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General Assembly Raised Bill No. 1561
January Session, 2025
LCO No. 7246
Referred to Committee on SELECT COMMITTEE ON SPECIAL
EDUCATION
Introduced by:
(SED)
AN ACT CONCERNING RESOURCES FOR SPECIAL EDUCATION.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General
Assembly convened:
Section 1. Section 10-76a of the general statutes is repealed and the 1
following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective July 1, 2025): 2
Whenever used in sections 10-76a to 10-76i, inclusive, as amended by 3
this act, or sections 2 and 3 of this act: 4
(1) "Commissioner" means the Commissioner of Education. 5
(2) "Child" means any person twenty-two years of age or younger or, 6
for children requiring special education, until such child is graduated 7
from high school or at the end of the school year during which such 8
child reaches age twenty-two, whichever occurs first. 9
(3) An "exceptional child" means a child who deviates either 10
intellectually, physically or emotionally so markedly from normally 11
expected growth and development patterns that he or she is or will be 12
unable to progress effectively in a regular school program and needs a 13
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special class, special instruction or special services. 14
(4) "Special education" means specially designed instruction 15
developed in accordance with the regulations of the commissioner, 16
subject to approval by the State Board of Education offered at no cost to 17
parents or guardians, to meet the unique needs of a child with a 18
disability, including instruction conducted in the classroom, in the 19
home, in hospitals and institutions, and in other settings and instruction 20
in physical education and special classes, programs or services, 21
including related services, designed to meet the educational needs of 22
exceptional children. 23
(5) "A child requiring special education" means any exceptional child 24
who (A) meets the criteria for eligibility for special education pursuant 25
to the Individuals With Disabilities Education Act, 20 USC 1400, et seq., 26
as amended from time to time, (B) has extraordinary learning ability or 27
outstanding talent in the creative arts, the development of which 28
requires programs or services beyond the level of those ordinarily 29
provided in regular school programs but which may be provided 30
through special education as part of the public school program, or (C) is 31
age three to five, inclusive, and is experiencing developmental delay 32
that causes such child to require special education. 33
(6) "Developmental delay" means significant delay in one or more of 34
the following areas: (A) Physical development; (B) communication 35
development; (C) cognitive development; (D) social or emotional 36
development; or (E) adaptive development, as measured by appropriate 37
diagnostic instruments and procedures and demonstrated by scores 38
obtained on an appropriate norm-referenced standardized diagnostic 39
instrument. 40
(7) "Related services" means related services, as defined in the 41
Individuals With Disabilities Education Act, 20 USC 1400 et seq., as 42
amended from time to time. 43
(8) "Extraordinary learning ability" and "outstanding creative talent" 44
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shall be defined by regulation by the commissioner, subject to the 45
approval of the State Board of Education, after consideration by said 46
commissioner of the opinions of appropriate specialists and of the 47
normal range of ability and rate of progress of children in the 48
Connecticut public schools. 49
(9) "Charging entity" means an approved private provider of special 50
education services, regional educational service center, operator of an 51
interdistrict magnet school program, state charter school, a cooperative 52
arrangement pursuant to section 10-158a, a local or regional board of 53
education operating an outplacement program or as part of the state-54
wide interdistrict public school attendance program pursuant to section 55
10-266aa, or a provider of special education transportation services. 56
(10) "Provider of special education transportation services" means an 57
entity that contracts with a local or regional board of education to 58
provide transportation for students receiving special education and 59
related services in an educational placement or facility that is not under 60
the jurisdiction of such board of education, to and from the location of 61
such educational placement or facility. 62
(11) "Private provider of special education services" has the same 63
meaning as provided in section 10-91g. 64
(12) "Unilateral placement" means an educational placement for a 65
child requiring special education and related services that is not under 66
the jurisdiction of the local or regional board of education obligated to 67
provide special education and related services under sections 10-76b to 68
10-76i, inclusive, as amended by this act, made by the parent or guardian 69
of such child, or a surrogate parent of such child appointed pursuant to 70
section 10-94g, or such child if such child is an emancipated minor or 71
eighteen years of age or older, without the approval of the planning and 72
placement team because of a belief that such board of education is not 73
able to provide an appropriate educational program, and in which such 74
parent, guardian, surrogate parent or child is responsible for paying 75
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tuition and subsequently seeks financial reimbursement from such 76
board of education. 77
Sec. 2. (NEW) (Effective from passage) (a) The Office of Policy and 78
Management, in consultation with the Department of Education, shall 79
collect and analyze the tuition, rates and other fees for special education 80
and related services charged to local and regional boards of education 81
by a charging entity, as defined in section 10-76a of the general statutes, 82
as amended by this act. In analyzing such tuition, rates and other fees, 83
the office shall examine the operating expenses of the charging entities 84
and determine how such charging entities are incorporating such 85
operating expenses into the tuition, rates and other fees being charged 86
to local and regional boards of education. The office and department 87
shall determine which data shall be collected and the frequency of such 88
collection. 89
(b) For the purposes of the collection and analysis of tuition, rates and 90
other fees charged for special education and related services by a 91
charging entity, the office may request the Auditors of Public Accounts 92
to share any findings resulting from audits conducted pursuant to 93
section 10-91g of the general statutes. 94
Sec. 3. (NEW) (Effective July 1, 2025) (a) Not later than January 1, 2026, 95
the Office of Policy and Management, in consultation with the 96
Department of Education, shall establish a universal special education 97
and related services rate schedule for all special education and related 98
services provided by a charging entity. Such rate schedule shall be 99
developed using the information collected pursuant to section 2 of this 100
act relating to the tuition, rates and other fees charged for special 101
education and related services by a charging entity. Such rate schedule 102
shall include an individualized rate for each special education service 103
provided to a student pursuant to an individualized education program 104
and standards for how a charging entity may include its operating 105
expenses into the total costs for services charged to a local or regional 106
board of education. The office, in consultation with the department, 107
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shall, at least biennially, review such rate schedule and modify such rate 108
schedule as necessary. 109
(b) For the school year commencing July 1, 2026, and each school year 110
thereafter, all amounts charged to a local or regional board of education 111
for special education and related services by a charging entity shall be 112
in accordance with the universal special education and related services 113
rate schedule established pursuant to subsection (a) of this section. Any 114
amount charged to and paid by a local or regional board of education 115
that exceeds the amount prescribed in the rate schedule shall not be 116
eligible for reimbursement under section 10-76g of the general statutes, 117
as amended by this act, or section 8 of this act. Any charging entity that 118
charges an amount that exceeds the amounts prescribed in the rate 119
schedule shall be prohibited from accepting any additional students 120
from local and regional boards of education until such charging entity 121
charges in accordance with the rate schedule, and any students 122
receiving special education services from such charging entity may 123
continue to receive such services until the end of the school year if so 124
determined by the planning and placement team for such student or the 125
decision of a hearing officer. 126
(c) Not later than April 1, 2026, and biennially thereafter, the 127
Department of Education shall notify each local and regional board of 128
education of the universal special education and related services rate 129
schedule that will be effective for the school year commencing on July 130
first of the subsequent school year following the school year that such 131
notification is provided, except if the rate schedule is modified then such 132
notification shall be provided not later than thirty days following such 133
modification. 134
(d) Not later than April 1, 2026, and biennially thereafter or upon 135
modification of the universal special education and related services rate 136
schedule, the Department of Education shall post on its Internet web site 137
the universal special education and related services rate schedule that is 138
currently in effect and the rate schedule that will go into effect on July 139
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first of the subsequent school year. 140
Sec. 4. (Effective July 1, 2025) (a) Except as otherwise provided in 141
subsection (b) of this section, for the school year commencing July 1, 142
2025, no charging entity, as defined in section 10-76a of the general 143
statutes, as amended by this act, shall increase the amount charged to a 144
local or regional board of education for the provision of special 145
education and related services for a student during said school year. 146
(b) For the school year commencing July 1, 2025, the Secretary of the 147
Office of Policy and Management may permit, upon request, a charging 148
entity to increase the amount it charges for special education services to 149
a local or regional board of education if there is a substantial increase in 150
costs (1) for the services being provided for a student, or (2) of the 151
operation of such charging entity. The secretary shall prescribe the form 152
and manner in which a charging entity may make such request, 153
including any documentation such charging entity is to provide 154
showing such substantial increase in costs. The secretary shall review 155
each request and provide a written decision approving or denying such 156
request not later than forty-five days after receiving such request. 157
Sec. 5. Subsection (d) of section 10-76d of the general statutes is 158
repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective July 1, 159
2025): 160
(d) To meet its obligations under sections 10-76a to 10-76g, inclusive, 161
as amended by this act, any local or regional board of education may 162
make agreements with another such board or subject to the consent of 163
the parent or guardian of any child affected thereby, make agreements, 164
or on and after July 1, 2019, enter into a contract with any private 165
provider of special education services, as defined in section 10-91g, 166
private school, or public or private agency or institution, including a 167
group home, to provide the necessary programs or services, but no 168
expenditures made pursuant to a contract with a private provider of 169
special education services, private school, agency or institution for such 170
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special education shall be paid under the provisions of section 10-76g, 171
as amended by this act, unless (1) such contract includes a description 172
of the educational program and other treatment the child is to receive, a 173
statement of minimal goals and objectives which it is anticipated such 174
child will achieve, an estimated time schedule for returning the child to 175
the community or transferring such child to another appropriate facility, 176
and an explanation of how the tuition, [or costs] rates or other fees 177
charged for services provided under the agreement or contract are to be 178
calculated in accordance with the universal special education and 179
related services rate schedule established pursuant to section 3 of this 180
act, (2) subject to the provisions of this subsection, the educational needs 181
of the child for whom such special education is being provided cannot 182
be met by public school arrangements in the opinion of the 183
commissioner who, before granting approval of such contract for 184
purposes of payment, shall consider such factors as the particular needs 185
of the child, the appropriateness and efficacy of the program offered by 186
such private school, agency or institution, and the economic feasibility 187
of comparable alternatives, and (3) commencing with the 1987-1988 188
school year and for each school year thereafter, each such private 189
provider of special education services, private school, agency or 190
institution has been approved for special education by the 191
Commissioner of Education or by the appropriate agency for facilities 192
located out of state, except as provided in subsection (b) of this section. 193
Notwithstanding the provisions of subdivision (2) of this subsection or 194
any regulations adopted by the State Board of Education setting 195
placement priorities, placements pursuant to this section and payments 196
under section 10-76g, as amended by this act, may be made pursuant to 197
such a contract if the public arrangements are more costly than the 198
private provider of special education services, private school, institution 199
or agency, provided the private provider of special education services, 200
private school, institution or agency meets the educational needs of the 201
child and its program is appropriate and efficacious. Any payment 202
under the provisions of section 10-76g, as amended by this act, or section 203
8 of this act shall include all expenditures incurred by a local or regional 204
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board of education pursuant to a contract with a private provider of 205
special education services, private school, agency or institution [,] that 206
is in accordance with the universal special education and related 207
services rate schedule and to the extent permitted under said [section] 208
sections, during the school year in which such private provider of 209
special education services, private school, agency or institution 210
provided such services, even if such private provider of special 211
education services, private school, agency or institution is approved for 212
special education by the Commissioner of Education during such school 213
year. [Notwithstanding the provisions of this subsection to the contrary, 214
nothing in this subsection shall (A) require the removal of a child from 215
a nonapproved facility if the child was placed there prior to July 7, 1987, 216
pursuant to the determination of a planning and placement team that 217
such a placement was appropriate and such placement was approved 218
by the Commissioner of Education, or (B) prohibit the placement of a 219
child at a nonapproved facility if a planning and placement team 220
determines prior to July 7, 1987, that the child be placed in a 221
nonapproved facility for the 1987-1988 school year.] Each child placed 222
in a nonapproved facility [as described in subparagraphs (A) and (B) of 223
subdivision (3) of this subsection] may continue at [the] such 224
nonapproved facility provided [the planning and placement team or] a 225
hearing officer appointed pursuant to section 10-76h, as amended by 226
this act, or a court determines that [the] such placement [is appropriate] 227
provides an appropriate public education and that there is not another 228
charging entity able to offer a placement for such child that provides an 229
appropriate public education. Expenditures incurred by any local or 230
regional board of education [to maintain children in] as a result of such 231
placement in such nonapproved facilities [as described in said 232
subparagraphs (A) and (B) shall] may be paid pursuant to the provisions 233
of section 10-76g, as amended by this act, and section 8 of this act. Any 234
local or regional board of education may enter into a contract with the 235
owners or operators of any sheltered workshop or rehabilitation center 236
for provision of an education occupational training program for 237
children requiring special education who are at least sixteen years of 238
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age, provided such workshop or institution shall have been approved 239
by the appropriate state agency. Whenever any child is identified by a 240
