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OLR Bill Analysis
sHB 5437 (as amended by House "A")*
AN ACT CONCERNING EDUCATION MANDATE RELIEF.
TABLE OF CONTENTS:
§§ 1 & 30 — EDUCATION MANDATE REVIEW ADVISORY COUN CIL
Establishes a 10-member Education Mandate Review Advisory Council; repeals a
mandate working group established in 2023
§§ 2-5 — IN-SERVICE TRAINING
Requires that (1) the manner and frequency of in-service training for certified educators be
determined by the school board’s professional development and evaluation committee and
(2) the required subject matter be provided at least once every five years; eliminates
specified subject matter from in-service training that, generally, is addressed by other
training requirements; restores in-service training requirements that inadvertently sunset
in 2025
§ 6 — LARGE ORGANIC MATERIALS GENERATORS
For public and private K-12 schools, (1) delays, from January 1, 2025, to July 1, 2026, the
requirement for certain organic materials generators to separate the materials and recycle
them and (2) limits the requirement to buildings or facilities located within a 20-mile
radius of a permitted source-separated organic material composting facility
§§ 7 & 8 — RESERVE FUNDS
Allows local boards of education, rather than local boards of finance or other appropriating
authorities, to deposit unexpended education funds into a nonlapsing account; allows
regional boards of education to create reserve funds for educational expenditures, rather
than reserve funds for capital and nonrecurring expenditures
§§ 9 & 10 — HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATION REQUIREMENTS
Delays the FAFSA completion requirement to the graduating class of 2027 and exempts
certain international students at endowed academies from the requirement; eliminates the
option for school boards to require students to complete a one-credit mastery-based
diploma assessment; eliminates the ban on partisan political activities counting as
community service; adds physician assistants to the list of practitioners who may certify
that a student should not participate in physical education
§§ 9, 11 & 12 — STUDENT SUCCESS PLANS
Requires that student success plans consider enrollment opportunities in the Connecticut
Technical Education and Career System
§ 13 — IN-SCHOOL SUSPENSIONS
Reduces the maximum number of consecutive days for in-school suspensions from 10 to
five 2024HB-05437-R010668-BA.DOCX
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§ 14 — STANDARD FOR EARLY GRADES OUT-OF-SCHOOL
SUSPENSION
Changes the standard for out-of-school suspensions in early grades and shortens the
maximum out-of-school suspension for these grades from 10 to five days
§ 15 — SRO REPORTS
Clarifies to whom SROs must give investigation and intervention reports
§§ 16 & 17 — SCHOOL CLIMATE SURVEYS AND CLIMATE
IMPROVEMENT PLANS
Requires the development of a (1) school climate survey standard and (2) model school
climate improvement plan
§§ 18 & 19 — LOCAL SCHOOL CLIMATE STEPS
Requires school climate surveys to meet or use the state school climate survey standards;
allows a local school climate specialist to incorporate the model school climate plan into his
or her school climate plan
§ 20 — STATE DIRECTOR OF SCHOOL CLIMATE IMPROVEMENT
Requires SDE to appoint a state director of school climate improvement
§§ 21 & 22 — DISCONNECTED YOUTH
Requires P20 WIN to (1) develop a plan to establish a statewide data intermediary to
assist nonprofits serving disconnected youth and (2) annually report on disconnected
youth to the legislature using specified data
§§ 23 & 24 — YOUTH SERVICE BUREAUS
Requires school boards, when requested by a YSB, to enter into an MOU on when
students’ educational records may be shared between the board and YSB; allows private
youth-serving organizations to establish a YSB if they are designated to act as agents of
one or more school boards
§ 25 — CREDIT RECOVERY PROGRAMS
Requires school boards 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
§ 26 — MODEL STUDENT WORK RELEASE POLICY
Requires the chief workforce officer to consult with the SDE commissioner when updating
the model student work release policy
§§ 27 & 28 — WORKING GROUPS ON HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATION
REQUIREMENTS, GRADING POLICIES, AND ACCOUNTABILITY
INDEX
Allows (1) CABE to convene a working group to review high school graduation
requirements and (2) CEA and AFT-CT to jointly convene a working group to review
high school grading policies and the accountability index
§ 29 — BEREAVEMENT AND GRIEF COUNSELING SERVICES TASK
FORCE
Establishes a 13-member task force on bereavement and grief counseling services
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SUMMARY
This bill makes various changes in the state’s education laws as
described in the section-by-section analysis below.
