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General Assembly Substitute Bill No. 5
February Session, 2024
AN ACT CONCERNING SCHOOL RESOURCES.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General
Assembly convened:
Section 1. Section 10-76g of the 2024 supplement to the general 1
statutes is repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof 2
(Effective July 1, 2024): 3
(a) (1) For the fiscal year ending June 30, 1984, and each fiscal year 4
thereafter, in any case in which special education is being provided at a 5
private residential institution, including the residential components of 6
regional educational service centers, to a child for whom no local or 7
regional board of education can be found responsible under subsection 8
(b) of section 10-76d, the Department of Children and Families shall pay 9
the costs of special education to such institution pursuant to its authority 10
under sections 17a-1 to 17a-26, inclusive, 17a-28 to 17a-49, inclusive, 17a-11
52 and 17a-861. (2) For the fiscal year ending June 30, 1993, and each 12
fiscal year thereafter, any local or regional board of education which 13
provides special education and related services for any child (A) who is 14
placed by a public agency, including, but not limited to, offices of a 15
government of a federally recognized Native American tribe, in a 16
private residential facility or who is placed in a facility or institution 17
operated by the Department of Children and Families and who receives 18
such special education at a program operated by a regional education 19 Substitute Bill No. 5
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service center or program operated by a local or regional board of 20
education, and (B) for whom no local or regional board of education can 21
be found responsible under subsection (b) of section 10-76d, shall be 22
eligible to receive one hundred per cent of the reasonable costs of special 23
education for such child as defined in the regulations of the State Board 24
of Education. Any such board eligible for payment shall file with the 25
Department of Education, in such manner as prescribed by the 26
Commissioner of Education, annually, on or before December first a 27
statement of the cost of providing special education for such child, 28
provided a board of education may submit, not later than March first, 29
claims for additional children or costs not included in the December 30
filing. Payment by the state for such costs shall be made to the local or 31
regional board of education as follows: Seventy-five per cent of the cost 32
in February and the balance in May. 33
(b) Any local or regional board of education which provides special 34
education pursuant to the provisions of sections 10-76a to 10-76g, 35
inclusive, as amended by this act, for any exceptional child described in 36
subparagraph (A) of subdivision (5) of section 10-76a, under its 37
jurisdiction, excluding (1) children placed by a state agency for whom a 38
board of education receives payment pursuant to the provisions of 39
subdivision (2) of subsection (e) of section 10-76d, and (2) children who 40
require special education, who reside on state-owned or leased 41
property, and who are not the educational responsibility of the unified 42
school districts established pursuant to sections 17a-37 and 18-99a, shall 43
be financially responsible for the reasonable costs of special education 44
instruction, as defined in the regulations of the State Board of Education, 45
in an amount equal to, for the fiscal year [commencing July 1, 2023] 46
ending June 30, 2025, and each fiscal year thereafter, four and one-half 47
times the net current expenditures per pupil of such board of education, 48
[. Except as otherwise provided in subsection (d) of this section, the] and 49
shall be entitled to a grant under this section for any such costs in an 50
amount that is the excess of such four and one-half times the net current 51
expenditures per pupil of such board of education. The State Board of 52
Education shall [, within available appropriations,] pay on a current 53 Substitute Bill No. 5
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basis any costs in excess of the local or regional board's basic 54
contribution paid by such board in accordance with the provisions of 55
this subsection. Any amounts paid by the State Board of Education on a 56
current basis pursuant to this subsection shall not be reimbursable in the 57
subsequent year. Application for such grant shall be made by filing with 58
the Department of Education, in such manner as prescribed by the 59
commissioner, annually on or before December first a statement of the 60
cost of providing special education pursuant to this subsection, 61
provided a board of education may submit, not later than March first, 62
claims for additional children or costs not included in the December 63
filing. Payment by the state for such excess costs shall be made to the 64
local or regional board of education as follows: Seventy-five per cent of 65
the cost in February and the balance in May. The amount due each town 66
pursuant to the provisions of this subsection shall be paid to the 67
treasurer of each town entitled to such aid, provided the treasurer shall 68
treat such grant, or a portion of the grant, which relates to special 69
education expenditures incurred in excess of such town's board of 70
education budgeted estimate of such expenditures, as a reduction in 71
expenditures by crediting such expenditure account, rather than town 72
revenue. Such expenditure account shall be so credited no later than 73
thirty days after receipt by the treasurer of necessary documentation 74
from the board of education indicating the amount of such special 75
education expenditures incurred in excess of such town's board of 76
