CHAPTER 164
EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES

PART I
GENERAL

      Sec. 10-15b. Access of parent or guardian to student's records. Inspection and subpoena of school or student records. (a) Either parent or legal guardian of a minor student shall, upon written request to a local or regional board of education and within a reasonable time, be entitled to knowledge of and access to all educational, medical, or similar records maintained in such student's cumulative record, except that no parent or legal guardian shall be entitled to information considered privileged under section 10-154a.

      (b) The parent or legal guardian with whom the student does not primarily reside shall be provided with all school notices that are provided to the parent or legal guardian with whom the student primarily resides. Such notices shall be mailed to the parent or legal guardian requesting them at the same time they are provided to the parent or legal guardian with whom the child primarily resides. Such requests shall be effective for as long as the child remains in the school the child is attending at the time of the request.

      (c) If any private or public school is served with a subpoena issued by competent authority directing the production of school or student records in connection with any proceedings in any court, the school upon which such subpoena is served may deliver such record or at its option a copy thereof to the clerk of such court. Such clerk shall give a receipt for the same, shall be responsible for the safekeeping thereof, shall not permit the same to be removed from the premises of the court and shall notify the school to call for the same when it is no longer needed for use in court. Any such record or copy so delivered to such clerk shall be sealed in an envelope which shall indicate the name of the school or student, the name of the attorney subpoenaing the same and the title of the case referred to in the subpoena. No such record or copy shall be open to inspection by any person except upon the order of a judge of the court concerned, and any such record or copy shall at all times be subject to the order of such judge. Any and all parts of any such record or copy, if not otherwise inadmissible, shall be admitted in evidence without any preliminary testimony, if there is attached thereto the certification in affidavit form of the person in charge of such records indicating that such record or copy is the original record or a copy thereof, made in the regular course of the business of the school, and that it was the regular course of such business to make such record at the time of the transactions, occurrences or events recorded therein or within a reasonable time thereafter. A subpoena directing production of such school or student records shall be served not less than eighteen hours before the time for production, provided such subpoena shall be valid if served less than eighteen hours before the time of production if written notice of intent to serve such subpoena has been delivered to the person in charge of such records not less than eighteen hours or more than two weeks before such time for production.

      (P.A. 73-74; P.A. 78-218, S. 12; P.A. 85-554, S. 4, 6; P.A. 86-223; P.A. 06-115, S. 2; P.A. 07-217, S. 41.)

      History: P.A. 78-218 substituted "board of education" for "school board"; P.A. 85-554 added Subsec. (b) establishing procedures for inspection and subpoena of school or student records; P.A. 86-223 required serving of subpoena at least 18 hours before time for production of records rather than 24 hours before as was previously required; P.A. 06-115 added new Subsec. (b) re school notices to the parent or guardian with whom the student does not primarily reside and redesignated existing Subsec. (b) as Subsec. (c), effective July 1, 2006; P.A. 07-217 made a technical change in Subsec. (c), effective July 12, 2007.

      Sec. 10-15d. Applicability of education statutes to the Unified School Districts and the vocational-technical schools. For the fiscal year beginning July 1, 1987, and annually thereafter, all provisions of the general statutes concerning education, except those provisions relating to the eligibility for noncompetitive state aid unless otherwise provided, shall apply to the operation of the State of Connecticut-Unified School District #2 established pursuant to section 17a-37 within the Department of Children and Families, State of Connecticut-Unified School District #1 established pursuant to section 18-99a within the Department of Correction and State of Connecticut-Unified School District #3 established pursuant to section 17a-240 within the Department of Developmental Services. All provisions of the general statutes concerning education, except those provisions relating to the eligibility for state aid unless otherwise provided, shall apply to the operation of the vocational-technical schools established pursuant to the provisions of section 10-95. Notwithstanding the provisions of this section, where such a school or school district shows that a particular statutory provision should not apply, the commissioner may grant an exception.

      (P.A. 81-197; P.A. 83-169, S. 7; P.A. 87-499, S. 1, 34; P.A. 93-91, S. 1, 2; P.A. 07-73, S. 2(a).)

      History: P.A. 83-169 changed name designations of special school districts, amending internal references accordingly; P.A. 87-499 substituted 1987 for 1981, made the unified school districts eligible for competitive state aid and deleted the reference to the E.O. Smith School; (Revisor's note: In 1993 an incorrect internal reference to "section 17a-38" was changed editorially by the Revisors to "section 17a-37"); P.A. 93-91 substituted commissioner and department of children and families for commissioner and department of children and youth services, effective July 1, 1993; pursuant to P.A. 07-73 "Department of Mental Retardation" was changed editorially by the Revisors to "Department of Developmental Services", effective October 1, 2007.

      Sec. 10-16n. Head Start grant program. Grant allocation. Advisory committee. (a) The Commissioner of Education, in consultation with the Commissioner of Social Services, shall establish a competitive grant program to assist nonprofit agencies and local and regional boards of education, which are federal Head Start grantees, in (1) establishing extended-day and full-day, year-round, Head Start programs or expanding existing Head Start programs to extended-day or full-day, year-round programs, (2) enhancing program quality and (3) increasing the number of children served. The commissioner, after consultation with the committee established pursuant to subsection (c) of this section, shall establish criteria for the grants, provided at least twenty-five per cent of the funding for such grants shall be for the purpose of enhancing program quality. Nonprofit agencies or boards of education seeking grants pursuant to this section shall make application to the Commissioner of Education on such forms and at such times as the commissioner shall prescribe. All grants pursuant to this section shall be funded within the limits of available appropriations or otherwise from federal funds and private donations. All full-day, year-round Head Start programs funded pursuant to this section shall be in compliance with federal Head Start performance standards.

      (b) The Department of Education shall annually allocate to each town in which the number of children under the aid to dependent children program, as defined in subdivision (14) of section 10-262f, equals or exceeds nine hundred children, determined for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1996, an amount equal to one hundred fifty thousand dollars plus eight and one-half dollars for each child under the aid to dependent children program, provided such amount may be reduced proportionately so that the total amount awarded pursuant to this subsection does not exceed two million seven hundred thousand dollars. The department shall award grants to the local and regional boards of education for such towns and nonprofit agencies located in such towns which meet the criteria established pursuant to subsection (a) of this section to maintain the programs established or expanded with funds provided pursuant to this subsection in the fiscal years ending June 30, 1996, and June 30, 1997. Any funds remaining in the allocation to such a town after grants are so awarded shall be used to increase allocations to other such towns. Any funds remaining after grants are so awarded to boards of education and nonprofit agencies in all such towns shall be available to local and regional boards of education and nonprofit agencies in other towns in the state for grants for such purposes.

      (c) There is established a committee to advise the Commissioner of Education concerning the coordination, priorities for allocation and distribution, and utilization of funds for Head Start and concerning the competitive grant program established under this section, and to evaluate programs funded pursuant to this section. The committee shall consist of twelve members as follows: One member designated by the Commissioner of Social Services; six members who are directors of Head Start programs, two from community action agency program sites or school readiness coordinators, one of whom shall be appointed by the president pro tempore of the Senate and one by the speaker of the House of Representatives, two from school program sites, one of whom shall be appointed by the majority leader of the Senate and one by the majority leader of the House of Representatives, and two from other nonprofit agency program sites, one of whom shall be appointed by the minority leader of the Senate and one by the minority leader of the House of Representatives; one member designated by the Commission on Children; one member designated by the Early Childhood Education Council; one member designated by the Head Start Directors Association who shall be the parent of a present or former Head Start student; one member designated by the Connecticut Association for Community Action who shall have expertise and experience concerning Head Start; and one member designated by the Office of Human Development Services, Office of Community Programs, Region 1 of the federal Department of Health and Human Services.

      (d) The Commissioner of Education may adopt regulations, in accordance with the provisions of chapter 54, for purposes of this section.

      (P.A. 91-269, S. 1, 2; P.A. 92-222, S. 1, 3; P.A. 93-262, S. 33, 87; P.A. 95-266, S. 3, 5; P.A. 97-247, S. 7, 27; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 00-1, S. 32, 46; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 07-3, S. 48.)

      History: P.A. 92-222 transferred the program from the department of human resources to the department of education, added Subsec. (a)(2) and (3), required 25% of the funding for grants to be used to enhance program quality, changed the applicable date in Subsec. (a) from June 25, 1991, to July 1, 1992, and increased the membership of the advisory committee from 11 to 13 by adding a member designated by the commission on children and a member designated by the Connecticut Association for Community Action; P.A. 93-262 replaced references to commissioner of income maintenance and commissioner of human resources with references to commissioner of social services, effectively reducing committee membership from 13 to 12 members, effective July 1, 1993; P.A. 95-266 inserted new Subsec. (b) re allocation for fiscal years ending June 30, 1996, and June 30, 1997, relettering former Subsecs. (b) and (c) as (c) and (d), effective July 1, 1995; P.A. 97-247 made a technical change in Subsec. (a) and in Subsec. (b) provided for annual grants, provided for proportional reductions so that the total amount of grants does not exceed $2,700,000, and changed the provision dealing with how grant funds are to be used, effective July 1, 1997; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 00-1 amended Subsec. (c) to expand committee membership to include school readiness coordinators, effective June 21, 2000; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 07-3 amended Subsec. (a) to delete restriction that 75% of funding be allocated to Head Start programs established prior to July 1, 1992, effective July 1, 2007.

      Sec. 10-16p. Definitions. Lead agency for school readiness; standards. Grant programs. (a) As used in sections 10-16o to 10-16s, inclusive, 10-16u, 17b-749a and 17b-749c:

      (1) "School readiness program" means a nonsectarian program that (A) meets the standards set by the department pursuant to subsection (b) of this section and the requirements of section 10-16q, and (B) provides a developmentally appropriate learning experience of not less than four hundred fifty hours and one hundred eighty days for eligible children, except as provided in subsection (d) of section 10-16q;

      (2) "Eligible children" means children three and four years of age and children five years of age who are not eligible to enroll in school pursuant to section 10-15c, or who are eligible to enroll in school and will attend a school readiness program pursuant to section 10-16t;

      (3) "Priority school" means a school in which forty per cent or more of the lunches served are served to students who are eligible for free or reduced price lunches pursuant to federal law and regulations, excluding such a school located in a priority school district pursuant to section 10-266p or in a former priority school district receiving a grant pursuant to subsection (c) of this section and, on and after July 1, 2001, excluding such a school in a transitional school district receiving a grant pursuant to section 10-16u;

      (4) "Severe need school" means a school in a priority school district pursuant to section 10-266p or in a former priority school district in which forty per cent or more of the lunches served are served to students who are eligible for free or reduced price lunches;

      (5) "Accredited" means accredited by the National Association for the Education of Young Children, a Head Start on-site program review instrument or a successor instrument pursuant to federal regulations, or otherwise meeting such criteria as may be established by the commissioner, in consultation with the Commissioner of Social Services;

      (6) "Year-round" means fifty weeks per year, except as provided in subsection (d) of section 10-16q;

      (7) "Commissioner" means the Commissioner of Education; and

      (8) "Department" means the Department of Education.

