Developments from the 2026 Session of the Connecticut General Assembly Affecting Schools (and Public Employers)
The following is a brief description of acts that were passed during the 2026 Session of the Connecticut General Assembly that may be of interest to Connecticut school leaders. True to recent form, the legislature continued its trend of enacting sweeping omnibus bills containing bundles of loosely related provisions, many of which addressed matters that had failed to pass in prior sessions. What follows is an overview of the most significant legislation to emerge from the session affecting Connecticut schools, spanning school safety, employment law, budgetary adjustments, and more.
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.
Public Act 26-1: The First "Big" Bill
Public Act 26-1: An Act Concerning the Reallocation of Certain State Funds and Various Provisions Relating to Education, Public Safety, General Government, Elections, Intermediate Care Facilities and Warehouse Distribution Centers, was signed by Connecticut Governor Lamont on March 3, 2026, as an "emergency certification" bill. It contains diverse provisions, often addressing unrelated matters that died on the vine in previous sessions.
Connecticut State Seal of Civics Education and Engagement
The Act requires the State Department of Education (SDE) to establish criteria by which a board of education, or the governing board of any other school that awards diplomas, may — commencing with the class of 2027 — affix the Connecticut State Seal of Civics Education and Engagement on a diploma awarded to a student who has achieved a high level of proficiency in civics education and engagement.
PSIS and Bilingual Education
The Act expands the statewide public school information system (PSIS) to include data on the academic progress of students in bilingual education programs and the measures and data for the evaluation of these programs. It also amends the "bill of rights" for parents and guardians of multilingual learner students, ensuring their right to access publicly available data related to academic progress and quality of bilingual education programs via PSIS.
Islamic and Arab Studies
Effective July 1, 2026, the Act requires the State Board of Education to make curriculum materials and other resources available to assist boards of education (if they so choose) in developing instructional programs on Islamic and Arab studies.
Antisemitism Working Group
The Act creates a 15-member working group to address antisemitism in public schools, which will develop guidance and resources and submit its recommendations for legislation to the General Assembly's Education Committee by January 1, 2027.
Kindergarten Waivers
The Act provides closure on the evolving issue of the kindergarten waiver/early admission process for children who do not turn five by September 1st of the school year. For the 2026–2027 school year it will be optional for school districts to have an early admission policy. However, commencing with the 2027–2028 school year, early kindergarten admissions and waivers will no longer be permitted.
Impact: For 2026–2027, districts may choose whether to maintain an early admission policy for children who do not turn five by September 1. Starting in 2027–2028, early admission waivers are permanently eliminated. Districts should update their admissions policies accordingly.
Budget Preparation and Line-Item Information
Commencing for the 2027–2028 fiscal year, the Act requires that during preparation of the education budget for the ensuing year, the superintendent must provide local board of education members with the original and actual amount of each line-item for the two preceding fiscal years, and the original and current amounts of each line-item for the current fiscal year. The same line-item information must also be included in the itemized estimate submitted to the board of finance or the municipality's fiscal authority. For regional school districts, this line-item information must be provided at the district meeting/public hearing for presentation of the regional board of education’s proposed budget as well as the May annual district meeting. Please Note: The Act explicitly allows regional boards of education to deposit funds previously appropriated to a "reserve fund for capital and nonrecurring expenditures" into a "reserve fund for educational expenditures."
Impact: Districts should begin structuring their budget documents to accommodate these transparency requirements. Specifically, beginning with the 2027–2028 fiscal year, superintendents must provide board members and fiscal authorities with detailed historical line-item data during budget preparation. Regional districts must also present this information at public hearings and district meetings.
School Resource Officers and Memoranda of Understanding
The Act clarifies that by January 1, 2027, any memorandum of understanding (MOU) between a local or regional school district and local law enforcement regarding a school resource officer (SRO) must be posted on the district's website and maintained in a central location and at each school where an SRO is stationed. Such MOUs must include provisions addressing daily interactions between students and school personnel with SROs and a graduated response model for student discipline. The Act also requires that SRO MOUs must be updated every three years.
Impact: Districts should be prepared to upload MOUs to their website by January 1, 2027, and ensure that the MOUs contain the required provisions moving forward.
Student Discipline
Effective July 1, 2026, the Act restricts the use of out-of-school suspension for students in grades preschool through second to situations in which the student's conduct on school grounds caused "serious physical harm" — a heightened standard from the prior threshold of mere "physical harm." The Act also requires school districts to offer an alternative educational opportunity for students between the ages of 16 and 18 who are expelled for the first or second time, provided the student complies with conditions established by the board of education. Previously this requirement only extended to students expelled for the first time. In addition, school districts will now be required to notify parents of a student placed in physical restraint or seclusion on the same day it occurs.
Impact: School districts, charter schools and other public K-12 schools should update their discipline policies and codes of conduct to ensure compliance with the “serious physical harm” standard for suspensions in grades preschool through second and to offer alternative educational opportunities to students who are expelled for a first or second time. Additionally, school districts, charter schools and other public K-12 schools should update their notification procedures to comply with the new same-day physical restraint and seclusion notification requirements.
Crisis Response Drills
The Act requires that by April 1, 2027, the Connecticut Center for School Safety and Crisis Prevention at Western Connecticut State University, in collaboration with the Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection (DESPP) develop a clear definition for crisis response drills, standardized terminology for their administration and review, guidance on standardized responses to crises and debriefing protocols, an evaluation template, and a study of the impact of crisis response drills on the school community. The Center must submit its guidance, study report, and any recommendations to the General Assembly's Education Committee by January 1, 2027.