education budgeted estimate of such expenditures. 77
(c) Commencing with the fiscal year ending June 30, 1996, and for 78
each fiscal year thereafter, within available appropriations, each town 79
whose ratio of (1) net costs of special education, as defined in subsection 80
(h) of section 10-76f, for the fiscal year prior to the year in which the 81
grant is to be paid to (2) the product of its total need students, as defined 82
in section 10-262f, and the average regular program expenditures, as 83
defined in section 10-262f, per need student for all towns for such year 84
exceeds the state-wide average for all such ratios shall be eligible to 85
receive a supplemental special education grant. Such grant shall be 86
equal to the product of a town's eligible excess costs and the town's base 87 Substitute Bill No. 5
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aid ratio, as defined in section 10-262f, provided each town's grant shall 88
be adjusted proportionately if necessary to stay within the 89
appropriation. Payment pursuant to this subsection shall be made in 90
June. For purposes of this subsection, a town's eligible excess costs are 91
the difference between its net costs of special education and the amount 92
the town would have expended if it spent at the state-wide average rate. 93
[(d) Notwithstanding any provision of the general statutes, for the 94
fiscal year ending June 30, 2023, and each fiscal year thereafter, if the 95
total of the amount of the grants payable to local or regional boards of 96
education in accordance with (1) subsections (a) to (c), inclusive, of this 97
section, except grants paid in accordance with subdivision (2) of 98
subsection (a) of this section, (2) subdivision (2) of subsection (e) of 99
section 10-76d, and (3) subsection (b) of section 10-253, in any fiscal year 100
exceeds the amount appropriated for the purposes of the grants 101
described in subdivisions (1) to (3), inclusive, of this subsection for such 102
fiscal year, then each town shall be ranked in descending order from one 103
to one hundred sixty-nine according to such town's adjusted equalized 104
net grand list per capita, as defined in section 10-261, and the state board 105
shall pay such grant to the local or regional board of education for a 106
town as follows: (A) For any town ranked one hundred fifteen to one 107
hundred sixty-nine, inclusive, ninety-one per cent of the amount of such 108
town's eligible excess costs, (B) for any town ranked fifty-nine to one 109
hundred fourteen, inclusive, eighty-eight per cent of the amount of such 110
town's eligible excess costs, and (C) for any town ranked one to fifty-111
eight, inclusive, eighty-five per cent of the amount of such town's 112
eligible excess costs. In the case of a regional board of education, such 113
ranking shall be determined by (i) multiplying the total population, as 114
defined in section 10-261, of each town in the regional school district by 115
such town's ranking, as determined in this subsection, (ii) adding 116
together the figures determined under clause (i) of this subparagraph, 117
and (iii) dividing the total computed under clause (ii) of this 118
subparagraph by the total population of all towns in the district. The 119
ranking of each regional board of education shall be rounded to the next 120
higher whole number. If the total amount of the grants payable to local 121 Substitute Bill No. 5
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and regional boards of education calculated under subparagraphs (A) 122
to (C), inclusive, of this subsection in any fiscal year exceeds the total 123
amount appropriated for the grants described in subdivisions (1) to (3), 124
inclusive, of this subsection for such fiscal year, the amount of the grants 125
payable under this subsection shall be reduced proportionately. 126
(e) (1) For the fiscal year ending June 30, 2023, and each fiscal year 127
thereafter, if the total amount appropriated in any fiscal year for the 128
grants described in subdivisions (1) to (3), inclusive, of subsection (d) of 129
this section exceeds the total of the amount of the grants payable to local 130
and regional boards of education under subsection (d) of this section, 131
for such fiscal year, such excess amount shall be distributed to each local 132
and regional board of education as follows: 133
(A) Subtract the sum of all grants paid to local and regional boards of 134
education in such fiscal year under subsection (d) of this section from 135
the sum of all grants calculated under subsections (a) to (c), inclusive, of 136
this section, subdivision (2) of subsection (e) of section 10-76d and 137
subsection (b) of section 10-253; 138
(B) Subtract the sum of all grants paid to local and regional boards of 139
education in such fiscal year under subsections (a) to (d), inclusive, of 140
this section from the total amount appropriated in such fiscal year for 141
all grants under this section; 142
(C) Divide the amount calculated under subparagraph (B) of this 143
subdivision by the amount calculated under subparagraph (A) of this 144
subdivision; and 145
(D) To determine the amount of such excess to be distributed to each 146
local and regional board of education, multiply the amount calculated 147
under subparagraph (A) of this subdivision that is attributable to such 148
local or regional board of education by the per cent calculated under 149
subparagraph (C) of this subdivision. 150
(2) Any grants paid in accordance with subdivision (2) of subsection 151
(a) of this section shall be excluded from the calculations described in 152 Substitute Bill No. 5
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subdivision (1) of this subsection.] 153
Sec. 2. (Effective July 1, 2024) For the fiscal year ending June 30, 2025, 154