      (b) The Department of Education shall be the lead agency for school readiness. For purposes of this section and section 10-16u, school readiness program providers eligible for funding from the Department of Education shall include local and regional boards of education, regional educational service centers, family resource centers and providers of child day care centers, as defined in section 19a-77, Head Start programs, preschool programs and other programs that meet such standards established by the Commissioner of Education. The department shall establish standards for school readiness programs. The standards may include, but need not be limited to, guidelines for staff-child interactions, curriculum content, including preliteracy development, lesson plans, parent involvement, staff qualifications and training, transition to school and administration. The department shall develop age-appropriate developmental skills and goals for children attending such programs. The commissioner, in consultation with the Commissioners of Higher Education and Social Services and other appropriate entities, shall develop a continuing education training program for the staff of school readiness programs. For purposes of this section, prior to July 1, 2015, "staff qualifications" means there is in each classroom an individual who has at least the following: (1) A credential issued by an organization approved by the Commissioner of Education and nine credits or more, and on and after July 1, 2005, twelve credits or more, in early childhood education or child development from an institution of higher education accredited by the Board of Governors of Higher Education or regionally accredited; (2) an associate's degree with nine credits or more, and on and after July 1, 2005, twelve credits or more, in early childhood education or child development from such an institution; (3) a four-year degree with nine credits or more, and on and after July 1, 2005, twelve credits or more, in early childhood education or child development from such an institution; or (4) certification pursuant to section 10-145b with an endorsement in early childhood education or special education, and on and after July 1, 2015, "staff qualifications" means there is in each classroom an individual who has at least the following: (A) A bachelor's degree in early childhood education or childhood development, or in a related field approved by the Commissioner of Education from an institution of higher education accredited by the Board of Governors of Higher Education or regionally accredited; or (B) certification pursuant to section 10-145b with an endorsement in early childhood education or special education.

      (c) The Commissioner of Education, in consultation with the Commissioner of Social Services, shall establish a grant program to provide spaces in accredited school readiness programs for eligible children who reside in priority school districts pursuant to section 10-266p or in former priority school districts as provided in this subsection. Under the program, the grant shall be provided, in accordance with this section, to the town in which such priority school district or former priority school district is located. Eligibility shall be determined for a five-year period based on an applicant's designation as a priority school district for the initial year of application, except that if a school district that receives a grant pursuant to this subsection is no longer designated as a priority school district at the end of such five-year period, such former priority school district shall continue to be eligible to receive a grant pursuant to this subsection. Grant awards shall be made annually contingent upon available funding and a satisfactory annual evaluation. The chief elected official of such town and the superintendent of schools for such priority school district or former priority school district shall submit a plan for the expenditure of grant funds and responses to the local request for proposal process to the Departments of Education and Social Services. The departments shall jointly review such plans and shall each approve the portion of such plan within its jurisdiction for funding. The plan shall: (1) Be developed in consultation with the local or regional school readiness council established pursuant to section 10-16r; (2) be based on a needs and resource assessment; (3) provide for the issuance of requests for proposals for providers of accredited school readiness programs, provided, after the initial requests for proposals, facilities that have been approved to operate a child care program financed through the Connecticut Health and Education Facilities Authority and have received a commitment for debt service from the Department of Social Services pursuant to section 17b-749i, are exempt from the requirement for issuance of annual requests for proposals; and (4) identify the need for funding pursuant to section 17b-749a in order to extend the hours and days of operation of school readiness programs in order to provide child day care services for children attending such programs.

      (d) (1) The Commissioner of Education, in consultation with the Commissioner of Social Services, shall establish a competitive grant program to provide spaces in accredited school readiness programs for eligible children who reside (A) in an area served by a priority school or a former priority school as provided for in subdivision (2) of this subsection, (B) in a town ranked one to fifty when all towns are ranked in ascending order according to town wealth, as defined in subdivision (26) of section 10-262f, whose school district is not a priority school district pursuant to section 10-266p, or (C) in a town formerly a town described in subparagraph (B) of this subdivision, as provided for in said subdivision (2). A town in which a priority school is located, a regional school readiness council, pursuant to subsection (c) of section 10-16r, for a region in which such a school is located or a town described in subparagraph (B) of this subdivision may apply for such a grant in an amount not to exceed one hundred seven thousand dollars per priority school or town. Eligibility shall be determined for a five-year period based on an applicant's designation as having a priority school or being a town described in subparagraph (B) of this subdivision for the initial year of application. Grant awards shall be made annually contingent upon available funding and a satisfactory annual evaluation. The chief elected official of such town and the superintendent of schools of the school district or the regional school readiness council shall submit a plan, as described in subsection (c) of this section, for the expenditure of such grant funds to the Department of Education. In awarding grants pursuant to this subsection, the commissioner shall give preference to applications submitted by regional school readiness councils and may, within available appropriations, provide a grant in excess of one hundred seven thousand dollars to towns with two or more priority schools in such district. A town or regional school readiness council awarded a grant pursuant to this subsection shall use the funds to purchase spaces for such children from providers of accredited school readiness programs.

      (2) (A) Commencing with the fiscal year ending June 30, 2005, if a town received a grant pursuant to subdivision (1) of this subsection and is no longer eligible to receive such a grant, the town may receive a phase-out grant for each of the three fiscal years following the fiscal year such town received its final grant pursuant to subdivision (1) of this subsection.

      (B) The amount of such phase-out grants shall be determined as follows: (i) For the first fiscal year following the fiscal year such town received its final grant pursuant to subdivision (1) of this subsection, in an amount that does not exceed seventy-five per cent of the grant amount such town received for the town or school's final year of eligibility pursuant to subdivision (1) of this subsection; (ii) for the second fiscal year following the fiscal year such town received its final grant pursuant to subdivision (1) of this subsection, in an amount that does not exceed fifty per cent of the grant amount such town received for the town's or school's final year of eligibility pursuant to subdivision (1) of this subsection; (iii) for the third fiscal year following the fiscal year such town received its final grant pursuant to subdivision (1) of this subsection, in an amount that does not exceed twenty-five per cent of the grant amount such town received for the town's or school's final year of eligibility pursuant to subdivision (1) of this subsection.

      (e) (1) Priority school districts and former priority school districts shall receive grants based on their proportional share of the sum of the products obtained by multiplying the average number of enrolled kindergarten students in each priority school district and in each former priority school district for the three years prior to the year the grant is to be paid, by the ratio of the average percentage of free and reduced price meals for all severe need schools in such district to the minimum percentage requirement for severe need school eligibility, provided no such school district shall receive a grant that is less than the grant it received for the prior fiscal year, including any supplemental grants received in the fiscal year ending June 30, 2005, or a grant that is less than one hundred fifty thousand dollars.

      (2) The Department of Education may retain up to five-tenths of one per cent of the amount appropriated for purposes of this section for coordination, program evaluation and administration.

      (3) If funds appropriated for the purposes of subsection (c) of this section are not expended, the Commissioner of Education may use such unexpended funds to support local school readiness programs. The commissioner may use such funds for purposes including, but not limited to, (A) assisting local school readiness programs in meeting and maintaining accreditation requirements, (B) providing training in implementing the preschool assessment and curriculum frameworks, including training to enhance literacy teaching skills, (C) developing a state-wide preschool curriculum, (D) developing student assessments for students in grades kindergarten to two, inclusive, (E) developing and implementing best practices for parents in supporting preschool and kindergarten student learning, (F) developing and implementing strategies for children to transition from preschool to kindergarten, (G) providing for professional development, including assisting in career ladder advancement, for school readiness staff, and (H) providing supplemental grants to other towns that are eligible for grants pursuant to subsection (c) of this section.

      (4) Notwithstanding subdivision (3) of this subsection, for the fiscal years ending June 30, 2008, and June 30, 2009, the Department of Education may retain up to one hundred ninety-eight thousand two hundred dollars of the amount appropriated for purposes of this section for coordination, program evaluation and administration.

      (f) Any school readiness program that receives funds pursuant to this section or section 10-16u shall not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, gender, religion or disability. For purposes of this section, a nonsectarian program means any public or private school readiness program that is not violative of the Establishment Clause of the Constitution of the State of Connecticut or the Establishment Clause of the Constitution of the United States of America.

      (g) Subject to the provisions of this subsection, no funds received by a town pursuant to subsection (c) or (d) of this section or section 10-16u shall be used to supplant federal, state or local funding received by such town for early childhood education, provided (1) a town may use the greater of (A) twenty-five thousand dollars, or (B) up to five per cent but no more than fifty thousand dollars of the amount received pursuant to subsection (c) or (d) of this section or section 10-16u for coordination, program evaluation and administration, and (2) if a town provides twenty-five thousand dollars in local funding for early childhood education coordination, program evaluation and administration, such town may use up to ten per cent but no more than seventy-five thousand dollars of such amount for coordination, program evaluation and administration. Each town that receives a grant pursuant to said subsection (c) or (d) or section 10-16u shall designate a person to be responsible for such coordination, program evaluation and administration and to act as a liaison between the town and the Departments of Education and Social Services. Each school readiness program that receives funds pursuant to this section or section 10-16u shall provide information to the department or the school readiness council, as requested, that is necessary for purposes of any school readiness program evaluation.

      (h) For the first three years a town receives grants pursuant to this section, such grants may be used, with the approval of the commissioner, to prepare a facility or staff for operating a school readiness program and shall be adjusted based on the number of days of operation of a school readiness program if a shorter term of operation is approved by the commissioner.

      (i) A town may use grant funds to purchase spaces for eligible children who reside in such town at an accredited school readiness program located in another town. A regional school readiness council may use grant funds to purchase spaces for eligible children who reside in the region covered by the council at an accredited school readiness program located outside such region.

