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OLR Bill Analysis
sHB 5213
AN ACT CONCERNING DISCONNECTED YOUTH.
TABLE OF CONTENTS:
§ 1 — PLAN TO ADDRESS STRATEGIES TO ASSIST AT-RISK
STUDENTS
Requires the Two-Generational Advisory Board to develop a plan to address strategies to
assist at-risk students and reengage individuals identified as disconnected youth
§ 2 — ASSET AND CAPACITY MAPPING FOR NONPROFIT
ORGANIZATIONS
Requires UConn’s School of Public Policy to conduct a study and comprehensive asset
and capacity mapping for nonprofit organizations to support information-sharing and
collaboration between nonprofits and communities
§§ 3, 4 & 6 — DATA SHARING
Requires (1) local and regional boards of education to enter into data-sharing agreements
with youth service bureaus (YSBs) or juvenile review boards, (2) the education
commissioner to develop a model data-sharing agreement, and (3) the State Board of
Education to enter into a data-sharing agreement with an association representing a
network of YSBs
§ 5 — SCHOOL-LEVEL SUPPORT MEETINGS AND ATTEND ANCE
REVIEW TEAMS
Requires local and regional boards of education to include individuals designated by a
YSB or JRB in school-level support meetings and on attendance review teams
§ 7 — BUS FARE EXEMPTION
Exempts students enrolled in priority school district public schools from fares on state-
owned or -controlled buses during specified parts of the school day
§ 8 — DUAL CREDIT COURSES
Requires higher education institutions and local and regional boards of education, before
establishing a dual credit course, to enter into an MOU for delivering the course and
awarding credit
§ 9 — ACCOUNTABILITY INDEX SCORE CRITERIA
Requires that the accountability index score for a district or school include the availability
of a credit recovery program and the number of students who earn credit and graduate as
a result of the program
§ 10 — CREDIT RECOVERY PROGRAMS 2024HB-05213-R000081-BA.DOCX
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Requires boards of education with a credit recovery program as part of their alternative
education to allow certain students enrolled in a traditional school program to
simultaneously enroll in the credit recovery program
§ 11 — MODEL STUDENT WORK RELEASE POLICY
Requires the chief workforce officer to consult with the SDE commissioner when updating
the model student work release policy
§ 12 — REGIONAL TRAUMA COORDINATORS
Makes permanent the requirement for RESCs to employ regional trauma coordinators
§§ 13 & 14 — WORKING GROUPS ON HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATION
REQUIREMENTS, GRADIN G POLICIES, AND ACCOUNTABILITY
INDEX
Allows (1) CABE to convene a working group to review high school graduation
requirements and (2) CEA and AFT to jointly convene a working group to review high
school grading policies and the accountability index
§ 15 — BEREAVEMENT AND GRIEF COUNSELING SERVICES TASK
FORCE
Establishes a 13-member task force on bereavement and grief counseling services
§ 1 — PLAN TO ADDRES S STRATEGIES TO ASSI ST AT-RISK
STUDENTS
Requires the Two-Generational Advisory Board to develop a plan to address strategies to
assist at-risk students and reengage individuals identified as disconnected youth
This bill requires the Two-Generational Advisory Board to develop a
plan to address strategies to assist at-risk students and reengage
individuals identified as disconnected youth and submit it to the
Education Committee by January 1, 2025. The advisory board must
collaborate with the Connecticut Conference of Municipalities and
Connecticut Council of Small Towns in developing the plan.
The plan must include the following:
1. ways of identifying and addressing the needs of individuals
defined as disconnected youth;
2. opportunities for interagency and cross-branch collaboration and
streamlining of resources at the state and local levels;
3. statewide expansion and enhancement of a shared data platform,
in collaboration with the Compass Youth Collaborative, to 2024HB-05213-R000081-BA.DOCX
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provide a streamlined way for community-based providers in the
state that serve disconnected youth to access and share
individual-level de-identified data to improve collaboration,
communication, efficiency, transparency, and outcomes over
time; and
4. recommendations to improve the Connecticut Preschool through
Twenty and Workforce Information Network (P20WIN) to
promote data-sharing and retention of data models for future
comparisons.