the Department of Education shall select and utilize an existing artificial 155
intelligence tool that can be used by educators and students for 156
classroom instruction and student learning. Such artificial intelligence 157
tool shall comply with the laws governing the use of artificial 158
intelligence and the protection of student data and privacy, including, 159
but not limited to, the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 160
1974, 20 USC 1232g, as amended from time to time, and sections 10-161
234aa to 10-234gg, inclusive, of the general statutes. Not later than July 162
1, 2025, the department shall make such tool available for use by local 163
and regional boards of education. As used in this section, "artificial 164
intelligence" means any technology, including, but not limited to, 165
machine learning that uses data to train an algorithm or predictive 166
model for the purpose of enabling a computer system or service to 167
autonomously perform any task, including, but not limited to, visual 168
perception, language processing or speech recognition, that is normally 169
associated with human intelligence or perception. 170
Sec. 3. (NEW) (Effective July 1, 2024) Not later than January 1, 2025, 171
the Department of Education shall, in consultation with the Connecticut 172
Commission for Education Technology, develop a professional learning 173
program for educators and students on how to properly and safely 174
utilize artificial intelligence as part of instruction in the classroom. Such 175
professional learning program shall include, but need not be limited to, 176
(1) how artificial intelligence can benefit (A) educators in lesson 177
planning and development and classroom instruction, and (B) students 178
in learning, academic achievement and workforce development, and (2) 179
the laws governing the use of artificial intelligence and the protection of 180
student data and privacy, including, but not limited to, the Family 181
Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974, 20 USC 1232g, as amended 182
from time to time, and sections 10-234aa to 10-234gg, inclusive, of the 183
general statutes. As used in this section, "artificial intelligence" means 184
any technology, including, but not limited to, machine learning that 185 Substitute Bill No. 5
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uses data to train an algorithm or predictive model for the purpose of 186
enabling a computer system or service to autonomously perform any 187
task, including, but not limited to, visual perception, language 188
processing or speech recognition, that is normally associated with 189
human intelligence or perception. 190
Sec. 4. (NEW) (Effective from passage) (a) For the fiscal year ending June 191
30, 2025, and each fiscal year thereafter, the Department of Emergency 192
Services and Public Protection shall, within available appropriations, 193
administer a program to provide grants to local and regional boards of 194
education for services to provide school mapping data that meets the 195
requirements described in subsection (b) of this section. 196
(b) A local or regional board of education may apply for a grant for 197
services to provide school mapping data for one or more schools under 198
the jurisdiction of such board, provided such school mapping data: 199
(1) Is compatible with software platforms used by local, state and 200
federal public safety agencies that provide emergency services to the 201
specific school for which the data is provided without requiring such 202
agencies to purchase additional software or requiring a fee to view or 203
access the data; 204
(2) Is compatible with security software platforms in use by the 205
specific school for which the data is provided without requiring the local 206
law enforcement agencies or board of education to purchase additional 207
software or requiring a fee to view or access the data; 208
(3) Is in a printable format and, if requested, in a digital file format 209
that can be integrated into interactive mobile platforms in use; 210
(4) Is verified for accuracy by the entity producing the data by 211
conducting a walk-through of the school buildings and grounds being 212
mapped; 213
(5) Is oriented true north; 214 Substitute Bill No. 5
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(6) Includes accurate floor plans overlaid on current, verified aerial 215
imagery of the school campus; 216
(7) Contains site-specific labels that match the structure of school 217
buildings, including room labels, hallway names, external door or 218
stairwell numbers and the location of hazards, critical utility locations, 219
key boxes, automated external defibrillators and trauma kits; 220
(8) Contains site-specific labels that match the school grounds, 221
including parking areas, athletic fields, surrounding roads and 222
neighboring properties; 223
(9) Is overlaid with gridded "x" and "y" coordinates; 224
(10) Cannot be modified or updated independently without 225
corresponding updates to school mapping data within software 226
platforms used by local, state and federal public safety agencies that 227
provide emergency services to the specific school; and 228
(11) Will be provided to the board of education and appropriate 229
public safety agencies at no cost beyond the initial cost of producing 230
such mapping data, and shall be available to such board and agencies 231
permanently. 232
(c) Not later than October 1, 2024, the department shall develop 233
eligibility criteria, application forms and deadlines for such program 234
and post in a conspicuous location on the department's Internet web site 235
a description of the grant program that includes, but is not limited to, 236
such criteria, forms and deadlines. 237
