Developments from the 2025 Session of the Connecticut General Assembly Affecting Schools (and Public Employers)

The following is a brief description of acts that were passed during the 2025 Session of the Connecticut General Assembly that may be of interest to Connecticut school leaders.   Key changes in this session include the expansion of Connecticut Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) and Paid Family and Medical Leave eligibility to non-certified employees, clarification on paid sick leave usage, new school library policy requirements as well as a complete overhaul to the system of special education provider rates and payments. 

As always, please feel free to reach out to any of our school law attorneys if you have questions regarding a particular piece of legislation.

Labor and Employment

Paid Family and Medical Leave for Non-Certified School Employees

Public Act 25-174:  An Act Authorizing And Adjusting Bonds Of The State And Concerning Grant Programs, State Grant Commitments For School Building Projects, Revisions To The School Building Projects Statutes And Various Provisions Revising And Implementing The Budget For The Biennium Ending June 30, 2027.  The General Assembly used a last-minute bonding bill as a vehicle to expand rights for public and private school non-certified employees with respect to the Connecticut Paid Family and Medical Leave Insurance Program (and Connecticut’s regular Family and Medical Leave Act).  Specifically, effective October 1, 2025, sections 234-237 of the Act expand eligibility for benefits under the Connecticut Paid Family and Medical Leave Insurance Program (the “Program”) to employees of a board of education, any other “public school operator” (including charter and magnet schools), or a nonpublic elementary or secondary school who do not hold professional certification.  Prior to this revision, school employees of such entities were exempt from the Program except if a board of education bargaining unit negotiated for inclusion in the Program.  In addition to other changes, the Act establishes an alternative method of calculating the base period and base weekly earnings for such non-certified school employees. 

The Act also extends coverage under the Connecticut Family and Medical Leave Act (CTFMLA) to any such non-certified school employee who has been employed by their school employer for at least three months during the twelve-month period before leave is requested.  Prior to this revision, all school employees were exempt from the CTFMLA.  Instead, such employees were subject to coverage under the federal FMLA.  

In the context of the expansion of CTFMLA coverage, the Act removes a provision of the law that made non-certified employees of boards of education eligible for leave under the federal FMLA if they had been employed for at least twelve months by such employer and had at least 950 hours of service with such employer during the previous twelve-month period (as opposed to the usual 1,250 hours required for federal FMLA eligibility).

What does this mean (and why is this expansion of the CTFMLA important for schools)? The CTFMLA has broader provisions in terms of eligibility and reasons for leave and non-certified school employees will now be entitled to these benefits.  Schools will have to revise their FMLA policies to address the differences in treatment between certified employees under the federal FMLA and non-certified employees under the CTFMLA.  In addition, on October 1, 2025, school employers will have to begin deducting .5% from non-certified employees’ wages and otherwise comply with the Program.

Paid Sick Leave

In 2024, Public Act 24-8 significantly expanded the reach of (and employee rights under) Connecticut’s Paid Sick Leave law (PSL).  There was much concern expressed about the applicability and suitability of this law in the public sector, especially with respect to school employees and first responders who almost universally are afforded sick leave benefits through collectively bargained contract provisions and in light of the PSL’s exceptionally employee-favorable terms on items like the ability to use PSL in one-hour increments, the general prohibition on employer medical certification documentation requests and the availability of “mental health wellness days.”  

Buried in the afore-referenced last-minute bonding bill – Public Act 25-174 – was a provision that allows certain specified public-sector employers to require that certain employees use their paid sick leave available under the recently expanded PSL law in minimum increments set forth in any applicable collective bargaining agreement (as opposed to one-hour increments), so long as such employers grant their employees paid sick leave, or any other paid leave or combination of other paid leave, that accrues at a rate greater than one hour of leave for every 30 hours worked and does not prohibit employees from using up to 40 hours of accrued leave per year.

The Act permits boards of education to apply this minimum increment provision to “school employees,” and municipal employers to apply the provision to police officers, firefighters, and public works department employees.  Generally, under these paid sick leave provisions:

• “School employees” are defined as teachers, substitute teachers, school administrators, school superintendents, guidance counselors, school counselors, psychologists, social workers, nurses, physicians, paraeducators and coaches and anyone else who, in the performance of their duties, has regular contact with students and who provides services to or on behalf of enrolled students under a contract with the board of education;
• A “municipal employer” is any political subdivision of the state, including any town, city, borough, district, district department of health, school board, housing authority or other authority established by law, or private nonprofit corporation with a valid contract with any town, city, borough, or district to extinguish fires and provide fire protection; and
• A “public works department” is a municipal department responsible for the construction, regulation or maintenance of all things in the nature of public works and improvements.

So, What Is The Impact? While serving to confirm that this law does in fact apply to the public sector, the General Assembly did provide a minor bit of relief to public schools with respect to preventing employee use of leave in unmanageable increments. 

Teacher Retirement

Public Act 25-120: An Act Concerning The Teachers' Retirement Board's Recommendations For Changes To The Teachers' Retirement System Statutes.  This Act, which took effect upon passage, provides that a member’s retirement does NOT become irrevocable until the date on which the member actually retires.  The Act provides that with respect to the lump sum death benefit, in the absence of a designation, the member's surviving spouse or, if none, the member's surviving children in equal shares or, if none, the member's estate shall be entitled to the lump sum payment. Finally, the teacher retirement statute governing retiree health insurance currently provides that nothing in it shall be construed to impair or alter the provisions of any collective bargaining agreement relating to the payment by a board of education of group health insurance premiums on behalf of any member receiving benefits from the system.  This Act clarifies that no collective bargaining agreement shall provide for a subsidy for any purpose other than to reduce costs for the benefit of a member, spouse, surviving spouse or disabled member. 

Historically, annual premiums for the basic Teachers’ Retirement Board (TRB) retired teacher health insurance plan were split equally among the State’s General Fund, retired teachers, and the retired teachers’ health insurance premium account (which is funded by active teachers who contribute 1.25% of their salaries to it).  Beginning with the 2025-26 fiscal year, the Budget Implementer – Public Act 25-168 – reduces the state’s share of the cost from one-third to 25%.  For retired teachers covered/participating under a board of education’s health plan (as their “last employing” board), TRB is required to give the last employing board a monthly $220 subsidy to offset the retired teacher’s premiums. The implementer reduces the State General Fund’s responsibility for this subsidy from one-third of the cost of the subsidy to 25%.

State Education Resource Center (SERC) Employees and TRB

Public Act 25-120  further provides that those employed by SERC who are hired on or after July 1, 2025 are not covered by the Teacher Retirement System. 

Recognition of Human  Trafficking and Sexual Assault Victims as a Protected Class

Public Act 25-139:  An Act Concerning Human Trafficking And Sexual Assault Victims.  Effective October 1, 2025, this Act adds the “status as a victim of sexual assault or status as a victim of trafficking in persons” to the list of protected categories under Connecticut’s anti-discrimination laws.  In addition, the Act extends the leave obligations for victims of domestic violence to such victims of sexual assault or human trafficking.  Effective at the commencement of the 2025-26 school year, the Act also allows the mandatory human trafficking awareness training that schools must provide to staff members (upon hire, with refresher training every three years after) to be provided in any format, rather than mandating that it must be provided by video presentation. 

Workers’ Compensation

Public Act No. 25-12:  An Act Concerning Deficiency Appropriations For The Fiscal Year Ending June 30, 2025, And Compensation Paid To Injured Employees And The Parents Of A Deceased Employee Under The Workers' Compensation Act.  In response to the Connecticut Supreme Court decision in Gardner v. Dept. of Mental Health & Addiction Services, this Act (which has been signed by the Governor and was effective upon passage) essentially removes an administrative law judge’s discretion to continue to award temporary partial incapacity benefits after maximum medical improvement has been reached by a workers’ compensation claimant.  Essentially, the administrative law judge will now be required to instead award permanent partial disability benefits to a claimant who has reached maximum medical improvement.  In addition, the Act provides that when an employee dies in a work-related accident, if there are no persons “wholly dependent in fact,” then benefits will be divided equally among the employee’s parents.

Miscellaneous Department of Labor Provisions

Public Act 25-117:  An Act Implementing The Recommendations Of The Labor Department. This Act, among other things, shortens the timeframe in which an employer can protest any unemployment benefits it contends have been improperly charged to its unemployment insurance quarterly statements due to fraud or error from 60 days to 40 days and makes the Unemployed Workers’ Advocate a full-time position in the state employee classified service (instead of a position that serves at the pleasure of the Commissioner of Labor).  The Act also requires physicians and advanced practice registered nurses to report suspected occupational diseases to the Department of Labor within 48 hours of discovery and makes a technical correction to the prevailing wage statute.  This Act takes effect on October 1, 2025.

Miscellaneous Education Law Changes

As noted above, the General Assembly enacted legislation concerning "hot button issues" such as interactions between schools and federal immigration authorities, and procedures governing removal of books from school (and public) libraries.  While much of the legislation just serves to codify prior guidance given by the State (and this firm), these new provisions create the need for additional school policy review and enactment.

ICE in the Schools

Public Act 25-1:  An Act Concerning Interactions Between School Personnel And Immigration Authorities, The Purchase And Operation Of Certain Drones, Grants To Certain Nonprofit Organizations, And Student Athlete Compensation Through Endorsement Contracts And Revenue Sharing Agreements. Among other things, this Act, which was signed by the Governor and took effect upon passage, largely serves to codify prior State Department of Education (SDE) guidance on interactions between public school personnel and immigration enforcement authorities. 

The Act requires each: 1) superintendent of schools, 2) Regional Educational Service Center (RESC), 3) governing authority for a state charter school and (4) endowed or incorporated academy to designate at least one administrator at each school to be responsible for interacting with any federal immigration authorities who may appear in person at a school or otherwise contacts the school to request information.  The Act requires the administrator to implement the protocols of the school security and safety plan, as amended by this Act, relating to interactions with a federal immigration authority.

Moreover, the Act further requires each board of education to update the school security and safety plan for each school to include protocols for interacting with a federal immigration authority. Such protocols shall be based on the SDE’s January 28, 2025, “Guidance to K-12 Public Schools Pertaining to Immigration Activities,” and include, at a minimum, (a) the designation of at least one administrator at each school to serve as the individual responsible for interacting with the federal immigration authority, (b) provisions that the administrator or any other school employee may (i) request and record a federal immigration authority's identification (including the name, badge or identification number, telephone number and business card), (ii) ask the federal immigration authority if they are in possession of a judicial warrant to support the authority's request and, if so, to produce it, (iii) review any warrant or other materials produced  to determine who issued the warrant and what the warrant or other material authorizes such authority to do and (iv) consult with legal counsel for the school district or guidance developed by legal counsel, on how to interact with a federal immigration authority with regards to the nature of the request, whether a warrant is produced, the details of any warrant, whether the warrant is a judicial warrant or an administrative warrant, whether the federal immigration authority is claiming exigent circumstances and any other consideration identified by legal counsel and (c) permit other school personnel to direct such federal immigration authority who requests access to any records, information, the interior of the school building or other school personnel to communicate with the administrator designated to interact with the federal immigration authority.

The Act further prohibits such public-school entities (and endowed/incorporated academies) from disciplining or otherwise punishing an employee or an administrator for implementing the protocols of the school security and safety plan relating to interactions with a federal immigration authority or taking any of the actions described in the school security plan, as amended, during an interaction with a federal immigration authority.

Nonlapsing, Unexpended Fund Accounts

Public Act 25-175:  An Act Revising The Effective Dates Of Provisions Regarding Certain Municipal Referenda And Equity Joint Ventures And Concerning Contracts With The Department Of Developmental Services, The Commissioner Of Education's Network Of Schools, The Reporting Of Certain School District Financial Information, The Failure To File For Certain Grand List Exemptions And The Deferrals Of Certain Towns' Real Property Revaluations.  Among other changes, commencing with the 2025-26 school year this Act requires each local board of education to compile a report regarding its nonlapsing, unexpended funds account (often referred to as 2% nonlapsing accounts), that includes, but is not limited to, the total balance of the account, the amount deposited into such account in a fiscal year and an accounting of the expenditures made from such account, and submit such report to the SDE.  This Act provides that each regional board of education shall make available, and annually update, information regarding its "reserve fund for educational expenditures," including, but not limited to, the total balance of the fund, the amount deposited into such fund in a fiscal year and an accounting of the expenditures made from such fund.

Relatedly, Public Act 25-93 mandates that effective July 1, 2025, local boards of education include the balance of any nonlapsing, unexpended fund account in the annual report of the board of education that must be submitted to the local municipality per Conn. Gen. Stat. §10-224.  Parenthetically, Public Act 25-175 repealed a provision that had initially been included in Public Act 25-93 which would have required reporting on the annual balance of non-lapsing accounts to the school district’s certified employee bargaining agents.

Children of Military Servicemembers

Public Act 25-15:  An Act Concerning Various Measures Recognizing And Honoring The Military Service Of Veterans And Members Of The Armed Forces In Connecticut.  Among other things this Act provides that effective July 1, 2025, if, after the start of a school year, a child of a member of the armed forces enrolls in a Connecticut public school as a result of such member having received military orders directing him or her to the state or any other documents from the armed forces indicating the transfer of such member to the state, and such child enrolls with an IEP or Section 504 plan from such child's prior school, the school district shall take necessary steps, including, but not limited to, the transfer of any records and prior evaluations, the performance of any reevaluations and, not later than 30 school days after such child's enrollment, the holding of any PPT meeting or Section 504 team meeting for such child, to ensure a minimally disruptive transition to the provision of comparable services.

In addition, this Act revises the residency statutes so as to provide that if a child of a member of the armed forces is enrolled in a public school in a Connecticut town, and such member has received military orders directing such member from such town or any other documents from the armed forces indicating a change of residency from such town during the school year, the child may continue to be enrolled in such school until the end of the school year while such member remains a member of the armed forces, except that any such child in grade eleven may continue to be enrolled in such school for an additional school year while such member remains a member of the armed forces.

School and Libraries

The Implementer Act – Public Act 25-168 – mandates that commencing with the 2025-26 school year each board of education, after consulting with the superintendent of schools, the director of curriculum and a librarian employed by the board, shall adopt a: 1) collection development and maintenance policy, 2) library display and program policy and 3) library material review and reconsideration policy.  Each such policy shall ensure that all library materials are evaluated and made accessible in accordance with state law protections against discrimination.  In developing each policy, the board shall have control over the policy content and shall review, and update as necessary, each such policy every five years. 

The Act sets forth minimum requires for these mandated policies, including procedures to govern challenges to materials, such as: 1) the library and other educational materials, displays and student programs “shall only be excluded for legitimate pedagogical purposes or for professionally accepted standards of collection maintenance practices as adopted in” the foregoing policies, 2) prohibiting the removal, exclusion or censoring of any book on the sole basis that a person with a vested interest finds such book offensive, and 3) providing that once a decision has been made on the reconsideration of any library material, such material cannot be subject to a new request for reconsideration for a period of three years. The Act contains similar provisions with respect to public libraries, and further provides that such libraries will not be eligible for certain state grants unless they have these policies in place.

Public Act 25-9: An Act Prohibiting Libraries from Agreeing to Certain Terms in Electronic Book and Digital Audiobook License Agreements or Contracts.  This Act is designed to build bargaining power amongst libraries across the country for the purpose of reforming current e-book licensing practices, where libraries often pay several times the print price for e-books that must be re-purchased after 26 loans or two years—terms the Act seeks to eliminate by prohibiting contracts that impose both loan limits and time-based restrictions simultaneously.  As such, while the Act technically became effective July 1, 2025, its operative provisions will only take effect once one or more states with a combined population of at least seven million enact similar laws.

The Act applies to all public libraries in Connecticut – including school libraries – if they have received any public funding (including grants or subsidies). It becomes enforceable no later than 30 days after the Secretary of the State, in consultation with the State Librarian, makes the required determination that the seven million person threshold described above has been met and provides notification of the same.

Once in effect, the Act prohibits all publicly-supported libraries in the state from entering into or renewing any contract or license agreement with a publisher that precludes, limits, or restricts the library from performing customary operational or lending functions, including any provision that restricts the availability of electronic library material.

School Security

PA 25-102:  An Act Concerning School Emergency Response Systems.  This Act allows boards of education, regional educational service centers, state charter schools, the technical high school system, endowed high schools or academies and private schools to use funds from the school security infrastructure competitive grant program to purchase hardware associated with emergency response communications systems and personal emergency communication devices for school personnel.

Public Act No. 25-157:  An Act Concerning The Department Of Emergency Services And Public Protection's Recommendations Regarding Firearm Information, Security Officers, Firearm Transfers And School Security Grants And The Fire Marshal Training Council, The Commission On Fire Prevention And Control And The Codes And Standards Committee.  Effective October 1, 2025, this Act implements a variety of recommendations from the Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection (DESPP). Most notably, the Act modifies the structure and qualification criteria for grants aimed at strengthening security in schools by requiring that applicants for the school security infrastructure grant program conduct a school assessment using guidelines established by the Division of Emergency Management and Homeland Security within the DESPP.  The Act also sets a cap on DESPP’s use of the program’s funds for school security projects that involve multimedia interoperable communications systems.

Bleeding Control Training and Kits

Public Act 25-160: An Act Concerning Bleeding Control Training and Kits.  This Act, which became effective July 1, 2025, establishes a framework for district health departments to implement a bleeding control training program modeled after the American College of Surgeons Committee on Trauma guidelines. Participants who successfully complete the program will be certified and authorized to train others in bleeding control techniques.  Eligible participants for the training program include school employees, members of local police departments and board of education members, amongst others.

The Act also authorizes – but does not appear to mandate – the installation of bleeding control kits in public buildings including schools.  Kits must be centrally located, clearly visible, and easily accessible. They may be placed in cabinets or cases that house automated external defibrillators (AEDs), which must be clearly marked as containing a bleeding control kit.

Epinephrine and Glucagon Administration

Public Act 25-143:  An Act Implementing the Recommendations of the Office of Early Childhood, Department of Education and the Technical Education and Career System and Concerning the Administration of Epinephrine and Glucagon. With respect to the administration of epinephrine and glucagon to students by qualified school employees, effective with the 2025-26 school year, this Act amends the law to provide that epinephrine and glucagon may be administered to students via nasal spray or other medical equipment approved by the Food and Drug Administration instead of just cartridge injectors.

Alliance District Educator and Counselor Loan Subsidy Program

PA 25-105:  An Act Expanding The Alliance District Educator and Counselor Loan Subsidy Program And The High Priority Occupation Loan Subsidy Program.  This Act, which became effective July 1, 2025, expands who is eligible to participate in the alliance district educator and counselor loan subsidy program and renames the program as the “Alliance District Loan Subsidy Program.”  The Act now applies to teachers, paraeducators and school counselors who are employed by a board of education or a technical education and career school in a school district designated as an alliance district, and individuals who are employed in a high priority occupation by a board of education or a technical education and career school in a school district designated as an alliance district. 

