AN ACT CONCERNING DISCONNECTED YOUTH.

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OLR Bill Analysis

sHB 5213

AN ACT CONCERNING DISCONNECTED YOUTH.

TABLE OF CONTENTS:

§ 1 — PLAN TO ADDRESS STRATEGIES TO ASSIST AT-RISK

STUDENTS

Requires the Two-Generational Advisory Board to develop a plan to address strategies to

assist at-risk students and reengage individuals identified as disconnected youth

§ 2 — ASSET AND CAPACITY MAPPING FOR NONPROFIT

ORGANIZATIONS

Requires UConn’s School of Public Policy to conduct a study and comprehensive asset

and capacity mapping for nonprofit organizations to support information-sharing and

collaboration between nonprofits and communities

§§ 3, 4 & 6 — DATA SHARING

Requires (1) local and regional boards of education to enter into data-sharing agreements

with youth service bureaus (YSBs) or juvenile review boards, (2) the education

commissioner to develop a model data-sharing agreement, and (3) the State Board of

Education to enter into a data-sharing agreement with an association representing a

network of YSBs

§ 5 — SCHOOL-LEVEL SUPPORT MEETINGS AND ATTENDANCE

REVIEW TEAMS

Requires local and regional boards of education to include individuals designated by a

YSB or JRB in school-level support meetings and on attendance review teams

§ 7 — BUS FARE EXEMPTION

Exempts students enrolled in priority school district public schools from fares on state-

owned or -controlled buses during specified parts of the school day

§ 8 — DUAL CREDIT COURSES

Requires higher education institutions and local and regional boards of education, before

establishing a dual credit course, to enter into an MOU for delivering the course and

awarding credit

§ 9 — ACCOUNTABILITY INDEX SCORE CRITERIA

Requires that the accountability index score for a district or school include the availability

of a credit recovery program and the number of students who earn credit and graduate as

a result of the program

§ 10 — CREDIT RECOVERY PROGRAMS

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Requires boards of education with a credit recovery program as part of their alternative

education to allow certain students enrolled in a traditional school program to

simultaneously enroll in the credit recovery program

§ 11 — MODEL STUDENT WORK RELEASE POLICY

Requires the chief workforce officer to consult with the SDE commissioner when updating

the model student work release policy

§ 12 — REGIONAL TRAUMA COORDINATORS

Makes permanent the requirement for RESCs to employ regional trauma coordinators

§§ 13 & 14 — WORKING GROUPS ON HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATION

REQUIREMENTS, GRADING POLICIES, AND ACCOUNTABILITY

INDEX

Allows (1) CABE to convene a working group to review high school graduation

requirements and (2) CEA and AFT to jointly convene a working group to review high

school grading policies and the accountability index

§ 15 — BEREAVEMENT AND GRIEF COUNSELING SERVICES TASK

FORCE

Establishes a 13-member task force on bereavement and grief counseling services

§ 1 — PLAN TO ADDRESS STRATEGIES TO ASSIST AT-RISK

STUDENTS

Requires the Two-Generational Advisory Board to develop a plan to address strategies to

assist at-risk students and reengage individuals identified as disconnected youth

This bill requires the Two-Generational Advisory Board to develop a

plan to address strategies to assist at-risk students and reengage

individuals identified as disconnected youth and submit it to the

Education Committee by January 1, 2025. The advisory board must

collaborate with the Connecticut Conference of Municipalities and

Connecticut Council of Small Towns in developing the plan.

The plan must include the following:

1. ways of identifying and addressing the needs of individuals

defined as disconnected youth;

2. opportunities for interagency and cross-branch collaboration and

streamlining of resources at the state and local levels;

3. statewide expansion and enhancement of a shared data platform,

in collaboration with the Compass Youth Collaborative, to

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provide a streamlined way for community-based providers in the

state that serve disconnected youth to access and share

individual-level de-identified data to improve collaboration,

communication, efficiency, transparency, and outcomes over

time; and

4. recommendations to improve the Connecticut Preschool through

Twenty and Workforce Information Network (P20WIN) to

promote data-sharing and retention of data models for future

comparisons.