*House Amendment “A” (1) broadens the mandate review council’s
charge to include all education mandates, rather than only those for
professional development as in the original bill; (2) restores certain in-
service training requirements enacted in 2023; (3) narrows the original
bill’s changes on organic materials recycling so that they apply to K-12
schools only; (4) narrows the original bill’s FAFSA exemption for certain
endowed academy students; and (5) adds the provisions on reserve
funds, physician assistants certifying students’ nonparticipation in
physical education, school discipline, disconnected youth, youth service
bureaus, credit recovery programs, model student work release policy,
working groups on high school graduation requirements and grading
policies, and the bereavement and grief counseling services task forces.
EFFECTIVE DATE: Various; see below.
§§ 1 & 30 — EDUCATION MANDATE REVIEW ADV ISORY COUNCIL
Establishes a 10-member Education Mandate Review Advisory Council; repeals a
mandate working group established in 2023
Duties
The bill establishes a 10-member Education Mandate Review
Advisory Council to advise and provide annual reports to the Education
Committee on the (1) cost and implementation of existing education
mandates on local and regional boards of education and (2) impact of
proposals to add to or revise these mandates (§ 1). It repeals an 11-
member working group established in 2023 with a similar charge (§ 30).
Under the bill, the council’s annual reports may include a review of
education mandates on school boards in the state’s laws and regulations
to identify those that may be burdensome or limit or restrict providing
student instruction or services. For these mandates, a report must have
a detailed analysis and indicate the specific statutory or regulatory
citation and how it is imposed on the board. It must also make
recommendations on repealing or amending any statutes or regulations. 2024HB-05437-R010668-BA.DOCX
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Under the bill, the council’s reports to the Education Committee must
be submitted annually beginning by January 1, 2025. They must include
recommendations for legislation (if any) as well as the following:
1. a review of all existing education mandates in state law;
2. costs incurred by school boards to implement these mandates;
and
3. how the boards implement the mandates, including how and
when they are provided.
Membership
Under the bill, the council consists of 10 legislative appointees as
shown in the table below.
Table: Council Membership
Appointing Authority Criteria
House speaker Represents the Connecticut Association of
Boards of Education
Senate president pro tempore Represents the Connecticut Association of
Public School Superintendents
House majority leader Represents the Connecticut Association of
Schools
Senate majority leader Represents the Connecticut Association of
School Business Officials
House minority leader Member of a local or regional school board
Senate minority leader Represents the Connecticut Federation of
School Administrators
Education Committee House chairperson
and ranking member (one each)
Public school paraeducator in Connecticut
Education Committee Senate chairperson
and ranking member (one each)
Public school teacher in Connecticut
The bill requires appointing authorities to make their initial
appointments by August 1, 2024, and fill any vacancies. The initial terms
end on January 31, 2029, and subsequent terms last for five years. The
bill allows members to serve multiple terms.
The bill requires the House speaker and Senate president pro
tempore to select the council’s chairpersons from among its members. 2024HB-05437-R010668-BA.DOCX
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The chairpersons must schedule and hold the first meeting by October
1, 2024. The Education Committee’s administrative staff must serve as
the council’s administrative staff.
EFFECTIVE DATE: July 1, 2024
§§ 2-5 — IN-SERVICE TRAINING
Requires that (1) the manner and frequency of in-service training for certified educators be
determined by the school board’s professional development and evaluation committee and
(2) the required subject matter be provided at least once every five years; eliminates
specified subject matter from in-service training that, generally, is addressed by other
training requirements; restores in-service training requirements that inadvertently sunset
in 2025
Existing law requires school boards to have an in-service training
program for teachers, administrators, and pupil personnel who hold the
initial educator, provisional educator, or professional educator
certificate. The bill requires that (1) the manner and frequency of the
training be determined by the school board’s professional development
and evaluation committee and (2) at a minimum, the required subject
matter be provided at least once every five years.
Additionally, the bill eliminates requirements that the training
include (1) identification and prevention of and response to bullying, (2)
culturally responsive pedagogy and practice, and (3) the principles and
practices of social-emotional learning and restorative practices.
