Connecticut Commission on Children:

• Bullying: Plain-English Explanation of the Law (PDF)

OLR Research Reports - Office of Legislative Research:

• OLR Backgrounder: Education Reform Provisions Taking Effect In 2013 or After – 2012-R-0466
  In the 2011 and 2012, the General Assembly made major changes in the state's education laws. These new laws take effect over several years, with many provisions to be implemented in 2013 through 2020.
  
  This report summarizes those provisions in two tables. Table 1 briefly summarizes recently enacted provisions affecting prekindergarten to Grade 12 education currently scheduled for implementation in the next seven years. Table 2 lists the schedule for reporting to the legislature on the progress of recently enacted education initiatives. Both tables list the provisions and reports in chronological order by their effective or starting dates, in the case of requirements taking effect in future years, or by due date, in the case of reports.
  
  For additional information about the statutory requirements and reports listed below, as well as all education-related laws enacted during the last two sessions, see OLR's Acts Affecting Education reports for 2011 (2011-R-0303) and 2012 (2012-R-0198). OLR Report 2012-R-0201 also provides a glossary of terms used in recently enacted education reform legislation and in this report.

• New School Readiness Spaces, Family Resource Centers, And School-based Health Clinics – 2012-R-0269
  You asked which school districts are eligible for the new school readiness spaces, family resource centers, and school-based health clinics required by the 2012 Education Reform Act (PA 12-116).

• School Physical Education Time Requirements – 2012-R-0272
  You asked what the state requirements are for the duration of physical education classes or activity in public schools.

• Notification To Parents Of School Withdrawal And Transfer To A New School – 2012-R-0225
  You asked whether state law requires a school district to notify both parents when one parent withdraws a child from school and enrolls him or her in school in a different district.

• 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:

Pamphlets from the Connecticut Women's Education and Legal Fund:

Publications from the Connecticut Department of Education:

Publication from the Connecticut Office of Protection and Advocacy for Persons with Disabilities: