Laws/Regulations

Public Act 15-5, Section 277, amending CGS Section 10-76d(a)(8)(C) and (D). Planning and Placement Team (PPT) Meetings. Parent, guardian, pupil or surrogate parent shall (i) be given at least five school days' prior notice of any planning and placement team meeting conducted for such child or pupil, [and shall] (ii) have the right to be present at and participate in all portions of such meeting at which an educational program for such child or pupil is developed, reviewed or revised, and (iii) have the right to have advisors of such person's own choosing and at such person's own expense, and to have the school paraprofessional assigned to such child or pupil, if any, to be present at and to participate in all portions of such meeting at which an educational program for such child or pupil is developed, reviewed or revised.

Sec. 10-155j of the 2008 Supplement to the General Statutes. Development of Paraprofessionals. The Department of Education, through the State Education Resource Center and within available appropriations for such purposes, shall promote and encourage professional development activities for school paraprofessionals with instructional responsibilities. Such activities may include, but shall not be limited to, providing local and regional boards of education with training modules and curricula for professional development for paraprofessionals and assisting boards of education in the effective use of paraprofessionals and the development of strategies to improve communications between teachers and paraprofessionals in the provision of effective student instruction.

Sec. 10-155k of the 2008 Supplement to the General Statutes. School Paraprofessional Advisory Council. The Commissioner of Education shall establish a School Paraprofessional Advisory Council consisting of one representative from each state-wide bargaining representative organization that represents school paraprofessionals with instructional responsibilities. The council shall advise, at least quarterly, the Commissioner of Education, or the commissioner's designee, of the needs for the training of such paraprofessionals and the effectiveness of the content and the delivery of existing training for such paraprofessionals. The council shall report, at least quarterly, in accordance with the provisions of section 11-4a of the general statutes, on the recommendations given to the commissioner, or the commissioner's designee, pursuant to the provisions of this section, to the joint standing committee of the General Assembly having cognizance of matters relating to education.

Sec. 28 of Public Act 07-3 of the June Special Session. Not later than December 1, 2008, the department shall report and make recommendations to the joint standing committee of the General Assembly having cognizance of matters relating to education concerning professional development for paraprofessionals and the status and future of school paraprofessionals with instructional responsibilities.

Public Act 08-169 (signed by Governor on June 12, 2008) Autism: Requires the Commissioners of Education, Higher Education and Developmental Services and the President of Southern Connecticut State University to define autism and developmental disabilities and to develop recommendations by February 1, 2009, for a comprehensive state-wide plan to incorporate methods of teaching children with autism and other developmental disabilities into teacher preparation programs, teacher certification requirements, in-service training for educators and training provided to school paraprofessionals