The Act directs the SDE to consult with the Connecticut Higher Education Supplemental Loan Authority (CHESLA) to designate as high priority occupations under the program those occupations that promote the health, welfare or education of residents of municipalities with a school district designated as an alliance district, have a high demand for their services and are experiencing or are projected to experience a workforce shortage that may affect the level of services provided.

Early Childhood

Public Act No. 25–93:  An Act Increasing Resources For Students, Schools And Special Education.  Among other things this Act creates (as discussed above) an Early Childhood Education Endowment (and sets forth rules for its administration and release of funds).  All changes became effective July 1, 2025, unless otherwise noted.

The Early Education Endowment

Public Act 25-93 establishes the Early Childhood Education Endowment, funds it with transfers of unappropriated surplus, and requires the State Treasurer to administer the Endowment. The Act authorizes the Treasurer, in consultation with the Early Childhood Education Endowment Advisory board, to authorize the release of funds from the Endowment for fiscal years ending June 30, 2026, and June 30, 2027, not to exceed 12% of the total amount of the endowment to the Commissioner of Early Childhood to be used in accordance with the Act. For the fiscal year ending June 30, 2028, the amount released is not to exceed 10%. The Act directs the Commissioner to expend funds received for the following purposes for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2026:  1) up to 8% of such released funds for administrative costs (costs relating to personnel, including salary and fringe benefits of the employees of offices responsible for administering the program, and data and technology needs),  and 2) of any remaining released funds, $300,000 for the health insurance subsidy program, and expansion costs and programmatic costs.

The Act specifies that any funds from the Endowment released to the Commissioner shall “1) Supplement and not supplant any other local, state or federal funds otherwise available for early childhood care and education; 2) Not be comingled with any state or federal funding received under the child care development block grant pursuant to the Child Care and Development Block Grant Act of 1990; and 3) Not lapse if not expended by the Commissioner at the end of the fiscal year and shall be transferred to the Treasurer and deposited in the endowment.” The Act further provides the entities that the Commissioner may expend release funds to for the fiscal year June 30, 2026, including “to any early care and education program providing childcare services, or preschool program operated by a local or regional board of education” that meets additional requirements.  

The Early Childhood Education Endowment Advisory Board, Commissioner, and Treasurer Responsibilities

Public Act 25-93 creates the Early Childhood Education Endowment Advisory Board to oversee the endowment's administration, ensure that the funds are expended as per the Act, review expenditure plans, review the outcomes of such expenditures and prepare reports and recommendations for the General Assembly concerning the endowment.  The Act also dictates the members of the Advisory Board and directs that all initial appointments shall be made not later than September 1, 2025.

The Act further establishes the responsibilities of the Commissioner of Early Education in regard to the endowment, including submitting recommendations to the Advisory Board and preparing an impact analysis of the endowment every five years. The Act then directs the Advisory Board to develop the recommendations received by the Commissioner concerning the expansion of permissible expenditures from the endowment funds.

The Act grants various powers to the Treasurer on behalf of the Endowment, including receiving and investing moneys in the endowment, entering into contractual agreements, procuring insurance in connection with Endowment property, adopting regulations, suing and being sued, establishing funds within the Endowment, and taking any action necessary to carry out the purposes of the Endowment. The Act further directs the Treasurer as to how funds from the endowment are to be spent and how the funds are to be invested to achieve the objectives of the endowment. Specifically, the Act provides that the Treasurer shall invest the amounts on deposit in the Early Childhood Education Endowment in a manner “reasonable and appropriate” to achieve the objectives of the endowment and specifies that the endowment is not required to invest directly in obligations of the state or any political subdivision of the state or in any investment or other fund administered by the Treasurer.

Repeal of Reading Instruction Survey

Public Act 25-143 repealed the mandate that boards of education require certain early childhood teachers to take a biennial survey developed by the SDE on reading instruction.  Furthermore, the Act now exempts previous results from such surveys from the FOIA’s disclosure requirements.

Health Insurance Subsidy Program

Public Act 25-93 provides that the Connecticut Health Insurance Exchange must study the level of need for coverage under a health benefit plan that exists for employees of early care and education programs for the purpose of modeling and estimating the cost of operating a health insurance subsidy program for such employees. The Act provides that the study should include, at a minimum, data from the Office of Early Childhood (OEC) and other resources to assess 1) the size and demographics of the population of such employees, 2) the number of such employees without coverage under a health benefit plan, and 3) any other information required to effectively model and estimate the cost of such program.

The Act further provides that the Connecticut Health Insurance Exchange and the Office of Early Childhood shall jointly establish, for the 2027 Fiscal Year, a health insurance subsidy program for employees of early care and education programs and sets requirements for the program and a process for potential funding through the Early Childhood Education Endowment. It further specifies that the eligibility criteria for the health insurance subsidy program will include, but not be limited to, the employee 1) being ineligible for Medicaid, and 2) applying for and accepting all available income tax credits, employer contributions, and other subsidies applicable to the cost of a health benefit plan. The Act provides that the program will be developed based on the study completed by the Connecticut Health Insurance Exchange.

More on Early Childhood

Public Act No. 25-82:  An Act Concerning Early Childhood Care And Education.  Under this Act, the OEC will develop an electronic portal by July 1, 2028, that will seek to improve access to early childhood care and education, as it enables parents to access information about early childhood programs throughout the state, submit enrollment details, and apply for childcare subsidies.  In addition, per the Act, the OEC must implement a prospective payment system for the childcare subsidy program by July 1, 2027, and issue recommendations on cost drivers and affordability of liability insurance for childcare centers by July 1, 2026.

Further, the Act amends existing regulations for childcare providers, requiring them to provide more detailed information to maintain reimbursement eligibility, such as the type of business entity and the names of all officers and owners.  The Act introduces a temporary endorsement for family childcare homes to care for up to twelve children under specific conditions.

Also, the Act supports expectant mothers through a one-year pilot program, which focuses on low-income families and provides expectant mothers with information on childcare services and financial assistance. Under the pilot program, hospitals are required to compile tailored documents listing local childcare centers and financial assistance options, which must be disseminated electronically by January 1, 2026. 

In addition to the grant changes described above, the Implementer Act – Public Act 25-168 – removes a requirement that the OEC make a general administrative payment of $200 to providers for each child with an individualized family service plan and whose plan accounts for less than nine hours of service during such billing month.

The Implementer Act also eliminates an obsolete provision that places the OEC within the SDE.

Public Act 25-143 modifies early childhood education and supervision requirements by clarifying that a “designated qualified staff member” who is qualifying as such by being enrolled in a higher education institution to earn an early childhood bachelor’s degree must be supervised by an on-site staff teacher or administrator who has a bachelor’s degree or higher with an early childhood concentration. The Act further requires that an associate’s degree-designated qualified staff member now be supervised by an on-site staff teacher or administrator who has a bachelor’s degree or higher with a concentration in early childhood education, rather than by solely a bachelor’s degree-designated qualified staff member. It also removes a provision allowing for off-site supervision of an associate’s degree-designated staff member, but still allows for off-site supervision if the associate’s degree-designated staff member works at a family child care home.

Finally, the Act makes various changes affecting Early Start CT’s local and regional governance partnerships, sliding fee scale, and state allocation, including that it extends by two years, from July 1, 2025, to July 1, 2027, the date by which OEC must establish a sliding fee scale for families enrolled in programs under Early Start CT.

Chronic Absenteeism

Public Act 25-93 updates the SDE’s chronic absenteeism prevention and intervention plan by requiring that it incorporate the findings of the most recent report on disconnected youth and the use of an early indication tool to quickly identify students who are at risk for becoming chronically absent from school.

Superintendent Reports

Public Act 25-93 also requires the Superintendent to provide at a regularly scheduled meeting of the board of education the following:

1. The number and names of all community-based organizations with whom the board has executed a formal memorandum of understanding, memorandum of agreement or contract to provide support services to students in the school district, disaggregated by school and type of support service provided;
2. The workforce development programs offered by the board to students in which the board has partnered with an outside entity, (including cooperatives, internships, in-school job training programs provided by businesses and in-school workforce board presentations); and
3. Attrition data for certified and noncertified staff, disaggregated by school and subject, not including in-district transfers.

Homeless Education Liaisons

Public Act 25-93 requires school districts to contact their local homeless education liaisons prior to an expulsion or suspension hearing to determine if the student is homeless.  It further requires that, if it is determined that such student is a homeless child or youth, the district consider the impact of homelessness on the behavior of the pupil during the hearing and provides that no such pupil may be expelled without a plan of interventions and supports to mitigate the impact of homelessness on the behavior of the student.

Network of Schools Program

Public Act 25-175 (revising Public Act 25-93) essentially terminates the Commissioner’s Network of Schools in that 1) no new schools may be added to the Network after July 1, 2025, and 2) schools participating in the Network may continue participating no more than an additional two years. 

Department of Children and Families (DCF)

Public Act No. 25-116:  An Act Concerning the Recommendations of the Department of Children and Families.  This Act makes several changes to the statutes regarding the DCF. Most relevant here, the Act expands the definition of a "childcare facility" for purposes of licensure by DCF to include certain congregate care settings for individuals who require special education, until the end of the school year in which such individuals turn 22 years of age.