      (j) Children enrolled in school readiness programs funded pursuant to this section shall not be counted (1) as resident students for purposes of subdivision (22) of section 10-262f, or (2) in the determination of average daily membership pursuant to subdivision (2) of subsection (a) of section 10-261.

      (k) Notwithstanding subsection (c) of this section, three million four hundred eighty-three thousand seven hundred fifty dollars of the school readiness appropriation for priority school districts shall only go to school readiness programs in the following towns: Bridgeport, Hartford, New Britain, New Haven, New London, Waterbury and Windham.

      (P.A. 97-259, S. 2, 41; June 18 Sp. Sess. P.A. 97-11, S. 25, 65; P.A. 98-239, S. 30, 35; 98-252, S. 32, 80; P.A. 99-230, S. 1, 10; P.A. 00-187, S. 4, 75; P.A. 01-173, S. 48, 67; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 01-1, S. 11-13, 54; May 9 Sp. Sess. P.A. 02-7, S. 10; June 30 Sp. Sess. P.A. 03-6, S. 15, 30, 32; P.A. 04-15, S. 1; 04-26, S. 1; 04-215, S. 2; 04-254, S. 3; P.A. 05-13, S. 5; 05-245, S. 1, 10, 28; P.A. 06-13, S. 1, 2; 06-135, S. 1, 23; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 07-3, S. 17; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 07-5, S. 44, 50.)

      History: P.A. 97-259 effective July 1, 1997; June 18 Sp. Sess. P.A. 97-11 made a technical change in Subsec. (a)(3), added new Subdiv. (4) defining "severe need school" and redesignated former Subdivs. (4) to (7) as Subdivs. (5) to (8), effective July 1, 1997; P.A. 98-239 amended Subsec. (c)(3) to provide that, after the initial requests for proposals, facilities approved to operate a child care program financed through CHEFA and which have received a commitment for debt service pursuant to Sec. 17b-749i are exempt from the requirement for issuance of annual requests for proposals, effective June 8, 1998, and applicable to all grants submitted on and after July 1, 1997; P.A. 98-252 amended Subsec. (a)(1) to allow the commissioner to approve programs for the fiscal years ending June 30, 1998, and June 30, 1999, that are for less hours and days, amended Subsecs. (c) and (d) to make technical changes, amended Subsec. (e)(3) to remove cap of $120,000 per fiscal year, amended Subsec. (g) to allow a town to use up to 5% but no more than $50,000 for coordination, program evaluation and administration, and added new Subsec. (h) re use of grants in certain years to prepare a facility or staff for operating a program, effective June 8, 1998; P.A. 99-230 amended Subsec. (a)(2) to add children attending pursuant to Sec. 10-16t, to renumber existing Subsec. (a)(7) and (8) as Subsec. (a)(8) and (9) and to add new Subsec. (a)(7) defining "year-round", amended Subsec. (e) to change the percentages in Subdivs. (1) to (3), inclusive, and to add Subdiv. (4) re use of a percentage of grant funds not earmarked by town for expenditure, and added Subsec.(g)(2) re authorization to use increased amount of grant funds for coordination, program evaluation and administration for towns that provide $25,000 in local funding for such purposes, to require towns that receive grants to designate a person to be responsible for coordination, program evaluation and administration and to act as a liaison between the town and the departments, and to require programs to provide information for evaluation purposes, and added Subsecs. (i) re purchase of spaces in program in another town or region and (j) re children not counted as resident students for purposes of Sec. 10-262f, effective July 1, 1999; P.A. 00-187 added provisions re transitional school districts and former priority school districts, amended Subsec. (b) to specify the standards for staff qualifications on and after July 1, 2003, amended Subsec. (d) to allow the awarding of grants in excess of $100,000 to towns with one or more priority schools, amended Subsec. (e) to base grants on the "average" number of enrolled kindergarten students in a priority school district for the "three years" prior to the year the grant is to be paid rather than on the number of such students for the prior year and to provide that no such district receives a grant that is less than the grant it received for the prior fiscal year, and amended Subsec. (h) to extend the provision to the fiscal year ending June 30, 2001, and add requirement for the commissioner's approval, effective July 1, 2000; P.A. 01-173 amended Subsec. (j) to designate portion of existing provisions as Subdiv. (1) and add Subdiv. (2) re determination of average daily membership, effective July 1, 2001; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 01-1 amended Subsec. (b) to require curriculum content to include preliteracy development, amended Subsec. (c)(1) to add reference to the "regional" school readiness council, amended Subsec. (e)(1) to establish a threshold for grants of at least $150,000 and *e)(4) to increase the percentage of funds that are not earmarked that the department is able to use from 10% to 50%, amended Subsec. (g)(1) to allow a town to use the greater of the amounts pursuant to Subparas. (A) or (B), to designate the existing limit as Subpara. (B) and to add Subpara. (A) re $25,000, and amended Subsec. (h) to remove limitation on the provision for specific fiscal years and to substitute limitation for the first three years a town receives grants, effective July 1, 2001; May 9 Sp. Sess. P.A. 02-7 added Subsec. (k) re appropriations for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2003, effective August 15, 2002 (Revisor's note: In Subsec. (k) the numeric dollar amounts "$2,576,580" and "$198,199" were replaced editorially by the Revisors with "two million five hundred seventy-six thousand five hundred eighty dollars" and "one hundred ninety-eight thousand one hundred ninety-nine dollars" for consistency with customary statutory usage); June 30 Sp. Sess. P.A. 03-6 amended Subsec. (b) to make definition of "staff qualifications" applicable beginning July 1, 2004, rather than July 1, 2003, amended Subsec. (d) by designating existing provisions as Subdiv. (1), adding reference to former priority schools therein and adding Subdiv. (2) re grants for former priority schools and amended Subsec. (k) by adding provisions re appropriations for the fiscal years ending June 30, 2004, and June 30, 2005, effective August 20, 2003; P.A. 04-15 amended Subsec. (b) to change staff qualifications on and after July 1, 2005, in Subdivs. (1), (2) and (3), and to add Subdiv. (4) re endorsement in early childhood education or special education, effective July 1, 2004; P.A. 04-26 made technical changes in Subsec. (d)(2), effective April 28, 2004; P.A. 04-215 deleted definition of "approved" in Subsec. (a), made technical changes throughout, deleted "or approved" re school readiness program throughout, amended Subsec. (d) to increase maximum grant amount from $100,000 to $107,000 and deleted Subsec. (e)(1) provision re per cent amount of appropriation for noncompetitive grant and former Subsec. (e)(2) re per cent amount of appropriation for competitive grant, and amending redesignated Subdiv. (3) by changing plan submission deadline from January first, to October first, by increasing amount of funds not earmarked for expenditure that department may use from 50% to 70%, and by adding provision re amounts that may be used for school readiness professional development, effective July 1, 2004; P.A. 04-254 amended Subsec. (d)(1) by adding provision re towns ranked according to wealth and deleted former Subsec. (k) re appropriations for fiscal years ending June 30, 2003, June 30, 2004, and June 30, 2005, effective July 1, 2004; P.A. 05-13 amended Subsec. (d) by extending competitive grant program and phase-out to certain towns and making conforming changes, effective May 4, 2005; P.A. 05-245 made a technical change in Subsec. (a)(1), amended Subsec. (b) to extend the current definition of "staff qualifications" to July 1, 2015, and to introduce new standards for staff qualifications on and after July 1, 2015, amended Subsec. (d)(1) by extending grant eligibility from the towns ranked one to twenty-eight, to the towns ranked one to fifty when all towns are ranked in ascending order according to town wealth, and amended Subsec. (e)(1) by adding language re supplemental grants received in the fiscal year ending June 30, 2005, effective July 1, 2005; P.A. 06-13 made technical changes in Subsecs. (d) and (e)(3), effective May 2, 2006; P.A. 06-135 amended Subsec. (e)(3) to delete percentage requirements and provide that Department of Education may determine the distribution of funds not earmarked for expenditure for the purposes of professional development and preschool and kindergarten assessments and added Subsec. (k) re funding for programs in certain towns, effective July 1, 2006; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 07-3 amended Subsec. (e)(3) to replace former provisions re use of funds not earmarked for expenditure by a town by October first for supplemental grants to other eligible towns, school readiness professional development and activities related to preschool and kindergarten student development evaluations or assessments with new provisions re use of unexpended funds to support local school readiness programs, effective July 1, 2007; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 07-5 amended Subsec. (e)(3) to add Subpara. (H) re supplemental grants to other eligible towns, and amended Sec. 48 of P.A. 05-245, added editorially by the Revisors as Subsec. (e)(4) of this section, to extend the administrative set-aside for department to the fiscal years ending June 30, 2008, and June 30, 2009, effective October 6, 2007.

      Sec. 10-16q. School readiness program requirements. Per child cost limitation. Sliding fee scale. Waiver from schedule requirements. (a) Each school readiness program shall include: (1) A plan for collaboration with other community programs and services, including public libraries, and for coordination of resources in order to facilitate full-day and year-round child care and education programs for children of working parents and parents in education or training programs; (2) parent involvement, parenting education and outreach; (3) (A) record-keeping policies that require documentation of the name and address of each child's doctor, primary care provider and health insurance company and information on whether the child is immunized and has had health screens pursuant to the federal Early and Periodic Screening, Diagnostic and Treatment Services Program under 42 USC 1396d, and (B) referrals for health services, including referrals for appropriate immunizations and screenings; (4) a plan for the incorporation of appropriate preliteracy practices and teacher training in such practices; (5) nutrition services; (6) referrals to family literacy programs that incorporate adult basic education and provide for the promotion of literacy through access to public library services; (7) admission policies that promote enrollment of children from different racial, ethnic and economic backgrounds and from other communities; (8) a plan of transition for participating children from the school readiness program to kindergarten and provide for the transfer of records from the program to the kindergarten program; (9) a plan for professional development for staff, including, but not limited to, training (A) in preliteracy skills development, and (B) designed to assure respect for racial and ethnic diversity; (10) a sliding fee scale for families participating in the program pursuant to section 17b-749d; and (11) an annual evaluation of the effectiveness of the program. On and after July 1, 2000, school readiness programs shall use the assessment measures developed pursuant to section 10-16s in conducting their annual evaluations.