Effective for the 2027–2028 school year, each board of education that holds crisis response drills must ensure that such drills utilize the DESPP-developed definitions and standardized terminology, that school security and safety committees collaborate with school climate committees to plan drills prioritizing physical and psychological safety, and that drills are trauma-informed with mental health professionals' participation integrated throughout. Prior to conducting a drill, school personnel must provide age-appropriate education for students and training for school personnel, including a review of the purpose and procedures before the first drill of the school year and notification to students, school personnel, and parents one week in advance. At the commencement of each drill, students and school personnel must be informed that they are participating in a drill to avoid confusion with an actual emergency. Schools must ensure that during such drills, accommodations for students with cognitive, physical or sensory disabilities are provided, to the extent practicable, to ensure the safety and participation of such students. Importantly, drills conducted with students may not include active assailant simulations or simulated violence with highly sensorial elements such as fake assailants, firearms, gunfire sounds, blood, or injuries; however, drills conducted outside the regular school day exclusively for school personnel, first responders, and other school volunteers may include such simulations.
Impact: Districts must provide advance training and one week's notice before crisis response drills, inform participants at the start that it is a drill, and provide accommodations for students with disabilities. Active assailant simulations with sensorial elements are prohibited during drills involving students. Districts must ensure that school security and school climate committees collaborate to redesign drill protocols in advance of the new requirements.
Health Services
The Act explicitly permits — but does not require — school districts to offer vision screenings in preschool and second grade. It permits school nurses to reject health assessment forms that are different from the form required by the State Board of Education and requires asthma action plans to be included in these forms if a student has asthma.
Impact: Districts must ensure their health forms now include an asthma action plan for any student with asthma. Districts must also decide whether to offer vision screenings moving forward.
Additional Provisions of Public Act 26-1
The Act includes minor budgetary adjustments for the 2025–2026 fiscal year and provides exceptions and waivers from certain requirements for specified school construction projects.
It also effectively extends the pause on enforcement of the state's law on racial imbalance at public schools within a particular school district until July 1, 2030.
Beginning with the 2026–2027 school year, the Act adds Madison to the "Open Choice" program as a receiving and sending school district with New Haven.
The Act also explicitly requires at least one school board member to be present during teacher and administrator negotiations, while prohibiting school board members who are also members of the same teachers' union or administrators' union from attending.
The Act provides that school districts shall make any portion of their school security and safety plan that is not prohibited from disclosure under FOIA available to members of the school community upon request.
Finally, the Act also repeals a requirement that boards of education annually report information to the Commission for Educational Technology on their use of internet websites, online services, or mobile applications without a contract.
Impact: School districts must ensure that at least one board of education member is on the negotiating team moving forward for teacher and administrator negotiations. Districts must also now determine whether any portion of their school security and safety plan can be disclosed.
Public Act 26-12: Another “Big” Bill
Public Act 26-12: An Act Concerning Workforce Development and Working Conditions in the State, was signed by the Governor on May 12, 2026. It contains diverse provisions but primarily has an employment law focus. Many such provisions take effect on October 1, 2026.
Enhanced Workers' Compensation for Teachers and Health Care Employees
The Act provides that teachers and health care employees shall receive enhanced workers' compensation benefits if unable to work due to being assaulted at work. Specifically, teachers employed by a board of education, or members of a board of education, the State Board of Education, the Board of Regents of Higher Education, or the Board of Trustees for the University of Connecticut who suffer an injury resulting in total or partial incapacity as a result of any physical or negligent assault while acting in the discharge of their duties shall be paid weekly compensation equal to 100% of their average weekly earnings, with no cap, as opposed to the usual 75% with a monetary cap. Such compensation also includes payment for expenses reasonably incurred for medical or other services, or lost wages due to a court appearance in connection with such assault. These enhanced benefits become effective October 1, 2026.
Any covered person absent from employment as a result of such an assault or for a court appearance shall continue to receive their full salary (except that the amount of any workers' compensation award may be deducted from salary payments during such absence); the time of such absence shall not be charged against sick leave, vacation time, or personal leave days. While providing this enhanced workers’ compensation benefit, the Act repeals the current law under Conn. Gen. Stat. §10-236a requiring educational entities to "protect and save harmless" their teachers, board members, or other employees assaulted while performing their duties.
Impact: Districts should consult with their workers’ compensation carriers and/or insurance brokers to address coverage for claims that qualify under the enhanced benefits provided for under the Act. Districts with board policies, contract language or employee handbook provisions related to Conn. Gen. Stat. §10-236a should update those policies and/or determine how to address language in collective bargaining agreements moving forward.
Teacher Tenure and Dismissal
Effective July 1, 2026, the Act revises the Teacher Tenure Act's termination provisions in several significant ways, including:
- Revising the permitted ground of termination from "other due and sufficient cause" to "other due and sufficient reason."
- Providing that the standard of review for all reasons for termination shall be the same standard applied in other disciplinary actions under the terms of the teacher's collective bargaining agreement -- which is generally "just cause."
- Mandating that any teacher termination proceeding for a tenured teacher be conducted before an impartial hearing officer, eliminating the ability of the parties to have the hearing before the employing board of education.
- Making the hearing officer's decision binding on the parties, rather than consisting of findings with a recommendation for the employing board of education to ultimately act upon.
- Allowing both the teacher and the employing board of education to appeal the hearing officer's decision to the Superior Court, but such an appeal must be by way of — and subject to the same standards as — an application to vacate an arbitration award, instead of an administrative appeal.
Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Act appears to continue to provide a non-tenured teacher terminated for "moral misconduct" or "disability as shown by competent medical evidence" with a right of appeal to the Superior Court via an administrative appeal.