local or regional board of education as a child requiring special 241
education and such board of education determines that the 242
requirements for special education could be met by a program provided 243
within the district or by agreement with another board of education 244
except for the child's need for services other than educational services 245
such as medical, psychiatric or institutional care or services, such board 246
of education may meet its obligation to furnish special education for 247
such child by paying the reasonable cost of special education instruction 248
in a private provider of special education services, private school, 249
hospital or other institution provided such board of education or the 250
commissioner concurs that placement in such institution is necessary 251
and proper and no state institution is available to meet such child's 252
needs. Any such private provider of special education services, private 253
school, hospital or other institution receiving such reasonable cost of 254
special education instruction by such board of education shall submit 255
all required documentation to such board of education for purposes of 256
submitting claims to the Medicaid School Based Child Health Program 257
administered by the Department of Social Services. 258
Sec. 6. (NEW) (Effective July 1, 2025) For purposes of determining the 259
reasonable costs associated with the provision of special education and 260
related services pursuant to subdivision (7) of subsection (d) of section 261
10-66ee of the general statutes, subsection (d) of section 10-76d of the 262
general statutes, as amended by this act, section 10-76g of the general 263
statutes, as amended by this act, subsection (a) of section 10-76i of the 264
general statutes, subsection (b) of section 10-253 of the general statutes, 265
subsection (h) of section 10-264l of the general statutes and subsection 266
(i) of section 10-266aa of the general statutes, (1) on and after July 1, 2026, 267
"reasonable costs" means the amount allowed to be charged to a local or 268
regional board of education by a charging entity, as defined in section 269
10-76a of the general statutes, as amended by this act, under the 270
universal special education and related services rate schedule 271
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established pursuant to section 3 of this act for the provision of special 272
education and related services pursuant to a student's individualized 273
education program, and (2) on and after July 1, 2025, there shall be no 274
presumption that "reasonable costs" means the actual cost incurred for 275
the provision of special education and related services pursuant to a 276
student's individualized education program. 277
Sec. 7. Subsection (b) of section 10-76g of the general statutes is 278
repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective July 1, 279
2025): 280
(b) Any local or regional board of education which provides special 281
education pursuant to the provisions of sections 10-76a to 10-76g, 282
inclusive, as amended by this act, for any exceptional child described in 283
subparagraph (A) of subdivision (5) of section 10-76a, as amended by 284
this act, under its jurisdiction, excluding (1) children placed by a state 285
agency for whom a board of education receives payment pursuant to 286
the provisions of subdivision (2) of subsection (e) of section 10-76d, and 287
(2) children who require special education, who reside on state-owned 288
or leased property, and who are not the educational responsibility of the 289
unified school districts established pursuant to sections 17a-37 and 18-290
99a, shall be financially responsible for the reasonable costs of special 291
education instruction, as defined in the regulations of the State Board of 292
Education, in an amount equal to, for the fiscal year commencing July 1, 293
2023, and each fiscal year thereafter, four and one-half times the net 294
current expenditures per pupil of such board of education, except, for 295
the fiscal year ending June 30, 2026, and each fiscal year thereafter, three 296
times the net current expenditures per pupil of such board of education 297
for two fiscal years for each child who was previously outplaced by such 298
board and for whom such board is now providing direct in-district 299
special education and related services without the assistance of any 300
third-party contractor who is not an employee of such board. Except as 301
otherwise provided in subsection (d) of this section, the State Board of 302
Education shall, within available appropriations, pay on a current basis 303
any costs in excess of the local or regional board's basic contribution 304
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paid by such board in accordance with the provisions of this subsection. 305
Any amounts paid by the State Board of Education on a current basis 306
pursuant to this subsection shall not be reimbursable in the subsequent 307
year. Application for such grant shall be made by filing with the 308
Department of Education, in such manner as prescribed by the 309
commissioner, annually on or before December first a statement of the 310
cost of providing special education pursuant to this subsection, 311
provided a board of education may submit, not later than March first, 312
claims for additional children or costs not included in the December 313
filing. Payment by the state for such excess costs shall be made to the 314
local or regional board of education as follows: Seventy-five per cent of 315
the cost in February and the balance in May. The amount due each town 316
pursuant to the provisions of this subsection shall be paid to the 317
treasurer of each town entitled to such aid, provided the treasurer shall 318
treat such grant, or a portion of the grant, which relates to special 319
education expenditures incurred in excess of such town's board of 320
education budgeted estimate of such expenditures, as a reduction in 321
expenditures by crediting such expenditure account, rather than town 322
revenue. Such expenditure account shall be so credited no later than 323
thirty days after receipt by the treasurer of necessary documentation 324
from the board of education indicating the amount of such special 325
education expenditures incurred in excess of such town's board of 326
education budgeted estimate of such expenditures. 327
Sec. 8. (NEW) (Effective July 1, 2025) (a) As used in this section: 328
(1) "Base aid ratio" has the same meaning as provided in section 10-329
262f of the general statutes. 330
(2) "Foundation" has the same meaning as provided in section 10-262f 331
of the general statutes. 332
(3) "Resident students" has the same meaning as provided in section 333
10-262f of the general statutes. 334
(4) "Special education need students" means fifty per cent of the 335
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number of resident students who are children requiring special 336
education and related services, as such terms are defined in section 10-337
76a of the general statutes, as amended by this act. 338
(5) "Fully funded grant" means the product of a town's base aid ratio, 339
the foundation and the town's special education need students for the 340
fiscal year prior to the year in which the grant is to be paid. 341
(b) For the fiscal year ending June 30, 2026, and each fiscal year 342
thereafter, each board of education for a town maintaining public 343
schools according to law shall be entitled to a special education offset 344
grant in an amount equal to its fully funded grant. 345
(c) For the fiscal year ending June 30, 2026, and each fiscal year 346
thereafter, the board of education for a town shall be paid a special 347
education offset grant equal to the amount such board is entitled to 348
receive under the provisions of subsection (b) of this section. Such grant 349
shall be calculated using the data of record as of the December first prior 350
to the fiscal year such grant is to be paid, adjusted for the difference 351
between the final entitlement for the prior fiscal year and the 352
preliminary entitlement for such fiscal year as calculated using the data 353
of record as of the December first prior to the fiscal year when such grant 354
was paid. 355
(d) The amount due each board of education pursuant to the 356
provisions of subsection (c) of this section shall be paid by the 357
Comptroller, upon certification of the Commissioner of Education, to 358
the board of education for each town entitled to such aid in installments 359
during the fiscal year as follows: Twenty-five per cent of the grant in 360
October, twenty-five per cent of the grant in January and the balance of 361
the grant in April. The balance of the grant due boards under the 362
provisions of this subsection shall be paid in March rather than April to 363
any board that has not adopted the uniform fiscal year and that would 364
not otherwise receive such final payment within the fiscal year of such 365
board. 366
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(e) (1) All aid distributed to a board of education pursuant to the 367
provisions of this section shall be expended for special education 368
purposes only. For the fiscal year ending June 30, 2026, and each fiscal 369
year thereafter, if a board receives an increase in funds pursuant to this 370
section over the amount it received for the prior fiscal year, such 371
increase shall not be used to supplant funding for special education 372
purposes. The budgeted appropriation for special education for any 373
board receiving an increase in funds pursuant to this section shall be not 374
less than the amount appropriated for special education for the prior 375
year plus such increase in funds. For purposes of this subsection, 376
"special education purposes" means the direct provision of special 377
education and related services to students, academic and behavioral 378
interventions, the hiring and salaries of special education teachers, 379
paraeducators and behavioral and reading specialists who work 380
directly with students, equipment purchases and maintenance and 381
curriculum materials. "Special education purposes" does not include 382
any (A) administrative functions or operating expenses related to the 383
provision of special education and related services, or (B) special 384
education and related services provided by any third-party contractor. 385
(2) Upon a determination by the State Board of Education that a local 386
or regional board of education failed in any fiscal year to meet the 387
requirements pursuant to subdivision (1) of this subsection, the board 388
of education shall forfeit an amount equal to two times the amount of 389
the shortfall. The amount so forfeited shall be withheld by the 390
Department of Education from the grant payable to the board of 391
education in the second fiscal year immediately following such failure 392
by deducting such amount from the board of education's special 393
education offset grant payment pursuant to this section. 394
Notwithstanding the provisions of this subdivision, the State Board of 395
Education may waive such forfeiture upon agreement with the board of 396
education that the board of education shall increase its appropriation for 397
special education during the fiscal year in which the forfeiture would 398
occur by an amount not less than the amount of said forfeiture or for 399
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other good cause shown. 400
(f) Not later than July 15, 2026, and annually thereafter, each local and 401
regional board of education shall submit an annual expenditure report 402
to the Commissioner of Education, except any board of education that 403
receives a grant under this section that is less than ten thousand dollars 404
in any fiscal year shall not be responsible for submitting such report for 405
such fiscal year. Such report shall include a summary and itemization of 406
how grant funds received pursuant to this section were expended 407
during the prior fiscal year for the direct provision of special education 408
and related services to students, including whether such grant was used 409
to hire any new special education teachers, paraeducators or behavioral 410
or reading specialists. 411
Sec. 9. (NEW) (Effective July 1, 2025) (a) For the fiscal year ending June 412
30, 2026, and each fiscal year thereafter, the Office of Policy and 413
Management shall administer a special education transportation grant 414
program to reimburse local and regional boards of education in an 415
amount that is proportional to the amount of each board's special 416
education transportation costs. A local or regional board of education 417
may apply for a grant under this section in a form and manner 418
prescribed by the office. 419
(b) The office shall distribute grants from a total amount not to exceed 420
fifty million dollars annually to local and regional boards of education 421
for the purpose of providing such reimbursements, except the office 422
may expend less than fifty million dollars in a fiscal year if the office is 423
able to demonstrate savings through consolidation of contracting, 424
implementation of cost-saving measures or any other efficiency. 425
(c) The office may request any information that the office deems 426
necessary for the administration of the grant program from the 427
Department of Transportation or any local or regional board of 428
education that receives a grant under this section. 429
Sec. 10. (Effective July 1, 2025) (a) The sum of fifty million dollars is 430
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appropriated to the Office of Policy and Management from the Special 431
Transportation Fund, for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2026, for 432
administration of the special education transportation grant program 433
pursuant to section 9 of this act. 434
(b) The sum of fifty million dollars is appropriated to the Office of 435
Policy and Management from the Special Transportation Fund, for the 436
fiscal year ending June 30, 2027, for administration of the special 437
education transportation grant program pursuant to section 9 of this act. 438
Sec. 11. (NEW) (Effective July 1, 2025) (a) The Department of 439
Transportation shall develop recommended coordinated bus routes for 440
all special education students traveling to and from special education 441
outplacements in the state. Such recommended coordinated bus routes 442
shall be developed to maximize efficiency and reduce expenses in the 443
provision of special education and related services and be in accordance 444
with state and federal law. 445
(b) Each local and regional board of education shall provide to the 446
department any data that the department deems necessary in order to 447
develop the recommended coordinated bus routes. Any local or 448
regional board of education that fails to provide the data requested by 449
the department under this subsection shall not be eligible to receive a 450
special education transportation grant pursuant to section 9 of this act. 451
A local or regional board of education may collaborate with other local 452
and regional boards of education to assist the department in the 453
development of such recommended coordinated bus routes. 454
(c) No local or regional board of education shall be required to utilize 455
a recommended coordinated bus route as part of its obligation to 456
provide special education and related services under sections 10-76a to 457
10-76g, inclusive, of the general statutes, as amended by this act. 458
Sec. 12. (NEW) (Effective July 1, 2025) (a) For the fiscal year ending 459
June 30, 2027, and each fiscal year thereafter, the Department of 460
Education shall, within available appropriations, administer a 461
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competitive grant program for local and regional boards of education to 462
support in-district or regional special education programming and 463
services for students with disabilities. Grants awarded to local and 464
regional boards of education under the program may be used (1) to 465
enhance and improve existing special education programming and 466
services in the school district or start-up costs related to the creation of 467
in-district or regional special education programming and services for 468
students who are currently enrolled in a program operated by a 469
provider of special education services, as defined in section 10-91g of 470
the general statutes, (2) for planning and operational expenses related 471
to such in-district or regional special education programming and 472
services, and (3) for the provision of early interventions for students 473
with dyslexia and multilingual learners. 474
(b) The Commissioner of Education shall develop the application to 475
be used by local and regional boards of education in applying for a grant 476
under this section. The application shall include, but need not be limited 477
to, a description of (1) the program location, (2) the student population 478
who will be served by the programming and services, (3) the staffing 479
needs for the programming and services, (4) any assistive technology 480
and materials necessary to implement the programming and services, 481
(5) any capital improvement needs, (6) the budget allocation for the 482
programming and services, and (7) any professional development 483
necessary for implementation of the programming and services. A local 484