For purposes of the plan, “disconnected youth” means an individual

ages 14-26 who (1) holds a high school diploma but is neither employed

nor attending a higher education institution or otherwise pursuing

secondary education, (2) does not hold a high school diploma (whether

employed or not employed), or (3) is incarcerated. “At-risk” students

are those enrolled in high school who are in danger of not graduating

due to (1) not earning sufficient credits; (2) being chronically absent (i.e.,

absences totaling at least 10% of the number of days enrolled); or (3)

behavioral and other disciplinary issues (e.g., suspensions and

expulsions).

EFFECTIVE DATE: Upon passage

§ 2 — ASSET AND CAPACITY MAPPING FOR NONPROFIT

ORGANIZATIONS

Requires UConn’s School of Public Policy to conduct a study and comprehensive asset

and capacity mapping for nonprofit organizations to support information-sharing and

collaboration between nonprofits and communities

The bill requires UConn’s School of Public Policy to conduct a study

and comprehensive asset and capacity mapping for nonprofit

organizations in the state to support information-sharing and

collaboration between the nonprofits and the communities they serve.

Under the bill, the study and mapping must do the following:

1. assess the nonprofit organizations’ capacity to assist the state in

addressing public needs and identifying assets’ availability and

strength and services’ gaps or weaknesses;

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2. provide an effective tool for sharing data, documents, and

communication among the nonprofit organizations to strengthen

their capacity to serve state residents;

3. provide a resource for policymakers to determine gaps in

services and capacity and enhance collaboration among different

nonprofit organizations working in the same geographic areas

and serving the same target population;

4. provide information to policymakers on ways to ensure that

resources are invested in areas and populations with the greatest

need; and

5. present data by town, by county, and statewide, as well as by

each regional council of government, and include a summary of

available resources, including nonprofit organizations and state

agencies, to create a database of the state’s nonprofit

organizations by target service population, mission, and

geography.

The bill requires the Department of Consumer Protection and the

secretary of the state to provide UConn’s School of Public Policy, upon

its request, with any data needed to conduct the study and mapping.

The school must submit to the Education Committee a preliminary

report by October 1, 2024, and a final report by June 30, 2025. The final

report must include a model to enhance collaboration among nonprofit

organizations to ensure that state investments are addressing gaps in

services and not contributing to duplicative efforts or competition

among the organizations.

EFFECTIVE DATE: July 1, 2024

§§ 3, 4 & 6 — DATA SHARING

Requires (1) local and regional boards of education to enter into data-sharing agreements

with youth service bureaus (YSBs) or juvenile review boards, (2) the education

commissioner to develop a model data-sharing agreement, and (3) the State Board of

Education to enter into a data-sharing agreement with an association representing a

network of YSBs

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The bill requires each local and regional board of education, by

October 1, 2024, to enter into a data-sharing agreement with each youth

service bureau (YSB) or juvenile review board (JRB) serving the

municipality in which a student enrolled in a school within the board’s

jurisdiction resides (§ 3).

Under the bill, the education commissioner must (1) develop a model

data-sharing agreement by September 1, 2024, for local and regional

boards of education, YSBs, and JRBs and (2) make the agreement

available upon request and on the department’s website (§ 4).

The bill similarly requires the State Board of Education (SBE), by

October 1, 2024, to enter into a data-sharing agreement with an

association representing a network of YSBs in Connecticut. The

agreement must require SBE to provide required student data within 30

days after receiving it from a local or regional board of education (§ 6).

EFFECTIVE DATE: July 1, 2024

Agreement Requirements (§ 3)

The bill defines a “data-sharing agreement” as a contract between a

board of education and a YSB or JRB establishing processes and

procedures that govern the sharing and use of students’ education

records and personally identifiable information (PII, see Background —

FERPA) to engage in data analysis of students’ long-term outcomes to

help improve available programming, instruction, and services.