Municipal Revenue Sharing Account Spending “Cap”

Public Act 25-3:  An Act Excluding April 20, 2025 From the Period of Early Voting Prior to the Day of a Special Election and Suspending the Municipal Revenue Sharing Account Spending Cap.  Relevant to municipalities and boards of education, this Act suspends implementation of the so-called municipal revenue sharing account spending “cap” for the 2025-26 fiscal year.  By way of background, the municipal revenue sharing grant is a state grant program that makes proportional grant payments to municipalities based on a formula that weights various factors including mill rate and population.  Municipal revenue sharing grants are subject to available state appropriations after other statutory grants are paid to municipalities, and in fiscal years 2023-24 and 2024-25 no municipal revenue sharing grant funds were distributed to municipalities due to insufficient funding.

The municipal revenue sharing grant cap reduces the amount of the grant payable to a municipality if the municipality’s “adopted budget expenditures” for the year are greater than 2.5% or the rate of inflation, whichever is greater.  Municipal revenue sharing grants for municipalities that are over the cap are reduced by fifty cents for every dollar spent over the cap.

Bail Bondsmen on School Grounds

Public Act No. 25-25 An Act Prohibiting A Bail Bondsman Or Agent From Apprehending A Principal on The Premises, Grounds Or Campus Of Any Health Care Facility, School, Institution Of Higher Education Or House Of Worship.  By way of background, a “principal” on a bond refers to an individual who is responsible for fulfilling the terms of a bond – i.e., a person awaiting criminal trial who is released after a bond is posted ensuring their return to court at a later date. Under this Act, a bondsman or bail enforcement agent cannot take a “principal” on a bond into custody at a public or private school or on public or private school grounds.  Accordingly, this Act prohibits a bondsman from taking any person into custody on school grounds (parents, students, staff, etc.).

Connecticut Technical Education and Career System (CTECS)

Public Act 25-128:  An Act Concerning Instructors For An Airframe And Powerplant Certificate Program.  This Act, which became effective on July 1, 2025, requires the Connecticut Technical Education and Career System (CTECS) to permit any person to be an instructor in its airframe and powerplant certificate program if they meet the requirements specified in the applicable federal regulations, and hold an airframe and powerplant certificate, with at least ten years of experience as an aerospace technician. The Act specifically provides that it should NOT be construed to require a person to hold any certification or endorsement from the SDE to be an instructor for an airframe and powerplant certificate program.

Freedom of Information Act (FOIA)

Public Act 25-124:  An Act Concerning An Amendment To The Freedom Of Information Act Concerning Education Records.  This Act, which took effect on July 1, 2025, makes a technical correction to the Freedom of Information Act’s exemption for education  records which are not subject to disclosure under the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) by replacing the term “educational records” with “education records”, and therefore ties this FOIA-disclosure exemption to the version of FERPA as it existed on January 3, 2012 (i.e., the last time that FERPA was revised).

Special Education

Much discussion has occurred over the years concerning the costs of special education, including concerns about the amount of monies spent by school districts on out-of-district placements.  As such, a focus of the General Assembly in 2025 (via Public Act 25-67 and Public Act 25-93) was to 1) impose cost controls upon providers of special education, and 2) encourage school districts to develop in-district programming in lieu of such out-of-district placements.  Time will tell if these efforts achieve their desired effect.  

Public Act 25–67: An Act Concerning The Quality And Delivery Of Special Education Services In Connecticut.   This Act makes significant revisions to the laws governing special education in Connecticut as outlined below.  All changes became effective July 1, 2025 unless otherwise noted.

“Developmental Delay”

Public Act 25-67 expands eligibility for special education and related services under the classification of “developmental delay” to students between the ages of three to eight (thus increasing eligibility from the prior age five cut-off). 

Rates and “Charging Entities”

Public Act 25-67 contains numerous provisions governing the rates and payments for special education services provided by any “charging entity,” which is defined as including an approved private provider of special education services, regional educational service center (RESC), operator of an interdistrict magnet school program, state charter school, a cooperative arrangement, a board of education operating an outplacement program or as part of the statewide interdistrict public school “Open Choice” attendance program, or a provider of special education transportation services.

Rate Increases During a School Year? No (Generally): Public Act 25-67 provides that commencing with the 2025-2026 school year, any such charging entity generally may not increase the amount charged to a local or regional board of education for a service provided pursuant to an individualized education program (IEP) for a student during a school year, except a charging entity may increase or lower the total amount charged if it adds or decreases the services provided due to a change in a student's IEP.  The SDE may permit (upon request) a charging entity to increase the amount it charges if there is a substantial increase in costs for the services being provided for a student, or of the operation of such charging entity.  The Commissioner of the SDE shall review each request and provide a written decision on such request not later than 60 days after receipt.

Rate Setting:  Public Act 25-67 sets forth mechanisms for setting rates, including some differences between the process for “private” and “public” providers for special education. A “public provider” is defined as including a RESC, operator of an interdistrict magnet school program, state charter school, a cooperative arrangement, or a board of education operating an outplacement program or as part of the statewide interdistrict public school attendance program.

Rates for Related Services By Any Entity (and Special Education By Public Providers): By no later than January 1, 2028, Public Act 25-67 requires the SDE, in consultation with the Office of Policy and Management (OPM), to establish a rate schedule for related services provided by any charging entity pursuant to an IEP (including, but not limited to, speech, behavioral and occupational therapies) and all costs charged to a board of education related to the provision of special education services, excluding special education transportation services, provided by a public provider of special education services.  In setting these rates, the SDE is required to consult with stakeholders and education officials in other states with experience in establishing rates/rate schedules for special education and related services and take into account the operating expenses of the charging entities, the costs paid by boards of education, the educator-to-student ratio of the environment in which the special education or related service is being delivered, the professional qualifications of the service provider and any other considerations the SDE deems relevant. The rate schedule shall be accompanied by standards for billing that describe how the charging entity's operational expenses should be proportionally and appropriately attributed to the services provided to individual students. The SDE shall (at least biennially) review the rate schedule and billing standards and revise them as necessary.

Following the establishment of each rate, the SDE shall notify each board of education of the rates and post the rates on the SDE's website not later than January 1 following the setting of the rates; any such rate shall become effective on July 1 following such posting. While the SDE has the discretion to set rates for any charging entity or public provider of special education for special education services that would be effective for the 2026-2027 and 2027-2028 school years (provided they were posted by the preceding January 1), at the latest, rates must be set and posted by the SDE by January 1, 2028, and must be effective no later than July 1, 2028.  The Act further requires the SDE to submit the rate schedules to the General Assembly’s Education and Appropriations Committees.  The Act provides that any amount charged to and paid by a board of education for special education and related services that exceeds the rate amount established by the SDE shall not be eligible for excess cost reimbursement or the new special education and expansion development grant.

Rates for Private Providers and Their Special Education Services: Public Act 25-67 requires the Commissioner of Education to consult with approved nonprofit (and for-profit) private providers of special education services for the purpose of developing proposed rates for special education services (excluding transportation services) for all such approved private providers.  By December 31, 2027, the Commissioner is required to develop proposed individual rates for each special education service (excluding transportation services) for all approved private providers, except that, similar to the process with public providers, the Commissioner has the discretion to develop such rates that would be effective for the 2026-2027 and 2027-2028 school years. The Commissioner shall submit all such proposed rates not later than January 1 following such development to the General Assembly for approval or disapproval. If the General Assembly fails to approve or disapprove such proposed rates on or before the March 15 after submission, such proposed rates shall be deemed approved.  Any proposed rate that is approved by the General Assembly or deemed approved shall become effective on July 1 following such approval.

Model Contracts with Private Providers (and RESCs)

Public Act 25-67 provides that any contract entered into or amended on or after July 1, 2026, between a local or regional board of education and an approved private provider of special education services shall be in accordance with the afore-mentioned rates or rate schedules.

The SDE shall establish separate model contracts for the placement of a student with an approved private provider of special education services and with a RESC.  Not later than July 1, 2026, the SDE shall make these model contracts available to boards of education for their use.

Transportation Services and Billing Standards

Per Public Act 25-67, not later than January 1, 2027, the SDE shall develop, and update as necessary, billing standards for the costs charged to boards of education for special education transportation services provided by providers of special education transportation services to and from special education outplacements.  For purposes of the Act, a “provider of special education transportation services” is defined as “an entity that contracts with a board of education to provide transportation for students receiving special education and related services in an educational placement or facility that is not under the jurisdiction of such board of education, to and from the location of such educational placement or facility.”  Beginning with the 2027-28 school year, all costs for special education transportation services to and from special education outplacements provided by providers of special education transportation services charged to a board of education shall be in accordance with these billing standards.  Not later than January 1, 2027, and annually thereafter, the SDE shall submit such billing standards to the General Assembly’s Education Committee; the SDE shall also notify each board of education of these billing standards and post them on the SDE's website.

Reasonable Costs

Public Act 25-67 provides that for purposes of determining the “reasonable costs” associated with the provision of special education and related services for Open Choice programs, charter school operators and magnet school operators (which can be charged back to the sending school districts), private providers of special education, excess cost calculations and state agency placements for non–special education reasons: 1) on and after July 1, 2026, “reasonable costs” means the amount allowed to be charged to a board of education by a charging entity under the special education and related services rate schedules, and 2) on and after July 1, 2025, there shall be no presumption that “reasonable costs” means the actual cost incurred for the provision of special education and related services pursuant to a student's Individualized Education Program (IEP).