or regional board of education shall submit such application in a form 485
and manner prescribed by the Commissioner of Education. 486
(c) The commissioner shall develop criteria for reviewing and 487
approving grant applications. Such criteria shall be based upon (1) 488
increasing students' access to high-quality general education 489
instruction, and (2) enhancing in-district or regional programming for 490
students with intensive needs, including giving priority to a board of 491
education for a town designated as an alliance district pursuant to 492
section 10-262u of the general statutes. 493
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(d) Any local or regional board of education that receives a grant 494
under this section shall not expend such grant on special education 495
programming and services provided pursuant to a contract with a third 496
party or a private provider of special education services. 497
(e) Not later than September 30, 2027, and annually thereafter, any 498
local or regional board of education that has received a grant under the 499
program in the prior fiscal year shall submit a report to the 500
commissioner that assesses the impact of the grant on student outcomes 501
and district expenditures. The report shall contain any information and 502
data requested by the commissioner. 503
(f) Not later than December 31, 2027, and annually thereafter, the 504
department shall submit a report on the progress of the program to the 505
joint standing committee of the General Assembly having cognizance of 506
matters relating to education, in accordance with the provisions of 507
section 11-4a of the general statutes. 508
Sec. 13. Section 10-285a of the general statutes is amended by adding 509
subsection (l) as follows (Effective July 1, 2025): 510
(NEW) (l) If a school building project for a new building or for the 511
renovation or expansion of an existing building includes plans for the 512
expansion or creation of in-district special education programming and 513
services, the percentage determined pursuant to this section shall be 514
increased by fifteen percentage points, but shall not exceed one hundred 515
per cent, for the portion of the project used primarily for such purpose, 516
provided the portion of such school building project that will be used 517
primarily for such in-district special education programming and 518
services shall be a part of a school building that is being used to provide 519
a program of general education for nonspecial education students and 520
is a part of the school building being constructed or renovated or 521
expanded; and, provided further, any additional funding received by 522
the local or regional board of education resulting from and related to the 523
inclusion of such plans for the expansion or creation of in-district special 524
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education programming and services shall be expended for such 525
construction or renovation or expansion. 526
Sec. 14. Subsection (b) of section 10-283 of the general statutes is 527
repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective July 1, 528
2025): 529
(b) Notwithstanding the application date requirements of this 530
section, at any time within the limit of available grant authorization and 531
within the limit of appropriated funds, the Commissioner of 532
Administrative Services, in consultation with the Commissioner of 533
Education, may approve applications for grants and make payments for 534
such grants, for any of the following reasons: [(A)] (1) To assist school 535
building projects to remedy damage from fire and catastrophe, [(B)] (2) 536
to correct safety, health and other code violations, [(C)] (3) to replace 537
roofs, including the replacement or installation of skylights as part of 538
the roof replacement project, [(D)] (4) to remedy a certified school 539
indoor air quality emergency, [(E)] (5) to install insulation for exterior 540
walls and attics, [or (F)] (6) to purchase and install a limited use and 541
limited access elevator, windows, photovoltaic panels, wind generation 542
systems, building management systems or portable classroom 543
buildings, provided portable classroom building projects shall not 544
create a new facility or cause an existing facility to be modified so that 545
the portable buildings comprise a substantial percentage of the total 546
facility area, as determined by the commissioner, or (7) on and after July 547
1, 2026, to assist a local or regional board of education in making minor 548
capital improvements to the portion of an existing school building that 549
will be used primarily for the purpose of providing special education 550
and related services to students in the least restrictive environment, 551
provided such existing school building is also being used to provide a 552
program of general education for nonspecial education students. 553
Sec. 15. (Effective from passage) (a) Not later than January 1, 2026, the 554
Department of Administrative Services shall notify each local and 555
regional board of education that such board may apply for a school 556
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building project grant under subdivision (7) of subsection (b) of section 557
10-283 of the general statutes, as amended by this act, for minor capital 558
improvements to existing school buildings for the purpose of providing 559
special education and related services to students. 560
(b) Not later than January 1, 2026, the Department of Administrative 561
Services shall develop criteria for prioritizing projects described in 562
subdivision (7) of subsection (b) of section 10-283 of the general statutes, 563
as amended by this act, for grants under said subdivision. The 564
department shall include such criteria in the notice provided to local and 565
regional boards of education under subsection (a) of this section. 566
Sec. 16. (NEW) (Effective July 1, 2025) Any local or regional board of 567
education, regional educational service center, operator of an 568
interdistrict magnet school program, governing authority of a state 569
charter school, private provider of special education and related 570
services, as defined in section 10-91g of the general statutes, or any other 571
entity described in subsection (d) of section 10-76d of the general 572
statutes, as amended by this act, that provides special education or 573
related services to a student for which another local or regional board of 574
education is financially responsible for such services, shall return to 575
such other board a prorated portion of funds, calculated to the end of 576
the school year, paid by such other board for such special education and 577
related services if, during the school year, such student transitions out 578
of or withdraws from the program of special education and related 579
services provided by such board, center, magnet school program, state 580
charter school, private provider or other entity and enrolls in a school 581
under such other board or in another school district. 582
Sec. 17. (NEW) (Effective July 1, 2025) Any local or regional board of 583
education, regional educational service center, operator of an 584
interdistrict magnet school program, governing authority of a state 585
charter school, private provider of special education and related 586
services, as defined in section 10-91g of the general statutes, technical 587
education or career school, or any other entity described in subsection 588
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(d) of section 10-76d of the general statutes, as amended by this act, that 589
is providing special education or related services to a student, shall, 590
prior to such student transitioning out of or withdrawing from such 591
program of special education and related services, convene a meeting of 592
the planning and placement team for the purposes of addressing such 593
student's transition or withdrawal to ensure that such student's 594
individualized education program will continue to contain the supports 595
and services that such student requires in order to access a free and 596
appropriate public education in the least restrictive environment. 597
Sec. 18. (NEW) (Effective July 1, 2025) (a) Not later than December 1, 598
2026, the Office of Policy and Management, in consultation with the 599
Department of Education, shall develop, and update not less than 600
annually thereafter, a listing of each special education program offered 601
by any (1) regional educational service center, (2) private provider of 602
special education, as defined in section 10-91g of the general statutes, 603
approved by the Commissioner of Education, or (3) local or regional 604
board of education that accepts out-of-district student placements. Such 605
listing shall specify for each program the types of services provided and 606
the physical location where such program offers special education. 607
(b) Not later than January 15, 2027, and upon receipt of an updated 608
list of special education programs from the Office of Policy and 609
Management, the Department of Education shall post such list to the 610
online public database maintained by the department on its Internet 611
web site and send such list to each local and regional board of education 612
in the state. 613
Sec. 19. Subsection (d) of section 10-76d of the general statutes is 614
repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective July 1, 615
2025): 616
(d) To meet its obligations under sections 10-76a to 10-76g, inclusive, 617
as amended by this act, any local or regional board of education may 618
make agreements with another such board or, subject to the consent of 619
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the parent or guardian of any child affected thereby, [make agreements, 620
or on and after July 1, 2019,] or enter into a contract with any private 621
provider of special education services, as defined in section 10-91g, 622
[private school, or public or private agency or institution, including a 623
group home] to provide the necessary programs or services, [but no] 624
provided such agreement or contract is approved by the Office of Policy 625
and Management. Each local or regional board of education in making 626
such agreement or entering into such contract shall comply with the 627
following, as applicable to each agreement or contract: 628
(1) No expenditures made pursuant to a contract with a private 629
provider of special education services [, private school, agency or 630
institution] for such special education shall be paid under the provisions 631
of section 10-76g, as amended by this act, unless [(1)] (A) such contract 632
includes a description of the educational program and other treatment 633
the child is to receive, a statement of minimal goals and objectives which 634
it is anticipated such child will achieve, an estimated time schedule for 635
returning the child to the community or transferring such child to 636
another appropriate facility, and an explanation of how the tuition or 637
costs for services provided under the [agreement or] contract are to be 638
calculated, [(2)] (B) subject to the provisions of this subsection, the 639
educational needs of the child for whom such special education is being 640
provided cannot be met by public school arrangements in the opinion 641
of the commissioner who, before granting approval of such contract for 642
purposes of payment, shall consider such factors as the particular needs 643
of the child, the appropriateness and efficacy of the program offered by 644
such private [school, agency or institution] provider of special education 645
services, and the economic feasibility of comparable alternatives, [and 646
(3) commencing with the 1987-1988 school year and for each school year 647
thereafter,] (C) each such private provider of special education services 648
[, private school, agency or institution] has been approved for special 649
education by the Commissioner of Education or by the appropriate 650
agency for facilities located out of state, except as provided in subsection 651
(b) of this section, and (D) for the school year commencing July 1, 2026, 652
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and each school year thereafter, such local or regional board of 653
education submits to the commissioner the documentation used by such 654
board to determine that such private provider of special education 655
services is more appropriate for the educational needs of the child for 656
whom special education is being provided than any public school 657
arrangement. Notwithstanding the provisions of [subdivision (2)] 658
subparagraph (B) of this [subsection] subdivision or any regulations 659
adopted by the State Board of Education setting placement priorities, 660
placements pursuant to this section and payments under section 10-76g, 661
as amended by this act, may be made pursuant to such a contract if the 662
public arrangements are more costly than the private provider of special 663
education services, [private school, institution or agency,] provided the 664
private provider of special education services [, private school, 665
institution or agency] meets the educational needs of the child and its 666
program is appropriate and efficacious. Any payment under the 667
provisions of section 10-76g, as amended by this act, shall include all 668
expenditures incurred by a local or regional board of education 669
pursuant to a contract with a private provider of special education 670
services, [private school, agency or institution,] to the extent permitted 671
under said section, during the school year in which such private 672
provider of special education services [, private school, agency or 673
institution] provided such services, even if such private provider of 674
special education services [, private school, agency or institution] is 675
approved for special education by the Commissioner of Education 676
during such school year. [Notwithstanding the provisions of this 677
subsection to the contrary, nothing in this subsection shall (A) require 678
the removal of a child from a nonapproved facility if the child was 679
placed there prior to July 7, 1987, pursuant to the determination of a 680
planning and placement team that such a placement was appropriate 681
and such placement was approved by the Commissioner of Education, 682
or (B) prohibit the placement of a child at a nonapproved facility if a 683
planning and placement team determines prior to July 7, 1987, that the 684
child be placed in a nonapproved facility for the 1987-1988 school year. 685
Each child placed in a nonapproved facility as described in 686
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subparagraphs (A) and (B) of subdivision (3) of this subsection may 687
continue at the facility provided the planning and placement team or 688
hearing officer appointed pursuant to section 10-76h determines that the 689
placement is appropriate. Expenditures incurred by any local or 690
regional board of education to maintain children in nonapproved 691
facilities as described in said subparagraphs (A) and (B) shall be paid 692
pursuant to the provisions of section 10-76g.] 693
(2) Any local or regional board of education may enter into a contract 694
with the owners or operators of any sheltered workshop or 695
rehabilitation center for provision of an education occupational training 696
program for children requiring special education who are at least 697
sixteen years of age, provided such workshop or institution shall have 698
been approved by the appropriate state agency. 699
(3) Whenever any child is identified by a local or regional board of 700
education as a child requiring special education and such board of 701
education determines that the requirements for special education could 702
be met by a program provided within the district or by agreement with 703
another board of education except for the child's need for services other 704
than educational services such as medical, psychiatric or institutional 705
care or services, such board of education may meet its obligation to 706
furnish special education for such child by paying the reasonable cost of 707
special education instruction in a private provider of special education 708
services, private school, hospital or other institution provided such 709
board of education or the commissioner concurs that placement in such 710
institution is necessary and proper and no state institution is available 711
to meet such child's needs. Any such private provider of special 712
education services, private school, hospital or other institution receiving 713
such reasonable cost of special education instruction by such board of 714
education shall submit all required documentation to such board of 715
education for purposes of submitting claims to the Medicaid School 716
Based Child Health Program administered by the Department of Social 717
Services. 718
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Sec. 20. (Effective July 1, 2025) (a) The Office of Policy and 719
Management shall develop licensure standards for private providers of 720
special education services, as defined in section 10-91g of the general 721
statutes, in the state that shall include, but need not be limited to, (1) the 722
application and review process for such licensure, (2) periods for initial 723
licensure and license renewal, (3) minimum requirements based on the 724