For purposes of the plan, “disconnected youth” means an individual
ages 14-26 who (1) holds a high school diploma but is neither employed
nor attending a higher education institution or otherwise pursuing
secondary education, (2) does not hold a high school diploma (whether
employed or not employed), or (3) is incarcerated. “At-risk” students
are those enrolled in high school who are in danger of not graduating
due to (1) not earning sufficient credits; (2) being chronically absent (i.e.,
absences totaling at least 10% of the number of days enrolled); or (3)
behavioral and other disciplinary issues (e.g., suspensions and
expulsions).
EFFECTIVE DATE: Upon passage
§ 2 — ASSET AND CAPA CITY MAPPING FOR NON PROFIT
ORGANIZATIONS
Requires UConn’s School of Public Policy to conduct a study and comprehensive asset
and capacity mapping for nonprofit organizations to support information-sharing and
collaboration between nonprofits and communities
The bill requires UConn’s School of Public Policy to conduct a study
and comprehensive asset and capacity mapping for nonprofit
organizations in the state to support information-sharing and
collaboration between the nonprofits and the communities they serve.
Under the bill, the study and mapping must do the following:
1. assess the nonprofit organizations’ capacity to assist the state in
addressing public needs and identifying assets’ availability and
strength and services’ gaps or weaknesses; 2024HB-05213-R000081-BA.DOCX
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2. provide an effective tool for sharing data, documents, and
communication among the nonprofit organizations to strengthen
their capacity to serve state residents;
3. provide a resource for policymakers to determine gaps in
services and capacity and enhance collaboration among different
nonprofit organizations working in the same geographic areas
and serving the same target population;
4. provide information to policymakers on ways to ensure that
resources are invested in areas and populations with the greatest
need; and
5. present data by town, by county, and statewide, as well as by
each regional council of government, and include a summary of
available resources, including nonprofit organizations and state
agencies, to create a database of the state’s nonprofit
organizations by target service population, mission, and
geography.
The bill requires the Department of Consumer Protection and the
secretary of the state to provide UConn’s School of Public Policy, upon
its request, with any data needed to conduct the study and mapping.
The school must submit to the Education Committee a preliminary
report by October 1, 2024, and a final report by June 30, 2025. The final
report must include a model to enhance collaboration among nonprofit
organizations to ensure that state investments are addressing gaps in
services and not contributing to duplicative efforts or competition
among the organizations.
EFFECTIVE DATE: July 1, 2024
§§ 3, 4 & 6 — DATA SHARING
Requires (1) local and regional boards of education to enter into data-sharing agreements
with youth service bureaus (YSBs) or juvenile review boards, (2) the education
commissioner to develop a model data-sharing agreement, and (3) the State Board of
Education to enter into a data-sharing agreement with an association representing a
network of YSBs 2024HB-05213-R000081-BA.DOCX
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The bill requires each local and regional board of education, by
October 1, 2024, to enter into a data-sharing agreement with each youth
service bureau (YSB) or juvenile review board (JRB) serving the
municipality in which a student enrolled in a school within the board’s
jurisdiction resides (§ 3).
Under the bill, the education commissioner must (1) develop a model
data-sharing agreement by September 1, 2024, for local and regional
boards of education, YSBs, and JRBs and (2) make the agreement
available upon request and on the department’s website (§ 4).
The bill similarly requires the State Board of Education (SBE), by
October 1, 2024, to enter into a data-sharing agreement with an
association representing a network of YSBs in Connecticut. The
agreement must require SBE to provide required student data within 30
days after receiving it from a local or regional board of education (§ 6).
EFFECTIVE DATE: July 1, 2024
Agreement Requirements (§ 3)
The bill defines a “data-sharing agreement” as a contract between a
board of education and a YSB or JRB establishing processes and
procedures that govern the sharing and use of students’ education
records and personally identifiable information (PII, see Background —
FERPA) to engage in data analysis of students’ long-term outcomes to
help improve available programming, instruction, and services.