Special Education Development Grant

Beginning with the 2025-26 school year, Public Act 25-67 entitles each board of education to a new “special education development grant.”  The grant must be extended for “education purposes,” defined as the direct provision of special education and related services to students, Tier 2 interventions, academic and behavioral interventions, the hiring and salaries of special education teachers, paraeducators and behavioral and reading specialists who work directly with students, equipment purchases, and maintenance and curriculum materials.  It does not include any administrative functions or operating expenses related to the provision of special education and related services, or special education and related services provided by any third-party contractor. The Act sets the formula for grant calculation for the fully funded grant, subject to reduction due to lack of available appropriations. If a board receives an increase in funds under this grant over the amount it received for the prior fiscal year, such increase shall not be used to supplant funding for special education purposes. The budgeted appropriation for special education for any board receiving an increase in funds shall be not less than the amount appropriated for special education for the prior year plus such increase in funds. Any board that does not use these grant funds appropriately (i.e., if it does not use them exclusively for special education purposes or if it uses the grant funds to supplant local funding) may be required to forfeit two times the amount of the violation.  Each board of education shall submit an annual expenditure report to the Commissioner of Education. Such report shall include a summary and itemization of how grant funds received were expended during the prior fiscal year for the direct provision of special education and related services to students, including whether such grant was used to hire any new special education teachers, paraeducators or behavioral or reading specialists. An exception exists for any board that receives a special education development grant less than $10,000 in any fiscal year; that board shall not be responsible for submitting a report for that fiscal year.

Licensure Standards For Private Providers Of Special Education Services

Public Act 25-67 requires the SDE to develop licensure standards for private providers of special education services in the state that shall include, but need not be limited to, the application and review process for licensure, periods for initial licensure and license renewal, minimum requirements based on the type of special education services provided, and a fee of $5,000 for each application for initial licensure and $1,500 for each application for a license renewal.  Not later than January 1, 2026, the SDE shall submit to the General Assembly’s Education Committee  the licensure standards that it developed and any legislative recommendations to implement such standards.

Random Site Visits

On and after July 1, 2027, Public Act 25-67 provides that the SDE shall conduct annual unannounced on-site visits of randomly selected sites located in the state at which a RESC is providing special education services or a private provider of special education services is providing special education services pursuant to a contract with a board of education for such school year, whether or not such private provider is approved by the Commissioner of Education. Such site visit shall include, but need not be limited to, review of documentation of employee qualifications and compliance with certification and in-service training requirements relevant to each employee, review of proof of completion of a criminal history and child abuse and neglect registry check for each employee, administration of a questionnaire to the parents or legal guardians of students receiving special education services from the RESC or private provider concerning the quality of services and review of student outcomes, including attendance data and rates of restraint and seclusion. 

Not later than ten business days following the site visit, the Commissioner of Education shall notify such RESC or private provider in writing of the findings from the site visit and any required corrective actions.  Each RESC or private provider that receives written findings of a site visit with required corrective actions shall submit to the SDE written proof of compliance with the corrective actions not later than 30 days following receipt of these findings.  Any RESC or private provider that does not submit proof of compliance by this deadline shall be fined not more than $100 per day for each day of noncompliance with this requirement.  No board of education shall knowingly place any additional students who require special education services with a RESC or private provider that is not in compliance with these provisions.  Not later than 15 days following the submission or receipt of the afore-mentioned written records, the SDE shall, in a manner compliant with FERPA, post such written record on its website and send such written record to the Child Advocate and each board of education that has placed a student for special education services with the RESC or the private provider that is the subject of such written record.

Transfers of Students

Public Act 25-67 provides that no board of education, interdistrict magnet school operator, governing council of a state or local charter school or private provider of special education services that receives an out-of-district placement of a student who receives special education services through an agreement or contract with a sending board of education shall transfer such student to any other school or facility, unless upon initiation of the sending board of education or upon the request of a student’s parent or guardian, or such student (if 18 years of age or older or an emancipated minor), the sending board holds a PPT meeting for the purpose of determining the appropriateness of such transfer, and the PPT determines that the transfer is more appropriate for the educational needs of such student than the current out-of-district placement.  A representative of the board of education, interdistrict magnet school operator, governing council of a state or local charter school or private provider of special education services that has received such out-of-district student placement shall be invited to attend and participate in such PPT meeting but may not request that such PPT meeting be held.

School District Reports

Under Public Act 25-67 not later than June 30, 2026, and annually thereafter, each board of education shall report to the SDE the placement of each student receiving special education services for which such board is paying any portion of the cost.  The report shall include 1) whether the placement is the result of a PPT decision, settlement agreement or special education due process hearing, 2) what type of entity is the placement at issue, 3) the amount being paid by the board, 4) the special education services being provided, 5) the location of the facility at which such services are being provided, 6) the total number of any agreements such board enters into with a student, parent or guardian during the preceding school year that included provisions for nondisclosure of special education services or a waiver of the rights to which such student, parent or guardian is entitled pursuant to the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, and 7) any other information requested by the SDE. The SDE shall disaggregate and annually report such information, in a manner that complies with the requirements of FERPA on its special education data system.

BIPs, FBAs and Certain Outplacements

On and after September 1, 2025, Public Act 25-67 requires that prior to placing any student in an out-of-district placement due to a student’s “challenging behavior” (as defined in the school climate statutes), each board of education shall conduct a functional behavior assessment (FBA) and develop or update a behavioral intervention plan (BIP) for such student.  However, an FBA and BIP shall not be required if the time required to conduct the FBA or develop or update the BIP would put the safety of such student, any other student or any staff at such student's school at risk.  Not later than two business days following the decision to not conduct an FBA or develop/update a BIP, the board shall file a notice with the SDE of its reasons for such inaction.  Not later than September 1, 2025, the SDE shall develop guidance for boards to determine circumstances in which the time required to conduct an FBA and develop/update a BIP would put at risk the safety of any student or school staff.

Committee Reports

Public Act 25-67 provides that not later than January 1, 2027, the Transforming Children's Behavioral Health Policy and Planning Committee (the Committee) shall submit a report to the General Assembly’s Education Committee and Committee on Children regarding its examination of and recommendations for behavioral health issues impacting students in the state receiving special education. This report must include but is not limited to, the behavioral intervention methods utilized by private providers of special education services and the feasibility and impact of requiring such private providers to utilize evidence-based interventions that are proactive and highly individualized, as well as best practices for the monitoring and random audits by the SDE of the use of physical restraint and seclusion for students receiving special education.  Such best practices with respect to such restraint and seclusion shall include, but not be limited to: 1) best practices for ensuring the accuracy and consistency of the annual compilation of incidents of restraint and seclusions reported to the SDE, 2) intervention by the SDE in schools and special education programs that report a high incidence of restraint and seclusion, 3) enforcement of the laws relating to restraint and seclusion, such as through site visits of seclusion spaces and review of incident reports and parental notifications, 4) mandatory training of staff and administrators to reduce reliance on restraint and seclusion, and 5) development of uniform rules or regulations applicable to restraint and seclusion of any student.  The SDE shall submit, in a manner that complies with FERPA, all data and information requested by the Committee in compiling the report.

Building Educational Responsibility with Greater Improvement Networks (BERGIN) Commission 

Public Act 25-67 expands the BERGIN Commission’s responsibilities.  The Act will require the Commission to conduct a “needs-based” study to determine if additional special education programs and services are required in the state to meet student demand and will require the Commission to review approved and nonapproved public and private special education schools and the programs and services provided by such schools, including whether the schools maintain a waitlist.  The Act further requires the Commission to develop and recommend a new methodology that the SDE shall use when reviewing applications submitted by a private provider of special education services. 

The Act requires the Commission to study and consider recommendations for the creation of a “peer review” process that will periodically review the special education program in each school district in an effort to share best practices to duplicate or model in other districts with similar special education and student needs.

The Act requires the Commission to develop recommendations for standards for measuring the effectiveness of the delivery of special education services by school districts and a system of publicly acknowledging those districts that are consistently meeting or exceeding such standards, as well as those that are not meeting or are below such standards.

The Act additionally requires the Commission to examine the current utilization and implementation of Tier 2 interventions of multitiered systems of supports and scientific research-based interventions in public schools. The Commission must also identify any potential benefits of implementing Tier 2 interventions and any barriers to such implementation and make recommendations to improve implementation.

The Act also requires the Commission to review and recommend changes to the SDE's Connecticut Special Education Data System (CT–SEDS).  Such review shall, at a minimum, consider the accessibility and usability of CT–SEDS by educators and parents and guardians of students and any requirements of CT–SEDS that exceed statutory and regulatory requirements for IEPs.

The Act also requires the Commission, in consultation with the Office of Health Strategy, Office of the Healthcare Advocate and Department of Social Services, to conduct a study to determine if certain special education services can be billed to Medicaid or other private insurance.

The Act requires the Commission to conduct a study concerning access to respite care for families of children with disabilities in the state.

The Act further revises the composition of the Commission and sets forth a December 1, 2026 deadline for the Commission to issue its reports to the General Assembly.  

Finally, the Commission shall review and make recommendations for legislation concerning the implementation of the proposed “state-wide special education workload analysis model,” as further described in this Act. 