type of special education services provided, and (4) a fee of five 725
thousand dollars for each application for initial licensure and one 726
thousand five hundred dollars for each application for a license renewal. 727
(b) Not later than January 1, 2026, the Secretary of the Office of Policy 728
and Management shall submit, in accordance with the provisions of 729
section 11-4a of the general statutes, to the joint standing committee of 730
the General Assembly having cognizance of matters relating to 731
education the licensure standards developed pursuant to subsection (a) 732
of this section and any legislative recommendations to implement such 733
standards. 734
Sec. 21. Section 10-74u of the general statutes is repealed and the 735
following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective July 1, 2025): 736
(a) The Department of Education shall conduct audits of special 737
education programs in randomly selected school districts each year to 738
oversee the implementation of the Individuals with Disabilities 739
Education Act, 20 USC 1400 et seq., as amended from time to time. Such 740
audits shall include, but need not be limited to, (1) interviewing teachers 741
and staff who provide special education services and parents or 742
guardians of children requiring special education, (2) conducting 743
unannounced on-site visits to observe classroom practice and any other 744
facet of the administration or provision of special education services in 745
order to ensure compliance with individual education plans and all state 746
and federal law and guidance, and (3) reviewing individualized 747
education programs. 748
(b) (1) On and after July 1, 2027, the Department of Education shall 749
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conduct annual unannounced on-site visits of each site at which a 750
regional educational service center is providing special education 751
services or a private provider of special education services, as defined 752
in section 10-91g, is providing special education services pursuant to a 753
contract with a local or regional board of education for such school year, 754
whether or not such private provider of special education services is 755
approved by the Commissioner of Education pursuant to the provisions 756
of subsection (d) of section 10-76d, as amended by this act. Such site visit 757
shall include, but need not be limited to, (A) review of documentation 758
of employee qualifications and compliance with certification and in-759
service training requirements relevant to each employee, (B) review of 760
proof of completion of a criminal history and child abuse and neglect 761
registry check for each employee pursuant to sections 10-221d or 10-762
232a to 10-232d, inclusive, as amended by this act, and (C) 763
administration of a questionnaire to the parents or legal guardians of 764
students receiving special education services from such regional 765
educational service center or private provider of special education 766
services concerning the quality of such services. 767
(2) Not later than ten business days following such site visit, the 768
Commissioner of Education shall notify such regional educational 769
service center or private provider of special education services in 770
writing of the findings from such site visit and any required corrective 771
actions. 772
(3) Each regional educational service center or private provider of 773
special education services that receives written findings of a site visit 774
with required corrective actions shall submit to the department written 775
proof of compliance with such corrective actions not later than thirty 776
days following receipt of such written findings. Any regional 777
educational service center or private provider of special education 778
services that does not submit such proof of compliance by such deadline 779
shall be fined not more than one hundred dollars per day for each day 780
of noncompliance with the provisions of this subdivision. 781
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(4) No local or regional board of education shall place any additional 782
student for the provision of special education services with a regional 783
educational service center or private provider of special education 784
services that is not in compliance with the provisions of subdivision (3) 785
of this subsection. 786
(5) Not later than fifteen days following the submission or receipt of 787
the written records required pursuant to this subsection, the department 788
shall, in a manner that complies with the requirements of the Family 789
Educational Rights and Privacy Act, 20 USC 1232g, as amended from 790
time to time, post such written record to the online public database 791
maintained by the department on its Internet web site and send such 792
written record to each local or regional board of education that has 793
placed a student for the provision of special education services with the 794
regional educational service center or the private provider of special 795
education services that is the subject of such written record. 796
Sec. 22. Section 10-232a of the general statutes is repealed and the 797
following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective July 1, 2025): 798
(a) As used in this section and sections 10-232b and 10-232c, 799
"nongovernmental school operator" means an operator of an 800
interdistrict magnet school that is a third-party not-for-profit 801
corporation approved by the Commissioner of Education, the 802
governing council of a state or local charter school, an endowed or 803
incorporated academy approved by the State Board of Education 804
pursuant to section 10-34, a special education facility approved by the 805
State Board of Education pursuant to section 10-76d, as amended by this 806
act, the supervisory agent of a nonpublic school, [or] a cooperative 807
arrangement pursuant to section 10-158a and a private provider of 808
special education services, as defined in section 10-91g. 809
(b) Each nongovernmental school operator shall, subject to the 810
provisions of section 31-51i, (1) require each applicant for a position with 811
such nongovernmental school operator to state, in writing, whether 812
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such applicant has ever been convicted of a crime or whether criminal 813
charges are pending against such applicant at the time of such 814
application and, if charges are pending, to state the charges and the 815
court in which such charges are pending, (2) require each applicant to 816
submit to a records check of the Department of Children and Families 817
child abuse and neglect registry established pursuant to section 17a-818
101k, before such applicant may be hired by such nongovernmental 819
school operator, and (3) on and after July 1, 2019, require, subject to the 820
provisions of subsection (e) of this section, each applicant for a position 821
with such nongovernmental school operator to submit to state and 822
national criminal history records checks within thirty days from the date 823
of employment and may require, subject to the provisions of subsection 824
(e) of this section, any person hired prior to said date to submit to state 825
and national criminal history records checks. The criminal history 826
records checks required by this subsection shall be conducted in 827
accordance with section 29-17a, the federal National Child Protection 828
Act of 1993 and the federal Volunteers for Children Act of 1998. If the 829
nongovernmental school operator receives notice of a conviction of a 830
crime which has not previously been disclosed by such person to the 831
nongovernmental school operator, the nongovernmental school 832
operator may (A) terminate the contract of a certified employee, in 833
accordance with the provisions of section 10-151, if applicable, and (B) 834
dismiss a noncertified employee, provided such employee is notified of 835
the reason for such dismissal. If the nongovernmental school operator 836
receives notice of a conviction of a crime by a person holding a 837
certificate, authorization or permit issued by the State Board of 838
Education, the nongovernmental school operator shall send such notice 839
to the State Board of Education. The provisions of this subsection shall 840
not be construed to cause a nongovernmental school operator to 841
disseminate the results of any national criminal history records check. 842
(c) If a nongovernmental school operator requests, a regional 843
educational service center shall arrange for the fingerprinting of any 844
person required to submit to state and national criminal history records 845
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checks pursuant to this section or for conducting any other method of 846
positive identification required by the State Police Bureau of 847
Identification or the Federal Bureau of Investigation and shall forward 848
such fingerprints or other positive identifying information to the State 849
Police Bureau of Identification which shall conduct criminal history 850
records checks in accordance with section 29-17a, the federal National 851
Child Protection Act of 1993 and the federal Volunteers for Children Act 852
of 1998. Such regional educational service center shall maintain such 853
fingerprints or other positive identifying information, which may be in 854
an electronic format, for a period of four years, at the end of which such 855
fingerprints and positive identifying information shall be destroyed. 856
The State Police Bureau of Identification shall provide the results of such 857
checks to such nongovernmental school operator. No regional 858
educational service center shall charge a fee for services under this 859
subsection that exceeds any fee that the center may charge any applicant 860
for a position with such center. 861
(d) State and national criminal history records checks for substitute 862
teachers completed within one year prior to the date of employment 863
with a nongovernmental school operator and submitted to the 864
employing nongovernmental school operator shall meet the 865
requirements of subsection (b) of this section. A nongovernmental 866
school operator shall not require substitute teachers to submit to state 867
and national criminal history records checks pursuant to subsection (b) 868
of this section if they are continuously employed by such 869
nongovernmental school operator, provided a substitute teacher is 870
subjected to such checks at least once every five years. For purposes of 871
this section, substitute teachers shall be deemed to be continuously 872
employed by a nongovernmental school operator if they are employed 873
at least one day of each school year by such nongovernmental school 874
operator. 875
(e) The provisions of this section shall not apply to (1) a student 876
employed by the nongovernmental school operator that operates a 877
school which the student attends, or (2) a person employed by a 878
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nongovernmental school operator as a teacher for a noncredit adult class 879
or adult education activity, as defined in section 10-67, who is not 880
required to hold a teaching certificate pursuant to section 10-145b for his 881
or her position. 882
(f) Notwithstanding the provisions of subsection (g) of section 31-51i, 883
and to the extent permissible under state and federal laws regarding the 884
dissemination of criminal history records, the State Board of Education 885
shall, upon request of a nongovernmental school operator, make 886
available to such nongovernmental school operator requesting 887
information concerning an applicant for a position with such 888
nongovernmental school operator, (1) any information concerning the 889
applicant's eligibility for employment in a position with such 890
nongovernmental school operator requiring a certificate, authorization 891
or permit issued pursuant to chapter 166, (2) whether the department 892
has knowledge that the applicant has been disciplined for a finding of 893
abuse or neglect or sexual misconduct, as defined in section 10-222c, and 894
any information concerning such a finding, and (3) whether the 895
department has received notification that the applicant has been 896
convicted of a crime or of criminal charges pending against the 897
applicant and any information concerning such charges. The provisions 898
of this subsection shall not be construed to cause the state board to 899
investigate any such request or disseminate the results of any national 900
criminal history records check. 901
Sec. 23. (NEW) (Effective July 1, 2025) Each regional educational 902
service center and private provider of special education services, as 903
defined in section 10-91g of the general statutes, shall send written 904
notification to the parent or legal guardian of a student receiving special 905
education services, the local or regional board of education that has 906
placed such student with such regional educational service center or 907
private provider for the provision of special education services and the 908
Department of Education regarding all staffing changes that impact the 909
provision of such special education services, including, but not limited 910
to, vacancies, long-term absences and assignments of long-term 911
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substitutes, not later than five business days from the occurrence of such 912
staffing change. Such written notice shall include, but need not be 913
limited to, specification of (1) any change in services provided by 914
specialists, (2) any change to student to teacher ratios, and (3) the plan 915
to mitigate the impact of such staffing change on such student. As used 916
in this section, "long-term" means ten or more consecutive school days. 917
Sec. 24. Section 10-76d of the general statutes is amended by adding 918
subsection (j) as follows (Effective July 1, 2025): 919
(NEW) (j) No local or regional board of education, interdistrict 920
magnet school operator, governing council of a state or local charter 921
school or private provider of special education services, as defined in 922
section 10-91g, that receives an out-of-district placement of a student 923
who receives special education services through an agreement or 924
contract with a sending local or regional board of education pursuant to 925
subsection (d) of this section or section 10-91j, as amended by this act, 926
shall transfer such student to any other school or facility unless (1) upon 927
the request of a parent or guardian of such student, or such student if 928
such student is eighteen years of age or older or an emancipated minor, 929
the sending local or regional board of education holds a planning and 930
placement team meeting for the purpose of determining the 931
appropriateness of such transfer, and (2) the planning and placement 932
team determines that such transfer is more appropriate for the 933
educational needs of such student than the current out-of-district 934
placement. A representative of the local or regional board of education, 935
interdistrict magnet school operator, governing council of a state or local 936
charter school or private provider of special education services that has 937
received such out-of-district student placement shall be invited to 938
attend and participate in such planning and placement team meeting, 939
but may not request that such planning and placement team meeting be 940
held. 941
Sec. 25. (NEW) (Effective July 1, 2025) The Department of Education 942
shall establish a model contract for the placement of a student with a 943
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private provider of special education services, as defined in section 10-944
91g of the general statutes, approved by the Commissioner of Education 945
for special education. Not later than July 1, 2026, the department shall 946
make such model contract available to local and regional boards of 947
education in the state for use by such boards to enter into a contract with 948
such private provider of special education services pursuant to section 949
10-76d, as amended by this act, or 10-91j of the general statutes, as 950
amended by this act. 951
Sec. 26. (Effective July 1, 2025) Not later than January 1, 2026, the 952
Department of Education, in consultation with the Office of the Child 953
Advocate, shall develop and post on the special education data system 954
developed by the department (1) guidance for local and regional boards 955
of education concerning circumstances in which a placement in a 956
residential facility is appropriate for a student requiring services in 957
addition to special education services, and (2) information and resources 958
for parents and legal guardians of students requiring special education 959
concerning inclusion in school. 960
Sec. 27. (NEW) (Effective from passage) Not later than July 1, 2025, and 961
annually thereafter, each local and regional board of education shall 962
report to the Department of Education each placement of a student 963
receiving special education services for which such board is paying any 964
portion of the cost. Such report shall include (1) whether such placement 965
is a result of a decision of a planning and placement team meeting, a 966
settlement agreement or a special education hearing pursuant to section 967
10-76h of the general statutes, as amended by this act, (2) whether such 968
