Substitute Senate Bill No. 126
          Substitute Senate Bill No. 126

              PUBLIC ACT NO. 95-101

AN ACT CONCERNING HOLOCAUST EDUCATION.


    Section  1.  Section  10-16b  of  the  general
statutes  is  repealed   and   the   following  is
substituted in lieu thereof:
    (a)  In the  public  schools  the  program  of
instruction offered shall  include  at  least  the
following subject matter,  as  taught  by  legally
qualified teachers, the  arts;  career  education;
consumer education; health  and safety, including,
but not limited  to, human growth and development,
nutrition,   first   aid,    disease   prevention,
community and consumer  health,  physical,  mental
and  emotional  health,  including  youth  suicide
prevention,  substance abuse  prevention,  safety,
which may include  the dangers of gang membership,
and accident prevention;  language arts, including
reading, writing, grammar,  speaking and spelling;
mathematics; physical education;  science;  social
studies,   including,   but    not   limited   to,
citizenship, economics, geography,  government and
history;  and  in   addition,   on  at  least  the
secondary level, one or more foreign languages and
vocational  education.  For   purposes   of   this
subsection,  language arts  may  include  American
sign language or  signed  English,  provided  such
subject matter is taught by a qualified instructor
under the supervision  of  a  teacher  who holds a
certificate  issued  by   the   State   Board   of
Education.
    (b) If a  local or regional board of education
requires its pupils  to take a course in a foreign
language,  the  parent  or  guardian  of  a  pupil
identified as deaf or hearing impaired may request
in writing that  such  pupil be exempted from such
requirement and, if  such  a request is made, such
pupil shall be exempt from such requirement.
    (c) Each local and regional board of education
shall  on  September   1,   1982,   and   annually
thereafter at such  time and in such manner as the
commissioner of education shall request, attest to
the State Board  of  Education  that such local or
regional board of  education  offers  at least the
program of instruction  required  pursuant to this
section, and that  such  program of instruction is
planned, ongoing and systematic.
    (d) The State  Board  of  Education shall make
available  curriculum  materials  and  such  other
materials as may  assist local and regional boards
of education in  developing instructional programs
pursuant  to this  section.  THE  STATE  BOARD  OF
EDUCATION,  WITHIN  AVAILABLE  APPROPRIATIONS  AND
UTILIZING  AVAILABLE  RESOURCE   MATERIALS,  SHALL
ASSIST AND ENCOURAGE  LOCAL AND REGIONAL BOARDS OF
EDUCATION  TO  INCLUDE   HOLOCAUST  EDUCATION  AND
AWARENESS AS PART  OF  THE  PROGRAM OF INSTRUCTION
OFFERED  PURSUANT  TO   SUBSECTION   (a)  OF  THIS
SECTION.
    Sec. 2. Subsection  (a)  of section 10-220a of
the general statutes is repealed and the following
is substituted in lieu thereof:
    (a) Each local  or regional board of education
shall provide an  in-service  training program for
its teachers, administrators  and  pupil personnel
who  hold  the   initial   educator,   provisional
educator  or  professional  educator  certificate.
Such   program   shall   be   submitted   to   the
commissioner of education,  and shall provide such
teachers, administrators and  pupil personnel with
information on (1) the nature and the relationship
of  drugs,  as  defined  in  subdivision  (17)  of
section  21a-240,  and   alcohol   to  health  and
personality   development,  and   procedures   for
discouraging their abuse,  (2)  health  and mental
health risk reduction  education  which  includes,
but need not be limited to, the prevention of risk
taking behavior by  children  and the relationship
of such behavior  to  substance  abuse, pregnancy,
sexually    transmitted    diseases,     including
HIV-infection  and AIDS,  as  defined  in  section
19a-581, violence, child  abuse and youth suicide,
(3)  the growth  and  development  of  exceptional
children,  including handicapped  and  gifted  and
talented children and  children  who  may  require
special education, and  methods  for  identifying,
planning for and  working effectively with special
needs children in  a  regular  classroom  and  (4)
school    violence   prevention    and    conflict
resolution. THE STATE  BOARD  OF EDUCATION, WITHIN
AVAILABLE APPROPRIATIONS AND  UTILIZING  AVAILABLE
MATERIALS, SHALL ASSIST  AND  ENCOURAGE  LOCAL AND
REGIONAL BOARDS OF  EDUCATION TO INCLUDE HOLOCAUST
EDUCATION  AND AWARENESS  AS  PART  OF  IN-SERVICE
TRAINING PROGRAMS PURSUANT TO THIS SUBSECTION.