(d) Not later than January 1, 2026, and annually thereafter, the 238
department shall submit a report, in accordance with the provisions of 239
section 11-4a of the general statutes, to the joint standing committees of 240
the General Assembly having cognizance of matters relating to public 241
safety and security and education. Such report shall include information 242
for the preceding calendar year on the number of applications for grants 243
that were received, the number of grants that were awarded and a list 244 Substitute Bill No. 5
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of the schools that received services for school mapping data pursuant 245
to such grants. 246
Sec. 5. (Effective July 1, 2024) For the school year commencing July 1, 247
2024, the Department of Education, in collaboration with the regional 248
educational service centers, shall implement a pilot program to provide 249
fifty schools in the state with a curriculum designed for students in 250
grades six to twelve, inclusive, that explores the impact of social media 251
through science, technology, engineering and mathematics for the 252
purpose of positively impacting student relationships and school 253
climate, as defined in section 10-222aa of the general statutes. The 254
department may accept gifts, grants and donations, including in-kind 255
donations, designated for the implementation of the pilot program 256
under this section. 257
Sec. 6. Subsections (a) to (c), inclusive, of section 17b-749 of the 2024 258
supplement to the general statutes are repealed and the following is 259
substituted in lieu thereof (Effective July 1, 2024): 260
(a) The Commissioner of Early Childhood shall establish and operate 261
a child care subsidy program to increase the availability, affordability 262
and quality of child care services for families with a parent or caretaker 263
who (1) is (A) working or attending high school, or (B) subject to the 264
provisions of subsection (d) of this section, is enrolled or participating 265
in (i) a public or independent institution of higher education, (ii) a 266
private career school authorized pursuant to sections 10a-22a to 10a-22o, 267
inclusive, (iii) a job training or employment program administered by a 268
regional workforce development board, (iv) an apprenticeship program 269
administered by the Labor Department's office of apprenticeship 270
training, (v) an alternate route to certification program approved by the 271
State Board of Education, (vi) an adult education program pursuant to 272
section 10-69 or other high school equivalency program, or (vii) a local 273
Even Start program or other adult education program approved by the 274
Commissioner of Early Childhood; [or] (2) receives cash assistance 275
under the temporary family assistance program from the Department of 276
Social Services and is participating in an education, training or other job 277 Substitute Bill No. 5
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preparation activity approved pursuant to subsection (b) of section 17b-278
688i or subsection (b) of section 17b-689d; or (3) is the parent or legal 279
guardian of a child who is enrolled in Medicaid. Services available 280
under the child care subsidy program shall include the provision of 281
child care subsidies for children under the age of thirteen or children 282
under the age of nineteen with special needs. The Commissioner of 283
Early Childhood may institute a protective service class in which the 284
commissioner may waive eligibility requirements for at-risk 285
populations that meet the guidelines prescribed by the commissioner, 286
and subject to review by the Secretary of the Office of Policy and 287
Management. Such at-risk populations are children placed in a foster 288
home by the Department of Children and Families and for whom the 289
parent or legal guardian receives foster care payments, adopted children 290
for one year from the date of adoption and homeless children and 291
youths, as defined in 42 USC 11434a, as amended from time to time. The 292
Office of Early Childhood shall open and maintain enrollment for the 293
child care subsidy program and shall administer such program within 294
the existing budgetary resources available. The office shall issue a notice 295
on the office's Internet web site any time the office closes the program to 296
new applications, changes eligibility requirements, changes program 297
benefits or makes any other change to the program's status or terms, 298
except the office shall not be required to issue such notice when the 299
office expands program eligibility. Any change in the office's acceptance 300
of new applications, eligibility requirements, program benefits or any 301
other change to the program's status or terms for which the office is 302
required to give notice pursuant to this subsection, shall not be effective 303
until thirty days after the office issues such notice. 304
(b) The commissioner shall establish income standards for applicants 305
and recipients at a level to include a family with gross income up to fifty 306
per cent of the state-wide median income, except the commissioner: (1) 307
[may] May increase the income level up to the maximum level allowed 308
under federal law, (2) upon the request of the Commissioner of Children 309
and Families, may waive the income standards for adoptive families so 310
that children adopted on or after October 1, 1999, from the Department 311 Substitute Bill No. 5
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of Children and Families are eligible for the child care subsidy program, 312
and (3) shall establish a two-tiered income eligibility threshold in 313
accordance with 45 CFR 98.21(b), as amended from time to time. The 314
commissioner may adopt regulations in accordance with chapter 54 to 315