placement is with an approved or nonapproved private provider of 969
special education services, regional educational service center, operator 970
of an interdistrict magnet school program, state charter school, a 971
cooperative arrangement pursuant to section 10-158a of the general 972
statutes, a local or regional board of education operating an 973
outplacement program or as part of the state-wide interdistrict public 974
school attendance program pursuant to section 10-266aa of the general 975
statutes, (3) the amount being paid by such board, (4) the special 976
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education services being provided, (5) the location of the facility at 977
which such special education services are being provided, and (6) any 978
other information requested by the department. The department shall 979
disaggregate and report such information, in a manner that complies 980
with the requirements of the Family Educational Rights and Privacy 981
Act, 20 USC 1232g, as amended from time to time, on the special 982
education data system developed by the department. 983
Sec. 28. (NEW) (Effective July 1, 2025) (a) As used in this section: 984
(1) "Functional behavior assessment" means a systematic process of 985
gathering and analyzing data to identify the reasons for a student's 986
challenging behavior, and 987
(2) "Challenging behavior" has the same meaning as provided in 988
section 10-222aa of the general statutes. 989
(b) Prior to placing any student in an out-of-district placement due to 990
the challenging behavior of such student, each local and regional board 991
of education shall conduct a functional behavior assessment of such 992
student and develop or update a behavioral intervention plan for such 993
student, except such assessment and plan shall not be required if the 994
time required to conduct such assessment or develop or update such 995
plan would put at risk the safety of such student or any other students 996
or staff at such student's school. 997
(c) Not later than September 1, 2025, the Department of Education 998
shall develop guidance for local and regional boards of education to 999
determine circumstances in which the time required to conduct a 1000
functional behavior assessment and develop or update a behavioral 1001
intervention plan would put at risk the safety of any student or school 1002
staff. 1003
Sec. 29. (NEW) (Effective July 1, 2025) On and after September 1, 2025, 1004
the individualized education program for any child with a behavioral 1005
goal listed on such child's individualized education program shall 1006
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specify one or more corresponding services to help such child achieve 1007
such goal. 1008
Sec. 30. Section 2-137 of the general statutes is amended by adding 1009
subsection (n) as follows (Effective July 1, 2025): 1010
(NEW) (n) (1) Not later than January 1, 2027, the Transforming 1011
Children's Behavioral Health Policy and Planning Committee shall 1012
submit a report, in accordance with the provisions of section 11-4a, to 1013
the joint standing committee of the General Assembly having 1014
cognizance of matters relating to education. Such report shall consist of 1015
the committee's examination of and recommendations for behavioral 1016
health issues impacting students in the state receiving special education 1017
that includes, but is not limited to, the following: 1018
(A) The behavioral intervention methods utilized by private 1019
providers of special education services and the feasibility and impact of 1020
requiring such private providers to utilize evidence-based interventions 1021
that are proactive and highly individualized, such as the Assessment of 1022
Lagging Skills and Unsolved Problems, including, but not limited to, the 1023
feasibility and impact of requiring staff at such private providers to be 1024
trained in such evidence-based interventions with an emphasis on 1025
problem-solving as the primary goal; and 1026
(B) Best practices for the monitoring and audit by the Department of 1027
Education of the use of physical restraint and seclusion pursuant to 1028
section 10-236b for students receiving special education, including, but 1029
not limited to, best practices for (i) ensuring the accuracy and 1030
consistency of the annual compilation of incidents of physical restraint 1031
and seclusions reported to the department pursuant to subsection (l) of 1032
said section, (ii) intervention by the department in schools and special 1033
education programs that report a high incidence of physical restraint 1034
and seclusion, (iii) enforcement of the laws relating to physical restraint 1035
and seclusion, such as through site visits of seclusion spaces and review 1036
of incident reports and parental notifications, (iv) mandatory training of 1037
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staff and administrators to reduce reliance on physical restraint and 1038
seclusion, and (v) development of uniform rules or regulations 1039
applicable to physical restraint and seclusion of any student. 1040
(2) The Department of Education shall submit, in a manner that 1041
complies with the requirements of the Family Educational Rights and 1042
Privacy Act, 20 USC 1232g, as amended from time to time, all data and 1043
information requested by the committee in compiling the report. 1044
Sec. 31. Section 36 of public act 23-167 is repealed and the following 1045
is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective from passage): 1046
(a) There is established the Building Educational Responsibility with 1047
Greater Improvement Networks Commission. The commission shall 1048
study (1) issues relating to education funding entitled to local and 1049
regional boards of education, charter schools and operators of 1050
interdistrict magnet school programs under the provisions of section 10-1051
262h of the general statutes, and section 10-66ee of the general statutes, 1052
(2) accountability measures for (A) alliance districts, (B) charter schools, 1053
and (C) interdistrict magnet school programs, (3) the adequacy of 1054
financial reporting by (A) local and regional boards of education, 1055
including financial reporting associated with participation in the state-1056
wide interdistrict public school attendance program, established 1057
pursuant to section 10-266aa of the general statutes, (B) the governing 1058
councils of state and local charter schools and charter management 1059
organizations, and (C) operators of interdistrict magnet school 1060
programs, and (4) the financial impact of interdistrict magnet school 1061
programs, charter schools and the state-wide interdistrict public school 1062
attendance program on local and regional boards of education, 1063
including, but not limited to, equalization aid grant amounts, 1064
transportation costs, special education services and other general 1065
educational costs for children who reside in the school district but do 1066
not attend a school under the jurisdiction of the board of education for 1067
such school district. 1068
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(b) (1) The portion of such study regarding issues relating to 1069
education funding entitled to local and regional boards of education, 1070
charter schools and interdistrict magnet schools shall include, but need 1071
not be limited to, an analysis of and recommendations relating to (A) 1072
the compensation, benefits, retention and recruitment of teachers, 1073
paraprofessionals and social workers, (B) restrictions on the use of any 1074
additional funds received pursuant to section 10-262h of the general 1075
statutes, (C) reporting requirements for school districts receiving 1076
additional funds provided under the provisions of section 10-262h of the 1077
general statutes, (D) optimal class sizes, and (E) the inclusion of special 1078
education as a need factor in the equalization aid grant formula under 1079
section 10-262h of the general statutes. 1080
(2) The portion of such study regarding alliance districts shall 1081
include, but need not be limited to, (A) an analysis of the process by 1082
which alliance district plans are developed by boards of education and 1083
are reviewed and approved by the Commissioner of Education, and 1084
recommendations for narrowing the focus of or replacing such plans, 1085
(B) a consideration of the removal of the withholding of a portion of an 1086
alliance district's equalization aid grant under section 10-262u of the 1087
general statutes, as amended by [this act] public act 23-167, as amended 1088
by this act, (C) the feasibility of creating independent financial audits of 1089
the expenditures under the entire budget of boards of education for 1090
alliance districts, (D) the feasibility of requiring boards of education for 1091
alliance districts to hold hearings on interventions and make annual 1092
evaluations of any new programming established in the school district, 1093
(E) a consideration of establishing guidelines for the hiring of 1094
nonclassroom personnel, and (F) a consideration of interventions that 1095
the Department of Education may take in regard to the operations of an 1096
alliance district. 1097
(3) The portion of such study regarding charter schools shall include, 1098
but need not be limited to, (A) the feasibility of allowing for a full grade 1099
expansion of existing charters, including grade expansion, (B) an 1100
examination of the impact of moratoriums on the granting of new 1101
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charters, as well as the approval of new interdistrict magnet school 1102
programs, (C) a consideration of the duration of the length of a charter's 1103
validity, and (D) an examination of the charter renewal process, 1104
including the standards used by the State Board of Education during its 1105
determination of whether to renew a charter and the creation of an 1106
accountability scale. 1107
(4) The portion of such study regarding interdistrict magnet schools 1108
shall include, but need not be limited to, oversight policies for 1109
interdistrict magnet school programs operated by regional education 1110
service centers relating to tuition increases, enrollment and funding 1111
caps. 1112
(c) (1) The commission shall conduct a needs-based study to 1113
determine if additional special education programs and services are 1114
required in the state to meet student demand. In conducting such needs-1115
based study, the commission shall review approved and nonapproved 1116
public and private special education schools and the programs and 1117
services provided by such schools. The Department of Education shall 1118
comply with all data and information requests made by the commission. 1119
The commission shall develop and recommend a new methodology that 1120
the Department of Education, in consultation with the Office of Policy 1121
and Management, shall use when reviewing applications submitted by 1122
a private provider of special education services to become an approved 1123
private provider of special education services, including application and 1124
applicant criteria. The commission may form a subcommittee of the 1125
commission to perform such needs-based study. 1126
(2) The commission shall study and consider recommendations for 1127
the creation of a peer review process for the special education program 1128
in each school district that will review each school district periodically 1129
in an effort to share best practices to duplicate or model in other school 1130
districts with similar special education and student needs. 1131
(3) The commission shall examine the current utilization and 1132
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implementation of Tier 2 interventions of multitiered systems of 1133
supports and scientific research-based interventions in public schools, 1134
and identify any potential benefits of implementing Tier 2 interventions 1135
and any barriers to such implementation and make recommendations 1136
to improve such implementation of Tier 2 interventions. As part of such 1137
examination, the commission shall consider, at a minimum, (A) 1138
requiring the Department of Education to revise existing guidelines 1139
concerning multitiered systems of support, response to intervention, 1140
and scientific research-based interventions to include current research 1141
and best practices, (B) requiring mandated training and certification of 1142
the staff supervising and implementing Tier 2 interventions, (C) 1143
requiring reading intervention before a special education placement is 1144
made if the primary reason for the placement is reading-related, and (D) 1145
methods of incentivizing boards of education to hire additional reading 1146
intervention teachers. The Department of Education shall comply with 1147
all data and information requests made by the commission. The 1148
commission may form a subcommittee of the commission to perform 1149
such examination. 1150
(4) (A) The commission shall conduct a study concerning the creation 1151
of a new job classification of individualized education program 1152
manager which shall be a non-teaching position and responsible for 1153
completing all portions of an individualized education program form 1154
that does not require specific input from the classroom teacher or other 1155
school personnel who work with the student for which such form is 1156
prepared. Such study shall include, but need not be limited to, an 1157
examination of the necessary training such position may require, 1158
including training on basic relevant legal topics. 1159
(B) The commission shall review and recommend changes to the 1160
Department of Education's Connecticut Special Education Data System 1161
(CT-SEDS). Such review shall, at a minimum, consider the accessibility 1162
and usability of CT-SEDS by educators and parents and guardians of 1163
students and any requirements of CT-SEDS that exceed statutory and 1164
regulatory requirements for individualized education programs. Such 1165
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recommendations may be developed, in part, on the findings of the 1166
report described in section 37 of this act regarding the purpose of each 1167
CT-SEDS field. 1168
(C) The Department of Education shall comply with all data and 1169
information requests made by the commission for purposes of this 1170
subdivision. The commission may form a subcommittee of the 1171
commission to perform such study and review. 1172
(5) The commission shall conduct a study concerning access to respite 1173
care for families of children with disabilities in the state. Such study 1174
shall assess the current availability of respite services, identify gaps in 1175
access or delivery and evaluate how respite care supports families in 1176
keeping children with disabilities safely at home and within their 1177
communities. 1178
[(c)] (d) The commission shall consist of the following members: 1179
(1) The speaker of the House of Representatives, or the speaker's 1180
designee; 1181
(2) Two appointed by the speaker of the House of Representatives, 1182
one of whom is a representative of the Connecticut Association of Public 1183
School Superintendents and one of whom is a representative of the 1184
RESC Alliance; 1185
(3) The president pro tempore of the Senate, or the president pro 1186
tempore's designee; 1187
(4) Two appointed by the president pro tempore of the Senate, one of 1188
whom is a representative of Special Education Equity for Kids and one 1189
of whom is a representative of the Center for Children's Advocacy; 1190
(5) Three appointed by the majority leader of the House of 1191
Representatives, one of whom is a representative of the Connecticut 1192
School Counselor Association, one of whom is a representative of the 1193
Connecticut Education Association and one of whom is a representative 1194
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of the Connecticut Voices for Children; 1195
(6) Three appointed by the majority leader of the Senate, one of whom 1196
is a representative of the American Federation of Teachers-Connecticut, 1197
one of whom is a representative of ConnCAN and one of whom is a 1198
representative of the School and State Finance Project; 1199
(7) Three appointed by the minority leader of the House of 1200
Representatives, one of whom is a representative of the Connecticut 1201
Association of School Administrators and one of whom is a 1202
representative of the Connecticut Association of School Business 1203
Officials, and one of whom is a member of a local or regional board of 1204
education for an alliance district, in consultation with the Connecticut 1205
Association of Boards of Education; 1206
(8) Three appointed by the minority leader of the Senate, one of 1207
whom is a representative of the Connecticut Charter School Association, 1208
one of whom is the executive director of an agricultural science and 1209
technology education center and one of whom is a representative of the 1210
Connecticut Council of Administrators of Special Education; 1211
(9) The Commissioner of Education, or the commissioner's designee; 1212
and 1213
(10) The Secretary of the Office of Policy and Management, or the 1214
secretary's designee. 1215
[(d)] (e) All initial appointments to the commission shall be made not 1216
later than thirty days after the effective date of this section. Any vacancy 1217
shall be filled by the appointing authority. 1218