Generally, training on these subjects is required by other statutes (e.g.,
certified employees’ professional development programs must include
culturally responsive pedagogy and practice (CGS § 10-148a)). The bill
also makes conforming changes.
Effective July 1, 2025, the bill also restores in-service training
requirements enacted in 2023 on special education, planning and
placement teams and Section 504 plans (Rehabilitation Act of 1973), and
emergency response to students who experience a seizure in school.
These requirements were enacted in two 2023 public acts (PA 23-137, §
49, and PA 23-160, § 2) but sunset June 30, 2025, under current law due
to a codification conflict with a different act (PA § 23-167, § 60).
EFFECTIVE DATE: July 1, 2024, except that the restoration of the 2023 2024HB-05437-R010668-BA.DOCX
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enacted requirements is effective July 1, 2025.
§ 6 — LARGE ORGANIC MATERIALS GENERATORS
For public and private K-12 schools, (1) delays, from January 1, 2025, to July 1, 2026, the
requirement for certain organic materials generators to separate the materials and recycle
them and (2) limits the requirement to buildings or facilities located within a 20-mile
radius of a permitted source-separated organic material composting facility
Beginning January 1, 2025, PA 23-170, § 5, expands the scope of the
law requiring certain organic materials generators to separate the
materials and recycle them. Among other things, it requires public and
private educational facilities (and other newly included entities) that
generate an average projected volume of at least 26 tons of source-
separated organic materials (e.g., food scraps) per year to (1) separate
the materials from other solid waste and (2) recycle them at a permitted
source-separated organic material composting facility that has capacity
and is willing to accept them.
For public and nonpublic school buildings or facilities with students
in grades K-12 (in any combination), the bill (1) delays the
implementation of this requirement to July 1, 2026, and (2) limits it to
buildings and facilities located within a 20-mile radius of a permitted
source-separated organic material composting facility. It retains the
January 1, 2025, implementation for public or independent higher
education institution buildings or facilities.
EFFECTIVE DATE: July 1, 2024
§§ 7 & 8 — RESERVE FUNDS
Allows local boards of education, rather than local boards of finance or other appropriating
authorities, to deposit unexpended education funds into a nonlapsing account; allows
regional boards of education to create reserve funds for educational expenditures, rather
than reserve funds for capital and nonrecurring expenditures
Current law allows a town board of finance, board of selectmen in a
town with no board of finance, or other appropriating authority for a
school district, to deposit unexpended education funds into a
nonlapsing account. Beginning with FY 24, the bill instead allows the
local board of education to make this deposit. As under existing law, the
deposit may be up to 2% of the previous fiscal year’s budgeted
appropriation for education, and account expenditures must be only for 2024HB-05437-R010668-BA.DOCX
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educational purposes (§ 7).
Beginning with FY 24, the bill allows regional boards of education to
create reserve funds for educational expenditures, rather than reserve
funds for capital and nonrecurring expenditures as current law allows,
and makes conforming changes (e.g., repealing language that limited
fund expenditures to certain capital projects and equipment purchases).
As under existing law, boards may create the fund by a majority vote of
their members, and the aggregate amount of annual and supplemental
appropriations by the district to the fund cannot exceed 2% of the annual
district budget for the fiscal year (§ 8).
EFFECTIVE DATE: Upon passage
§§ 9 & 10 — HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATION REQUIREMEN TS
Delays the FAFSA completion requirement to the graduating class of 2027 and exempts
certain international students at endowed academies from the requirement; eliminates the
option for school boards to require students to complete a one-credit mastery-based
diploma assessment; eliminates the ban on partisan political activities counting as
community service; adds physician assistants to the list of practitioners who may certify
that a student should not participate in physical education
FAFSA Completion
Beginning with the graduating class of 2025, current law requires
students to complete a Free Application for Federal Student Aid
(FAFSA), institutional financial aid application (if the student does not
have legal immigration status), or signed waiver in order to graduate
from high school. The bill delays the requirement by two years, to the
graduating class of 2027.
The bill also exempts endowed academy students who hold F-1 visas
from this requirement (i.e., nonimmigrant student visas). The state has
three endowed academies that function as public high schools under
state law (i.e., Gilbert School, Norwich Free Academy, and Woodstock
Academy).