      (b) (1) For the fiscal year ending June 30, 2006, the per child cost of the Department of Education school readiness component of the program offered by a school readiness provider shall not exceed six thousand six hundred fifty dollars.

      (2) For fiscal year ending June 30, 2008, the per child cost of the Department of Education school readiness component of the program offered by a school readiness provider shall not exceed six thousand nine hundred twenty-five dollars, except that such per child cost shall be increased for the month of January, 2008, and each month thereafter. The increase shall be determined by the department so that the cost of the increase shall equal fifty per cent of what the department estimates on January 1, 2008, will be unspent by June 30, 2008, from the appropriation for purposes of subsection (c) of section 10-16p. In no event shall such increase cause the per child cost to exceed eight thousand two hundred sixty-six dollars. Notwithstanding the provisions of subsection (e) of section 10-16p, the Department of Education shall not provide funding to any school readiness provider that (A) on or before January 1, 2004, first entered into a contract with a town to provide school readiness services pursuant to this section and is not accredited on January 1, 2007, or (B) after January 1, 2004, first entered into a contract with a town to provide school readiness services pursuant to this section and does not become accredited by the date three years after the date on which the provider first entered into such a contract.

      (3) A school readiness provider may provide child day care services and the cost of such child day care services shall not be subject to such per child cost limitation.

      (c) A local or regional board of education may implement a sliding fee scale for the cost of services provided to children enrolled in a school readiness program.

      (d) A town or school readiness council may file a waiver application to the Department of Education on forms provided by the department for the purpose of seeking approval of a school readiness schedule that varies from the minimum hours and number of days provided for in subdivision (1) of subsection (a) of section 10-16p or from the definition of a year-round program pursuant to subdivision (7) of said subsection (a). The Department of Education may, in consultation with the Department of Social Services, approve any such waiver if the departments find that the proposed schedule meets the purposes set forth in the provisions of section 10-16o concerning the development of school readiness programs and maximizes available dollars to serve more children or address community needs.

      (P.A. 97-259, S. 3, 41; P.A. 98-243, S. 11, 25; P.A. 99-230, S. 2, 10; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 01-1, S. 14, 54; P.A. 04-215, S. 3; P.A. 05-245, S. 8; P.A. 06-135, S. 24; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 07-5, S. 70.)

      History: P.A. 97-259 effective July 1, 1997; P.A. 98-243 amended Subsec. (a) to add "public libraries" in Subdiv. (1) and provision for the transfer of records in Subdiv. (7), effective July 1, 1998; P.A. 99-230 amended Subsec. (a) to make the existing Subdiv. (3) Subpara. (B) and to add Subpara. (A) re record-keeping policies, and to require the use of assessment measures developed pursuant to Sec. 10-16s for annual evaluations, effective July 1, 1999; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 01-1 amended Subsec. (a) to renumber Subdivs. (4) to (10) as Subdivs. (5) to (11), to add new Subdiv. (4) re preliteracy practices and in Subdiv. (9) to include plan requirements in Subparas. (A) and (B), effective July 1, 2001; P.A. 04-215 amended Subsec. (b) to change the maximum per child cost from foundation, as defined in Sec. 10-262f(9), to $6,400, and added Subsec. (d) re waiver from requirements of school readiness schedule, effective July 1, 2004; P.A. 05-245 amended Subsec. (b) by designating existing language re maximum per child cost as Subdiv. (1) and increasing existing per child cost to $6,650 for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2006, by adding new Subdiv. (2) re maximum per child cost for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2007, and each fiscal year thereafter, and by designating existing language re child day care services as Subdiv. (3), effective July 1, 2005; P.A. 06-135 amended Subsec. (b)(2) by adding provisions re denial of funding for lack of accreditation, effective July 1, 2006; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 07-5 amended Subsec. (b)(2) to add language re the per child cost monthly increase beginning January 2008, effective October 6, 2007.

      Sec. 10-16s. Interagency agreement on school readiness. Early Childhood Education Cabinet assessment measures. Accountability. Quality standards. Workforce development plan. (a) The Commissioners of Education and Social Services shall develop an agreement to define the duties and responsibilities of their departments concerning school readiness programs. The commissioners shall consult with other affected state agencies and with the Early Childhood Education Cabinet. The agreement shall include, but not be limited to, a multiyear interagency agreement to establish and implement an integrated school readiness plan. Functions to be described and responsibilities to be undertaken by the two departments shall be delineated in the agreement.

      (b) (1) There shall be an Early Childhood Education Cabinet. The cochairpersons of the cabinet shall be the Governor, or the Governor's designee, and the Commissioner of Education, or the commissioner's designee. The cabinet shall consist of the Secretary of the Office of Policy and Management or the secretary's designee, the Commissioners of Social Services, Higher Education, Public Health, Children and Families and Developmental Services or the commissioners' designees, the cochairpersons of each of the joint standing committees of the General Assembly having cognizance of matters relating to education and human services or the cochairpersons' designees, the executive director of the Commission on Children, or the director's designee, and one person representing a local or regional school readiness council appointed by the president pro tempore of the Senate, and a representative of the Connecticut Head Start Association appointed by the speaker of the House of Representatives. The Department of Education shall provide administrative services to the Early Childhood Education Cabinet and the Governor's Early Childhood Research and Policy Council established pursuant to Executive Order No. 13, issued by Governor M. Jodi Rell, on February 7, 2006.

      (2) Within available appropriations, the Early Childhood Education Cabinet shall (A) advise the Commissioner of Education on policies and initiatives to meet the goals established in section 10-16o, (B) no later than July 1, 2008, begin a state-wide longitudinal evaluation of the school readiness program, in consultation with the Department of Social Services and the Department of Education, that examines the educational progress of children from prekindergarten programs to grade three, inclusive, (C) develop budget requests for the early childhood program, and (D) promote consistency of quality and comprehensiveness of early childhood services.

      (c) On or before January 1, 2008, the commissioners shall adopt assessment measures of school readiness programs for use by such programs in conducting their annual evaluations pursuant to section 10-16q. The commissioners may adopt the assessment measures used for Head Start programs.

      (d) (1) Not later than December 1, 2008, and annually thereafter, the Early Childhood Education Cabinet shall develop and implement an accountability plan for early child education services. The plan shall identify and define appropriate population indicators and program and system measures of the readiness of children to enter kindergarten. Not later than December 31, 2008, and annually thereafter, the cabinet shall report, in accordance with the provisions of section 11-4a, on the measures implemented in accordance with this subdivision to the Office of Policy and Management and to the joint standing committees of the General Assembly having cognizance of matters relating to appropriations and the budgets of state agencies, education, human services and higher education and employment advancement.

      (2) As part of the plan implemented pursuant to subdivision (1) of this subsection, the Early Childhood Education Cabinet, in consultation with the Department of Education and the Office of Policy and Management, shall consider the development of data sharing agreements between state agencies and shall analyze whether the data can be combined to assess the progress of children toward school readiness.

      (3) Providers of early childhood education that receive state funding shall employ the program measures developed pursuant to subdivision (1) of this subsection to evaluate the effectiveness of their services. Not later than June 30, 2009, and annually thereafter, each such provider shall report, in accordance with the provisions of section 11-4a, the results of such evaluation to the Early Childhood Education Cabinet.

      (e) The Early Childhood Education Cabinet established under this section shall develop minimum standards and a range of higher standards of quality for all early care and education programs receiving state funding. Not later than December 31, 2008, and annually thereafter, the cabinet shall report, in accordance with the provisions of section 11-4a, on the plan developed in accordance with this subsection to the joint standing committees of the General Assembly having cognizance of matters relating to appropriations and the budgets of state agencies, education, human services and higher education and employment advancement.

      (f) The Early Childhood Education Cabinet established under this section shall, in consultation with the Office of Workforce Competitiveness, develop a quality workforce development plan for school readiness. Such plan shall explicitly address how to meet the requirements of subsection (b) of section 10-16p through a dual approach of: (1) Supporting the workforce in obtaining required degrees and credentials; and (2) encouraging students in institutions of higher education to pursue degrees in early childhood education. Not later than December 31, 2008, and annually thereafter, the cabinet shall report, in accordance with the provisions of section 11-4a, on the plan developed in accordance with this subsection to the joint standing committees of the General Assembly having cognizance of matters relating to appropriations and the budgets of state agencies, education, human services and higher education and employment advancement.

      (P.A. 97-259, S. 6, 41; P.A. 99-230, S. 4, 10; P.A. 05-245, S. 3; P.A. 07-73, S. 2(b); June Sp. Sess. P.A. 07-3, S. 19-21.)

      History: P.A. 97-259 effective July 1, 1997; P.A. 99-230 designated existing Sec. as Subsec. (a) and added Subsec. (b) re assessment measures, effective July 1, 1999; P.A. 05-245 amended Subsec. (a) by adding reference to the Early Childhood Education Cabinet, added new Subsec. (b) re the Early Childhood Education Cabinet and redesignated existing Subsec. (b) as new Subsec. (c), effective July 1, 2005; pursuant to P.A. 07-73 "Commissioner of Mental Retardation" was changed editorially by the Revisors to "Commissioner of Developmental Services", effective October 1, 2007; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 07-3 amended Subsec. (b) to provide that Department of Education shall provide administrative services to cabinet in Subdiv. (1) and to provide that longitudinal evaluation of program begin no later than July 1, 2008, and that such evaluation examine education progress of children from prekindergarten to grade three in Subdiv. (2), amended Subsec. (c) to make technical changes and to provide that on or before January 1, 2008, commissioners shall adopt measures of the school readiness programs and added Subsec. (d) re accountability plan, effective July 1, 2007, and in section 20 provided for the development of standards of quality for early care and education programs, codified editorially by the Revisors as Subsec. (e), and in section 21 for the development of a quality workforce development plan, codified editorially by the Revisors as Subsec. (f), effective June 26, 2007.

      Sec. 10-16x. After school program grant. (a) The Department of Education, in consultation with the after school committee established pursuant to section 10-16v, may, within available appropriations, administer a grant program to provide grants to local and regional boards of education, municipalities and not-for-profit organizations that are exempt from taxation under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, or any subsequent corresponding internal revenue code of the United States, as from time to time amended, for after school programs that provide direct services and for entities that provide support to after school programs. For purposes of this subsection, "after school program" means a program that takes place when school is not in session, provides educational, enrichment and recreational activities for children in grades kindergarten to twelve, inclusive, and has a parent involvement component.