[(e)] (f) The speaker of the House of Representatives and the president 1219
pro tempore of the Senate, or their designees, shall serve as the 1220
chairpersons of the commission and shall schedule the first meeting of 1221
the commission, which shall be held not later than sixty days after the 1222
effective date of this section. 1223
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[(f)] (g) The administrative staff of the joint standing committee of the 1224
General Assembly having cognizance of matters relating to education 1225
shall serve as administrative staff of the commission. 1226
[(g)] (h) (1) Not later than [February 1, 2024] January 15, 2026, the 1227
commission shall submit a report on the portion of the study described 1228
in subdivision (1) of subsection (b) of this section, in accordance with the 1229
provisions of section 11-4a of the general statutes, on its findings and 1230
recommendations to the joint standing committees of the General 1231
Assembly having cognizance of matters relating to education and 1232
appropriations. 1233
(2) Not later than January 15, [2025] 2026, the commission shall 1234
submit a report on the portion of the study described in subdivisions (2) 1235
and (3) of subsection (b) of this section, in accordance with the 1236
provisions of section 11-4a of the general statutes, on its findings and 1237
recommendations to the joint standing committee of the General 1238
Assembly having cognizance of matters relating to education. 1239
(3) Not later than January 1, 2027, the commission shall submit a 1240
report on the needs-based study described in subdivision (1) of 1241
subsection (c) of this section, in accordance with the provisions of 1242
section 11-4a of the general statutes, on its findings and 1243
recommendations to the Secretary of the Office of Policy and 1244
Management, the Commissioner of Education and the joint standing 1245
committees of the General Assembly having cognizance of matters 1246
relating to education and appropriations. 1247
(4) Not later than January 1, 2027, the commission shall submit a 1248
report on the study described in subdivision (2) of subsection (c) of this 1249
section, in accordance with the provisions of section 11-4a of the general 1250
statutes, on its findings and recommendations to the Commissioner of 1251
Education and the joint standing committee of the General Assembly 1252
having cognizance of matters relating to education. 1253
(5) Not later than January 1, 2027, the commission shall submit a 1254
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report on the examination described in subdivision (3) of subsection (c) 1255
of this section, in accordance with the provisions of section 11-4a of the 1256
general statutes, on its findings and recommendations to the 1257
Commissioner of Education and the joint standing committees of the 1258
General Assembly having cognizance of matters relating to education 1259
and appropriations. 1260
(6) Not later than January 1, 2027, the commission shall submit a 1261
report on the study and review described in subdivision (4) of 1262
subsection (c) of this section, in accordance with the provisions of 1263
section 11-4a of the general statutes, on its findings and 1264
recommendations to the Commissioner of Education and the joint 1265
standing committee of the General Assembly having cognizance of 1266
matters relating to education. 1267
(7) Not later than January 1, 2027, the commission shall submit a 1268
report on the study described in subdivision (5) of subsection (c) of this 1269
section, in accordance with the provisions of section 11-4a of the general 1270
statutes, on its findings and recommendations to the Commissioner of 1271
Education and the joint standing committee of the General Assembly 1272
having cognizance of matters relating to education and public health. 1273
[(3)] (i) The commission shall terminate on the date that it submits the 1274
last of such reports or July 1, [2025] 2030, whichever is later. 1275
Sec. 32. (NEW) (Effective from passage) On and after the effective date 1276
of this section, and before July 1, 2027, the Commissioner of Education 1277
shall not approve any new or additional private providers of special 1278
education, as defined in section 10-91g of the general statutes. 1279
Sec. 33. (NEW) (Effective July 1, 2025) (a) For the fiscal year ending 1280
June 30, 2027, and each fiscal year thereafter, the Department of 1281
Education shall administer the special education training, education 1282
and testing competitive grant program. Under the grant program, the 1283
department shall award grants to individual educators and 1284
paraeducators for the purpose of covering the costs associated with any 1285
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professional training, education and testing requirements relating to 1286
such individual's ability to provide special education and related 1287
services. The department shall develop criteria for reviewing and 1288
awarding grants under the program, and such criteria shall take into 1289
consideration the financial need of the applicant and give priority to 1290
those applicants with the greatest financial need. As used in this section, 1291
"educators and paraeducators" includes individuals who are enrolled in 1292
a teacher preparation program, as defined in section 10-10a of the 1293
general statutes, candidates for professional certification as an educator 1294
under chapter 166 of the general statutes, teachers employed by a local 1295
or regional board of education, prospective paraeducators and 1296
paraeducators employed by a local or regional board of education. 1297
(b) An educator or paraeducator may apply, in a form and manner 1298
prescribed by the department, for a grant under this section. Any 1299
educator or paraeducator receiving a grant award under the program 1300
shall use such grant to assist in covering the cost of (1) tuition or other 1301
fees associated with enrollment in a teacher preparation program 1302
offered at the Connecticut State Colleges and Universities, (2) obtaining 1303
or renewal of professional certification under chapter 166 of the general 1304
statutes with an endorsement in special education, (3) testing for 1305
paraeducators, (4) continuing education credits, and (5) any other 1306
education or testing requirements relating to such educator's or 1307
paraeducator's ability to provide special education and related services. 1308
No educator or paraeducator may receive a grant award under the 1309
program unless such educator or paraeducator commits to three years 1310
of employment to provide special education and related services in a 1311
school under the jurisdiction of a town designated as an alliance district 1312
pursuant to section 10-262u of the general statutes. 1313
(c) The department shall develop repayment criteria for educators 1314
and paraeducators who do not complete three years of employment in 1315
a school under the jurisdiction of a town designated as an alliance 1316
district pursuant to section 10-262u of the general statutes. Any amounts 1317
repaid to the department shall be deposited in the General Fund. 1318
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Sec. 34. (Effective from passage) The Department of Education shall 1319
conduct a study regarding the availability of paraeducator examinations 1320
offered in a language other than English. Such study shall include, but 1321
need not be limited to, a review of whether there are other examinations 1322
or testing vendors that offer paraeducator examinations in a language 1323
other than English, and an analysis of whether such other examinations 1324
are comparable to the examinations currently used by the department 1325
and whether such other examinations may be modified or customized 1326
to meet the requirements for a paraeducator examination prescribed by 1327
the department. Not later than January 1, 2026, the department shall 1328
submit a report on its findings and any recommendations for legislation 1329
to the joint standing committee of the General Assembly having 1330
cognizance of matters relating to education, in accordance with the 1331
provisions of section 11-4a of the general statutes. 1332
Sec. 35. (Effective July 1, 2025) The Connecticut Educator Preparation 1333
and Certification Board, established pursuant to section 10-150b of the 1334
general statutes, shall review and make any recommendations 1335
necessary to redefine, update or make relevant the preparation and 1336
certification requirements for individuals seeking or holding a 1337
comprehensive special education endorsement. Such review and 1338
recommendations shall include, but need not be limited to, an analysis 1339
of whether such individuals should be required to pass the foundations 1340
of reading examination. The Department of Education shall comply 1341
with all requests for information from the board related to such review. 1342
Not later than February 1, 2026, the board shall submit a report on its 1343
review and recommendations to the joint standing committee of the 1344
General Assembly having cognizance of matters relating to education, 1345
in accordance with the provisions of section 11-4a of the general statutes. 1346
Sec. 36. (Effective July 1, 2025) The School Paraeducator Advisory 1347
Council, established pursuant to section 10-155k of the general statutes, 1348
shall review and make any recommendations necessary to redefine, 1349
update or make relevant the preparation and examination requirements 1350
for paraeducators assisting in the provision of special education and 1351
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related services. The Department of Education shall comply with all 1352
requests for information from the council related to such review. Not 1353
later than February 1, 2026, the council shall submit a report on its 1354
review and recommendations to the joint standing committee of the 1355
General Assembly having cognizance of matters relating to education, 1356
in accordance with the provisions of section 11-4a of the general statutes. 1357
Sec. 37. (Effective July 1, 2025) (a) The Commissioner of Education 1358
shall develop a report on the functions of the Connecticut Special 1359
Education Data System. Such report shall (1) provide explanations 1360
regarding (A) the purpose of each field in the data system, (B) how the 1361
data and information in each field is used, and (C) how each field relates 1362
to student outcomes, and (2) identify which field or data and 1363
information collected by the data system exceeds the requirements of 1364
the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, 20 USC 1400 et seq., as 1365
amended from time to time. 1366
(b) Not later than September 1, 2025, the commissioner shall submit 1367
the report to the Building Educational Responsibility with Greater 1368
Improvement Networks Commission, established pursuant to section 1369
36 of public act 23-167, as amended by this act, and the joint standing 1370
committee of the General Assembly having cognizance of matters 1371
relating to education. 1372
Sec. 38. (Effective July 1, 2025) (a) The Commissioner of Education, in 1373
consultation with the Building Educational Responsibility with Greater 1374
Improvement Networks Commission, established pursuant to section 1375
36 of public act 23-167, as amended by this act, and the Secretary of the 1376
Office of Policy and Management, shall develop a proposed state-wide 1377
special education workload analysis model for teachers and school 1378
service providers implementing a student's individualized education 1379
program in the provision of special education and related services. Such 1380
proposed state-wide special education workload analysis model shall 1381
establish standards that limit the workload of such teachers and school 1382
service providers, and include, but need not be limited to, provisions 1383
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addressing (1) the severity of the needs of the student contained in such 1384
student's individualized education program, (2) the level and frequency 1385
of services necessary for a student to achieve the goals and objectives 1386
contained in such student's individualized education program, and (3) 1387
the time required for (A) planning services, (B) evaluations, including 1388
classroom observations, (C) coordination of services required by a 1389
student's individualized education program, (D) staff development, (E) 1390
follow-up, and (F) traveling to and from different locations in the 1391
provision of special education and related services. For purposes of this 1392
section, "workload" means the number of students with an 1393
individualized education program for which a teacher or school service 1394
provider is responsible and the time required to effectively implement 1395
each individualized education program. 1396
(b) The commissioner shall (1) not later than January 1, 2026, submit 1397
the proposed state-wide special education workload analysis model to 1398
the Building Educational Responsibility with Greater Improvement 1399
Networks Commission, established pursuant to section 36 of public act 1400
23-167, as amended by this act, and the joint standing committees of the 1401
General Assembly having cognizance of matters relating to education 1402
and appropriations and the budgets of state agencies, in accordance 1403
with the provisions of section 11-4a of the general statutes, and (2) not 1404
later than January 15, 2026, make such proposed state-wide special 1405
education workload analysis model available through the Connecticut 1406
Special Education Data System. 1407
Sec. 39. (Effective July 1, 2025) Not later than January 1, 2027, the 1408
Building Educational Responsibility with Greater Improvement 1409
Networks Commission, established pursuant to section 36 of public act 1410
23-167, as amended by this act, shall review and make recommendations 1411
for legislation concerning the implementation of the proposed state-1412
wide special education workload analysis model, developed pursuant 1413
to section 38 of this act. The commission shall submit such 1414
recommendations to the joint standing committee of the General 1415
Assembly having cognizance of matters relating to education, in 1416
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accordance with the provisions of section 11-4a of the general statutes. 1417
Sec. 40. Subdivision (5) of section 10-76a of the general statutes is 1418
repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective July 1, 1419
2025): 1420
(5) "A child requiring special education" means any exceptional child 1421
who (A) meets the criteria for eligibility for special education pursuant 1422
to the Individuals With Disabilities Education Act, 20 USC 1400, et seq., 1423
as amended from time to time, (B) has extraordinary learning ability or 1424
outstanding talent in the creative arts, the development of which 1425
requires programs or services beyond the level of those ordinarily 1426
provided in regular school programs but which may be provided 1427
through special education as part of the public school program, or (C) is 1428
age three to [five] eight, inclusive, and is experiencing developmental 1429
delay that causes such child to require special education. 1430
Sec. 41. Subsection (c) of section 10-76h of the general statutes is 1431
repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective July 1, 1432
2025): 1433
(c) (1) The Department of Education shall provide training to hearing 1434
officers in administrative hearing procedures, including due process, 1435
and in the special educational needs of children. Hearing officers and 1436
members of hearing boards shall not be employees of the Department 1437
of Education or any local or regional board of education, unified school 1438
district or public agency involved in the education or care of the child. 1439
A person who is paid to serve as a hearing officer is not deemed to be 1440
an employee of the Department of Education. No person who 1441
participated in the previous identification, evaluation or educational 1442
placement of or the provision of a free appropriate public education to 1443
the child or pupil nor any member of the board of education of the 1444
school district under review, shall be a hearing officer or a member of a 1445
hearing board. 1446
(2) Both parties shall participate in a prehearing conference to resolve 1447
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the issues in dispute, if possible and narrow the scope of the issues. Each 1448
party to the hearing shall disclose, not later than five business days prior 1449
to the date the hearing commences, (A) documentary evidence such 1450
party plans to present at the hearing and a list of witnesses such party 1451
plans to call at the hearing, [and] (B) all completed evaluations and 1452
recommendations based on the offering party's evaluations that the 1453
party intends to use at the hearing, and (C) all claims such party will 1454
raise at the hearing. Except for good cause shown, the hearing officer 1455
shall limit each party to such documentary evidence and witnesses as 1456
were properly disclosed and are relevant to the issues in dispute. A 1457
hearing officer may bar any party who fails to comply with the 1458
requirements concerning disclosure of (i) evaluations and 1459
recommendations from introducing any undisclosed evaluation or 1460