Credit Requirements
Beginning with the graduating class of 2027, the bill eliminates the
option for school boards to require students to complete a one-credit
mastery-based diploma assessment (i.e., a “capstone”) in order to 2024HB-05437-R010668-BA.DOCX
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graduate from high school.
Additionally, existing law requires students, beginning with the
graduating class of 2027, to complete a half-credit of personal financial
management and financial literacy, which may count as either a
humanities credit or an elective credit. The bill provides a third option
by allowing this requirement to count as a science, technology,
engineering, and mathematics credit.
Community Service
Existing law allows school boards to offer, and count towards high
school graduation requirements, one half-credit in community service.
Among other things, students must complete at least 50 hours of actual
service outside of school hours.
The bill eliminates current law’s (1) ban on partisan political activities
counting as community service and (2) requirement that the State Board
of Education give community service recognition awards to students
who complete at least 50 hours of community service.
Physical Education
Existing law requires students to complete one credit in physical
education and wellness unless they present a certificate from a
physician or advanced practice registered nurse stating that, in the
practitioner’s opinion, participation is medically contraindicated by the
student’s physical condition. The bill additionally allows students to
present this certificate from a physician assistant.
EFFECTIVE DATE: July 1, 2024
§§ 9, 11 & 12 — STUDENT SUCCESS PLANS
Requires that student success plans consider enrollment opportunities in the Connecticut
Technical Education and Career System
The bill requires that student success plans consider enrollment
opportunities in the Connecticut Technical Education and Career
System. By law, school boards must create a student success plan for
each public school student beginning in sixth grade. The plan must
include the student’s career and academic choices in grades 6-12. 2024HB-05437-R010668-BA.DOCX
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EFFECTIVE DATE: July 1, 2024
§ 13 — IN-SCHOOL SUSPENSIONS
Reduces the maximum number of consecutive days for in-school suspensions from 10 to
five
The bill reduces, from 10 to five, the maximum number of consecutive
days a school may give a student for an in-school suspension. By law,
an in-school suspension is an exclusion from regular classroom activity
but not exclusion from school, and the exclusion must not extend
beyond the end of the school year in which the suspension was imposed.
EFFECTIVE DATE: July 1, 2024
§ 14 — STANDARD FOR EARLY GRADES OUT -OF-SCHOOL
SUSPENSION
Changes the standard for out-of-school suspensions in early grades and shortens the
maximum out-of-school suspension for these grades from 10 to five days
The bill changes the standard for out-of-school suspensions for
grades preschool to two to situations with evidence that the student’s
conduct on school grounds is behavior that causes physical harm. Under
current law, the standard is conduct of a violent or sexual nature that
endangers persons.
Additionally, under the bill, in order to suspend a student in these
grades, the school administration must (1) require that the student
receives trauma-informed and developmentally appropriate services
that align with any behavioral intervention plan, individualized
education program, or Section 504 plan (Rehabilitation Act of 1973),
when the student returns to school immediately after the suspension
and (2) consider whether to convene a planning and placement team
meeting to evaluate whether the student may need special education or
related services.
It also limits out-of-school suspensions for this group to no more than
five school days. By law, out-of-school suspensions for other grades may
not be longer than 10 consecutive school days.
EFFECTIVE DATE: July 1, 2024 2024HB-05437-R010668-BA.DOCX
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§ 15 — SRO REPORTS
Clarifies to whom SROs must give investigation and intervention reports
Current law requires each school resource officer (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. The law
details what must be in the report and requires police chiefs to submit
SROs’ reports to their school districts’ superintendents at least monthly.
The bill clarifies that if the SRO’s chief of police is not Police Officer
Standards and Training (POST)-certified, then the SRO must instead
submit the reports to the superintendent. (In some towns, by charter or
municipal ordinance, the chief law enforcement officer is the first
selectman.) The Police Officer Standards and Training Council (POST)
provides the required training for all uniformed municipal police in the
state.
EFFECTIVE DATE: July 1, 2024
§§ 16 & 17 — SCHOOL CLIMATE SURVEYS AND CLIMATE
IMPROVEMENT PLANS
Requires the development of a (1) school climate survey standard and (2) model school
climate improvement plan
The bill requires the Social and Emotional Learning and School
Climate Advisory Collaborative (i.e., “the collaborative”) to develop a
(1) school climate survey standard and (2) model school climate
improvement plan. For the survey, the standards must address
collecting diversity, equity, and inclusion data and how to reduce
disparities in data collection between school districts.
