New CT laws taking effect July 1: School discipline, fallen officer benefits

Editor’s Note: This article is part of CT Mirror’s Spanish-language news coverage developed in partnership with Identidad Latina Multimedia .

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Compiled by Gabby DeBenedictis .

Nearly 100 laws that the Connecticut General Assembly passed during the 2024 legislative session go into effect on July 1.

Among the laws are standards on THC products meant to curb the proliferation of unregulated cannabis and hemp products, video surveillance requirements at absentee ballot drop boxes inspired by an election scandal in Bridgeport and a rule that children must turn 5 years old by Sept. 1 of a given school year to enter kindergarten.

Here are some of the other laws taking effect on July 1.

Teacher certification model, mandated reporter laws

For the first time since 1998 , Connecticut lawmakers updated the state’s teacher certification process by eliminating one step in the previous three-step system and making it easier for educators to teach at different grade levels.

Elementary school educators can now teach pre-K and kindergarten in addition to grades 1-6, and educators qualified to teach grades 7-12 can also teach students as young as fourth graders under language in the bill.

The same bill loosened mandated reporter requirements for teachers, allowing them to ask questions before calling the state Department of Children and Families if they suspect a child has been hurt — for example, if a child comes to school with a bruised knee, the teacher can ask what happened. If the child says they fell off their bike, and the teacher believes them, they don’t have to report the incident.

Existing Connecticut law states that teachers won’t be penalized for making a DCF report “in good faith.” The new law extends that protection to teachers “that, in good faith, do not make such a report .”

School discipline

A separate education bill caps out-of-school suspensions for students between kindergarten and second grade at five days — a decrease from previous legislation that allowed up to 10 days — and limits in-school suspensions to five days, instead of 10, for all students.

The bill also builds on work from last year regarding school climate standards and will require standards for a school climate survey and improvement plan.

Wheelchair repair wait times

Complex rehab technology companies will be required to complete wheelchair repairs within 10 business days of the request, as long as replacement parts are available and insurance authorization is obtained.

Wheelchair repair companies will also have to report average repair wait times to the Department of Social Services, and the state will establish a complaint hotline managed by the Office of the Healthcare Advocate.

The bill also creates a Wheelchair Repair Advisory Council, composed of wheelchair users and government officials, to monitor repairs of wheelchairs and to make recommendations concerning improving these times.

Fallen officer benefits

Connecticut codified financial and health benefits for the families of fallen officers after the state created a fund following the October 2022 murders of Lt. Dustin DeMonte and Sgt. Alex Hamzy in Bristol.

The bill requires the payment of $100,000 to the surviving family or beneficiary of any Connecticut police officer who dies from injuries sustained on duty. It also allows family members covered by the officer’s health insurance plan to keep receiving benefits for up to one year after the officer’s death, with the option to renew the plan for up to five years.

Textured hair

Curriculums at barber, hairdressing and cosmetology schools must now include lessons on working with coiled, curly or wavy hair. The bill requires education on “various curl and wave patterns, hair strand thicknesses and volumes of hair.”

The law comes three years after Connecticut passed the CROWN Act, which prohibits discrimination based on hairstyles.

That legislation says a protective hairstyle “includes, but is not limited to, wigs, headwraps and hairstyles such as individual braids, cornrows, locs, twists, Bantu knots, afros and afro puffs.”

Youth summer camps

Connecticut’s Office of Early Childhood will be required to repeat its initial inspection of youth camps within 72 hours after camp operations begin, or 48 hours after a single-week camp begins. The office must also inspect camps that are on a “corrective action plan” weekly until it determines the camp is fully compliant with that plan.

The bill follows a report that camps were rarely disciplined for breaking regulations and parents’ complaints about a camp in Lebanon where staff allegedly yelled at children and threatened to withhold food, among other allegations.