Under the bill, the agreement must do the following:

1. require the board of education to provide required student data

(see below) to the YSB or JRB on a monthly basis;

2. state that disclosure of education records and students’ PII

without consent of a parent or guardian is permissible under

federal Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA)

regulations as long as the disclosure’s purpose is to allow a YSB

or JRB to conduct a study to improve instruction and assess the

effectiveness of state and federally funded education programs

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(see Background — FERPA); and

3. allow a YSB or JRB to (a) share any study’s results with the board

of education and (b) use the data to help assess long-term

outcomes of students served by the YSB or JRB to evaluate the

YSB’s or JRB’s program and service effectiveness, improve

instruction, and identify areas for program improvement.

Required Student Data. Under the bill, “required student data”

includes the following:

1. date of birth; first, middle, and last name; and state-assigned

student identifier;

2. demographic information, including race, ethnicity, and gender;

3. whether the student is a multilingual learner, a homeless child or

youth (as defined in federal law), or receiving special education

or related services;

4. grade level; date of graduation or anticipated graduation year;

and current enrollment status (including active registration,

transfer, and withdrawal data);

5. attendance records (including whether absences were excused or

unexcused) and disciplinary history, including the type, number,

and nature of disciplinary actions; and

6. any additional student information or data YSBs need to comply

with state law.

Background — FERPA

With certain exceptions, FERPA requires schools, school districts,

and federally funded institutions to keep PII contained in a student’s

records confidential unless (1) the parents (of students under age 18) or

students age 18 or older (“eligible students”) consent to disclose it or (2)

one of the legal exceptions to the confidentiality requirement applies (20

U.S.C. § 1232g).

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Under FERPA’s regulations, “education records” are, with certain

exceptions, records that refer to a student and are maintained by an

educational agency or institution. Examples of PII include a student’s

name, date of birth, and personal identifier (34 C.F.R. § 99.3)

Research Exception. FERPA regulations specify several exceptions

under which PII may be disclosed from education records without a

parent’s or student’s consent. One of these exceptions allows disclosure

to organizations conducting studies for, or on behalf of, educational

agencies or institutions to (1) develop, validate, or administer predictive

tests; (2) administer student aid programs; or (3) improve instruction.

Among other things, (1) the study must not permit personal

identification of parents and students except by representatives of the

organization with a legitimate interest in the information; (2) the

information must be destroyed when no longer needed for the study’s

purposes; and (3) there must be a written agreement that specifies the

study’s or studies’ purpose, scope, and duration (34 C.F.R. § 99.31(a)(6)).

§ 5 — SCHOOL-LEVEL SUPPORT MEETINGS AND ATTENDANCE

REVIEW TEAMS

Requires local and regional boards of education to include individuals designated by a

YSB or JRB in school-level support meetings and on attendance review teams

The bill requires local and regional boards of education to include

individuals designated by a YSB or JRB with which the board of

education has a data-sharing agreement (see above) in school-level

support meetings and on attendance review teams (i.e., teams

established by a board of education to address chronic absenteeism in a

school district or at one or more schools).

Under the bill, “school-level support meetings” are scheduled

meetings of school administrators, teachers, social workers, school

counselors, or other school officials to review and discuss student data

related to absenteeism, discipline, or mental and behavioral health.

EFFECTIVE DATE: July 1, 2024

§ 7 — BUS FARE EXEMPTION

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Exempts students enrolled in priority school district public schools from fares on state-

owned or -controlled buses during specified parts of the school day

The bill exempts students enrolled in priority school district public

schools from fares on state-owned or -controlled buses for the two hours

before the start of the school day and the four hours following the end

of the school day. Students who are exempt from fares during these

times must show the bus driver or fare inspector a student identification

card issued by the board of education.

EFFECTIVE DATE: July 1, 2024

§ 8 — DUAL CREDIT COURSES

Requires higher education institutions and local and regional boards of education, before

establishing a dual credit course, to enter into an MOU for delivering the course and

awarding credit

The bill requires higher education institutions and local and regional

boards of education, before establishing a dual credit course, to enter

into a memorandum of understanding (MOU) for delivering the course

and awarding credit. The MOU must ensure the following:

1. the course aligns with the standards developed by the National

Alliance of Concurrent Enrollment Partnerships (NACEP),

2. (a) the course instructor meets NACEP qualifications and (b) the

school superintendent attests to the higher education institution

that the educator meets these qualifications before being

assigned to teach the course,

3. the educator completes the same professional development

training that a higher education faculty member would complete,

4. the higher education institution may evaluate the course or the

professional development associated with it, and

5. students enrolled in the course (a) complete an orientation

program offered by the institution and (b) meet the course’s

prerequisites.