Impact: This Act restructures the teacher termination process in ways that will make it more difficult for districts to terminate. Most significantly, termination hearings for tenured teachers must now be conducted before an impartial hearing officer — not the employing board of education — and the hearing officer's decision is binding. Accordingly, districts lose a significant element of direct decision-making authority over tenured teacher terminations.
Paraeducators and Unemployment Compensation
Effective July 1, 2026, the Act requires school districts, regional educational service centers (RESCs), charter schools, and endowed or incorporated academies to provide the Department of Labor (DOL) with a listing — ten days prior to the last day of the school year (meaning the first instance of required compliance will be at the end of the 2026-2027 school year) — that identifies which of their paraeducators have and do not have a "reasonable assurance" of returning to work for the next academic term, along with information on how such assurance was communicated. The DOL may consider this information when determining eligibility for unemployment compensation, though it shall not be conclusive evidence of reasonable assurance. The Act also increases paraeducator representation on the School Paraeducator Advisory Council from one to five members.
Impact: The first compliance deadline will be at the end of the 2026–2027 school year. Covered schools should establish processes for tracking and documenting paraeducator employment status and communicating return expectations at least ten days before year-end. Records of such documentation should be saved appropriately.
Wage Range and Postings
The Act amends the recent salary disclosure law by requiring all employers, including public and private schools, to disclose, in both public and internal postings for each job, whether the position is a promotion, transfer, or other employment opportunity, the wage or wage range and (now) a general description of benefits — including health benefits, retirement benefits, paid days off, tax-reportable benefits, and other compensation to be offered for the position. If an employer does not use a posting to advertise an opportunity, the employer must provide such wage and benefit information upon the applicant's request or, if not so requested, prior to any offer or discussion of compensation. Employers are then required to provide this information to employees upon hiring, upon a change in the employee's position, or upon the employee's first request for a wage range.
The Act also revises the definition of "wage range" to constitute the range of wages for a position "set in good faith" by reference to an applicable pay scale, a previously determined wage range, actual wages for employees currently holding the position, actual wage ranges for employees in comparable positions, or the employer's budgeted amount for the position. The Act's provisions apply to remote positions held by out-of-state employees where they report to an in-state supervisor, office, or work site. PLEASE NOTE: The Act eliminates a court's ability to award punitive damages against employers in cases brought for wage disclosure violations.
Impact: School districts, charter schools, private schools along with other educational employers should review all job posting templates and hiring procedures to ensure compliance with the terms of the new law.
Breastfeeding in the Workplace
The Act aligns the state's breastfeeding statute with the federal “PUMP Act.” Effective October 1, 2026, an employer must provide reasonable break time for an employee to express breast milk or breastfeed on site each time the employee has the need to do so, in addition to the employee's scheduled breaks, thus removing the prior tie-in to meal or break periods.
Impact: Reasonable break time for an employee to express breast milk or breastfeed should be carefully evaluated on a case by case basis, especially in the case of teachers and paraeducators with specific classroom coverage obligations.
Retention of Service Contract Workers
The Act establishes a comprehensive “service contract worker” retention framework, effective July 1, 2027. Successor employers that assume certain service contracts at covered locations must retain the terminated contractor’s employees for at least 90 days. Covered locations include public and private schools and independent institutions of higher education along with many other work locations. Covered employees include any person working at least 16 hours per week who has been engaged in care, maintenance, or security services at a covered location for at least 60 days, but excludes managerial, supervisory, or confidential employees and persons performing permit-related construction work. Contracts awarded by the federal government, the State of Connecticut, and the Connecticut Airport Authority are excluded from these provisions.
The awarding authority must provide at least 15 days’ advance written notice to the terminated contractor before a contract transition or property sale; the terminated contractor is then required to provide the successor contractor with employee information. The successor employer must hand-deliver written offers of employment to eligible employees at least five days before the contract terminates or 15 days before successor services commence, stating pay rate, hours, and benefits. If fewer employees are needed, retention is by seniority within each classification, and a preferential hiring list must be maintained. Employees may not be discharged during the 90-day period without just cause based solely on individual performance or conduct.
After the 90-day period, the successor employer must provide a performance evaluation, and if performance was satisfactory, the employer must offer continued employment under the terms and conditions established by the successor employer, or as required by law. The retention requirement does not apply to employees whose attendance or performance records (while working under the terminated service contract) would lead a reasonably prudent employer to terminate them. In the case of property purchases or acquisition, the retention requirement only applies when the services to be performed are substantially the same as those previously provided by the terminated contractor’s employees. Please note: Public Act 26-68 specifies that a terminated contractor may take disciplinary action against an employee (to the extent permissible by law or by a collective bargaining agreement), up to termination prior to the start of the successor service contract or (successor employer assuming control of the site or sites covered by the contract to sell or transfer property) if the employee's attendance or performance records, while working under the terminated contract, would lead a reasonably prudent employer to take similar disciplinary action.
Pay Differential Codes
Effective October 1, 2026, the Act requires all employers with more than 100 employees to create a guide for employees on pay codes for overtime and commonly used pay differentials, such as shift differentials, on-call pay, hazard pay, call-back pay, holiday or weekend pay, or geographical pay differentials. The guide must include at least ten pay codes and be posted on the employer's website in English, Spanish, and the other most common languages spoken by the employees, along with contact information of the designated office or individual who will handle employee disputes regarding calculations of hours and pay differentials. An employer must update the guide each time a new pay code for overtime or any pay differential is added and must provide the website address upon hire and on each record of hours furnished to employees; alternatively, an employer may simply provide a written copy of the guide upon hire. The Act does not require an employer to create a website if it does not have one, nor does it require establishing new pay codes simply to satisfy this law.