Statewide Special Education Workload Analysis Model

Public Act 25-67 also requires the Commissioner of Education, in consultation with the BERGIN Commission, to develop a proposed statewide special education workload analysis model for teachers and school service providers implementing a student's IEP in the provision of special education and related services. The proposed model shall establish standards that limit the workload of teachers and service providers, and include provisions addressing the severity of the needs of the student contained in the student's IEP, the level and frequency of services necessary for a student to achieve the goals and objectives contained in the IEP and the time required for planning services, evaluations, including classroom observations, coordination of services required by the IEP, staff development, follow-up and traveling to and from different locations in the provision of special education and related services. “Workload” is defined as the number of students with an IEP for which a teacher or school service provider is responsible, and the time required to effectively implement each IEP.  The Commissioner of Education shall not later than July 1, 2026, submit the proposed statewide special education workload analysis model to the BERGIN Commission and the General Assembly’s Education and Appropriations Committees and not later than September 1, 2026, make such proposed model available through CT–SEDS. Stay tuned.

CT-SEDS

Public Act 25-67 requires the Commissioner of Education to develop a report on the functions of CT–SEDS that provides explanations regarding the purpose of each field in the data system, how the data and information in each field is used, how each field relates to student outcomes, and identifies which field or data and information collected by the data system exceeds the requirements of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act.  Not later than January 1, 2026, the Commissioner shall submit the report to the BERGIN Commission and the General Assembly’s Education Committee.

Due Process Hearings

Among other things, Public Act 25-67 amends special education due process procedures for hearings. It requires that at least five business days prior to the start of a hearing, in addition to disclosing all documentary evidence a party plans to present and a list of witnesses a party plans to call at the hearing, and all completed evaluations and recommendations based on the evaluations that a party intends to use at the hearing, each party must also disclose by that same deadline all claims it will raise at the hearing.  The Act empowers (but does not require) a hearing officer to bar a party who fails to make this disclosure from raising such claims at the hearing.  The Act explicitly requires due process hearing officers to consider all evaluations presented and used during the hearing, and further provides that the hearing officer shall limit the amount of time for the offering of testimony or arguments to four days unless there is good cause for the presentation of additional testimony or arguments.  If a party makes such a request to present additional testimony or arguments the hearing officer must issue a written decision on the issue.

The Act also requires that the written decision by the hearing officer on the ultimate issue in dispute must now (in light of the least restrictive environment mandate) include specific findings of fact determining whether the school district has made reasonable efforts to accommodate the child in a regular classroom, the educational benefits available to the child in a regular classroom, with appropriate supplementary aids and services, as compared to the benefits provided in a special education classroom, the possible negative effects on the provision of education to other students in a classroom if the child is included in such classroom and whether the school has included the child in school programs with nondisabled students to the maximum extent appropriate.

IEP Revisions

Not later than January 1, 2026, Public Act 25-67 requires the Commissioner of Education to update the IEP form to remove the list of the individuals who will be implementing the IEP.

SDE Website Data (and Excess Cost Grant Projections)

Not later than February 28, 2026, and annually thereafter, Public Act 25-67 provides that the Commissioner of Education shall make the following available on the SDE website:

1) Data relating to the special education and expansion development grant, disaggregated by the total number of special education students statewide and by each school district, state aid percentage and total grant paid to each board of education;

2) Student-level data relating to the students who are included in a board's December 1 filing for excess cost grants, including, but not limited to, the school district, net current expenditures per pupil threshold for each district, total anticipated costs above a district's net current expenditures per pupil threshold, total anticipated costs for transportation, tuition and any room and board, facility code and grant type category, provided such data does not contain any personally identifiable information of such students and is in accordance with FERPA; and

3) Statewide student population data relating to those students who are included in a board's December 1 excess cost grant filing, including, but not limited to, the number of students by status as a multilingual learner, qualifying primary disability, the age categories, and each facility and average number of tuition days, provided such data does not contain any personally identifiable information of such students and is compliant with FERPA.

The Act provides that not later than January 30, 2026, and March 30, 2026 (and each January 30  and March 30 thereafter), the Commissioner shall submit the following information concerning annual projections for excess cost grants to be paid to each board of education to the General Assembly’s Education and Appropriations Committees as well as the General Assembly’s Office of Fiscal Analysis: 1) The total amount a board is eligible to be paid under the excess cost grant program, 2) the board's net current expenditures per pupil threshold, 3) the board's tiered reimbursement percentage under the excess cost grant statute, 4) the capped amount to be paid to the board, 5) the number of students with expenses projected to exceed four and one-half times the net current expenditures per pupil threshold for the board, 6) the total number of students statewide with expenses projected to exceed the four and one-half times threshold for the board responsible for such student and 7) the number of students with expenses projected to exceed three times the net current expenditures per pupil threshold for the board for each child who was previously outplaced by such board and for whom such board is now providing direct in-district special education and related services without the assistance of any third-party contractor who is not an employee of the board, provided all such data does not contain any personally identifiable student information and compliant with FERPA.

Dyslexia Report

Public Act 25-67 provides that the SDE Office of Dyslexia and Reading Disabilities shall develop a report on recent developments and evidence-based best practices regarding dyslexia evaluations, interventions, and student outcomes in the state and the capacity of public and independent institutions of higher education in the state to prepare current and aspiring elementary school educators with structured literacy teaching skills. Not later than February 1, 2026, the Commissioner shall submit such report to the General Assembly’s Education Committee.

Higher Education

For the fall semester of 2025 and spring semester of 2026, and each semester thereafter, Public Act 25-67 provides that the Board of Regents for Higher Education shall continue to offer each transitional college readiness program, embedded remedial support program and intensive remedial support program that the Board offered at each public institution of higher education during the fall semester of 2024 and spring semester of 2025, respectively.

Private Providers and Reports

Finally, per Public Act 25-67, not later than January 1, 2026, and annually thereafter, each approved private provider of special education services shall submit to the SDE a report concerning enrollment at such private provider that specifies the total number of enrolled students, the total number of enrolled students by each student's state of residence or, for a residential facility, by the state in which each student resided prior to placement in such residential facility, the total number of enrolled students by residence and the types of special education services provided, and if such private provider maintains a waitlist, the total number of students on the waitlist, the total number of students on the waitlist by such student's state of residence and the total number of students on the waitlist by state of residence and the special education services sought.  Not later than February 1, 2026, and annually thereafter, the SDE shall submit to the OPM, the legislative Office of Fiscal Analysis and the General Assembly’s Government Oversight, Education and Appropriations Committees the enrollment data compiled from the reports received from the private providers. 

Excess Cost Grants

After Governor Lamont issued a line item veto of Public Act 25-1:  An Act Concerning An Emergency Certificate Of Need Application Process For Transfers Of Ownership Of Hospitals That Have Filed For Bankruptcy Protection, The Assessment Of Motor Vehicles For Property Taxation, A Property Tax Exemption For Veterans Who Are Permanently And Totally Disabled And Funding Of The Special Education Excess Cost Grant with respect to additional excess costs grant funding for the 2024-25 school year, the General Assembly passed and Governor Lamont signed Special Act 25-1:  An Act Concerning Emergency Grants To Municipalities For Special Education. This Special Act established a “special education emergency municipal assistance account” and transferred $40 million into it for the purpose of making emergency grants to municipalities for special education costs, with such grants to be distributed by the Commissioner of Education in the same manner as “usual” excess costs grants.  Such grant monies were to be expended for costs incurred on special education and related services during the 2024-25 school/fiscal year.

Public Act No. 25–93:  An Act Increasing Resources For Students, Schools And Special Education.  In addition to the measures described earlier in this report, Public Act No. 25-93 further revises numerous other special education related mandates, including addressing issues pertaining to funding and grants.  All changes became effective July 1, 2025, unless otherwise noted.

Non-Approved Providers of Special Education

Public Act 25-93 clarifies that a student placed at a non-approved facility may continue at the facility provided the PPT, a due process hearing officer or a court determines that such placement provides an appropriate public education and that there is not another charging entity able to offer a placement for such child that provides an appropriate public education. However, the Act provides that expenditures incurred by any board of education as a result of such placement in a nonapproved facility by a PPT shall not be subject to reimbursement via the excess costs grant or the new “special education development grant” programs.  Expenditures may be subject to such reimbursement if the placement is pursuant to an order of a due process hearing officer or a court.

Please note: It is unclear whether prior SDE guidance that permitted excess cost reimbursement for unilateral placements pursuant to certain settlement agreements will remain in place.

Special Education Transportation Route Coordination

Public Act 25-93 requires the SDE to conduct a request for information from vendors who have expertise in the mapping of transportation routes and the ability to create, and annually update (or provide software or access to a digital program that would allow a state agency to create and annually update) recommended coordinated bus routes for all special education students traveling to and from special education outplacements in the state in order to maximize efficiency and reduce expenses in accordance with state and federal law. Not later than July 1, 2027, the SDE shall submit a report on the results of this request for information to the General Assembly’s Education and Transportation Committees.

Competitive Grant Program For School Boards To Support In-District Or Regional Special Education Programming

Beginning with the 2026-2027 fiscal year, Public Act 25-93 provides that the SDE shall, within available appropriations, administer a competitive grant program for boards of education to support in-district or regional special education programming and services for students with disabilities. Grants awarded to boards of education under the program may be used: 1) to enhance and improve existing special education programming and services in the school district or for start-up costs related to the creation of in-district or regional special education programming and services for students who are currently enrolled in a program operated by a private provider of special education services, and 2) for planning and operational expenses related to such in-district or regional special education programming and services.