Under the bill, a “dual credit course” is one for which credit is offered

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by a local or regional board of education to students in grades 9-12 and

for which both high school and college credit is awarded. The course

may be concurrent enrollment (i.e., delivered at a high school by a

certified educator employed by a board of education) or dual enrollment

(i.e., delivered at a higher education institution by a member of the

institution’s faculty).

EFFECTIVE DATE: July 1, 2024

§ 9 — ACCOUNTABILITY INDEX SCORE CRITERIA

Requires that the accountability index score for a district or school include the availability

of a credit recovery program and the number of students who earn credit and graduate as

a result of the program

By law, the accountability index score for a school district or an

individual school is the score resulting from multiple weighted

measures that include, among other things, the mastery test scores (i.e.,

the performance index score) and high school graduation rates. The

State Department of Education (SDE) uses the scores to designate

alliance districts, among other things.

The bill requires that the accountability index score also include the

availability of a credit recovery program and the number of students

who earn credit and graduate as a result of the program. Generally,

credit recovery is a strategy that allows students who lost credit (e.g., by

failing or not completing a course) to recover the credit by retaking the

course through a locally designed alternative (e.g., online coursework).

EFFECTIVE DATE: July 1, 2024

§ 10 — CREDIT RECOVERY PROGRAMS

Requires boards of education with a credit recovery program as part of their alternative

education to allow certain students enrolled in a traditional school program to

simultaneously enroll in the credit recovery program

Existing law allows local and regional boards of education to provide

a school or program in a nontraditional setting that addresses students’

social, emotional, behavioral, and academic needs (i.e., “alternative

education”).

Under the bill, local and regional boards of education with a credit

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recovery program as part of their alternative education must allow

students enrolled in a traditional school program and at risk of not

graduating to also enroll in the credit recovery program while

remaining enrolled in the traditional program. The boards must do so

beginning with the 2024-2025 school year.

EFFECTIVE DATE: July 1, 2024

§ 11 — MODEL STUDENT WORK RELEASE POLICY

Requires the chief workforce officer to consult with the SDE commissioner when updating

the model student work release policy

Existing law allows the state’s chief workforce officer to update the

model student work release policy as necessary. The bill requires her to

consult with the SDE commissioner when doing so. By law, local and

regional boards of education must adopt the model policy or the most

recently updated version of it beginning with the 2024-2025 school year.

EFFECTIVE DATE: July 1, 2024

§ 12 — REGIONAL TRAUMA COORDINATORS

Makes permanent the requirement for RESCs to employ regional trauma coordinators

The bill makes permanent the requirement that each regional

education service center (RESC) employ a regional trauma coordinator.

Current law requires RESCs to hire a coordinator for FYs 23 and 24 only.

Among other things, each coordinator must develop and implement a

trauma-informed care training program.

EFFECTIVE DATE: July 1, 2024

§§ 13 & 14 — WORKING GROUPS ON HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATION

REQUIREMENTS, GRADING POLICIES, AND ACCOUNTABILITY

INDEX

Allows (1) CABE to convene a working group to review high school graduation

requirements and (2) CEA and AFT to jointly convene a working group to review high

school grading policies and the accountability index

The bill allows the Connecticut Association of Boards of Education

(CABE) to convene a 14-member working group to review high school

graduation requirements to identify requirements that limit or restrict

instruction or service provision to students (§ 13). CABE’s executive

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director or a designee must chair the working group.

The bill also allows the Connecticut Education Association (CEA) and

the American Federation of Teachers-Connecticut (AFT-CT) to jointly

convene a 14-member working group to review (1) high school grading

policies used by local and regional boards of education and (2) the

accountability index and information and data SDE uses to calculate

index scores (§ 14). CEA’s and AFT-CT’s executive directors, or their

designees, must serve as the working group’s chairpersons.