Impact: By October 1, 2026, educational institutions with 100 or more employees who utilize pay codes should ensure that they have developed the required pay code guide and distributed it, whether by placing it on the institution’s website or providing a written copy of the guide to the employees.
Employment Promissory Notes
Effective October 1, 2026, the Act extends the general prohibition on requiring employees to sign employment promissory notes — such as agreements requiring employees to repay the employer if they do not stay for a certain duration — to all employers, rather than only employers with 26 or more employees. Existing exceptions remain for agreements to repay salary or wage advances, to pay for property sold or leased, for educational personnel to comply with sabbatical leave terms, or as otherwise entered into as part of a collectively bargained program.
Teachers’ Unions and "Service Fees"
The Act conforms the state's collective bargaining law for public school teachers (the Teacher Negotiation Act) to the 2018 U.S. Supreme Court decision in Janus v. AFSCME by removing provisions requiring teachers covered by a collective bargaining agreement who were not dues-paying union members to pay "service fees" instead of union dues. Instead, the Act specifies that the parties may negotiate CBA provisions allowing teachers to choose to have their dues, initiation fees, and service fees paid through payroll deductions.
Educator Externships
The Act requires the Commissioner of Education, in consultation with the Office of Workforce Strategy, to create by January 1, 2028 a two-year pilot program for educator externships for certified teachers, enabling educators to participate in experiential learning with private sector employers to align classroom instruction with current industry standards and workforce needs. Priority placement is to be given to educators employed in "alliance school districts" or who teach science, technology, engineering and mathematics, manufacturing, or health care.
Co-Instruction Teaching Models
The Act creates a working group to study the effectiveness and benefits of co-instruction teaching models used by public schools, including models that allow individuals without professional certification to teach collaboratively with a certified teacher. The group must report its results by January 1, 2027, to the General Assembly's Education Committee.
ADA Posting Requirements
Effective October 1, 2026, the Act requires the Commissioner of Labor to post information on the DOL website about the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), including information on the definition of a disability under the ADA and how it relates to reasonable accommodations in the workplace. Such information must be in a form available for downloading and displaying in both English and Spanish. Employers must provide written notice of an employee's rights to reasonable accommodations to new employees, existing employees within 120 days of the effective date, and employees who notify the employer of their disability within 10 days of such notice. Employers may comply by displaying the DOL-created poster in a conspicuous and accessible place.
Impact: Public and private schools must be prepared to post the proper ADA poster as of October 1, 2026, as well as be ready to disseminate written notice of the right to reasonable accommodations to all existing employees and include such information in new hire packets.
Public Act 26-68: The Budget Implementer
Public Act 26-68, originally dubbed Senate Bill 1 ("An Act Concerning Affordability"), evolved into a 745-page "budget implementer." Governor Lamont signed this Act on May 26, 2026. As has become increasingly customary, some of its provisions go beyond purely budgetary items.
Pre- and Post-Shift Hours
Effective October 1, 2026, the Act modifies the definition of "hours worked" for purposes of the state's wage and hour laws to include the time an employee spends in security screenings required by an employer.
Impact: Schools that require employees to pass through security screenings should ensure this time is tracked and compensated as hours worked and update payroll practices accordingly.
Workplace Heat Safety
The Act establishes a task force to study heat safety, including examining best practices to prevent employees' exposure to heat illness risk and other states' laws and regulations on heat safety standards, with a report due to the General Assembly's Labor and Public Employees Committee by January 1, 2027.
Supplemental and Temporary Educational Aid Grants
The General Assembly appropriated $162 million above and beyond ECS grants for "supplemental" education grants to towns for 2026–2027, along with an additional $5 million for Hartford for 2025–2026. The Act also appropriated $10.9 million in "temporary aid" for "district relief and compensatory use learning aid grants." All supplemental and temporary aid is required to be expended for educational purposes only upon the authorization of the local or regional board of education and shall not be considered part of the budgeted appropriation for education for purposes of calculating the minimum budget requirement (MBR) for the 2027–2028 fiscal year.
As originally enacted the Act provided that supplemental and temporary grants could not be used to supplant local funding for educational purposes, however, at the last minute, the General Assembly passed "Senate Amendment A" to a totally unrelated act concerning various criminal law proposals (Public Act 26-130: An Act Concerning Various Criminal Law and Criminal Justice Proposals, Certificates of Approval Airports, Heliports, Vertiports, Restricted Landing Areas and Other Air Navigation Facilities, Police Collaboration with Social Workers, Surveillance Pricing, Education Cost Sharing and Withholding of Taxes from Lump Sum Payments), removing this "non-supplanting" language.
So, what is to be done with this new money? Under Section 178 of the implementer, if a municipality or regional board of education adopted a budget or levied taxes for 2026–2027 prior to the adoption of the state budget and received more state aid than projected, the municipality (by vote of its legislative body) or regional board of education could amend its budget and, not later than July 1, 2026, adjust the tax levy and remaining installments — but only in an amount not exceeding the increase in state aid. A new guardrail from "Senate Amendment A" provides that the amended budget shall not reduce the amount provided by the municipality to the local or regional board of education below the greater of the amount of local funding under the adopted budget, or the MBR for 2026–2027 plus the amount of supplemental and temporary educational grants.