recommendation at the hearing without the consent of the other party, 1461
and (ii) all claims from raising any such claims. 1462
(3) (A) In all cases, however, the public agency has the burden of 1463
proving the appropriateness of the child's program or placement, or of 1464
the program or placement proposed by the public agency, except, in 1465
cases of unilateral placement, the burden of proving the appropriateness 1466
of the program or placement proposed by the public agency and the 1467
appropriateness of such unilateral placement shall be on the party who 1468
filed for due process. This burden shall be met by a preponderance of 1469
the evidence, except for hearings conducted pursuant to 34 CFR 300.521. 1470
[(3)] (B) The hearing officer or board shall hear testimony relevant to 1471
the issues in dispute offered by the party requesting the hearing and any 1472
other party directly involved, and may hear any additional testimony 1473
the hearing officer or board deems relevant. The hearing officer or board 1474
shall give equal weight and consideration to all evaluations presented 1475
and used during the hearing. The hearing officer or board shall hear the 1476
testimony offered by the local or regional board of education or the 1477
unified school district responsible for providing special education to a 1478
child or pupil first in any dispute concerning the provision of free 1479
appropriate public education, except, in cases of unilateral placement, 1480
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the hearing officer or board shall hear the testimony offered by the party 1481
with the burden of proof first in any dispute concerning the provision 1482
of free appropriate public education. The hearing officer or board may 1483
require a complete and independent evaluation or prescription of 1484
educational programs by qualified persons, the cost of which shall be 1485
paid by the board of education or the unified school district. The hearing 1486
officer or board shall cause all formal sessions of the hearing and review 1487
to be recorded in order to provide a verbatim record. The hearing officer 1488
or board shall limit the offering of testimony and arguments to three 1489
days, except the hearing officer or board may extend the duration of the 1490
hearing if necessary. 1491
Sec. 42. Subdivision (1) of subsection (d) of section 10-76h of the 1492
general statutes is repealed and the following is substituted in lieu 1493
thereof (Effective July 1, 2025): 1494
(d) (1) The hearing officer or board shall have the authority (A) to 1495
confirm, modify, or reject the identification, evaluation or educational 1496
placement of or the provision of a free appropriate public education to 1497
the child or pupil, (B) to determine the appropriateness of an 1498
educational placement where the parent or guardian of a child requiring 1499
special education or the pupil if such pupil is an emancipated minor or 1500
eighteen years of age or older, has placed the child or pupil in a program 1501
other than that prescribed by the planning and placement team, 1502
provided the hearing officer or board consider all programs capable of 1503
providing the child or pupil a free appropriate public education in the 1504
least restrictive environment, or (C) to prescribe alternate special 1505
educational programs for the child or pupil. If the parent or guardian of 1506
such a child who previously received special education and related 1507
services from the district enrolls the child, or the pupil who previously 1508
received special education and related services from the district enrolls 1509
in a private elementary or secondary school without the consent of or 1510
referral by the district, a hearing officer may, in accordance with the 1511
Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, 20 USC 1400 et seq., as 1512
amended from time to time, require the district to reimburse the parents 1513
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or the pupil for the cost of that enrollment if the hearing officer finds 1514
that the district had not made a free appropriate public education 1515
available to the child or pupil in a timely manner prior to that 1516
enrollment. In the case where a parent or guardian, or pupil if such pupil 1517
is an emancipated minor or is eighteen years of age or older, or a 1518
surrogate parent appointed pursuant to section 10-94g, has refused 1519
consent for initial evaluation or reevaluation, the hearing officer or 1520
board may order an initial evaluation or reevaluation without the 1521
consent of such parent, guardian, pupil or surrogate parent except that 1522
if the parent, guardian, pupil or surrogate parent appeals such decision 1523
pursuant to subdivision (4) of this subsection, the child or pupil may not 1524
be evaluated or placed pending the disposition of the appeal. If the 1525
hearing officer determines that the plan for the provision of special 1526
education and related services offered by the district does not provide a 1527
free appropriate public education to the child or pupil, the hearing 1528
officer shall first consider all services provided by the district, followed 1529
by services provided by a charging entity, and if no such services 1530
provide a free appropriate public education to the child or pupil, then 1531
the hearing officer may consider a placement in a program offered by a 1532
nonapproved private provider of special education services. The 1533
hearing officer or board shall inform the parent or guardian, or the 1534
emancipated minor or pupil eighteen years of age or older, or the 1535
surrogate parent appointed pursuant to section 10-94g, or the 1536
Commissioner of Children and Families, as the case may be, and the 1537
board of education of the school district or the unified school district of 1538
the decision in writing and mail such decision not later than forty-five 1539
days after the commencement of the hearing pursuant to the Individuals 1540
with Disabilities Education Act, 20 USC 1400 et seq., as amended from 1541
time to time, except that a hearing officer or board may grant specific 1542
extensions of such forty-five-day period in order to comply with the 1543
provisions of subsection (b) of this section. The hearing officer may 1544
include in the decision a comment on the conduct of the proceedings. 1545
The findings of fact, conclusions of law and decision shall be written 1546
without personally identifiable information concerning such child or 1547
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pupil, so that such decisions may be promptly indexed and published 1548
and available for public inspections pursuant to sections 4-167 and 4-1549
180a. 1550
Sec. 43. Subsection (a) of section 10-76b of the general statutes is 1551
repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective July 1, 1552
2025): 1553
(a) The State Board of Education shall provide for the development 1554
and supervision of the educational programs and services for children 1555
requiring special education and may regulate curriculum, conditions of 1556
instruction, including the use of physical restraint and seclusion 1557
pursuant to section 10-236b, physical facilities and equipment, class 1558
composition and size, admission of students, and the requirements 1559
respecting necessary special services and instruction to be provided by 1560
local and regional boards of education. The educational aspects of all 1561
programs and instructional facilities in any day or residential child-1562
caring agency or school which provides training for children requiring 1563
special education and which receives funding from the state under the 1564
provisions of sections 10-76a to 10-76g, inclusive, as amended by this 1565
act, shall be subject to the approval and supervision of the commissioner 1566
in accordance with regulations adopted by the State Board of Education 1567
concerning requirements for such programs and accommodations. Not 1568
later than July 1, 2027, the State Board of Education shall adopt 1569
regulations, in accordance with the provisions of chapter 54, regarding 1570
the burden of proof for unilateral placements in accordance with the 1571
provisions of subparagraph (A) of subdivision (3) of subsection (c) of 1572
section 10-76h, as amended by this act. 1573
Sec. 44. Section 10-76mm of the general statutes is repealed and the 1574
following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective July 1, 2025): 1575
(a) The Commissioner of Education, in consultation with the 1576
Individualized Education Program Advisory Council established 1577
pursuant to section 10-76nn, shall develop a new individualized 1578
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education program form that is easier for practitioners to use and easier 1579
for parents and students to understand. Such individualized education 1580
program form shall include a brief description of, and contact 1581
information for, the parent training and information center for 1582
Connecticut established pursuant to the Individuals with Disabilities 1583
Education Act, 20 USC 1400 et seq., as amended from time to time, and 1584
the Bureau of Special Education within the Department of Education in 1585
a conspicuous place on the first page of the individualized education 1586
program form using at least twelve-point Times New Roman font. 1587
(b) Not later than January 1, 2017, the commissioner shall submit the 1588
new individualized education program form developed pursuant to 1589
this section to the joint standing committee of the General Assembly 1590
having cognizance of matters relating to education, in accordance with 1591
the provisions of section 11-4a. 1592
(c) Not later than January 1, 2026, the commissioner shall update the 1593
individualized education program form to remove the (1) statement of 1594
short-term instructional objectives derived from the measurable annual 1595
goals, and (2) the list of the individuals who will be implementing the 1596
individualized education program. 1597
Sec. 45. (NEW) (Effective July 1, 2025) (a) Not later than February 28, 1598
2026, and annually thereafter, the Commissioner of Education shall 1599
make the following available on the Internet web site of the Department 1600
of Education: 1601
(1) Data relating to the special education offset grant under section 8 1602
of this act, disaggregated by the (A) total number of special education 1603
students statewide and by each school district, (B) state aid percentage, 1604
and (C) total grant paid to each local and regional board of education. 1605
(2) Student-level data relating to those students who are included in 1606
a board's December first filing described in subsection (a) of section 10-1607
76g of the general statutes, including, but not limited to, the (A) school 1608
district, (B) net current expenditures per pupil threshold for each school 1609
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district, (C) total anticipated costs above a school district's net current 1610
expenditures per pupil threshold, (D) total anticipated costs for (i) 1611
transportation, (ii) tuition, and (iii) any room and board, (E) facility 1612
code, and (F) grant type category, such as a grant under section 10-76g 1613
of the general statutes, as amended by this act, section 8 of this act or 1614
any other state or federal grant, provided such data does not contain 1615
any personally identifiable information of such students and is in 1616
accordance with the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974, 1617
20 USC 1232g, as amended from time to time. 1618
(3) State-wide student population data relating to those students who 1619
are included in a board's December first filing described in subsection 1620
(a) of section 10-76g of the general statutes, including, but not limited to, 1621
the (A) number of students by (i) status as a multilingual learner, (ii) 1622
qualifying primary disability, (iii) the age categories of (I) ages three and 1623
four, (II) ages five to twelve, inclusive, (III) ages thirteen to eighteen, 1624
inclusive, and (IV) ages nineteen and older, and (iv) each facility, and 1625
(B) average number of tuition days, provided such data does not contain 1626
any personally identifiable information of such students and is in 1627
accordance with the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974, 1628
20 USC 1232g, as amended from time to time. 1629
(b) Not later than January 30, 2026, and March 30, 2026, and each 1630
January thirtieth and March thirtieth thereafter, the commissioner shall 1631
submit the following information concerning annual projections for 1632
grants to be paid to each local and regional board of education under 1633
section 10-76g of the general statutes, as amended by this act, to the joint 1634
standing committees of the General Assembly having cognizance of 1635
matters relating to education and appropriations and the Office of Fiscal 1636
Analysis, in accordance with the provisions of section 11-4a of the 1637
general statutes: (1) The total amount a local or regional board is eligible 1638
to be paid under section 10-76g of the general statutes, as amended by 1639
this act, (2) the board's net current expenditures per pupil threshold, (3) 1640
the board's tiered reimbursement percentage under section 10-76g of the 1641
general statutes, as amended by this act, (4) the capped amount to be 1642
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paid to the board, (5) the number of students with expenses projected to 1643
exceed four and one-half times the net current expenditures per pupil 1644
threshold for the board, and (6) the total number of students statewide 1645
with expenses projected to exceed four and one-half times the net 1646
current expenditures per pupil threshold for the board responsible for 1647
such student, provided such data does not contain any personally 1648
identifiable information of such students and is in accordance with the 1649
Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974, 20 USC 1232g, as 1650
amended from time to time. 1651
Sec. 46. (Effective July 1, 2025) Not later than February 1, 2026, the 1652
Commissioner of Education shall submit a report on recent 1653
developments and best practices regarding dyslexia evaluations and 1654
interventions to the joint standing committee of the General Assembly 1655
having cognizance of matters relating to education, in accordance with 1656
the provisions of section 11-4a of the general statutes. 1657
Sec. 47. (NEW) (Effective July 1, 2025) (a) On and after July 1, 2026, the 1658
Commissioner of Motor Vehicles shall issue special education support 1659
number plates of a design to support special education students, 1660
families and educators in the state and to provide funding to the special 1661
education offset grant pursuant to section 8 of this act. The design shall 1662
be determined by the commissioner. No use shall be made of such plates 1663
except as official registration marker plates. 1664
(b) A fee of sixty dollars shall be charged for special education 1665
support number plates, in addition to the regular fee or fees prescribed 1666
for the registration of a motor vehicle. Fifteen dollars of such fee shall be 1667
deposited in an account controlled by the Department of Motor Vehicles 1668
to be used for the cost of producing, issuing, renewing and replacing 1669
such number plates and forty-five dollars of such fee shall be deposited 1670
in the special education support account established under subsection 1671
(d) of this section. No additional fee shall be charged in connection with 1672
the renewal of such number plates. No transfer fee shall be charged for 1673
the transfer of an existing registration to or from a registration with 1674
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special education support number plates. Such number plates shall have 1675
letters and numbers selected by the Commissioner of Motor Vehicles. 1676
The commissioner may establish a higher fee for number plates: (1) That 1677
contain the numbers and letters from a previously issued number plate; 1678
(2) that contain letters in place of numbers, as authorized by section 14-1679
49 of the general statutes, in addition to the fee or fees prescribed for 1680
registration under said section; and (3) that are low number plates 1681
issued in accordance with section 14-160 of the general statutes, in 1682
addition to the fee or fees prescribed for registration under said section. 1683
All fees established and collected pursuant to this section, except 1684
moneys designated for administrative costs of the Department of Motor 1685
Vehicles, shall be deposited in the special education support account. 1686
(c) The Commissioner of Motor Vehicles may adopt regulations, in 1687
accordance with the provisions of chapter 54 of the general statutes, to 1688
establish standards and procedures for the issuance, renewal and 1689
replacement of special education support number plates. 1690
(d) There is established an account to be known as the "special 1691
education support account" which shall be a separate, nonlapsing 1692
account within the General Fund. The account shall contain any moneys 1693
required by law to be deposited in the account. Moneys in the account 1694
shall be expended by the Secretary of the Office of Policy and 1695
Management to provide funding to the special education offset grant 1696
pursuant to section 8 of this act. The secretary may receive private 1697