The Commissioner of Education shall develop the application process to be used by boards of education in applying for this grant.  The Act sets forth minimum requirements for the application (e.g., program description, location, the student population served, staffing needs for the programming and services, any assistive technology, and materials necessary for implementation, any capital improvement needs, budget allocation and any necessary professional development).  The Commissioner shall develop criteria for reviewing and approving grant applications. Such criteria shall be based upon: 1) increasing students' access to high-quality general education instruction and 2) enhancing in-district or regional programming, such as unified classes and increased time with nondisabled peers, for students with intensive needs, including giving priority to alliance districts.  Any board of education that receives a grant under this section shall not expend such grant on special education programming and services provided pursuant to a contract with a third party or a private provider of special education services.

Not later than September 30, 2027, and annually thereafter, any board of education that has received a grant under the program in the prior fiscal year shall submit a report to the Commissioner that assesses the impact of the grant on student outcomes, including the increase in time with nondisabled peers across the school district, the number of outplaced students and district expenditures. Not later than February 1, 2028, and annually thereafter, the SDE shall submit a report on the progress of the grant program that assesses the impact of the grants on student outcomes to the General Assembly’s Education Committee. Please Note: Any district that has received this grant during the prior fiscal year shall not be required to include the amount of such grant in the calculation of the district's budgeted appropriation for education for the subsequent fiscal year for purposes of the Minimum Budget Requirement.

Listing of Programs 

Not later than December 1, 2026, Public Act 25-93 requires the SDE, in consultation with the Child Advocate, to develop, and update not less than annually thereafter, a listing of each special education program offered by any RESC, approved private provider of special education, and board of education that accepts out-of-district student placements.  Such listing shall specify for each program the types of services provided, physical location where such program offers special education, ages served and approved classroom size of the program.  Not later than January 15, 2027, the SDE shall post such list on its website and send the list to each board of education in the state.

Background Checks

Public Act 25-93 clarifies that a “private provider of special educational services” is deemed to be a “nongovernmental school operator” subject to criminal background and DCF child abuse and neglect registry check requirements for employees.  The law already provides that the following are subject to employee background check obligations: operators of an interdistrict magnet school that is a third-party not-for-profit corporation approved by the Commissioner of Education, governing councils of state or local charter schools, endowed or incorporated academies, special education facilities approved by the State Board of Education, supervisory agents of a nonpublic school and cooperative arrangements providing special education services.

Notice of Staffing Changes

Per Public Act 25-93 each RESC and private provider of special education services shall send written notification to the parent or legal guardian of a student receiving special education services, the board of education that has placed such student and the SDE regarding all staffing changes that impact the provision of such special education services, including, but not limited to, vacancies, long-term absences and assignments of long-term substitutes, not later than five business days from the occurrence of such staffing change.  Such written notice shall include, but need not be limited to, specification of: any change in services provided by specialists, any change to student to teacher ratios and the plan to mitigate the impact of such staffing change on such student.  Parenthetically, “long-term” means ten or more consecutive school days.

Model Transportation Contract

Public Act 25-93 requires the SDE to establish a model contract for special education transportation services to and from special education outplacements provided by providers of special education transportation services. Not later than July 1, 2026, the SDE shall make such model contract available to boards of education.

Family Guide

Not later than July 1, 2026 Public Act 25-93 requires that the SDE, in consultation with the Connecticut Parent Advocacy Center, develop, and annually update, a special education family guide that assists the parents and guardians of students receiving special education and related services in understanding the process and laws governing the provision of special education.  Such guide shall include, but need not be limited to, an explanation of: 1) the deadlines to (a) diagnose that a student requires special education or related services, and (b) hold an initial PPT, 2) the consequences for failure of the school district to (a) meet these deadlines and (b) include the appropriate administrators at the initial and subsequent PPT processes and 3) recourses available to parents and guardians if an in-home tutor does not attend to tutoring sessions.  The SDE shall make this guide available on its website.

Training Program Grant

Beginning with the 2026-2027 fiscal year, Public Act 25-93 requires that the SDE administer a special education training, education and testing competitive grant program.  Under the grant program, the SDE shall award grants to individual educators and paraeducators for the purpose of covering the costs associated with any professional training, education and testing requirements relating to such individual's ability to provide special education and related services.  The SDE shall develop criteria for reviewing and awarding grants under the program and such criteria shall take into consideration the financial need of the applicant (and give priority to those applicants with the greatest financial need).  As used in this section, “educators and paraeducators” includes individuals who are enrolled in a teacher preparation program, candidates for professional certification as an educator, teachers employed by a board of education, prospective paraeducators and paraeducators employed by a board of education.

Any educator or paraeducator receiving a grant award under the program shall use such grant to assist in covering the cost of tuition or other fees associated with enrollment in a teacher preparation program offered at the Connecticut State Colleges and Universities, obtaining or renewal of professional certification with an endorsement in special education, testing for paraeducators, continuing education credits or any other education or testing requirements relating to such educator's or paraeducator's ability to provide special education and related services.  No educator or paraeducator may receive a grant award under the program unless such educator or paraeducator commits to three years of employment to provide special education and related services in a school in an alliance district.  The SDE shall develop repayment criteria for educators and paraeducators who do not complete three years of employment in a school in an alliance district.

Grant Program for Those with Trauma or Behavioral Health Needs 

Beginning with the 2025-2026 fiscal year, Public Act 25-93 mandates that the SDE establish a grant program to support boards of education in providing support services for students who require special education and have experienced trauma or have behavioral health needs.  Such grant shall be available to each school board that provides support services, including, but not limited to, trauma-informed care coordination and family outreach for such students and such students' families in partnership with community service providers, including, but not limited to, family service centers.  Grants shall be funded in an amount prescribed by the Commissioner of Education.  On or before September 1, 2025, the SDE shall post on its website a description of the grant program that includes the amount of funding available for each grant and the application form.

Instructional Support Partners

Originally, Public Act 25-93 provided that beginning with the 2026-2027 school year, each board of education would have been required to hire or designate an existing employee to serve as an instructional support partner in each school or in each school building under its jurisdiction. However, Public Act 25-174 (a last-minute bonding bill) revised this provision so as to provide that school boards are permitted, but NOT required to have such instructional support partners.

An instructional support partner shall: 1) alleviate the “administrative burden” of teachers, including, but not limited to, the administrative burden of the IEP process, scheduling of and taking minutes during PPT meetings, attending professional development trainings, attending trainings for individualized interventions for students, attending testing and serving as a designated staff member for the purposes of specialized responsibilities, 2) assist school-based personnel in improving the delivery and administration of the IEP process, 3) collaborate with parents and school personnel regarding instructional decision-making for students with disabilities, 4) pursue and attend trainings and professional development on student interventions as a representative of the school or school building, and plan and deliver professional learning activities to staff, parents and others to increase achievement for students with disabilities on the basis of such training and 5) consult with school-based instructional staff regarding IEP development and writing, extended school year, behavioral interventions and transition plans for students with disabilities.  Any person hired or designated to serve as the instructional support partner for the school or school building shall spend at least 50% of their time performing the responsibilities described above.

Training of Instructional Support Partner

Beginning with the 2026-2027 school year, per Public Act 25-93 the SDE shall, at least quarterly, host trainings for persons hired or designated to serve as an instructional support partner.  Such training shall include, but need not be limited to, effective literacy and math instruction, personalized learning and individualized instruction for students with disabilities, improving classroom management, effective instructional methods and behavioral supports and transition plans for students with disabilities.

Study of Overidentification

Public Act 25-93 requires the SDE to conduct a study concerning the disproportionate or over-identification of minority students for special education and related services, which shall include, but need not be limited to, an examination of the rates of identification for special education and related services, disaggregated by race and gender for each school district. Not later than January 1, 2027, the SDE shall submit a report on its findings and recommendations to the Office of the Educational Ombudsperson and to the General Assembly’s Education Committee.

Project Choice Special Education Students

Public Act 25-143 requires that, in the case of an out-of-district student who requires special education and related services and attends a “Project Choice” school, the receiving district hold the PPT meeting for such student and invite representatives from the sending district to participate in such meeting. The receiving district must also ensure that the student receives the services mandated by their individualized education program regardless of which district the services are provided by.  The Act also requires that the receiving district must ensure that the students with a Section 504 plan receive the services mandated by their plan, and that the receiving district must pay for the costs of providing the services.

Autism and Intellectual Disability Services and Abuse and Neglect Investigations

Public Act 25-89:  An Act Concerning Autism and Intellectual Disability Services and Abuse and Neglect Investigations.  Effective from passage, this Act requires the Commissioner of the Department of Development Services (DDS) to take certain actions relative to individuals identified with autism and intellectual disabilities. Specifically,  the Act requires the Commissioner to file a report annually, starting January 15, 2026, regarding abuse and neglect reports filed and investigations conducted regarding autistic and intellectually disabled individuals and to update DDS’ policies and procedures regarding reporting and investigating abuse and neglect at least every five years.  It also establishes a working group to examine the feasibility of an interagency complex case team for young adults ages 17 to 21 with intellectual or developmental disabilities, including autism spectrum disorder, who may have co-occurring mental or behavior health needs, are in urgent need of community placement or agency services, and qualify for support from more than one state agency. 

School Building Projects and Special Education

Public Act 25-174 – this year’s bonding act (described in more detail below) – provides that if a school building project for a new building or for the renovation or expansion of an existing building includes plans for the expansion or creation of in-district special education programming and services, the reimbursement percentage shall be increased by 15 percentage points (but shall not exceed 100%), for the portion of the project used primarily for such purpose, provided that: 1) the portion of such school building project that will be used primarily for such in-district special education programming and services shall be a part of a school building that is being used to provide a program of general education for non-special education students and is a part of the school building being constructed, renovated or expanded; and 2) any additional funding received by the board of education resulting from and related to the inclusion of such plans for the expansion or creation of in-district special education programming and services shall be expended for such construction, renovation or expansion.