Revised and Additional Grants
The Act provides $8.7 million to supplement the prior year's appropriation for charter schools, along with charter school planning grants of $75,000 each for OLAM Public Charter School in Stamford, PROUD Academy in Ansonia, and Taino CoLAB Academy in Waterbury. It also provides $800,000 to supplement the appropriation for vocational agriculture, $2.75 million for magnet schools, and reduces interdistrict magnet school grants from $12 million to $6.25 million for RESCs and other non-board of education operators for 2026–2027. The Act requires the SDE, commencing in 2026–2027, to administer a teacher apprenticeship program within available appropriations. The Act extends through 2026–2027 a provision that proportionately reduces grants payable to school boards for providing health and nursing services to private school students if the total of grants exceeds the amount appropriated.
School Breakfast
The budget implementer included an additional $12 million ostensibly for universal free school breakfast for 2026–2027, though the Act provides no additional detail on the program beyond adding the money to the school breakfast program line item.
Parent Training and Information Centers
The Act repeals the 2025 law creating the Office of the Educational Ombudsperson and instead authorizes the SDE to enter into cooperation agreements with and provide grants to parent organizations to establish parent training and information centers. A "parent organization" is defined as a nonprofit whose mission is to serve families of children with disabilities and whose governing board includes a majority of parents of children with disabilities, professionals in fields related to special education and early intervention, and individuals with disabilities. Each center is required to receive and attempt to resolve special education complaints, provide information to the public regarding students receiving special education, provide training to assist parents of children with disabilities, and to assist parents in communicating with school personnel.
Fiscal Intervention and MARB
The Act creates a process by which a board of education may request that the SDE create a fiscal intervention and oversight plan on its behalf. The plan must account for legal mandates, orders, or settlements affecting the board's costs and is reviewed by the Municipal Accountability Review Board (MARB). Any such plan then must be approved by OPM and the State Board of Education before the board can implement it. Plan requirements include ensuring accuracy in accounting, improving financial reporting systems, establishing transparency in fiscal operations, requiring notification to the SDE of contracts exceeding $100,000, requiring "LEAN" practices and principles, and inclusion of a comprehensive school facilities and administrative optimization initiative. The Act also adds the Commissioner of Education to the MARB.
Impact: The MARB is a Connecticut state board that was created to provide financial oversight, guidance, and assistance to local town and city governments facing severe fiscal constraints. This Act creates a formal mechanism for boards of education to request assistance through a fiscal intervention and oversight plan that will be reviewed and overseen by the MARB.
School Construction
The Act authorizes school construction state grant commitments totaling $150.6 million and caps the total reimbursement percentage a board of education may receive for school construction grants at 95% of eligible costs. It creates a bonus of an additional 20% reimbursement for any school district that has increased enrollment by 20% or more over the 10-year period preceding its application, subject to the 95% cap. The Act renames the School Building Projects Advisory Council as the School Safety and Security Infrastructure Advisory Council and revises its composition and responsibilities. It also exempts school construction projects in 26 towns and three regional school districts from various statutory and regulatory requirements.
Impact: Districts that have experienced 20% or more enrollment growth over the preceding ten years may receive a bonus of an additional 20% reimbursement, subject to the 95% cap. Districts planning construction projects should review the new reimbursement structure and determine whether they qualify for the enrollment growth bonus or statutory exemptions.
Miscellaneous Provisions
Effective October 1, 2026, the Act explicitly authorizes superintendents to disseminate written notice through schools informing parents of an upcoming referendum, limited to the time and location of the referendum, a statement of the ballot question, and any applicable explanatory text — without advocating approval or disapproval.
Impact: The authorization for superintendents to disseminate neutral referendum information to parents while a referendum is pending largely codifies existing State Elections Enforcement Guidance (SEEC) on the subject while also explicitly providing that approved explanatory text may be sent to parents. This change may be helpful during budget season.
The Act also permits the Waterbury Public Schools to reduce the number of actual school sessions held to 176 days for the 2025–2026 school year.
“Smaller” Bills of Note
Omnibus/Miscellaneous Education Law Revisions
Public Act 26-139: An Act Concerning Various Revisions to the Education Statutes
This Act allows retired parole officers to provide armed security services in public schools, while prohibiting officers whose employment was terminated due to disciplinary action, or who left during an investigation, from being so employed.
The Act requires the Advisory Council for School Administrator Professional Standards, in consultation with the Connecticut Association of Schools (CAS), to create a new school administrator mentorship pilot program for 2027–2028.
Commencing July 1, 2027, the Act prohibits school districts from requiring high school students who participate in interscholastic athletics to meet academic eligibility standards higher than those set by the Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Conference (CIAC).
The Act revises the laws on disclosure of certain misconduct-related information during the hiring process of prospective school employees, additionally requiring disclosure of whether an allegation involving injury or risk of injury to a child is pending or under investigation, and removing a provision exempting disclosure of investigations that resulted in a finding that all allegations were unsubstantiated.
Impact: School districts, charter schools and interdistrict magnet schools are now required to disclose more information about former employees when contacted by prospective employers (including pending allegations involving child injury) and cannot withhold results of investigations where allegations were found unsubstantiated. Districts wishing to hire retired parole officers to provide armed security services in schools must ensure that the officer was not terminated due to disciplinary action, or left employment during an investigation.
Additional provisions include a grant program for a therapeutic arts program in public schools commencing with the 2027–2028 school year, a delay in the effective date of the repeal of various educator preparation regulations from July 1, 2026, to July 1, 2027, and requirements for the SDE to establish incentive programs for districts that limit local broad assessments and integrate state-provided assessment tools. The Act also requires the SDE to redesign the state's high school mathematics pathways, develop a list of professional development providers for high-quality mathematics instruction, explore the feasibility of launching MathConn, and develop mathematics specialist guidelines by January 1, 2027.