      (b) (1) Applications for grants pursuant to subsection (a) of this section shall be filed biennially with the Commissioner of Education at such time and in such manner as the commissioner prescribes. As part of the application, an applicant shall submit a plan for the expenditure of grant funds.

      (2) Eligibility for grants pursuant to this section shall be determined for a two-year period and shall be based on the plan for expenditure of grant funds. Prior to the payment of funds to the grant recipient for the second year of the grant, the grant recipient shall report to the Department of Education on performance outcomes of the program and file expenditure reports pursuant to subsection (f) of this section. The report concerning performance outcomes shall include, but not be limited to, measurements of the impact on student achievement, school attendance and the in-school behavior of student participants.

      (c) The Department of Education and the after school committee established pursuant to section 10-16v shall develop and apply appropriate evaluation procedures to measure the effectiveness of the grant program established pursuant to this section.

      (d) For purposes of carrying out the provisions of this section, the Department of Education may accept funds from private sources and from any state agency that is a member of the after school committee.

      (e) The Department of Education shall provide grant recipients with technical assistance, evaluation, program monitoring, professional development and accreditation support. The department may retain up to four per cent of the amount appropriated for the grant program for purposes of this subsection.

      (f) Grant recipients shall file expenditure reports with the Commissioner of Education in accordance with subdivision (2) of subsection (b) of this section and at such time and in such manner as the commissioner prescribes. Grant recipients shall refund (1) any unexpended amounts at the close of the program for which the grant was awarded, and (2) any amounts not expended in accordance with the approved grant application.

      (g) Not later than October 1, 2008, and biennially thereafter, the Department of Education shall report, in accordance with the provisions of section 11-4a, to the joint standing committee of the General Assembly having cognizance of matters relating to education on performance outcomes of recipients of grants under this section. The report shall include, but not be limited to, measurements of the impact on student achievement, school attendance and the in-school behavior of student participants.

      (P.A. 05-245, S. 46; P.A. 06-13, S. 3; 06-192, S. 12; 06-196, S. 222; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 07-3, S. 26.)

      History: P.A. 05-245 effective July 1, 2005; P.A. 06-13 made technical changes in Subsec. (a), effective May 2, 2006; P.A. 06-192 redesignated existing Subsec. (c) as Subsec. (d), making a technical change therein, and added new Subsec. (c) re evaluation procedures, effective July 1, 2006; P.A. 06-196 made a technical change in Subsec. (a), effective June 7, 2006; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 07-3 amended Subsec. (a) to provide that grants are for programs that provide direct services and for entities that provide support to after school programs and that after school programs include parent involvement, amended Subsec. (b) to change annual application to biennial application with requirement for a plan for expenditure, to designate existing language as Subdiv. (1) and to add Subdiv. (2) re eligibility, added Subsec. (e) re technical assistance, evaluation, program monitoring and accreditation support, added Subsec. (f) re expenditure reports and added Subsec. (g) re report on performance outcomes, effective July 1, 2007.

      Sec. 10-17g. Application for grant. Annual evaluation report. Annually, the board of education for each local and regional school district that is required to provide a program of bilingual education, pursuant to section 10-17f, may make application to the State Board of Education and shall thereafter receive a grant in an amount equal to the product obtained by multiplying the total appropriation available for such purpose by the ratio which the number of eligible children in the school district bears to the total number of such eligible children state-wide. The board of education for each local and regional school district receiving funds pursuant to this section shall annually, on or before September first, submit to the State Board of Education a progress report which shall include (1) measures of increased educational opportunities for eligible students, including language support services and language transition support services provided to such students, (2) program evaluation and measures of the effectiveness of its bilingual education and English as a second language programs, including data on students in bilingual education programs and students educated exclusively in English as a second language programs, and (3) certification by the board of education submitting the report that any funds received pursuant to this section have been used for the purposes specified. The State Board of Education shall annually evaluate programs conducted pursuant to section 10-17f. For purposes of this section, measures of the effectiveness of bilingual education and English as a second language programs include state-wide mastery examination results and graduation and school dropout rates. Notwithstanding the provisions of this section, for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2009, the amount of grants payable to local or regional boards of education under this section shall be reduced proportionately if the total of such grants in such year exceeds the amount appropriated for such grants for such year.

      (P.A. 77-588, S. 3, 7; P.A. 84-255, S. 4, 21; P.A. 99-211, S. 8, 10; P.A. 00-220, S. 4, 43; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 07-3, S. 5.)

      History: P.A. 84-255 changed the date of the report to the state board from July to September first and required the state board to evaluate the programs annually rather than biennially; P.A. 99-211 in Subdiv. (1) added references to language support services and language transition support services, in Subdiv. (2) added measures of effectiveness of bilingual education and English as a second language programs, added language specifying some measures that are effectiveness measures for purposes of the section and made technical changes, effective July 1, 1999; P.A. 00-220 made a technical change, effective July 1, 2000; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 07-3 added language re proportional reduction of grants for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2009, effective July 1, 2007.

      Sec. 10-18. Courses in United States history, government and duties and responsibilities of citizenship. (a)(1) All high, preparatory, secondary and elementary schools, public or private, whose property is exempt from taxation, shall provide a program of United States history, including instruction in United States government at the local, state and national levels, and in the duties, responsibilities, and rights of United States citizenship. No student shall be graduated from any such school who has not been found to be familiar with said subjects.

      (2) For purposes of subdivision (1) of this subsection, elementary schools shall include in their fourth or fifth grade curriculum a program on democracy in which students engage in a participatory manner in learning about all branches of government.

      (b) The State Board of Education shall, upon request by a board of education, make samples of materials available for use in the schools required to teach the courses provided for in this section, with supplementary materials for such use.

      (1949 Rev., S. 1352-1357; 1959, P.A. 411, S. 2, 3; 1971, P.A. 758; P.A. 77-614, S. 302, 587, 610; P.A. 78-218, S. 18; 78-303, S. 85, 136; P.A. 82-83, S. 1, 3; P.A. 84-255, S. 19, 21; P.A. 07-138, S. 1.)

      History: 1959 act changed references in Subsecs. (a) and (f) from state teachers colleges to state colleges; 1971 act deleted state colleges from requirement for citizenship course, deleted former detailed provisions in former Subsecs. (b), (c), (f) and part of (d), replacing them with general requirement for program of study of U.S. history and government and citizenship for "high, preparatory, secondary and elementary schools"; P.A. 77-614 and P.A. 78-303 substituted commissioner of education for secretary of the state board of education, effective January 1, 1979; P.A. 78-218 substituted "Each local or regional board of education" for "The board of education of each school district"; P.A. 82-83 deleted Subsec. (c) which had required filing of course descriptions of United States history, government and citizenship with the commissioner of education; P.A. 84-255 added provision to clarify that instruction in United States government is to include instruction in local, state and national government; P.A. 07-138 amended Subsec. (a) to designate existing language as Subdiv. (1) and to add Subdiv. (2) re fourth or fifth grade curriculum program on democracy, effective July 1, 2007.

      Sec. 10-19m. (Formerly Sec. 17a-39). *(See end of section for amended version of subsection (c) and effective date.) Youth service bureaus. Annual report. Regulations. (a) For the purposes of this section, "youth" means a person from birth to eighteen years of age. Any one or more municipalities or any one or more private youth-serving organizations, designated to act as agents of one or more municipalities, may establish a multipurpose youth service bureau for the purposes of evaluation, planning, coordination and implementation of services, including prevention and intervention programs for delinquent, predelinquent, pregnant, parenting and troubled youths referred to such bureau by schools, police, juvenile courts, adult courts, local youth-serving agencies, parents and self-referrals. A youth service bureau shall be the coordinating unit of community-based services to provide comprehensive delivery of prevention, intervention, treatment and follow-up services.

      (b) A youth service bureau established pursuant to subsection (a) of this section may provide, but shall not be limited to the delivery of, the following services: (1) Individual and group counseling; (2) parent training and family therapy; (3) work placement and employment counseling; (4) alternative and special educational opportunities; (5) recreational and youth enrichment programs; (6) outreach programs to insure participation and planning by the entire community for the development of regional and community-based youth services; (7) preventive programs, including youth pregnancy, youth suicide, violence, alcohol and drug prevention; and (8) programs that develop positive youth involvement. Such services shall be designed to meet the needs of youths by the diversion of troubled youths from the justice system as well as by the provision of opportunities for all youths to function as responsible members of their communities.

      *(c) The Commissioner of Education shall adopt regulations, in accordance with the provisions of chapter 54, establishing minimum standards for such youth service bureaus and the criteria for qualifying for state cost-sharing grants, including, but not limited to, allowable sources of funds covering the local share of the costs of operating such bureaus, acceptable in-kind contributions and application procedures. Said commissioner shall, on December 1, 1979, and annually thereafter, report to the General Assembly on the referral or diversion of children under the age of sixteen years from the juvenile justice system and on the referral or diversion of children between the ages of sixteen and eighteen years from the court system. Such report shall include, but not be limited to, the number of times any child is so diverted, the number of children diverted, the type of service provided to any such child, by whom such child was diverted, the ages of the children diverted and such other information and statistics as the General Assembly may request from time to time. Any such report shall contain no identifying information about any particular child.

      (P.A. 76-127, S. 1-3, 5; P.A. 78-183, S. 1, 4; P.A. 89-191, S. 3; P.A. 91-146, S. 1, 2; P.A. 93-91, S. 1, 2; 93-432, S. 1, 6; P.A. 95-339, S. 1, 8; P.A. 06-196, S. 62.)

      *Note: On and after January 1, 2010, subsection (c) of this section, as amended by section 78 of public act 07-4 of the June special session, is to read as follows:

      "(c) The Commissioner of Education shall adopt regulations, in accordance with the provisions of chapter 54, establishing minimum standards for such youth service bureaus and the criteria for qualifying for state cost-sharing grants, including, but not limited to, allowable sources of funds covering the local share of the costs of operating such bureaus, acceptable in-kind contributions and application procedures. Said commissioner shall, on December 1, 1979, and annually thereafter, report to the General Assembly on the referral or diversion of children under the age of eighteen years from the juvenile justice system and the court system. Such report shall include, but not be limited to, the number of times any child is so diverted, the number of children diverted, the type of service provided to any such child, by whom such child was diverted, the ages of the children diverted and such other information and statistics as the General Assembly may request from time to time. Any such report shall contain no identifying information about any particular child."