Under the bill, the agreement must do the following:
1. require the board of education to provide required student data
(see below) to the YSB or JRB on a monthly basis;
2. state that disclosure of education records and students’ PII
without consent of a parent or guardian is permissible under
federal Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA)
regulations as long as the disclosure’s purpose is to allow a YSB
or JRB to conduct a study to improve instruction and assess the
effectiveness of state and federally funded education programs 2024HB-05213-R000081-BA.DOCX
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(see Background — FERPA); and
3. allow a YSB or JRB to (a) share any study’s results with the board
of education and (b) use the data to help assess long-term
outcomes of students served by the YSB or JRB to evaluate the
YSB’s or JRB’s program and service effectiveness, improve
instruction, and identify areas for program improvement.
Required Student Data. Under the bill, “required student data”
includes the following:
1. date of birth; first, middle, and last name; and state-assigned
student identifier;
2. demographic information, including race, ethnicity, and gender;
3. whether the student is a multilingual learner, a homeless child or
youth (as defined in federal law), or receiving special education
or related services;
4. grade level; date of graduation or anticipated graduation year;
and current enrollment status (including active registration,
transfer, and withdrawal data);
5. attendance records (including whether absences were excused or
unexcused) and disciplinary history, including the type, number,
and nature of disciplinary actions; and
6. any additional student information or data YSBs need to comply
with state law.
Background — FERPA
With certain exceptions, FERPA requires schools, school districts,
and federally funded institutions to keep PII contained in a student’s
records confidential unless (1) the parents (of students under age 18) or
students age 18 or older (“eligible students”) consent to disclose it or (2)
one of the legal exceptions to the confidentiality requirement applies (20
U.S.C. § 1232g). 2024HB-05213-R000081-BA.DOCX
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Under FERPA’s regulations, “education records” are, with certain
exceptions, records that refer to a student and are maintained by an
educational agency or institution. Examples of PII include a student’s
name, date of birth, and personal identifier (34 C.F.R. § 99.3)
Research Exception. FERPA regulations specify several exceptions
under which PII may be disclosed from education records without a
parent’s or student’s consent. One of these exceptions allows disclosure
to organizations conducting studies for, or on behalf of, educational
agencies or institutions to (1) develop, validate, or administer predictive
tests; (2) administer student aid programs; or (3) improve instruction.
Among other things, (1) the study must not permit personal
identification of parents and students except by representatives of the
organization with a legitimate interest in the information; (2) the
information must be destroyed when no longer needed for the study’s
purposes; and (3) there must be a written agreement that specifies the
study’s or studies’ purpose, scope, and duration (34 C.F.R. § 99.31(a)(6)).
§ 5 — SCHOOL-LEVEL SUPPORT MEETINGS AND ATTENDANCE
REVIEW TEAMS
Requires local and regional boards of education to include individuals designated by a
YSB or JRB in school-level support meetings and on attendance review teams
The bill requires local and regional boards of education to include
individuals designated by a YSB or JRB with which the board of
education has a data-sharing agreement (see above) in school-level
support meetings and on attendance review teams (i.e., teams
established by a board of education to address chronic absenteeism in a
school district or at one or more schools).
Under the bill, “school-level support meetings” are scheduled
meetings of school administrators, teachers, social workers, school
counselors, or other school officials to review and discuss student data
related to absenteeism, discipline, or mental and behavioral health.
EFFECTIVE DATE: July 1, 2024
§ 7 — BUS FARE EXEMPTION 2024HB-05213-R000081-BA.DOCX
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Exempts students enrolled in priority school district public schools from fares on state-
owned or -controlled buses during specified parts of the school day
The bill exempts students enrolled in priority school district public
schools from fares on state-owned or -controlled buses for the two hours
before the start of the school day and the four hours following the end
of the school day. Students who are exempt from fares during these
times must show the bus driver or fare inspector a student identification
card issued by the board of education.
EFFECTIVE DATE: July 1, 2024
§ 8 — DUAL CREDIT COURSES
Requires higher education institutions and local and regional boards of education, before
establishing a dual credit course, to enter into an MOU for delivering the course and
awarding credit
The bill requires higher education institutions and local and regional
boards of education, before establishing a dual credit course, to enter
into a memorandum of understanding (MOU) for delivering the course
and awarding credit. The MOU must ensure the following:
1. the course aligns with the standards developed by the National
Alliance of Concurrent Enrollment Partnerships (NACEP),
2. (a) the course instructor meets NACEP qualifications and (b) the
school superintendent attests to the higher education institution
that the educator meets these qualifications before being
assigned to teach the course,
3. the educator completes the same professional development
training that a higher education faculty member would complete,
4. the higher education institution may evaluate the course or the
professional development associated with it, and
5. students enrolled in the course (a) complete an orientation
program offered by the institution and (b) meet the course’s
prerequisites.