Public Act 26-106: An Act Implementing the Recommendations of the Department of Education
This Act requires the SDE to ensure the initial certificate of approval process for new charter schools coincides with the biennial budget preparation process (as opposed to the current theoretical annual process). It revises the required contents of a regional school study committee's report in connection with the district regionalization process to include consideration of transportation costs and to require auditing of the budget plan. The Act also eliminates various reporting obligations for the SDE, including reports on the uniform regional school calendar, the surrogate parent program, certain commissioner's network of schools’ program reports, and the status of educational technology in public schools.
Public Act 26-13: An Act Concerning Various Revisions to the Public Health Statutes
Commencing July 1, 2027, the Act amends the health assessment requirement so that before playing interscholastic sports, public high school students shall have an annual athletics health assessment that includes a screen for serious cardiac conditions. Similar to other health assessments, this new assessment will be provided free of charge to students whose parents meet eligibility requirements for free and reduced-price meals.
Commencing April 1, 2027, the Act requires health care providers that prepare safety plans for minor patients who received at least 12 consecutive days of inpatient behavioral health care treatment to review the plan with the minor (if medically appropriate) and ask whether the minor or parent consents to sharing the safety plan with the minor's school. If consent is given, the provider must obtain written consent and send the plan using a secure messaging system or in HIPAA-compliant fashion. School districts and schools must sign up for an organizational account on a secure messaging system by January 1, 2027, and provide the SDE with their secure messaging addresses by April 1, 2027.
As the title strongly suggests, this Act makes technical changes to the education and early childhood statutes.
Public Act 26-149: An Act Concerning Student Literacy
The Act requires the SDE to create guidance for school districts regarding the implementation of multitiered systems of support or response to intervention frameworks for students identified as struggling in reading, based on data from approved reading assessments. The Act also makes permanent two health care subsidy programs for paraeducators employed by local or regional boards of education — covering HSA deductible funding and premium cost sharing for Partnership 2.0 plans — and expands these programs to include paraeducators at charter schools. The Act modifies the aspiring educators’ diversity scholarship program by making "aspiring educators," rather than "diverse educators," eligible, and allows the Commissioner of Education to transfer up to $300,000 of unspent scholarship funds into the aforementioned paraeducator health care subsidy programs. Finally, the Act requires the SDE to establish an American Sign Language (ASL) education working group, with guidance to be issued by July 1, 2030, to ensure consistent implementation of the ASL portion of the world languages curriculum.
Impact: The permanent extension of the paraeducator insurance subsidy program is subject to available appropriations.
Home Schooling
Public Act 26-37: An Act Concerning the Provision of Equivalent Instruction
Commencing with the 2028–2029 school year, this Act requires parents or guardians of school-aged children to annually complete an intent to educate form indicating whether their child will enroll in a public school, attend a nonpublic school, or be instructed through "parent-managed learning" (i.e., homeschooling). The forms must be submitted to the school district where the parent resides by October 1 and may be submitted electronically.
Starting with the 2027–2028 school year, parents who withdraw a child from public school — whether to enroll the child in a nonpublic school or to instruct the child through parent-managed learning — must go in person to the school district's office and sign a withdrawal form. Effective July 1, 2027, parents are prohibited from withdrawing their child from school for parent-managed learning if any adult living with the child is on the DCF child abuse and neglect registry or is currently under investigation for child abuse or neglect. Additionally, the superintendent for the child’s district of residence is required to conduct a records check with DCF before processing such child’s withdrawal.
Commencing July 1, 2027, school boards must report to the SDE the number of children being instructed through parent-managed learning for whom an intent to educate form was completed. Commencing July 1, 2028, any school board that does not receive a completed form by November 1 must make at least three attempts to contact the parent or guardian and, if unable to do so, must notify the SDE.
Impact: This statute arguably would require school districts to violate the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) by revealing to DCF personally identifiable information about students who are homeschooled. Districts should work with their legal counsel to determine how best to implement these requirements without running afoul of FERPA or other student privacy rights. This issue is currently the subject of a pending challenge with the federal Department of Education brought by the Home School Legal Defense Association.
Intellectual Disability Definition Changes
Public Act 26-151: An Act Concerning a Plan to Revise the Definition of Intellectual Disability
The Act requires the Commissioner of the Department of Developmental Services (DDS) to produce a plan with recommendations on developing a standard definition of intellectual disability that originates before an individual attains 18 years of age and is characterized by significant limitations in both intellectual functioning and adaptive behavior. The definition must be consistent with generally accepted professional standards, including those of the American Association on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities, and must ensure that no single test score or measure is determinative. The plan must include a recommendation for a timeline for transitioning to the new definition, any required federal government approvals, and estimates of one-time and recurring costs to the DDS, other state agencies, and school districts. A report on the plan is due to the General Assembly by July 1, 2027.
The Brave New World: Artificial Intelligence
Public Act 26-15: An Act Concerning Online Safety
Public Act 26-15 is a comprehensive online safety and artificial intelligence law with several labor and employment and educational implications.
Automated Employment Decision Technology. The Act regulates “automated employment-related decision technology”: technology that processes personal data and uses computation to generate outputs serving as a “substantial factor” in employment decisions. Deployers of such technology must disclose to employees and applicants that they are interacting with such technology and must provide pre-decision written notice including the technology’s purpose, trade name, categories and sources of personal data analyzed, and deployer contact information. Developers must provide deployers with all information necessary to fulfill compliance obligations. Trade secret protections apply, but parties must disclose that information is being withheld. Violations are enforceable solely by the Attorney General as unfair or deceptive trade practices, with a 60-day cure period for violations before December 31, 2027. There is no private right of action.