      (P.A. 76-127, S. 1-3, 5; P.A. 78-183, S. 1, 4; P.A. 89-191, S. 3; P.A. 91-146, S. 1, 2; P.A. 93-91, S. 1, 2; 93-432, S. 1, 6; P.A. 95-339, S. 1, 8; P.A. 06-196, S. 62; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 07-4, S. 78.)

      History: P.A. 78-183 replaced youth service system with youth service bureau and expanded Subsec. (c), clarifying scope of regulations and adding provisions re annual report; P.A. 89-191 added Subsec. (b)(7) and (8) to include preventive programs, including youth suicide, alcohol and drug prevention and programs that develop positive youth involvement; Sec. 17-443 transferred to Sec. 17a-39 in 1991; P.A. 91-146 amended Subsec. (a) to provide that youth service bureaus may coordinate delivery of prevention, intervention, treatment and follow-up services for all youth and made technical change in Subsec. (b); P.A. 93-91 substituted commissioner and department of children and families for commissioner and department of children and youth services, effective July 1, 1993; P.A. 93-432 added pregnant and parenting youth to the list of individuals who may be referred to a youth service bureau, allowed the adult courts to refer individuals to the youth service bureau, and provided that a youth service bureau shall be the coordinating unit of community-based services, effective July 1, 1993; P.A. 95-339 amended Subsec. (c) to transfer responsibility for the program from the Commissioner of Children and Families to the Commissioner of Education, effective July 1, 1995; Sec. 17a-39 transferred to Sec. 10-19m in 1997; P.A. 06-196 made technical changes in Subsecs. (a) and (b), effective June 7, 2006; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 07-4 amended Subsec. (c) to substitute "age of eighteen" for "age of sixteen" and delete provision re referral or diversion of children between ages of sixteen and eighteen, effective January 1, 2010.

      Sec. 10-19o. (Formerly Sec. 17a-40a). Youth service bureau grant program. (a) The Commissioner of Education shall establish a program to provide grants to youth service bureaus in accordance with this section. Only youth service bureaus which were eligible to receive grants pursuant to this section for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2007, or which applied for a grant by June 30, 2007, with prior approval of the town's contribution pursuant to subsection (b) of this section, shall be eligible for a grant pursuant to this section for any fiscal year commencing on or after July 1, 2007. Each such youth service bureau shall receive a grant of fourteen thousand dollars. The Department of Education may expend an amount not to exceed two per cent of the amount appropriated for purposes of this section for administrative expenses. If there are any remaining funds, each such youth service bureau that was awarded a grant in excess of fifteen thousand dollars in the fiscal year ending June 30, 1995, shall receive a percentage of such funds. The percentage shall be determined as follows: For each such grant in excess of fifteen thousand dollars, the difference between the amount of the grant awarded to the youth service bureau for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1995, and fifteen thousand dollars shall be divided by the difference between the total amount of the grants awarded to all youth service bureaus that were awarded grants in excess of fifteen thousand dollars for said fiscal year and the product of fifteen thousand dollars and the number of such grants for said fiscal year.

      (b) In order for a youth service bureau to receive the full amount of the state grant determined pursuant to subsection (a) of this section, a town shall contribute an amount equal to the amount of the state grant. A town shall provide not less than fifty per cent of its contribution from funds appropriated by the town for that purpose, and the remaining amount in other funds or in-kind contributions in accordance with regulations adopted by the State Board of Education in accordance with chapter 54.

      (c) Any funds remaining due to a town's failure to match funds as provided in subsection (b) of this section shall be redistributed in accordance with the provisions of this section. The State Board of Education shall adopt regulations in accordance with the provisions of chapter 54 to coordinate the youth service bureau program and to administer the grant system established pursuant to this section and sections 10-19m and 10-19n.

      (P.A. 93-432, S. 3, 6; P.A. 95-339, S. 3, 8; P.A. 96-178, S. 10, 18; 96-244, S. 58, 63; P.A. 98-186, S. 1, 2; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 99-1, S. 32, 51; P.A. 00-187, S. 22, 75; P.A. 01-173, S. 7, 67; P.A. 03-174, S. 11; P.A. 05-245, S. 37; P.A. 06-135, S. 18; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 07-3, S. 35.)

      History: P.A. 93-432 effective July 1, 1993; P.A. 95-339 transferred responsibility for the program from the Department of Children and Families to the Department of Education, added the limitation on eligibility for grants, provided for the $12,000 grant, added the method for distribution of any remaining funds and made technical changes, effective July 1, 1995 (Revisor's note: A reference to Sec. 54-91d, repealed by P.A. 95-225, was deleted editorially by the Revisors); P.A. 96-178 amended Subsec. (a) to change the date concerning eligibility from "1995" to "1996", to remove a reference to eligibility for grants to youth service bureaus which applied to the Commissioner of Children and Families by June 11, 1995 and to make technical changes and amended Subsec. (b) to substitute "State Board" for "Commissioner", effective July 1, 1996; P.A. 96-244 amended Subsec. (a) to expand the number of youth service bureaus eligible for grants to include youth service bureaus which applied for a grant by May 15, 1996, and repeated changes enacted by P.A. 96-178, effective June 6, 1996; Sec. 17a-40a transferred to Sec. 10-19o in 1997; P.A. 98-186 amended Subsec. (a) to substitute 1998 for 1996 in the eligibility dates for grants, effective July 1, 1998; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 99-1 amended Subsec. (a) to extend eligibility dates for grants by one year and increased grant amount from $12,000 to $14,000, effective July 1, 1999; P.A. 00-187 amended Subsec. (a) to extend the time frames by one year from 1999 to 2000, effective June 1, 2000; P.A. 01-173 amended Subsec. (a) to extend the time frames to 2001, and to change the date for eligibility based on an application from May 15 to June 30, effective July 6, 2001; P.A. 03-174 amended Subsec. (a) to extend time frames from 2001 to 2003, effective July 1, 2003; P.A. 05-245 amended Subsec. (a) by extending time frames from 2003 to 2005, effective June 30, 2005; P.A. 06-135 amended Subsec. (a) by extending time frames from 2005 to 2006, effective June 6, 2006; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 07-3 amended Subsec. (a) by extending time frames from 2006 to 2007, effective July 1, 2007.

      Sec. 10-19q. Enhancement grant for youth service bureaus. The Department of Education shall administer an enhancement grant program for youth service bureaus. The department shall annually award grants in the amounts of: (1) Three thousand three hundred dollars to youth service bureaus that serve a town with a population of not more than eight thousand or towns with a total combined population of not more than eight thousand; (2) five thousand dollars to youth service bureaus that serve a town with a population greater than eight thousand, but not more than seventeen thousand or towns with a total combined population greater than eight thousand, but not more than seventeen thousand; (3) six thousand two hundred fifty dollars to youth service bureaus that serve a town with population greater than seventeen thousand, but not more than thirty thousand or towns with a total combined population greater than seventeen thousand, but not more than thirty thousand; (4) seven thousand five hundred fifty dollars to youth service bureaus that serve a town with a population greater than thirty thousand, but not more than one hundred thousand or towns with a total combined population greater than thirty thousand, but not more than one hundred thousand; and (5) ten thousand dollars to youth service bureaus that serve a town with a population greater than one hundred thousand or towns with a total combined population greater than one hundred thousand.

      (June Sp. Sess. P.A. 07-3, S. 36.)

      History: June Sp. Sess. P.A. 07-3 effective July 1, 2007.

      Sec. 10-20a. Connecticut career certificate program. (a) Local and regional boards of education, the regional vocational-technical school system, postsecondary institutions and regional educational service centers, may (1) in consultation with regional workforce development boards established pursuant to section 31-3k, local employers, labor organizations and community-based organizations establish career pathway programs leading to a Connecticut career certificate in accordance with this section, and (2) enroll students in such programs based on entry criteria determined by the establishing agency. Such programs shall be approved by the Commissioner of Education and the Labor Commissioner. Applications for program approval shall be submitted to the Commissioner of Education in such form and at such time as the commissioner prescribes. All programs leading to a Connecticut career certificate shall provide equal access for all students and necessary accommodations and support for students with disabilities.

      (b) Programs established pursuant to this section may be offered for one or more years and shall include:

      (1) Not less than eighty hours during any year of school-based instruction which focuses on the academic, technical and employability skills outlined in the skill standards established pursuant to subsection (c) of this section, workplace safety awareness and instruction in the history of the American economy and the role of labor, business and industry;

      (2) Work-based instruction which includes worksite experience, including all major activities related to the career cluster. Such worksite experience shall: (A) Be paid, except as provided in section 10-20b, (B) include a planned program of job training and work experiences, including training related to preemployment and employment skills to be mastered at progressively higher levels, that are coordinated with school-based instruction, (C) include instruction, to the extent practicable, in all aspects of the industry, (D) relate to the academic, technical and employability skills outlined in the skill standards established pursuant to subsection (c) of this section, (E) include, but not be limited to, on-the-job training, internships, community service and field trips, (F) be conducted in accordance with an individualized written training and mentoring plan, agreed to by the student, his parent or guardian, if the student is under eighteen years of age, the principal of the school or the chief executive officer of the agency operating the program in which the student is enrolled, or the designee of such principal or chief executive officer, and the employer, and (G) be in conformance with the requirements of section 10-20d; and

      (3) Activities that ensure coordination between school-based instruction and work-based instruction, including, but not limited to, (A) career awareness and exploration opportunities, and (B) information and guidance concerning transition to postsecondary education.

      (c) For purposes of this section, "career cluster" means a range of occupations which share a set of skills and knowledge organized under the federal career clusters endorsed by the Office of Vocational and Adult Education under the United States Department of Education. Such skills and knowledge include (1) academic and technical skills related to the type of employment and (2) general employability skills. The Commissioner of Education, in consultation with other state, regional and local agencies, business and industry and labor organizations, shall maintain a list of federally recognized career clusters and skill standards for each such career cluster, along with the projected occupation growth area clusters within the state identified by labor market projections provided by the Labor Department.

      (P.A. 94-116, S. 21, 28; P.A. 97-195, S. 1, 5; P.A. 07-20, S. 1.)