Under the bill, a “dual credit course” is one for which credit is offered 2024HB-05213-R000081-BA.DOCX
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by a local or regional board of education to students in grades 9-12 and
for which both high school and college credit is awarded. The course
may be concurrent enrollment (i.e., delivered at a high school by a
certified educator employed by a board of education) or dual enrollment
(i.e., delivered at a higher education institution by a member of the
institution’s faculty).
EFFECTIVE DATE: July 1, 2024
§ 9 — ACCOUNTABILITY INDEX SCORE CRITERIA
Requires that the accountability index score for a district or school include the availability
of a credit recovery program and the number of students who earn credit and graduate as
a result of the program
By law, the accountability index score for a school district or an
individual school is the score resulting from multiple weighted
measures that include, among other things, the mastery test scores (i.e.,
the performance index score) and high school graduation rates. The
State Department of Education (SDE) uses the scores to designate
alliance districts, among other things.
The bill requires that the accountability index score also include the
availability of a credit recovery program and the number of students
who earn credit and graduate as a result of the program. Generally,
credit recovery is a strategy that allows students who lost credit (e.g., by
failing or not completing a course) to recover the credit by retaking the
course through a locally designed alternative (e.g., online coursework).
EFFECTIVE DATE: July 1, 2024
§ 10 — CREDIT RECOVERY PROGRAMS
Requires boards of education with a credit recovery program as part of their alternative
education to allow certain students enrolled in a traditional school program to
simultaneously enroll in the credit recovery program
Existing law allows local and regional boards of education to provide
a school or program in a nontraditional setting that addresses students’
social, emotional, behavioral, and academic needs (i.e., “alternative
education”).
Under the bill, local and regional boards of education with a credit 2024HB-05213-R000081-BA.DOCX
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recovery program as part of their alternative education must allow
students enrolled in a traditional school program and at risk of not
graduating to also enroll in the credit recovery program while
remaining enrolled in the traditional program. The boards must do so
beginning with the 2024-2025 school year.
EFFECTIVE DATE: July 1, 2024
§ 11 — MODEL STUDENT WORK RELEASE POLICY
Requires the chief workforce officer to consult with the SDE commissioner when updating
the model student work release policy
Existing law allows the state’s chief workforce officer to update the
model student work release policy as necessary. The bill requires her to
consult with the SDE commissioner when doing so. By law, local and
regional boards of education must adopt the model policy or the most
recently updated version of it beginning with the 2024-2025 school year.
EFFECTIVE DATE: July 1, 2024
§ 12 — REGIONAL TRAUMA COORDINATORS
Makes permanent the requirement for RESCs to employ regional trauma coordinators
The bill makes permanent the requirement that each regional
education service center (RESC) employ a regional trauma coordinator.
Current law requires RESCs to hire a coordinator for FYs 23 and 24 only.
Among other things, each coordinator must develop and implement a
trauma-informed care training program.
EFFECTIVE DATE: July 1, 2024
§§ 13 & 14 — WORKING GROUPS ON HIGH SCHO OL GRADUATION
REQUIREMENTS, GRADIN G POLICIES, AND ACCO UNTABILITY
INDEX
Allows (1) CABE to convene a working group to review high school graduation
requirements and (2) CEA and AFT to jointly convene a working group to review high
school grading policies and the accountability index
The bill allows the Connecticut Association of Boards of Education
(CABE) to convene a 14-member working group to review high school
graduation requirements to identify requirements that limit or restrict
instruction or service provision to students (§ 13). CABE’s executive 2024HB-05213-R000081-BA.DOCX
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director or a designee must chair the working group.
The bill also allows the Connecticut Education Association (CEA) and
the American Federation of Teachers-Connecticut (AFT-CT) to jointly
convene a 14-member working group to review (1) high school grading
policies used by local and regional boards of education and (2) the
accountability index and information and data SDE uses to calculate
index scores (§ 14). CEA’s and AFT-CT’s executive directors, or their
designees, must serve as the working group’s chairpersons.