establish income criteria and durational requirements for such waiver 316
of income standards. 317
(c) The commissioner, in consultation with the Commissioner of 318
Social Services, shall establish eligibility and program standards 319
including, but not limited to: (1) A priority intake and eligibility system 320
with preference given to serving (A) recipients of temporary family 321
assistance who are employed or engaged in employment activities 322
under the Department of Social Services' "Jobs First" program, (B) 323
working families whose temporary family assistance was discontinued 324
not more than five years prior to the date of application for the child care 325
subsidy program, (C) teen parents, (D) low-income working families, 326
(E) adoptive families of children who were adopted from the 327
Department of Children and Families and who are granted a waiver of 328
income standards under subdivision (2) of subsection (b) of this section, 329
(F) working families who are at risk of welfare dependency, (G) parents 330
or caretakers participating in an apprenticeship program administered 331
by the Labor Department's office of apprenticeship training, (H) parents 332
or caretakers enrolled in an adult education program pursuant to 333
section 10-69 or other high school equivalency program, (I) parents or 334
caretakers participating in a job training or employment program 335
administered by a regional workforce development board, [and] (J) 336
parents or caretakers enrolled in a public or independent institution of 337
higher education, and (K) parents or legal guardians of children 338
enrolled in Medicaid; (2) health and safety standards for child care 339
providers not required to be licensed; (3) a reimbursement system for 340
child care services which account for differences in the age of the child, 341
number of children in the family, the geographic region and type of care 342
provided by licensed and unlicensed caregivers, the cost and type of 343
services provided by licensed and unlicensed caregivers, successful 344
completion of fifteen hours of annual in-service training or credentialing 345 Substitute Bill No. 5
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of child care directors and administrators, and program accreditation; 346
(4) supplemental payment for special needs of the child and extended 347
nontraditional hours; (5) an annual rate review process for providers 348
which assures that reimbursement rates are maintained at levels which 349
permit equal access to a variety of child care settings; (6) a sliding 350
reimbursement scale for participating families; (7) an administrative 351
appeals process; (8) an administrative hearing process to adjudicate 352
cases of alleged fraud and abuse and to impose sanctions and recover 353
overpayments; (9) an extended period of program and payment 354
eligibility when a parent who is receiving a child care subsidy 355
experiences a temporary interruption in employment or other approved 356
activity; and (10) a waiting list for the child care subsidy program that 357
(A) allows the commissioner to exercise discretion in prioritizing within 358
and between existing priority groups, including, but not limited to, 359
children described in 45 CFR 98.46, as amended from time to time, and 360
households with an infant or toddler, and (B) reflects the priority and 361
eligibility system set forth in subdivision (1) of this subsection, which is 362
reviewed periodically, with the inclusion of this information in the 363
annual report required to be issued annually by the office to the 364
Governor and the General Assembly in accordance with section 17b-733. 365
Such action will include, but not be limited to, family income, age of 366
child, region of state and length of time on such waiting list. 367
Sec. 7. Section 10-231e of the general statutes is repealed and the 368
following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective July 1, 2024): 369
(a) For purposes of this section "Standard 62" means the American 370
Society of Heating, Ventilating and Air Conditioning Engineers 371
Standard 62 entitled "Ventilation for Acceptable Indoor Air Quality", as 372
referenced by the State Building Code adopted under section 29-252. 373
(b) Each local or regional board of education shall ensure that its 374
heating, ventilation and air conditioning system is (1) maintained and 375
operated in accordance with the prevailing maintenance standards, 376
such as Standard 62, at the time of installation or renovation of such 377
system, and (2) operated continuously during the hours in which 378 Substitute Bill No. 5
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students or school personnel occupy school facilities, except (A) during 379
scheduled maintenance and emergency repairs, and (B) during periods 380
for which school officials can demonstrate to the local or regional board 381
of education's satisfaction that the quantity of outdoor air supplied by 382
an air supply system that is not mechanically driven meets the Standard 383
62 requirements for air changes per hour. 384
(c) Each local or regional board of education shall (1) maintain and 385
update all records of the maintenance of its heating, ventilation and air 386
conditioning systems for a period of not less than five years, and (2) 387
submit such records to the Department of Administrative Services any 388
time such records have been updated following any such maintenance. 389
This act shall take effect as follows and shall amend the following
sections:
Section 1 July 1, 2024 10-76g
Sec. 2 July 1, 2024 New section
Sec. 3 July 1, 2024 New section
Sec. 4 from passage New section
Sec. 5 July 1, 2024 New section
Sec. 6 July 1, 2024 17b-749(a) to (c)
Sec. 7 July 1, 2024 10-231e
ED Joint Favorable Subst.