      History: P.A. 94-116 effective July 1, 1994; P.A. 97-195 amended Subsec. (a) to designate existing provisions as Subdiv. (1), provide for the establishment of programs by postsecondary institutions, add the consultation role for regional workforce development boards, change the review and comment provision prior to approval by the commissioners by substituting regional school-to-career partnership for regional workforce development board, provide that students be enrolled based on entry criteria determined by the establishing agency, and add Subdiv. (2) re the regional school-to-career partnerships; amended Subsec. (b) in Subdiv. (1) to substitute school-based instruction for subject matter instruction and to add instruction in the history of the American economy and the role of labor, business and industry, in Subdiv. (2) to delete a requirement for not less than 180 hours of worksite experience, to redesignate existing Subparas. (B) and (C) as Subparas. (F) and (G), to add new Subparas. (B) to (E), inclusive, to change the provision for approval of the training and mentoring plan to include the parent or guardian, if the student is under 18 years of age, and the chief executive officer of the agency operating the program, and in Subdiv. (3) to expand the requirement for coordination to include career awareness and exploration opportunities and information and guidance concerning transition to postsecondary education; deleted Subsec. (c) re entry criteria; redesignated Subsec. (d) as Subsec. (c) and changed the description of the items included in skills and knowledge and made technical changes, effective June 24, 1997; P.A. 07-20 amended Subsec. (a) to designate programs leading to certificate as career pathway programs, delete provision re review and comment by the partnership, delete former Subdiv. (2) re partnerships, delete former Subdiv. (1) designator and redesignate existing Subparas. (A) and (B) as Subdivs. (1) and (2), amended Subsec. (b)(1) to add reference to workplace safety awareness and amended Subsec. (c) to require career clusters to be organized under federal career clusters and the maintenance of lists re projected occupation growth area clusters, effective July 1, 2007.

      Sec. 10-20b. Connecticut career certificate. Compliance with federal laws and regulations, required. (a) Except for the provisions of chapter 567, all state and federal laws and regulations relating to employment, apprenticeship and occupational licensing shall apply to students in a program leading to a Connecticut career certificate pursuant to section 10-20a. Employers found to be in violation of a federal or state labor law may be prohibited from participation in the program.

      (b) Students participating in such programs shall not: (1) Replace any employee or cause any reduction in hours of work, wages or employment benefits of any employee of an employer participating in the program or (2) be employed in a job from which an employee of a participating employer has been laid off and for which he retains recall rights. No employer shall terminate the employment of any of its employees or otherwise reduce its workforce or work hours in order to fill a vacancy so created with a student participating in the program. The participation of any employer who is a party to one or more collective bargaining agreements covering work to be performed by a student participating in the program shall be conditioned on the written concurrence of each labor organization that is a party to such an agreement.

      (c) The employment of students in programs established pursuant to section 10-20a shall be in compliance with sections 31-23 and 31-58 and shall be paid employment, unless the Labor Commissioner, or the commissioner's designee, in consultation with the Commissioner of Education, or the commissioner's designee, receives and approves a written request from the principal of the school or the chief executive officer of the agency operating the program in which the student is enrolled, or the designee of such principal or chief executive officer, that such employment not be paid because of worksite experiences that are generally not paid employment, such as community service activities. The terms of compensation shall be (1) negotiated between the employer and such principal or chief executive officer, or the designee of such principal or chief executive officer, (2) accepted by the student, (3) based on the nature of the work and the status of the student-worker as a student, (4) reasonable for the actual work performed, and (5) in compliance with the provisions of title 31 concerning the employment of minors.

      (P.A. 94-116, S. 22, 28; P.A. 97-195, S. 2, 5; P.A. 07-20, S. 2.)

      History: P.A. 94-116 effective July 1, 1994; P.A. 97-195 amended Subsec. (c) to add references to the chief executive officer of the agency operating the program and made technical changes, effective June 24, 1997; P.A. 07-20 amended Subsec. (c) to add provisions re compliance with Secs. 31-23 and 31-58 and title 31 and make technical changes, effective July 1, 2007.

      Sec. 10-20d. Grants for support of Connecticut career certificate programs. (a) The Commissioner of Education, in consultation with the Labor Commissioner and the Commissioners of Economic and Community Development and Higher Education, shall, within the limits of available appropriations, provide grants to postsecondary institutions, regional workforce development boards, regional educational service centers and other appropriate agencies and organizations to support the development of educators administering programs leading to a Connecticut career certificate pursuant to section 10-20a.

      (b) If the Commissioner of Education finds that some or all of the amount of any grant awarded pursuant to this section is used for purposes which are not in conformity with sections 10-20a to 10-20d, inclusive, or is used to reduce the local share of support for schools or to supplant a previous source of funding, the commissioner may require repayment of such grant to the state.

      (c) Each grant recipient shall submit to the Commissioner of Education, at such time and in such manner as the commissioner prescribes, a biennial program evaluation report.

      (P.A. 94-116, S. 24, 28; P.A. 95-250, S. 1; P.A. 97-195, S. 4, 5; P.A. 07-20, S. 3.)

      History: P.A. 94-116 effective July 1, 1994; P.A. 95-250 replaced Commissioner and Department of Economic Development with Commissioner and Department of Economic and Community Development (Revisor's note: A reference to "Commissioners of Labor, Economic and Community Development and Higher Education" was replaced editorially by the Revisors with "Labor Commissioner and the Commissioners of Economic and Community Development and Higher Education" for consistency with customary statutory usage); P.A. 97-195 amended Subsec. (a) to expand the list of possible grantees to include postsecondary institutions, regional workforce development boards and other appropriate agencies and organizations and amended Subsec. (b) to provide for review and comment by school-to-career partnerships rather than workforce development boards, effective June 24, 1997; P.A. 07-20 amended Subsec. (a) to delete language re provision of grants to local and regional boards of education and the vocational-technical school system and reference to implementation of programs, deleted former Subsec. (b) re priority in awarding of grants and redesignated existing Subsecs. (c) and (d) as Subsecs. (b) and (c), effective July 1, 2007.

      Sec. 10-29a. Certain days, weeks and months to be proclaimed by Governor. Distribution and number of proclamations. (a)(1) Martin Luther King Day. The Governor shall proclaim the fifteenth day of January of each year prior to 1986, and commencing on the twentieth day of January in 1986, the first Monday occurring on or after January fifteenth of each year, to be Martin Luther King Day, and the last school day before such day shall be suitably observed in the public schools of the state as a day honoring Martin Luther King for his selfless devotion to the advancement of equality and the preservation of human rights.

      (2) Pan American Day. The Governor shall proclaim April fourteenth of each year to be Pan American Day, which day shall be suitably observed in the public schools of the state as a day honoring the Latin American republics, and shall otherwise be suitably observed by such public exercises in the State Capitol and elsewhere as the Governor designates. If such schools are not in session on such day, Pan American Day shall be observed in the schools on the school day next succeeding or on a succeeding day designated by each local or regional board of education.

      (3) Arbor Day. The last Friday of April in each year shall be observed in Connecticut as Arbor Day. The Governor shall annually designate this day with suitable proclamation or letter urging that on Arbor Day schools, civic organizations, governmental departments and all citizens and groups give serious thought to, and mark by appropriate exercises of a public nature, the value of trees and forests, the ornamentation of our streets, highways and parks with trees; and the economic benefits to be derived from well-cultivated orchards and forests.

      (4) Loyalty Day. The Governor shall proclaim May first in each year to be Loyalty Day, which day shall be set aside as a special day for the reaffirmation of loyalty to the United States of America and for the recognition of the heritage of American freedom; and the flag of the United States shall be displayed on all state buildings on said day. Said day shall be suitably observed in the public schools of the state.

      (5) Senior Citizens Day. The Governor shall proclaim the first Sunday in May in each year as Senior Citizens Day, in honor of the elderly citizens of the state and in recognition of their continued contribution to the state and the enrichment of the lives of all its citizens.

      (6) Flag Day. The Governor shall, annually, designate by official proclamation or letter the fourteenth day of June as Flag Day and suitable exercises, having reference to the adoption of the national flag, shall be held in the public schools on the day so designated or, if that day is not a school day, on the school day preceding, or on any such other day as the local or regional board of education prescribes. On Flag Day suitable instruction in the method of displaying the flag and in the respect due the flag shall be given, based upon the flag code as adopted and revised by the National Flag Conference.

      (7) School Safety Patrol Day. The Governor shall proclaim the second Monday in September of each year to be School Safety Patrol Day, which shall be suitably observed in the public schools of the state with a program on highway safety to call attention to the fine work of school safety patrols.

      (8) Nathan Hale Day. The Governor shall proclaim September twenty-second of each year to be Nathan Hale Day, which day shall be suitably observed in the public schools of the state as a day honoring Nathan Hale for his selfless patriotism.

      (9) Indian Day. The Governor shall proclaim the last Friday in September in each year to be Indian Day, which day shall be suitably observed in the public schools of the state as a day of commemoration of American Indians and their contribution to American life and civilization.

      (10) Puerto Rico Day. The Governor shall proclaim the fourth Sunday in September in each year as Puerto Rico Day to honor the contribution to the welfare of the state made by persons of Puerto Rican ancestry, which day shall be suitably observed by such public exercises in the State Capitol and elsewhere as the Governor designates. Puerto Rico Day shall be suitably observed in the public schools of the state on the school day next succeeding the fourth Sunday in September or on such succeeding day as may be designated by the local or regional board of education.

      (11) Leif Erikson Day. The Governor shall proclaim a day within the first nine days of October of each year to be Leif Erikson Day, which day shall be suitably observed in all the public schools of the state as a day of commemoration of the Scandinavian peoples and their culture and the great contribution they have made to this country in the past and are now making, and also as a tribute to the gallant explorations of the Vikings.

      (12) Fire Prevention Day. The Governor shall, also, by proclamation or letter, annually designate a day, on or about October ninth, to be known as Fire Prevention Day, which day shall be observed in the schools and in such other way as is indicated in such proclamation or letter.

      (13) Columbus Day. The Governor shall proclaim the second Monday in October of each year to be Columbus Day. Suitable exercises shall be held in the public schools, having reference to the historical events connected therewith and in commemoration of the Italian people, their culture and the great contribution they have made to this country, such exercises to be held during the week within which Columbus Day occurs or on such other day as the local or regional board of education prescribes.