By law, the collaborative has numerous responsibilities related to
fostering a positive school climate, including developing a statewide
school climate survey and a model positive school climate policy.
The bill includes duplicate sections of the same law with different
effective dates to conform with changes from past legislation.
EFFECTIVE DATE: July 1, 2024 (§ 16) and July 1, 2025 (§ 17)
§§ 18 & 19 — LOCAL SCHOOL CLIMATE STEPS 2024HB-05437-R010668-BA.DOCX
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Requires school climate surveys to meet or use the state school climate survey standards;
allows a local school climate specialist to incorporate the model school climate plan into his
or her school climate plan
Under current law, a “school climate survey” must be a research-
based, validated, and developmentally appropriate survey for students,
school employees, and families of students, in the predominant
languages of the school community, that measures and identifies school
climate needs and tracks progress through a school climate
improvement plan.
The bill additionally requires that the surveys meet the collaborative
survey standards or use the statewide school climate survey that the
collaborative develops.
By law, the school climate specialist has numerous duties at the
individual school level. The bill allows a school climate specialist to
incorporate the model school climate improvement plan into his or her
school climate improvement plan. Unchanged from current law, the
school climate specialist must submit the plan to the school district’s
school climate coordinator for review and approval.
EFFECTIVE DATE: July 1, 2024
§ 20 — STATE DIRECTOR OF SCHOOL CLIMATE IMPROVEMENT
Requires SDE to appoint a state director of school climate improvement
The bill requires the State Department of Education (SDE), within
available appropriations, to appoint a director of school climate
improvement to serve as the statewide social and emotional learning
and school climate expert. Under the bill, the director’s duties include
annually, beginning by January 1, 2026, submitting a report to the
Education Committee on recommendations for best practices and
school climate improvement strategies in the state.
At the state level, the bill requires the director to also do the
following:
1. help the collaborative develop and implement tools and best
practices for school climate and culture, including developing a 2024HB-05437-R010668-BA.DOCX
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model school climate survey and a model school climate
improvement plan, and
2. in collaboration with the collaborative, develop strategies to
improve service delivery for social and emotional learning, skills
building, and mental health supports.
At the local level, the bill requires the director to do the following:
1. help school boards implement the (a) state anti-bullying, school
climate, and social and emotional learning policy and
requirements and (b) Connecticut school climate policy;
2. provide information and assistance to school boards, students,
and parents and guardians of students on the uniform bullying
complaint form;
3. help school climate coordinators (the districtwide school climate
official) develop a continuum of strategies to prevent, identify,
and respond to challenging behavior; and
4. develop and provide technical assistance and recommendations,
in collaboration with the collaborative, to school boards on school
employee trainings for school climate improvement.
EFFECTIVE DATE: July 1, 2024
§§ 21 & 22 — DISCONNECTED YOUTH
Requires P20 WIN to (1) develop a plan to establish a statewide data intermediary to
assist nonprofits serving disconnected youth and (2) annually report on disconnected
youth to the legislature using specified data
The bill requires the Connecticut Preschool through Twenty and
Workforce Information Network (P20 WIN) to develop a plan to
establish a statewide data intermediary to provide technical support,
create data-sharing agreements, and build and maintain the
infrastructure needed to share data between nonprofit organizations
serving disconnected youth. The P20 WIN executive board must submit
the plan to the Education Committee by January 1, 2025. 2024HB-05437-R010668-BA.DOCX
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The bill additionally requires the P20 WIN executive board to submit
a report on disconnected youth annually beginning by January 1, 2025,
to the Appropriations, Children, Education, Human Services, Judiciary,
Labor and Public Employees, and Public Health committees. In
developing the report, the board must use the data model established
through the data-sharing agreement 0043 regarding Research on
Disengaged and Disconnected Youth in Connecticut (i.e., a 2023
agreement between various state agencies, a nonprofit, and a private
consulting firm to share certain data from P20 WIN).
For the plan and annual reports, a “disconnected youth” is an
individual age 14-26 who is (1) an at-risk student (see below) or (2) not
enrolled in high school and (a) has not obtained a high school diploma
or its equivalent; (b) has obtained a diploma or equivalent but is
unemployed and not enrolled in an adult education program,
institution of higher education or otherwise pursuing postsecondary
education, or a workforce training or certification program, including
an apprenticeship program; or (c) is incarcerated.
