shall be updated
annually thereafter in accordance with the provisions of this
subdivision. Nothing in this subdivision shall be construed as requiring
the Department of Aging and Disability Services to lower the age of
transitional services for a child with disabilities from sixteen to fourteen
years of age.
Sec. 8. Subparagraph (D) of subdivision (10) of subsection (a) of
section 10-76d of the 2024 supplement to the general statutes is repealed
and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective from passage):
(D) Immediately upon the formal identification of any child as a child
requiring special education and at each planning and placement team
meeting for such child, the responsible local or regional board of
education shall inform the parent or guardian of such child or surrogate
parent or, in the case of a pupil who is an emancipated minor or eighteen
years of age or older, the pupil of (i) the laws relating to special
education, (ii) the rights of such parent, guardian, surrogate parent or
pupil under such laws and the regulations adopted by the State Board
of Education relating to special education, including the right of a
parent, guardian or surrogate parent to (I) withhold from enrolling such Substitute House Bill No. 5182
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child in kindergarten, in accordance with the provisions of section 10-
184, (II) have advisors and the school paraprofessional assigned to such
child or pupil attend and participate in all portions of such meeting at
which an educational program for such child or pupil is developed,
reviewed or revised, in accordance with the provisions of subparagraph
(C) of this subdivision, (III) obtain the plain language resources
available on the Department of Education's Internet web site pursuant
to subsection (g) of section 10-76h explaining the hearing and appeals
process, as provided in section 10-76h, available to such child or pupil if
there is a disagreement about the individualized education program,
identification, evaluation or educational placement of or the provision
of a free appropriate public education to such child or pupil, and (IV)
receive information regarding free and low-cost legal assistance, and
(iii) any relevant information and resources relating to individualized
education programs created by the Department of Education, including,
but not limited to, information relating to transition resources and
services for high school students and the Parent's Guide to Special
Education in Connecticut developed by the department. If such parent,
guardian, surrogate parent or pupil does not attend a planning and
placement team meeting, the responsible local or regional board of
education shall mail such information to such person. Each responsible
local or regional board of education shall provide a child or pupil's
individualized education program, any documents relating to such
program and all the information required pursuant to this
subparagraph translated into the primary language spoken by such
parent, guardian, surrogate parent or pupil if there is an apparent need
or upon the request of the parent, guardian, surrogate parent or pupil.
Sec. 9. Subsection (b) of section 10-76ll of the 2024 supplement to the
general statutes is repealed and the following is substituted in lieu
thereof (Effective from passage):
(b) On or before July 1, 2015, the State Board of Education shall draft Substitute House Bill No. 5182
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a written bill of rights for parents of children receiving special education
services to guarantee that the rights of such parents and children are
adequately safeguarded and protected during the provision of special
education and related services until such children have graduated from
high school or at the end of the school year during which such children
[reaches] reach age twenty-two, whichever occurs first, under this
chapter. Such bill of rights shall inform parents of: (1) The right to
request consideration of the provision of transition services for a child
receiving special education services who is eighteen years of age until
such child has graduated from high school or at the end of the school
year during which such child reaches age twenty-two, whichever occurs
first, (2) the right to receive transition resources and materials from the
department and the local or regional board of education responsible for
such child, (3) the requirement that the local or regional board of
education responsible for such child shall create a student success plan
for each student enrolled in a public school, beginning in grade six,
pursuant to subsection (l) of section 10-221a, and (4) the right of such
child to receive realistic and specific postgraduation goals as part of
such child's individualized education program.
Sec. 10. Subdivision (10) of section 10-222aa of the 2024 supplement
to the general statutes is repealed and the following is substituted in lieu
thereof (Effective from passage):
(10) "School climate improvement plan" means a building-specific
plan developed by the school climate committee, in collaboration with
the school climate specialist, using school climate survey data and any
other relevant information, through a process that engages all members
of the school community and involves such members in a series of
overlapping systemic improvements, school-wide instructional
practices and relational practices that prevent, identify and respond to
challenging behavior, including, but not limited to, alleged bullying and
harassment in the school environment. Substitute House Bill No. 5182
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Sec. 11. Section 10-222dd of the 2024 supplement to the general
statutes is repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof
(Effective from passage):
For the school year commencing July 1, 2025, and each school year
thereafter, the superintendent of schools for each school district, or an
administrator appointed by the superintendent, shall serve as the school
climate coordinator for the school district. The school climate
coordinator shall be responsible for (1) providing district-level
leadership and support for the implementation of the school climate
improvement plan for each school, developed pursuant to section 10-
222hh, as amended by this act, (2) collaborating with the school climate
specialist, as described in section 10-222ee, for each school to (A)
develop a continuum of strategies to prevent, identify and respond to
challenging behavior, including, but not limited to, alleged bullying and
harassment in the school environment, and (B) communicate such
strategies to the school community, including, but not limited to,
through publication in the district student handbook, (3) collecting and
maintaining data regarding school climate improvement, including, but
not limited to, school discipline records, school climate assessments,
attendance rates, social and emotional learning assessments, academic
growth data, types of bullying complaints submitted by members of the
school community, types of challenging behavior addressed using the
restorative practices response policy, adopted pursuant to section 10-
222jj, as amended by this act, and data concerning the implementation
of restorative practices, and (4) meeting with the school climate
specialist for each school at least twice during the school year to (A)
identify strategies to improve school climate, including, but not limited
to, by responding to challenging behavior and implementing evidence
and research-based interventions, such as restorative practices, (B)
propose recommendations for revisions to the school climate
improvement plan, and (C) assist with the completion of the school
climate survey. Substitute House Bill No. 5182
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Sec. 12. Subdivision (9) of subsection (b) of section 10-222hh of the
2024 supplement to the general statutes is repealed and the following is
substituted in lieu thereof (Effective from passage):
(9) For incidents of challenging behavior, as described in subdivision
(6) of this subsection, (A) a requirement for a meeting between an
administrator and the school employee who [witness] witnesses such
incident, not later than two days after the date such incident occurred,
to determine the supports and interventions required to address the
needs of students and school employees, provided the supports and
interventions for any student who receives special education shall be
determined by the planning and placement team for such student and
notice of such incident shall be submitted to the planning and placement
team not later than two days after the date such incident occurred, and
(B) a process by which a teacher may request a behavior intervention
meeting pursuant to section 10-236c.
Sec. 13. Section 10-222jj of the 2024 supplement to the general statutes
is repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective from
passage):
For the school year commencing July 1, 2025, and each school year
thereafter, each local and regional board of education shall adopt a
restorative practices response policy to be implemented by school
employees for incidents of challenging behavior or student conflict that
is nonviolent and does not constitute a crime. Such policy shall not
include the involvement of a school resource [office] officer or other law
enforcement official, unless such challenging behavior or conflict
escalates to violence or constitutes a crime.