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Research Guides

 Connecticut Public Acts
Pathfinders prepared by the Connecticut Judicial Branch law librarians:
  • Rights of Minors in Connecticut
  • § 4. Truancy in Connecticut
  • § 5. School Discipline in Connecticut

  • § 6. Freedom of Speech in Public Schools

    • Connecticut Commission on Children:

    OLR Research Reports - Office of Legislative Research:

    • Use Of Restraint And Seclusion In Connecticut Public Schools – 2012-R-0084
      You asked for a summary of state law and regulations governing restraint and seclusion of students in Connecticut public schools and to provide available information on the prevalence of these measures.
      Because state law addresses restraint and seclusion regarding special education students, this report focuses on that population.

    • Teacher Layoff and Teacher Evaluation Requirements – 2011-R-0075
      You asked for a summary of the statutory requirements governing teacher layoffs and teacher evaluations.

    • Expulsion for Conduct Outside of School – 2011-R-0054
      You asked what authority a local school board has to expel a student from school for conduct off school grounds. You were especially interested in whether a school board may expel a student for a sexual assault that occurs away from school.

    • Individualized Education Plan and 504 Plan Complaint Processes – 2011-R-0010
      You asked for a summary of the processes for reporting and resolving complaints about (1) special education individualized education programs (IEPs) developed under the federal Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) and (2) accommodation plans for students with disabilities developed under § 504 of the federal Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (504 plans). You also asked whether these procedures vary from state to state.

    • Special Education Individualized Education Programs and Forms - 2010-R-0355
      You asked us to summarize the information the federal special education law and regulations require school districts to include in the individualized education programs (IEPs) for children receiving special education.

    • Required Services for School-Aged Children with Autism - 2010-R-0051

    • Burden of Proof in Certain Types of Education Due Process Hearings - 2010-R-0480
      You asked if education law or regulation for due process hearings regarding school accommodation, residency, and discipline matters address which party in a proceeding bears the burden of proof. You also asked us to compare these types of hearings to special education hearings in Connecticut, where the burden of proof is always on the school district.

    • OLR Backgrounder: Burden of Proof in Special Education Due Process Hearings - 2010-R-0439
      This report provides background information and an explanation of the issue of “Burden of proof” in special education due process hearings in Connecticut and neighboring states. It updates       OLR Report 2010-R-0054      .

    • Home Schooling In Connecticut And Other States - 2008-R-0292
      You asked for a comparison of Connecticut's regulation of home schooling with that of other states.

    • Policies for Reporting Troubled Students – 2008-R-0098
      You asked if the state's public colleges and universities have policies for faculty members to report students who they suspect may pose a risk to themselves or others. If not, you wanted to know how they raise faculty members' awareness about troubled students.

    • Teacher Certification and Teachers' Retirement – 2007-R-0687
      You asked several questions about teacher certification and teacher's retirement. We list the questions and answers individually below.

    • Special Education Litigation Costs – 2007-R-0347
       You asked if Connecticut or any of its neighboring states impose a limit on the amount a local or regional board of education can spend to litigate a special education dispute with a parent. 

    • Home Schooled Students and Access to School Services – 2007-R-0189
       You asked if a local school district has the right to deny services to home schooled children. 

    • Parents' Special Education Due Process Rights – 2007-R-0059
       You asked what rights parents of a child with possible dyslexia or another problem that affects his ability to read have to require the school district where the child attends school to evaluate the child and pay for the evaluation.

    • Possession of Weapon on School Grounds – 2006-R-0658
       You asked whether properly trained Connecticut public school faculty and staff are allowed to have guns in schools.

    • Teachers and Social Security - 2006-R-0547
      This report answers frequently asked questions about (1) why teachers are not covered, (2) other states that have similar Social Security exclusions, (3) federal benefit reductions that apply when teachers qualify for Social Security from other employment, and (4) what the state would have to do to include teachers under Social Security.       