Under the bill, the groups must each submit a report to the Education
Committee by January 1, 2026. The report from the group led by CEA
and AFT-CT specifically must review mandates and make
recommendations for amending or repealing them and developing a
biennial review process.
Each group terminates on the date it submits its report or July 1, 2026,
whichever is later.
EFFECTIVE DATE: July 1, 2024
Membership
The bill establishes identical membership requirements for the two
groups. Both groups must include one representative from each of the
following organizations:
1. CABE;
2. the Connecticut Association of Public School Superintendents;
3. the Connecticut PTA;
4. AFT-CT;
5. CEA;
6. the Connecticut Association of Schools;
7. the Connecticut Federation of School Administrators; 2024HB-05213-R000081-BA.DOCX
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8. the Connecticut School Counselor Association; and
9. the Connecticut Association for Health, Physical Education,
Recreation and Dance.
The groups must also include the following ex-officio members or
their designees: the education commissioner and Education
Committee’s chairpersons and ranking members.
The bill requires appointing authorities to make their initial
appointments to the working groups by July 31, 2024, and fill any
vacancies. Each group’s chairpersons must schedule the initial
meetings, which must be held by August 30, 2024. The groups may
allow for public comment or seek input from students, parents,
educators, boards of education, and other education stakeholders.
§ 15 — BEREAVEMENT A ND GRIEF COUNSELING SERVICES
TASK FORCE
Establishes a 13-member task force on bereavement and grief counseling services
Duties
The bill establishes a 13-member task force to develop
recommendations for creating and administering a statewide program
for delivering bereavement and grief counseling services to children
and families at no cost to participants.
The task force must make recommendations on the following:
1. the appropriate administering agency or agencies;
2. scope of services, including services to marginalized
communities and culturally informed services;
3. the role that existing counseling services and school-based health
centers should have in service delivery;
4. service delivery, including necessary resources, in parts of the
state where services are currently insufficient or non-existent;
5. long-term funding sources; and 2024HB-05213-R000081-BA.DOCX
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6. additional considerations the task force identifies.
The task force must submit a report on its findings and
recommendations to the Children and Public Health committees by July
1, 2025. It terminates on this date or the date it submits its report,
whichever is later.
Membership
Under the bill, the task force consists of 13 members: eight legislative
appointees (who may be legislators), shown in the table below, and five
ex-officio members, listed below the table. Appointing authorities must
make their initial appointments within 30 days after the bill’s passage
and fill any vacancies.
Table: Appointed Task Force Members
Appointing Authority Criteria
House speaker Representative of a bereavement and grief counseling
services program that serves children and families
Senate president pro
tempore
Representative of a statewide association of school-based
health centers
House majority leader Representative of a statewide association of school
counselors
Senate majority leader Representative of the state chapter of a national nonprofit
organization that works to improve the lives of children and
families
House minority leader Representative of a child study center affiliated with a
medical school in the state
Senate minority leader A licensed psychologist who has expertise in treating
bereaved children
Education Committee
House chairperson and
ranking member (joint
appointment)
A person who has experience with grief and bereavement
Education Committee
Senate chairperson and
ranking member (joint
appointment)
A person who has experience with grief and bereavement
The task force also includes the following officials or their designees:
the (1) children and families, education, mental health and addiction
services, and public health commissioners and (2) Commission on 2024HB-05213-R000081-BA.DOCX
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Women, Children, Seniors, Equity and Opportunity’s (CWCSEO)
executive director.
The bill requires the House speaker and Senate president pro
tempore to select the task force chairpersons from among its members.
The chairpersons must schedule the task force’s first meeting, which
must be held within 60 days after the bill’s passage. CWCSEO’s
administrative staff must serve as the task force’s administrative staff.
EFFECTIVE DATE: Upon passage
Background — Related Bill
sSB 218, § 1 (File 30), reported favorably by the Committee on
Children, also establishes a task force to study this topic.
COMMITTEE ACTION
Education Committee
Joint Favorable Substitute
Yea 42 Nay 3 (03/06/2024)