Anti-Discrimination Law Amendments. The Act amends Connecticut’s anti-discrimination statutes to clarify that the use of automated employment-related decision technology is not a defense against a discrimination complaint. Courts and the Commission on Human Rights and Opportunities (CHRO) may, however, consider evidence of anti-bias testing or proactive measures when evaluating claims.
Teacher Certification. The Act provides that effective July 1, 2026, the teacher certification preparation program requirement of instruction in computer science “may include instruction in topics such as the responsible use of emerging technologies.”
Computer Science Instruction. Effective July 1, 2026, the Act adds “computer science” to the listing of instruction required to be taught in the public schools; the Act further provides that such instruction shall include, but not be limited to, computer programming instruction, artificial intelligence and emerging technologies.
Impact: If an employer uses AI-driven tools in hiring, evaluation, or other employment decisions, it must now provide written notice and specific disclosures to employees and applicants about how that technology works. Public schools that do not currently have “computer science” listed in their list of instructional offerings must update their list of curriculum offerings to include computer science.
Electronic Monitoring in the Workplace
Public Act 26-73: An Act Concerning the Electronic Surveillance of Employees
This Act which takes effect on October 1, 2026, requires employers engaging in electronic monitoring to include in their required written notices the specific workplace locations where monitoring may occur, to post notices at those specific locations, and to provide new employees with a plain-language statement of prohibited activities subject to monitoring without prior notice (as per the current exceptions in the electronic monitoring statutes for providing such notice). The Act further provides that an employer is not required to disclose the specific locations that it is electronically monitoring employees if the employer has reasonable grounds to conduct such monitoring for security and employee safety.
Impact: Schools that use security cameras in school buildings, on school property, on school buses or in other locations must ensure compliance with the new notice requirements as of October 1, 2026.
This Act which takes effect on October 1, 2026, creates an exception to electronic monitoring/surveillance restrictions for self-service kiosks operated by third-party vendors in employee lounges, provided that such monitoring systems do not record sound and only capture the checkout and display areas. The Act defines a "self-service kiosk" as an interactive, stand-alone terminal that allows individuals to independently scan and purchase items for sale. Any third-party vendors 1) shall maintain sole custody of any video collected by such surveillance and 2) may not release or provide access to any portion of such video except where otherwise required by law (or permitted by the Act). In this regard, the Act provides that no employer shall request to view any such video or use any such video in a disciplinary action, except where there has been an alleged theft by an employee reported by a third-party vendor.
Homeless Student Protections Codified
Public Act 26-125: An Act Concerning the Education of Homeless Children and Youth
This Act which takes effect on October 1, 2026, essentially codifies the protections of the federal McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act (as it existed as of December 23, 2022) into the state statutes by mandating that boards of education provide educational services to homeless children and youth (as defined under McKinney-Vento) in accordance with McKinney-Vento. Homeless children and youth denied such services shall be entitled to a hearing in accordance with Connecticut’s school accommodation hearing statute, Connecticut General Statutes § 10-186.
Zero Emissions Bus Requirements Delayed
Among other things, this Act extends the deadlines for school districts to have zero-emissions school buses. Under current law, 100% of school buses that provide transportation for school districts in the state must be 1) either zero-emission or alternative-fuel powered (e.g., natural gas or propane) by January 1, 2035, and 2) zero-emission only by January 1, 2040. The Act eliminates this interim 2035 requirement and provides that the percentage of buses in each district that must be zero-emission as of July 1, 2040, must “only” be 90%. The Act also eliminates a separate provision for “distressed municipalities” that required zero-emission buses for such school districts containing at least one “environmental justice community” and instead 1) changes the definition of distressed municipalities, 2) requires that buses providing transportation in a district within a distressed municipality must be 50% zero-emission by July 1, 2035, and 3) subjects such districts within a distressed municipality to the same 90% zero-emission bus deadline as with other school districts (July 1, 2040). Each distressed municipality shall submit to the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) a plan as to how it intends to comply with these zero-emission bus requirements by July 1, 2029; all other municipalities must submit such reports by July 1, 2035.
The Act also makes revisions to the grant program that will assist in the purchase of zero-emission buses. The Act requires that prior to the purchase and use of a zero-emission school bus, each school district shall develop and implement safety plans that 1) consider the ages and developmental needs of the students transported on such buses, and 2) include procedures for the evacuation of such buses in the event of a fire. Finally, the Act requires DEEP to create a working group to evaluate and make recommendations regarding the increased use of alternative fuels and technologies, including, but not limited to, biodiesel, propane and electric school buses, for use in school bus fleets in the state, with the working group to provide a report with its findings and recommendations to the General Assembly by February 1, 2027.
Impact: Before purchasing a zero-emission school bus, districts must develop and implement safety plans addressing student age/needs and fire evacuation procedures, and should watch for updated grant programs and a DEEP working group report (due February 1, 2027) on alternative fuel options.
Dual Enrollment
Public Act 26-18: An Act Concerning Dual Enrollment Programs
This Act requires the Commissioner of Education (by January 1, 2027) to appoint a dual and concurrent enrollment course coordinator to track the establishment of such courses throughout the state and student outcomes from such courses, including, but not limited to, completion rates and average grades, by school district.