    • Protection for Teachers from False Accusations - 2006-R-0023
      You asked if Connecticut or any other state has a program to protect teachers from financial distress or damage to their reputations from false accusations of impropriety by students.       

    • Municipal Referendums - 2005-R-0423 

    • Teacher Sick Days - 2005-R-0396
      You want to know whether teachers’ sick days and personal days are set by statute, regulations, or collective bargaining agreements.       

    • Sheff v. O'Neill Settlement - 2003-R-0112 

    • Legal Gambling in Schools - 2003-R-0055
       You want to know what kind of gambling is now legally permissible at school-sponsored events now that Las Vegas nights are illegal. 

    • School Expulsion Procedure - 2002-R-0849
       You asked what procedure a school district must follow to expel a high school student for carrying a weapon on school grounds. 

    • Education of Homeless Children - 2002-R-0561 

    • Mandated Reporter Law - 2002-R-0528 

    • Teacher Tenure Law - 2002-R-0469
      You asked for a summary of the teacher tenure law (CGS § 10-151).       

    • Handling of Confidential Student Records – 2002-R-0338
       You asked several specific questions about how schools and school districts are required to handle confidential student records, especially medical and other types of records relating to an evaluation and individualized program for a special education student. 

    • Home Schooling in Connecticut and Other States - 2002-R-0036
       You asked for a comparison of Connecticut's regulation of home schooling with that of other states. 

    Pamphlets from the Legal Assistance Resource Center of Connecticut:
  • School Expulsions
  • Special Education
  • Your Child's Rights in School (PDF)
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    Pamphlets from the Connecticut Women's Education and Legal Fund:
  • Sexual Harassment in Schools
  • Title IX: Gender Equity in Sports
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    Publications from the Connecticut Department of Education:

    Publication from the Connecticut Office of Protection and Advocacy for Persons with Disabilities:
  • Special Education is Not a Place (Advocacy Guide) - English - Spanish - Publication is currently under revision
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    Information from KidsCounsel Center for Children’s Advocacy:

    Publications from the Congressional Research Service:

    Useful Websites
  • Council for Exceptional Children (CEC), (IDEP's)
  • KidsCounsel Center for Children's Advocacy
  • U.S. Department of Education
  • IDEA.ed.gov
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    • Connecticut General Statutes

    Selected Statutes:

    Chapter 166 - Teachers and Superintendents

  • Sec. 10-151. Employment of teachers. Definitions. Notice and hearing on failure to renew or termination of contract. Appeal. [Tenure Law]

  • Sec. 10-151a. Access of teacher to supervisory records and reports in personnel file.

  • Sec. 10-151c. Nondisclosure of records of teacher performance and evaluation. Exceptions.

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    Chapter 168 - School Attendance and Employment of Children

  • Sec. 10-184. Duties of parents. School attendance age requirements.

  • Sec. 10-185. Penalty. [Noncompliance with Sec. 10-184]

  • Sec. 10-198a. Policies and procedures concerning truants.

  • Sec. 10-199. Attendance officers. Duties.

  • Sec. 10-200. Habitual truants.

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    Chapter 170 - Boards of Education

  • Sec. 10-233a. Definitions [Removal, Suspension, Expulsion of Student].

  • Sec. 10-233b. Removal of pupils from class.

  • Sec. 10-233c. Suspension of pupils.

  • Sec. 10-233d. Expulsion of pupils.

  • Sec. 10-233e. Notice as to disciplinary policies and action.

  • Sec. 10-233f. In-school suspension of pupils. Reassignment.

  • Sec. 10-233g. Reports of principals to police authority concerning physical assaults upon school employees by students.

  • Sec. 10-233h. Arrested students. Reports by police, disclosure, confidentiality. Police testimony at expulsion hearings.

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    CT Department of Education Regulations

    Selected Regulations:

    Federal Laws

    Selected Laws:

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     Connecticut Law by Subject