Under the bill, the groups must each submit a report to the Education

Committee by January 1, 2026. The report from the group led by CEA

and AFT-CT specifically must review mandates and make

recommendations for amending or repealing them and developing a

biennial review process.

Each group terminates on the date it submits its report or July 1, 2026,

whichever is later.

EFFECTIVE DATE: July 1, 2024

Membership

The bill establishes identical membership requirements for the two

groups. Both groups must include one representative from each of the

following organizations:

1. CABE;

2. the Connecticut Association of Public School Superintendents;

3. the Connecticut PTA;

4. AFT-CT;

5. CEA;

6. the Connecticut Association of Schools;

7. the Connecticut Federation of School Administrators;

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8. the Connecticut School Counselor Association; and

9. the Connecticut Association for Health, Physical Education,

Recreation and Dance.

The groups must also include the following ex-officio members or

their designees: the education commissioner and Education

Committee’s chairpersons and ranking members.

The bill requires appointing authorities to make their initial

appointments to the working groups by July 31, 2024, and fill any

vacancies. Each group’s chairpersons must schedule the initial

meetings, which must be held by August 30, 2024. The groups may

allow for public comment or seek input from students, parents,

educators, boards of education, and other education stakeholders.

§ 15 — BEREAVEMENT AND GRIEF COUNSELING SERVICES

TASK FORCE

Establishes a 13-member task force on bereavement and grief counseling services

Duties

The bill establishes a 13-member task force to develop

recommendations for creating and administering a statewide program

for delivering bereavement and grief counseling services to children

and families at no cost to participants.

The task force must make recommendations on the following:

1. the appropriate administering agency or agencies;

2. scope of services, including services to marginalized

communities and culturally informed services;

3. the role that existing counseling services and school-based health

centers should have in service delivery;

4. service delivery, including necessary resources, in parts of the

state where services are currently insufficient or non-existent;

5. long-term funding sources; and

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6. additional considerations the task force identifies.

The task force must submit a report on its findings and

recommendations to the Children and Public Health committees by July

1, 2025. It terminates on this date or the date it submits its report,

whichever is later.

Membership

Under the bill, the task force consists of 13 members: eight legislative

appointees (who may be legislators), shown in the table below, and five

ex-officio members, listed below the table. Appointing authorities must

make their initial appointments within 30 days after the bill’s passage

and fill any vacancies.

Table: Appointed Task Force Members

Appointing Authority

Criteria

House speaker

Representative of a bereavement and grief counseling

services program that serves children and families

Senate president pro

tempore

Representative of a statewide association of school-based

health centers

House majority leader

Representative of a statewide association of school

counselors

Senate majority leader

Representative of the state chapter of a national nonprofit

organization that works to improve the lives of children and

families

House minority leader

Representative of a child study center affiliated with a

medical school in the state

Senate minority leader

A licensed psychologist who has expertise in treating

bereaved children

Education Committee

House chairperson and

ranking member (joint

appointment)

A person who has experience with grief and bereavement

Education Committee

Senate chairperson and

ranking member (joint

appointment)

A person who has experience with grief and bereavement

The task force also includes the following officials or their designees:

the (1) children and families, education, mental health and addiction

services, and public health commissioners and (2) Commission on

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Women, Children, Seniors, Equity and Opportunity’s (CWCSEO)

executive director.

The bill requires the House speaker and Senate president pro

tempore to select the task force chairpersons from among its members.

The chairpersons must schedule the task force’s first meeting, which

must be held within 60 days after the bill’s passage. CWCSEO’s

administrative staff must serve as the task force’s administrative staff.

EFFECTIVE DATE: Upon passage

Background — Related Bill

sSB 218, § 1 (File 30), reported favorably by the Committee on

Children, also establishes a task force to study this topic.

COMMITTEE ACTION

Education Committee

Joint Favorable Substitute

Yea

Nay

(03/06/2024)