Opioid Antagonists in the Schools
Among other things, this Act revises laws addressing the administration of opioid antagonists in schools. The Act distinguishes between “legend” antagonists (i.e., prescription) and regular or “non-legend” antagonists (e.g., naloxone hydrochloride or any other similar drug approved by the FDA). The Act allows both a school nurse and a qualified school employee (even when the nurse is not absent) to administer a “non-legend” opioid antagonist to a student experiencing an opioid related drug overdose, regardless of if there is any prior authorization by a parent or a prescription. Both a school nurse and a qualified school employee (even when the nurse is not absent) may administer a legend opioid antagonist 1) in accordance with the school’s administration of medication policies and 2) if they are trained in accordance with a state-created program. The Act removes the option for a student’s parent or guardian to request in writing that the student not be given an opioid antagonist. The Act also provides that nothing in the law should prevent a school nurse, qualified school employee or any other person in a school setting from administering a non-legend opioid antagonist to any person at a school who experiences an opioid-related drug overdose. Any person who administers such a non-legend opioid antagonist shall not be liable to any such persons administered the antagonist (or their parents, guardians or family members) for damages for any personal injuries that result from acts or omissions arising from such administration that may constitute ordinary negligence. This immunity shall not apply to acts or omissions constituting gross, willful or wanton negligence.
Impact: Districts should update their medication policies because non-prescription opioid antagonists (like over-the-counter naloxone) can now be administered by any trained school employee, or any person in a school setting, to anyone experiencing an overdose, without parental authorization, and parents can no longer opt their child out receiving an opioid antagonist.
Eating Disorders
The Act requires the executive director of the Commission on Women, Children, Seniors, Equity and Opportunity (CWCSEO) to establish a working group concerning the treatment of eating disorders and a working group to develop a state-wide food education roadmap and a model school nutrition curriculum. The executive director will report the results of the working group studies to the General Assembly by January 1, 2028. On and after January 1, 2027, each school-based health center shall 1) use an evidence-based screening tool for early identification of disordered eating behaviors, as a supplement to existing methods used to diagnose disordered eating behaviors, and 2) provide such screening tool to each patient who is in grades six to twelve during such patient's annual health assessment, including, but not limited to, the required school health assessments.
Detentions By Law Enforcement In “Protected Areas”
Among other things, this Act prohibits “peace officers” from detaining, arresting or otherwise taking an individual in a “protected area,” state facility, or municipal facility (including such facility’s grounds and any garages or parking lots utilized in its operation) into custody on the basis of a civil offense unless 1) the peace officer is acting in their official capacity, and 2) the individual to be detained, arrested or otherwise taken into custody is the subject of a judicial warrant. Among the protected areas are schools, including, but not limited to, any preschool, primary or secondary school, vocational school or college or university.
Incorporating ADA Standards
The Act requires any “public entity” (defined as any state agency or a local government or department, agency, special purpose district or other instrumentality of a local government located within the state) to administer services, programs and activities in the most integrated setting appropriate to the needs of persons with disabilities who meet any applicable eligibility requirements for such services, programs or activities. In essentially incorporating the ADA integration standards, the Act makes any violation of this new provision a discriminatory practice, allowing any person aggrieved by an alleged violation to file a complaint with the CHRO.
School Mapping Data Grants
Public Act 26-116: An Act Concerning School Mapping Data Services
This Act which takes effect on July 1, 2026, permits DESPP to, “within available appropriations,” administer a program providing grants to municipalities and municipal police departments for "school mapping" data services. Such program will allow schools to apply for grants to create accurate, verified school maps for use by first responders. It is expected that the grant information and deadlines will be posted on DESPP’s website on or about October 1, 2026.
Grant Program for Public Transportation and Students
Among other things, the Act requires the SDE (effective July 1, 2027) to administer a program to provide grants to boards of education for the purchase of passes for the use of state-owned or state-controlled bus public transportation services and distribution of such passes, without cost, to students who are enrolled in grades nine to twelve. The SDE will develop timelines for the applications and may also develop guidelines and grant criteria. Any board of education receiving a grant award shall submit any reports and financial statements required by the SDE; if the SDE finds that any grant is being used for purposes not in conformity with the purposes of this Act, the SDE may require the repayment of the grant to the state. By July 1, 2027, and annually thereafter, the SDE shall submit a report to the General Assembly’s Education and Transportation Committees on the amount of grants awarded during the prior year and an assessment of the impact of the grant program on student outcomes.
Please note: Section 64 of Public Act 26-76 amended this law so as to 1) make the Department of Transportation the administrator of the grant and 2) allow the purchase of such passes from transit district bus services.
Impact: Districts with available public bus transportation should consider whether to apply for this grant.
Indigenous Peoples’ Day
Public Act 26-19: An Act Designating Various Days and Months
While much of this Act does not directly concern schools (for example, the Act changes the date of celebration of Lobster Roll Day), the Act does rename “Indian Day” to “Indigenous Peoples’ Day.” This renamed day will still be celebrated the last Friday in September and shall still be suitably observed in the public schools as a day of commemoration of Native Americans and their contribution to American life and civilization. This Act took effect upon passage.
Municipal Employees Serving on Boards of Finance
This Act which takes on October 1, 2026, will permit municipal employees to serve on a board of finance if the employee 1) is permitted to serve pursuant to the provisions of a municipal charter or ordinance, 2) serves because of membership on the legislative body of the municipality, or 3) (new) earned a stipend for such municipal employment totaling less than $10,000 in the previous 12-month period.
Grants for Preschool Programs
Public Act 26-105: An Act Implementing the Recommendations of the Office of Early Childhood
This Act which takes effect on July 1, 2026, among other things, increases the maximum amount that local and regional school districts may receive under the Office of Early Childhood’s “Smart Start” competitive grant program to establish or expand preschool programs. Under this Act, the maximum annual grant for operating expenses will now be 1) $6,500 per child served by the grant (instead of $5,000), or 2) $97,500 for each preschool classroom (instead of $75,000).
And, Finally, DRIP Grant Notifications
This Act among other things, delays from March 1 until April 1 the deadline for the Office of Policy and Management to notify each public school operator of (and post online) the amount of its District Repair and Improvement Project (DRIP) grant.