donations to the account and any such receipts shall be deposited in the 1698
account. 1699
(e) The Commissioner of Motor Vehicles may provide for the 1700
reproduction and marking of the special education support number 1701
plates image for use on clothing, recreational equipment, posters, 1702
mementoes or other products or programs deemed by the commissioner 1703
to be suitable as a means of supporting the special education support 1704
account. Any moneys received by the commissioner from such 1705
marketing shall be deposited in the account. 1706
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Sec. 48. Section 10-76b of the general statutes is repealed and the 1707
following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective July 1, 2025): 1708
(a) The State Board of Education shall provide for the development 1709
and supervision of the educational programs and services for children 1710
requiring special education and may regulate curriculum, conditions of 1711
instruction, including the use of physical restraint and seclusion 1712
pursuant to section 10-236b, physical facilities and equipment, class 1713
composition and size, admission of students, and the requirements 1714
respecting necessary special services and instruction to be provided by 1715
local and regional boards of education. The educational aspects of all 1716
programs and instructional facilities in any day or residential child-1717
caring agency or school which provides training for children requiring 1718
special education and which receives funding from the state under the 1719
provisions of sections 10-76a to 10-76g, inclusive, as amended by this 1720
act, sections 10-91g to 10-91m, inclusive, and sections 2, 3, 6, 8 to 12, 1721
inclusive, 15 to 17, inclusive, 20, 23, 25 to 29, inclusive, 32 to 39, inclusive, 1722
and 44 to 47, inclusive, of this act, shall be subject to the approval and 1723
supervision of the commissioner in accordance with regulations 1724
adopted by the State Board of Education, in accordance with the 1725
provisions of chapter 54, concerning requirements for such programs 1726
and accommodations. 1727
(b) The commissioner shall designate by regulation, subject to the 1728
approval of the State Board of Education, the procedures which shall be 1729
used to identify exceptional children. 1730
(c) Said board shall be the agency for cooperation and consultation 1731
with federal agencies, other state agencies and private bodies on matters 1732
of public school education of children requiring special education, 1733
provided the full responsibilities for other aspects of the care of such 1734
children shall be reserved to such other agencies. 1735
(d) The State Board of Education shall ensure that local and regional 1736
boards of education are providing the information described in 1737
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subparagraph (D) of subdivision (10) of subsection (a) of section 10-76d 1738
to the parent or guardian of a child requiring special education or the 1739
surrogate parent appointed pursuant to section 10-94g and, in the case 1740
of a pupil who is an emancipated minor or eighteen years of age or 1741
older, the pupil. 1742
Sec. 49. Section 10-91j of the general statutes is repealed and the 1743
following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective July 1, 2026): 1744
(a) Any [agreement entered into or amended on or after July 1, 2018, 1745
but prior to June 30, 2019, or any] contract entered into or amended on 1746
or after July 1, [2019] 2026, pursuant to section 10-76d, as amended by 1747
this act, between a local or regional board of education and a private 1748
provider of special education services, as defined in section 10-91g, shall 1749
be in accordance with the universal special education and related 1750
services rate schedule established pursuant to section 3 of this act, and 1751
include an explanation of how the [tuition or costs] amount charged for 1752
services provided under the [agreement or] contract are to be calculated. 1753
Any such [agreement or] contract may include the following provisions: 1754
(1) A requirement that such private provider of special education 1755
services submit monthly or quarterly reports to such board regarding 1756
the specific services and frequency of such services being provided by 1757
such private provider of special education services to students under 1758
the [agreement or] contract, and (2) authorization for such board to (A) 1759
review and reconcile such reports to the contracted services described 1760
in the [agreement or] contract, or (B) conduct periodic site visits at the 1761
location where such private provider of special education services 1762
provides services. 1763
(b) On and after July 1, [2019] 2026, a local or regional board of 1764
education shall not be eligible for reimbursement pursuant to subsection 1765
(b) of section 10-76g, as amended by this act, or section 8 of this act, for 1766
any costs of special education paid by such board of education to a 1767
private provider of special education services unless such board of 1768
education has entered into a written contract with such private provider 1769
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of special education services for the provision of such special education 1770
services. The individualized education program of a child shall not be 1771
considered a contract between a local or regional board of education and 1772
a private provider of special education services for purposes of this 1773
section. Nothing in this subsection shall be construed to limit or 1774
interrupt the provision of special education and related services to a 1775
child by a local or regional board of education or private provider of 1776
special education services. 1777
(c) The Commissioner of Education shall revoke the approval and 1778
license of any private provider of special education services that fails to 1779
charge for special education and related services in accordance with the 1780
universal special education and related services rate schedule 1781
established pursuant to section 3 of this act or comply with the 1782
provisions of this section. 1783
Sec. 50. Section 10a-157a of the general statutes is amended by adding 1784
subsection (h) as follows (Effective July 1, 2025): 1785
(NEW) (h) For the fall semester of 2025 and spring semester 2026, and 1786
each semester thereafter, the Board of Regents for Higher Education 1787
shall continue to offer each transitional college readiness program, 1788
embedded remedial support program and intensive remedial support 1789
program that said board offered at each public institution of higher 1790
education during the fall semester of 2024 and spring semester of 2025, 1791
respectively. 1792
Sec. 51. (NEW) (Effective July 1, 2025) (a) There is established an Office 1793
of the Educational Ombudsperson, which shall be within the 1794
Department of Education for administrative purposes only. The Office 1795
of the Educational Ombudsperson shall serve students and families of 1796
students in the pursuit of preschool, elementary and secondary 1797
education, special education, vocational education and adult education. 1798
The Office of the Educational Ombudsperson shall be under the 1799
direction of an Educational Ombudsperson who shall be appointed by 1800
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the Commissioner of Education and be selected from among individuals 1801
with expertise and experience in educational advocacy, special 1802
education and educational law. 1803
(b) The Office of the Educational Ombudsperson shall: 1804
(1) Receive, review and attempt to resolve any complaints from 1805
students and students' families, including, but not limited to, attempts 1806
to resolve such complaints in collaboration with schools and educators; 1807
(2) Compile and analyze data on students and young people, through 1808
available data systems, including, but not limited to, the Connecticut 1809
Preschool through Twenty and Workforce Information Network, 1810
established pursuant to section 10a-57g of the general statutes; 1811
(3) Assist student loan borrowers to understand their rights and 1812
responsibilities in educational environments; 1813
(4) Provide information to the public, agencies, legislators and others 1814
regarding the issues and concerns of students and make 1815
recommendations for resolving such issues and concerns; 1816
(5) Analyze and monitor the development and implementation of 1817
federal, state and local laws, regulations and policies relating to students 1818
and recommend any changes the Educational Ombudsperson deems 1819
necessary; 1820
(6) Disseminate information concerning the availability of the Office 1821
of the Educational Ombudsperson to assist students and families of 1822
students, as well as local and regional boards of education with 1823
educational resource concerns; and 1824
(7) Take any other actions necessary to fulfill the duties of the Office 1825
of the Educational Ombudsperson and the Educational Ombudsperson 1826
as set forth in this subsection. 1827
(c) (1) On or before January 1, 2026, and annually thereafter until 1828
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January 1, 2028, the Commissioner of Education shall submit a report, 1829
in accordance with the provisions of section 11-4a, to the joint standing 1830
committees of the General Assembly having cognizance of matters 1831
relating to education and children. The commissioner shall report on: 1832
(A) The implementation of this section; (B) the overall effectiveness of 1833
the Educational Ombudsperson position; and (C) additional steps that 1834
need to be taken for the Educational Ombudsperson to be more 1835
effective. 1836
(2) Beginning on January 1, 2029, and annually thereafter, the 1837
Educational Ombudsperson shall submit the report required under 1838
subdivision (1) of this subsection. 1839
Sec. 52. (NEW) (Effective July 1, 2025) (a) For the school year 1840
commencing July 1, 2026, and each school year thereafter, each local and 1841
regional board of education shall hire or designate an existing employee 1842
to serve as an instructional support teacher in each school under the 1843
jurisdiction of such board. An instructional support teacher shall (1) 1844
assist school-based personnel in improving the quality of teaching and 1845
student learning for students with disabilities, (2) assume responsibility 1846
for the knowledge and application of the appropriate curriculum and 1847
the instructional programs for students with disabilities in compliance 1848
with all state and federal laws and any policies of the Department of 1849
Education or the school district, (3) collaborate with parents and school 1850
personnel regarding instructional decision-making for students with 1851
disabilities, (4) plan and deliver professional learning activities to staff, 1852
parents and others to increase achievement for students with 1853
disabilities, (5) provide coaching and follow-up to support district 1854
initiatives, including, but not limited to, effective literacy and math 1855
instruction, personalized learning and individualized instruction for 1856
students with disabilities, (6) assist teachers in improving classroom 1857
management and climate through the implementation of effective 1858
instructional methods and behavioral supports, and (7) consult with 1859
school-based instructional staff regarding individual education 1860
program development, extended school year, behavioral interventions 1861
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and transition plans for students with disabilities. 1862
(b) Any person hired or designated to serve as the instructional 1863
support teacher for the school shall (1) for the school year commencing 1864
July 1, 2026, spend at least fifty per cent of their time performing the 1865
responsibilities described in subsection (a) of this section, (2) for the 1866
school year commencing July 1, 2027, spend at least seventy-five per 1867
cent of their time performing said responsibilities, and (3) for the school 1868
year commencing July 1, 2028, and each school year thereafter, be 1869
employed full-time as the instructional support teacher. 1870
Sec. 53. (NEW) (Effective July 1, 2025) For the school year commencing 1871
July 1, 2026, and each school year thereafter, the Department of 1872
Education shall, at least quarterly, host trainings for persons hired or 1873
designated to serve as an instructional support teacher, as described in 1874
section 52 of this act. Such training shall include, but need not be limited 1875
to, effective literacy and math instruction, personalized learning and 1876
individualized instruction for students with disabilities, improving 1877
classroom management, effective instructional methods and behavioral 1878
supports, and transition plans for students with disabilities. 1879
Sec. 54. (NEW) (Effective July 1, 2025) (a) For the fiscal year ending 1880
June 30, 2026, and each fiscal year thereafter, the Department Education 1881
shall establish a grant program to support local and regional boards of 1882
education in providing support services for students who require 1883
special education and have experienced trauma or have behavioral 1884
health needs. Such grant shall be available to each local or regional 1885
board of education that provides support services, including, but not 1886
limited to, trauma-informed care coordination and family outreach, for 1887
such students and such students' families in partnership with 1888
community service providers, including, but not limited to, family 1889
service centers. Grants shall be funded in an amount prescribed by the 1890
Commissioner of Education. 1891
(b) On or before September 1, 2025, the Department of Education 1892
Raised Bill No. 1561
LCO No. 7246 61 of 63
shall post in a conspicuous location on its Internet web site (1) a 1893
description of the grant program, including, but not limited to, the 1894
amount of funding available for each grant under such program, and (2) 1895
the application form for such program. 1896
Sec. 55. (NEW) (Effective July 1, 2025) Not later than July 1, 2026, the 1897
Department of Education, in consultation with the Connecticut Parent 1898
Advocacy Center, shall develop a special education family guide that 1899
assists the parents and guardians of students receiving special education 1900
and related services in understanding the process and laws governing 1901
the provision of special education. Such guide shall include, but need 1902
not be limited to, an explanation of (1) the allowable number of days to 1903
(A) diagnose that a student requires special education or related 1904
services, and (B) hold an initial planning and placement team meeting, 1905
(2) the consequences for failure of the school district to (A) meet the 1906
deadlines described in subdivision (1) of this section, and (B) include the 1907
appropriate administrators at the initial and subsequent planning and 1908
placement team processes, and (3) recourses available to parents and 1909
guardians if an in-home tutor does not attend to tutoring sessions. The 1910
department shall make such guide available on its Internet web site. 1911
This act shall take effect as follows and shall amend the following
sections:
Section 1 July 1, 2025 10-76a
Sec. 2 from passage New section
Sec. 3 July 1, 2025 New section
Sec. 4 July 1, 2025 New section
Sec. 5 July 1, 2025 10-76d(d)
Sec. 6 July 1, 2025 New section
Sec. 7 July 1, 2025 10-76g(b)
Sec. 8 July 1, 2025 New section
Sec. 9 July 1, 2025 New section
Sec. 10 July 1, 2025 New section
Sec. 11 July 1, 2025 New section
Sec. 12 July 1, 2025 New section
Sec. 13 July 1, 2025 10-285a(l)
Raised Bill No. 1561
LCO No. 7246 62 of 63
Sec. 14 July 1, 2025 10-283(b)
Sec. 15 from passage New section
Sec. 16 July 1, 2025 New section
Sec. 17 July 1, 2025 New section
Sec. 18 July 1, 2025 New section
Sec. 19 July 1, 2025 10-76d(d)
Sec. 20 July 1, 2025 New section
Sec. 21 July 1, 2025 10-74u
Sec. 22 July 1, 2025 10-232a
Sec. 23 July 1, 2025 New section
Sec. 24 July 1, 2025 10-76d(j)
Sec. 25 July 1, 2025 New section
Sec. 26 July 1, 2025 New section
Sec. 27 from passage New section
Sec. 28 July 1, 2025 New section
Sec. 29 July 1, 2025 New section
Sec. 30 July 1, 2025 2-137(n)
Sec. 31 from passage PA 23-167, Sec. 36
Sec. 32 from passage New section
Sec. 33 July 1, 2025 New section
Sec. 34 from passage New section
Sec. 35 July 1, 2025 New section
Sec. 36 July 1, 2025 New section
Sec. 37 July 1, 2025 New section
Sec. 38 July 1, 2025 New section
Sec. 39 July 1, 2025 New section
Sec. 40 July 1, 2025 10-76a(5)
Sec. 41 July 1, 2025 10-76h(c)
Sec. 42 July 1, 2025 10-76h(d)(1)
Sec. 43 July 1, 2025 10-76b(a)
Sec. 44 July 1, 2025 10-76mm
Sec. 45 July 1, 2025 New section
Sec. 46 July 1, 2025 New section
Sec. 47 July 1, 2025 New section
Sec. 48 July 1, 2025 10-76b
Sec. 49 July 1, 2026 10-91j
Sec. 50 July 1, 2025 10a-157a(h)
Sec. 51 July 1, 2025 New section
Sec. 52 July 1, 2025 New section
Raised Bill No. 1561
LCO No. 7246 63 of 63
Sec. 53 July 1, 2025 New section
Sec. 54 July 1, 2025 New section
Sec. 55 July 1, 2025 New section
Statement of Purpose:
To address issues relating to resources for special education in
Connecticut.
[Proposed deletions are enclosed in brackets. Proposed additions are indicated by underline, except
that when the entire text of a bill or resolution or a section of a bill or resolution is new, it is not
underlined.]