Educational Ombudsperson

Public Act 25-93 establishes an Office of the Educational Ombudsperson, which shall be within the Office of Governmental Accountability for administrative purposes only.  The Office of the Educational Ombudsperson shall serve students (and their families) in the pursuit of preschool, elementary and secondary education, special education, vocational education and adult education. The Office of the Educational Ombudsperson shall be under the direction of an Educational Ombudsperson who shall be appointed by the Governor and be selected from among individuals with expertise and experience in educational advocacy, special education and educational law.

The Office of the Educational Ombudsperson shall:

1. Receive, review and attempt to resolve any complaints from students and their families, including attempts to resolve such complaints in collaboration with schools and educators;
2. Compile and analyze data on students and young people, through available data systems, including, but not limited to, the Connecticut Preschool through Twenty and Workforce Information Network;
3. Assist employees of boards of education involved in PPT meetings;
4. Provide information to the public, agencies, legislators and others regarding the issues and concerns of students and make recommendations for resolving such issues and concerns;
5. Analyze and monitor the development and implementation of federal, state and local laws, regulations and policies relating to students and recommend any changes the Educational Ombudsperson deems necessary;
6. Disseminate information concerning the availability of the Office of the Educational Ombudsperson to assist students and families of students, as well as boards of education with educational resource concerns;
7. On and after July 1, 2027, prioritize the office's efforts on those school districts that have been identified as disproportionately or over-identifying minority students for special education and related services; and
8. Take any other actions necessary to fulfill the duties of the Office of the Educational Ombudsperson and the Educational Ombudsperson.

On or before January 1, 2026, and annually thereafter, the Educational Ombudsperson shall submit a report to the Office of Governmental Accountability and the General Assembly’s Education Committee and Committee on Children concerning the implementation of this program, the overall effectiveness of the Educational Ombudsperson position and additional steps that need to be taken for the Educational Ombudsperson to be more effective.

Grants and the “Budget Implementer”

Public Act 25-168:  An Act Concerning The State Budget For The Biennium Ending June 30, 2027, And Making Appropriations Therefor, And Provisions Related To Revenue And Other Items Implementing The State Budget.  Regardless of its relationship to the actual budget, the “implementer” contains several provisions that have an impact on schools (and employees and employers in general).

Grants

Educational Cost Sharing (ECS) Grants: The Act essentially delays for two years the start of the scheduled phase-in of ECS grant reductions for certain “overfunded” towns, and thus keeps these towns at the same funding level for the 2025-26 and 2026-27 school years.

Reduction In Grants Due To Lack Of Available Appropriations:  The Act continues a requirement that certain grants (adult education, health services for private school students residing within a school district, school transportation, RESC operation grants, bilingual education) to school districts and RESCs be proportionately reduced if the amount appropriated by the General Assembly is insufficient to fully fund them according to their statutory formulas.       

Special Education Development Grant: This Act extends the requirement that the special education expansion development grant under Public Act 25-67 be subject to proportionate reductions based upon the availability of appropriations.

Alliance District and Enfield:  This Act changes the base year for determining the amount of ECS grants withheld from Enfield.

Local Foods For Schools Incentive Program:  In addition to making technical changes to this program, the Act also: 1) makes child care providers eligible to participate in this program, 2) provides program preferences for historically underserved farmers, 3) mandates that at least 20% of the program funds be used to engage with certain “external partners,” 4) mandates the SDE to  seek and maximize existing federal funding available for purposes of administering the program, and 5) extends the requirement that reimbursement payments shall be subject to proportionate reduction due to lack of available appropriations.

Advance Course Credits:  This Act provides that commencing with the 2026-27 fiscal year, the Commissioner of Education 1) shall, within available appropriations, establish a fee-waiver grant program to expand opportunities for high-need high school students to access advanced courses or programs, and 2) may, within available appropriations, pay up to $500,000 in a fiscal year to the State Education Resource Center (SERC) for programming that provides direct support to boards of education in the articulation and expansion of dual credit courses; SERC shall give priority to providing funds to alliance districts.

Learner Engagement and Attendance Program Grants:  This Act provides that commencing with the 2026-27 fiscal year the SDE shall (within available appropriations) administer the Learner Engagement and Attendance Program, by which the SDE shall provide grants to local and regional boards of education for the purpose of implementing a home visiting program to reduce chronic absenteeism.

High-Dosage Tutoring Matching Grant Program:  This Act provides that commencing with the 2026-27 fiscal year the SDE shall (within available appropriations) establish a competitive high-dosage tutoring matching grant program for boards of education to accelerate student learning by supporting the implementation of high-dosage tutoring programs.

Magnet Schools

Magnet School Tuition For New Magnet Schools:  The Act provides that for an interdistrict magnet school program that is authorized to charge tuition to a board of education and commences operations on or after July 1, 2024, such tuition shall not exceed the per student average tuition charged by interdistrict magnet school programs serving similar grade ranges in the same region.

Magnet School Transportation Grants:  The Act makes any entity that assists the State in meeting its obligations under the Sheff v. O’Neill decree eligible for magnet school transportation grants, and provides that transportation provided by a regional educational service center shall be based upon an amount equal to the cost of reasonable transportation services (as opposed to a per pupil formula). 

Grants For Magnet Schools and Vo-Ag Center Choice Programs:  The Act renews certain grants for interdistrict magnet school and regional agricultural science and technology centers.  The Act further provides that interdistrict magnet school programs that commenced operations on or after July 1, 2024, shall receive the same per student grant amount received by other interdistrict magnet school program operators.

Mental and Behavioral Health Awareness Pilot Program

Public Act No. 25-97:  An Act Concerning Various Revisions to the Public Health Statutes. Among other things, this Act requires the SDE by January 1, 2026 – and "within available appropriations” – to establish a mental and behavioral health awareness and treatment pilot program in priority school districts.  The program shall enable not less than 100,000 students in such districts to utilize an electronic mental and behavioral health awareness and treatment tool through a web site, online service or mobile application, which tool shall be selected by the Commissioner of Education. During its first year of operation, the pilot program shall seek to build partnerships between priority school districts and community organizations providing mental and behavioral health care services and launch a digital marketing campaign to raise awareness and engagement among students concerning mental and behavioral health issues affecting students. By January 1, 2026, the Commissioner of Education shall report regarding the program's success in achieving such objectives to the General Assembly’s Public Health and Education Committees.  During its second year of operation, the pilot program shall seek to refer students to mental and behavioral health care providers, as needed and enhance students' engagement with mental and behavioral health tools.  By January 1, 2027, the Commissioner of Education shall report regarding the program's success in achieving its objectives to the General Assembly’s Public Health and Education Committees

And (Finally), the Bonding Bill with Further Budget Implementation (and More)

As noted above, the session concluded not only with an omnibus “Budget Implementer” but also with an omnibus bonding bill – Public Act 25-174 – that was chock full of a variety of provisions (including the afore-mentioned paid sick leave and Connecticut FMLA provisions).  Provisions of further relevance to schools (besides the school construction grant commitments and waivers for certain projects, and an increase in the overall bonding authorization for school construction related grants) include the following:

School Air Quality and HVAC Grants

Public Act 25-174 includes provisions that expand the window of time for schools to conduct the mandatory indoor air quality inspections and evaluations.  The Act applies retroactively to the start of the 2022-23 school year and requires that districts must conduct the required indoor quality inspections on 20% of the schools within the district by 2026-27 and then must complete 20% more for each year after that through the end of the 2030-31 school year.  Subsequently, these inspections must occur once every five years after the last inspection.  There is still a provision allowing a one-year waiver if there are an insufficient number of certified HVAC professionals or if a district is scheduled to inspect the school during the coming year. 

The Act also reduces the aggregate bond authorization for school air quality improvement grants. In addition, the Act eliminates the separate HVAC grant (and instead makes it a part of the general school construction grant program).

District Repair and Improvement Project Program

Pursuant to Public Act 25-174 the legislature created a new public school District Repair and Improvement Project (DRIP) program and committed $30 million each for 2025-2026 and 2026-2027.  An eligible program is defined as a capital expenditure project, approved by a public school operator, for any of the following:  (a) the construction, renovation, repair or enlargement of school buildings or grounds, including parking lots, athletic fields and playgrounds; (b) improvements to school facilities for compliance with health, safety or code requirements; or (c) the purchase, installation or maintenance of or improvement to fixed school infrastructure including but not related to heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems, plumbing, electrical systems and roofing.  OPM is charged with distributing the allocated funds for this program based on a formula where, generally, 20% of the funds are allocated equally among all public-school operators, 50% is allocated based on certain student enrollment percentages and 30% is allocated based on specific grand list percentages. 

CTECS

Public Act 25-174 transfers from the SDE to CTECS the responsibility for the use of certain bond proceeds for specific technical high schools in establishing extended hours and evening training programs. In addition, the Act generally removes CTECS from the school construction grant program and statutes.

Charter School Grants

Public Act 25-174 provides that with respect to the charter school capital improvement grants, the Commissioner of Education shall give preference to applications that do not provide matching funds from non-state sources if the accountability index score for the applicant meets or exceeds the statewide average accountability index score for at least two of the previous three school years.

School Curriculum Objectives and Postings

This Act requires that, commencing with the 2026-27 school year (and each school year after), each board of education post objectives and scope and sequence of approved curriculum on its website.