“At-risk” students are those enrolled in high school who are in
danger of not graduating due to, among other things, (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
§§ 23 & 24 — YOUTH SERVICE BUREAUS
Requires school boards, when requested by a YSB, to enter into an MOU on when
students’ educational records may be shared between the board and YSB; allows private
youth-serving organizations to establish a YSB if they are designated to act as agents of
one or more school boards
Data-Sharing (§ 23)
The bill requires school boards, when requested by a youth service
bureau (YSB) that provides services to the board, to enter into a
memorandum of understanding (MOU) on when students’ educational
records may be shared between the board and a YSB in the bureau’s
service provision. Any MOU must require the board to provide, and 2024HB-05437-R010668-BA.DOCX
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bureau to receive and maintain, any educational records in accordance
with the federal Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA, see
Background — FERPA).
Establishing YSBs (§ 24)
Existing law allows one or more municipalities or private youth-
serving organizations they designate to act as their agents, to establish
a YSB. The bill additionally allows the organizations to establish a YSB
if they are designated to act as agents of one or more local or regional
boards of education.
As under existing law, the YSB may evaluate, plan, coordinate, and
implement services, including prevention and intervention programs
for delinquent, predelinquent, pregnant, parenting, and troubled
youths referred to the bureau. The bill specifies that these youths may
be referred by, among other entities, school boards, rather than schools
as current law provides.
EFFECTIVE DATE: July 1, 2024
Background — FERPA
With certain exceptions, FERPA requires schools, school districts,
and federally funded institutions to keep personally identifying
information (PII) 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).
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).
§ 25 — CREDIT RECOVERY PROGRAMS
Requires school boards 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 school boards to have a school or program in a 2024HB-05437-R010668-BA.DOCX
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nontraditional setting that addresses students’ social, emotional,
behavioral, and academic needs (i.e., “alternative education”).
Under the bill, school boards with a credit 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
§ 26 — 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
§§ 27 & 28 — WORKING GROUPS ON HIGH SCHOOL 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-CT 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 working group of at least 15 members to review
high school graduation requirements to identify requirements that limit
or restrict instruction or service provision to students and recommend
revisions (§ 27). CABE’s executive 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 working group of at least 15 members to review (1) high 2024HB-05437-R010668-BA.DOCX
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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 (§ 28). 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. Each group terminates when 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 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;
8. the Connecticut School Counselor Association;
9. the Connecticut Association for Health, Physical Education,
Recreation and Dance; and
10. the Connecticut Business and Industry Association’s education
and workforce affiliate.
The groups must also include the following ex-officio members or
their designees: the SDE commissioner and Education Committee’s 2024HB-05437-R010668-BA.DOCX
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chairpersons and ranking members. Each group may also include
additional members deemed appropriate by the group’s chairpersons.
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 and hold the initial
meetings 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.
§ 29 — 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. appropriate administering agency or agencies;
2. scope of services, including those to marginalized communities
and culturally informed services;
3. 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
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 when it submits its report, 2024HB-05437-R010668-BA.DOCX
Researcher: TA Page 18 5/3/24
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 Represents a bereavement and grief counseling services
program that serves children and families
Senate president pro
tempore
Represents a statewide association of school-based health
centers
House majority leader Represents a statewide association of school counselors
Senate majority leader Represents the state chapter of a national nonprofit
organization that works to improve the lives of children and
families
House minority leader Represents a child study center affiliated with a medical
school in the state
Senate minority leader A licensed psychologist who is an expert in treating
bereaved children
Education Committee
House chairperson and
ranking member (joint
appointment)
Experience with grief and bereavement
Education Committee
Senate chairperson and
ranking member (joint
appointment)
Represents the Connecticut Association of School
Psychologists
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
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 and hold the task force’s first meeting 2024HB-05437-R010668-BA.DOCX
Researcher: TA Page 19 5/3/24
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
COMMITTEE ACTION
Education Committee
Joint Favorable Change of Reference - APP
Yea 43 Nay 1 (03/20/2024)
Appropriations Committee
Joint Favorable Substitute
Yea 52 Nay 0 (04/04/2024)