      (14) Veterans' Day. The Governor shall annually issue a proclamation or letter calling for the observance of the eleventh day of November as Veterans' Day, in recognition of the service and sacrifice of the sons and daughters of Connecticut who served in the naval and military service of the United States in time of war. Suitable exercises shall be held in the public schools, having reference to the historical events connected therewith, such exercises to be held during the week within which Veterans' Day occurs or on any such other day as the local or regional board of education prescribes.

      (15) St. Patrick's Day. The Governor shall proclaim March seventeenth of each year to be St. Patrick's Day to honor the Irish people, their culture and the contribution they have made to this state and country, which day shall be suitably observed by such public exercises in the State Capitol and elsewhere as the Governor designates.

      (16) German-American Day. The Governor shall proclaim October sixth of each year to be German-American Day to honor Americans of German ancestry, their culture and the great contribution they have made to this country. Suitable exercises shall be held in the State Capitol and elsewhere as the Governor designates for the observance of the day.

      (17) Friends Day. The Governor shall proclaim the fourth Sunday in April of each year to be Friends Day in honor of the enduring value of friendship and in recognition of the fundamental need, common to each member of our society, for a friend.

      (18) Lithuanian Day. The Governor shall proclaim a date certain in each year as Lithuanian Day to honor the contribution to the welfare of the state made by persons of Lithuanian ancestry and to commemorate the culture of the Lithuanian people.

      (19) Powered Flight Day. The Governor shall proclaim a date certain in each year as Powered Flight Day to honor the first powered flight by the Wright brothers and to commemorate the Connecticut aviation and aerospace industry.

      (20) Ukrainian-American Day. The Governor shall proclaim August twenty-fourth of each year to be Ukrainian-American Day to honor Americans of Ukrainian ancestry, their culture and the contribution they have made to this country. Suitable exercises shall be held in the State Capitol and elsewhere as the Governor designates for the observance of the day.

      (21) Retired Teachers Day. The Governor shall proclaim the third Wednesday in February in each year as Retired Teachers Day in honor of the retired teachers of the state and in recognition of their contributions.

      (22) End of World War II Day. The Governor shall proclaim August fourteenth of each year as the day to commemorate the end of World War II. Suitable exercises shall be held in the State Capitol and elsewhere as the Governor designates for the observance of the day.

      (23) Remembrance Day. The Governor shall proclaim September eleventh of each year as Remembrance Day, in memory of those who lost their lives or suffered injuries in the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001, and in honor of the service, sacrifice and contributions of the firefighters, police officers and other personnel who responded to such attacks. Suitable exercises shall be held in the State Capitol and elsewhere as the Governor designates for the observance of the day.

      (24) Workers' Memorial Day. The Governor shall proclaim April twenty-eighth of each year to be Workers' Memorial Day to commemorate and to honor workers who have died on the job in the state. Suitable exercises shall be held in the State Capitol and elsewhere as the Governor designates for the observance of the day.

      (25) Disability Awareness Day. The Governor shall proclaim July twenty-sixth of each year to be Disability Awareness Day to heighten public awareness of the needs of persons with disabilities. Suitable exercises shall be held in the State Capitol and elsewhere as the Governor designates for the observance of the day.

      (26) Volunteer Firefighter and Volunteer Emergency Medical Services Personnel Day. The Governor shall proclaim the first Saturday in August of each year to be Volunteer Firefighter and Volunteer Emergency Medical Services Personnel Day in recognition of the service, sacrifice and contributions of such volunteers to the public health and safety. Suitable exercises shall be held in the State Capitol and elsewhere as the Governor designates for the observance of the day.

      (27) Women's Independence Day. The Governor shall proclaim August twenty-sixth of each year to be Women's Independence Day to commemorate the ratification of the Nineteenth Amendment to the Constitution of the United States granting women the right to vote. Suitable exercises shall be held in the State Capitol and elsewhere as the Governor designates for the observance of the day.

      (28) Destroyer Escort Day. The Governor shall proclaim the third Saturday in June of each year as Destroyer Escort Day to commemorate and honor the service of destroyer escort ships in World War II, the Korean War and the Vietnam War and the sailors who served on them. Suitable exercises shall be held in the State Capitol and elsewhere as the Governor designates for the observance of the day.

      (29) Iwo Jima Day. The Governor shall proclaim February twenty-third of each year to be Iwo Jima Day to commemorate the raising of the American flag over the battlefield at Iwo Jima. Suitable exercises may be held in the State Capitol and elsewhere as the Governor designates for the observance of the day.

      (30) Korean Armistice Day. The Governor shall proclaim July twenty-seventh of each year to be Korean Armistice Day to commemorate the signing of the armistice ending the Korean hostilities. Suitable exercises shall be held in the State Capitol and elsewhere as the Governor designates for the observance of the day.

      (31) Prudence Crandall Day. The Governor shall proclaim September third of each year to be Prudence Crandall Day in honor of her birthday. Suitable exercises shall be held in the State Capitol and elsewhere as the Governor designates for the observance of the day.

      (32) Polish-American Day. The Governor shall proclaim May third of each year to be Polish-American Day to honor Americans of Polish ancestry, their culture and the contribution they have made to this country. Suitable exercises shall be held in the State Capitol and elsewhere as the Governor designates for the observance of the day.

      (33) Green Up Day. The Governor shall proclaim the last Saturday in April of each year to be Green Up Day to encourage citizens to clean up their communities, to plant trees and flowers and to otherwise enhance the physical beauty of the state's communities and countryside. Suitable exercises shall be held in the State Capitol and elsewhere as the Governor designates for the observance of the day.

      (34) Romanian-American Day. The Governor shall proclaim December first of each year to be Romanian-American Day to honor Americans of Romanian ancestry, their culture and the great contribution they have made to this country. Suitable exercises shall be held in the State Capitol and elsewhere as the Governor designates for the observance of the day.

      (35) Republic of China on Taiwan-American Day. The Governor shall proclaim October tenth of each year to be Republic of China on Taiwan-American Day to honor Americans of Chinese-Taiwanese ancestry, their culture and the great contribution they have made to this country. Suitable exercises shall be held in the State Capitol and elsewhere as the Governor designates for the observance of the day.

      (36) Austrian-American Day. The Governor shall proclaim May fifteenth of each year to be Austrian-American Day to honor Americans of Austrian ancestry, their culture and the great contribution they have made to this country. Suitable exercises shall be held in the State Capitol and elsewhere as the Governor designates for the observance of the day.

      (37) Greek-American Day. The Governor shall proclaim March twenty-fifth of each year, the day that Greeks celebrate as Greek Independence Day, to be Greek-American Day to honor Americans of Greek ancestry, their culture and the great contribution they have made to this country. Suitable exercises shall be held in the State Capitol and elsewhere as the Governor designates for the observance of the day.

      (38) Hungarian Freedom Fighters Day. The Governor shall proclaim October twenty-third of each year to be Hungarian Freedom Fighters Day to honor the bravery of the Hungarian freedom fighters during the Hungarian Revolution of 1956. Suitable exercises shall be held in the State Capitol and elsewhere as the Governor designates for the observance of the day.

      (39) National Children's Day. The Governor shall proclaim the second Sunday in October of each year to be National Children's Day. Suitable exercises shall be held in the State Capitol and elsewhere as the Governor designates for the observance of the day.

      (40) Youth to Work Day. The Governor shall proclaim the second Wednesday of February of each year to be Youth to Work Day to allow an adult to bring a youth to work for the purpose of exposing such youth to the workplace. Suitable programs shall be held in the State Capitol and elsewhere as the Governor designates for the observance of the day.

      (41) Christa Corrigan McAuliffe Day. The Governor shall proclaim May twenty-fourth of each year to be Christa Corrigan McAuliffe Day to commemorate her valor and to honor the commitment and dedication of teachers throughout the United States. Suitable exercises may be held in the State Capitol and elsewhere as the Governor designates for the observance of the day.

      (42) Gulf War Veterans Day. The Governor shall proclaim February twenty-eighth of each year to be Gulf War Veterans Day, in recognition of the service and sacrifice of the sons and daughters of Connecticut who served in the military service of the United States in the Persian Gulf War. Suitable exercises shall be held in the State Capitol and elsewhere as the Governor designates for the observance of the day.

      (43) Long Island Sound Day. The Governor shall proclaim the Friday before Memorial Day of each year to be Long Island Sound Day to encourage citizens to acknowledge and celebrate the economic, recreational and environmental values of the Sound. Suitable exercises shall be held in the State Capitol and elsewhere as the Governor designates for the observance of the day.

      (44) A Week to Remember Persons who are Disabled or Shut-in. The Governor shall proclaim the third week in May of each year to be "A Week to Remember Persons who are Disabled or Shut-in". Suitable exercises shall be held in the State Capitol and elsewhere as the Governor designates for the observance of the week.

      (45) Firefighter and Emergency Medical Services Personnel Week. The Governor shall proclaim the first week in August of each year to be Firefighter and Emergency Medical Services Personnel Week in recognition of the service, sacrifice and contributions of such personnel to the public health and safety. Suitable exercises shall be held in the State Capitol and elsewhere as the Governor designates for the observance of the week.

      (46) Family Day. The Governor shall proclaim the second Sunday in September of each year to be Family Day. Suitable exercises shall be held in the State Capitol and elsewhere as the Governor designates for the observance of the day.

      (47) Connecticut Aviation Pioneer Day. The Governor shall proclaim May twenty-fifth of each year to be Connecticut Aviation Pioneer Day to commemorate and to honor Igor I. Sikorsky. Suitable exercises shall be held in the State Capitol and elsewhere as the Governor designates for the observance of the day.

      (48) Juneteenth Independence Day. The Governor shall proclaim the Saturday that is closest to June nineteenth of each year to be Juneteenth Independence Day in recognition of the formal emancipation of enslaved African-Americans pursuant to General Order No. 3 of June 19, 1865, in Galveston, Texas. Suitable exercises shall be held in the State Capitol and elsewhere as the Governor designates for the observance of the day.

      (49) Corsair Day. The Governor shall proclaim May twenty-ninth of each year to be Corsair Day, to commemorate the first flight of the F4U Corsair and to honor the achievement of Connecticut workers at United Aircraft, Pratt and Whitney, Hamilton Standard and the Vought-Sikorsky companies in the production of the F4U Corsair, the only major combat aircraft of World War II that was the product of a single state. Suitable exercises shall b