AN ACT CONCERNING TEACHERS.

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General Assembly Raised Bill No. 5218
February Session, 2026 LCO No. 1536

Referred to Committee on EDUCATION

Introduced by:
(ED)

AN ACT CONCERNING TEACHERS.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General
Assembly convened:

Section 1. Subsections (c) to (e), inclusive, of section 10 -151 of the 1
general statutes are repealed and the following is substituted in lieu 2
thereof (Effective July 1, 2026): 3
(c) The contract of employment of a teacher who has not attained 4
tenure may be terminated at any time for any of the reasons enumerated 5
in subdivisions (1) to (6), inclusive, of subsection (d) of this section . [; 6
otherwise] The standard of review for all such reasons shall be just 7
cause. Otherwise the contract of such teacher shall be continued into the 8
next school year unless such teacher receives written notice by May first 9
in one school year that such contract will not be renewed for the 10
following year. Upon the teacher's written request, not later than three 11
calendar days after such teacher receives such notice of nonrenewal or 12
termination, a notice of nonrenewal or termination shall be 13
supplemented not later than four calendar days after receipt of the 14
request by a statement of the reason or reasons for such nonrenewal or 15
termination. Such teacher, upon written request filed with the board of 16

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education not later than ten calendar days after the receipt of notice of 17
[termination, or ] nonrenewal or termination shall be entitled to a 18
hearing, except as provided in this subsection, (1) before the board, or 19
(2) if indicated in such request and if designated by the board, before an 20
impartial hearing officer chosen by the teacher and the superintendent 21
in accordance with the provisions of subsection (d) of this section. Such 22
hearing shall commence not later than fifteen calendar days after receipt 23
of such request unless the parties mutually agree to an extension not to 24
exceed fifteen calendar days. The impartial hearing officer or a 25
subcommittee of the board of education, if the board of education 26
designates a subcommittee of three or more board members to conduct 27
hearings, shall submit written findings and recommendations to the 28
board for final disposition. The teacher shall have the right to appear 29
with counsel of the teacher's choice at the hearing. A teacher who has 30
not attained tenure shall not be entitled to a hearing concerning 31
nonrenewal if the reason for such nonrenewal is either elimination of 32
position or loss of position to another teacher. [The board of education 33
shall rescind a nonrenewal decision only if the board finds such decision 34
to be arbitrary and capricious. ] Any such teacher whose contract is 35
terminated for the reasons enumerated in subdivisions (3) and (4) of 36
subsection (d) of this section shall have the right to appeal in accordance 37
with the provisions of subsection (e) of this section. 38
(d) The contract of employment of a teacher who has attained tenure 39
shall be continued from school year to school year, except that it may be 40
terminated at any time for one or more of the following reasons: (1) 41
Inefficiency, incompetence or ineffectiveness, provided [, if a teacher is 42
notified on or after July 1, 2014, that termination is under consideration 43
due to incompetence or ineffectiveness, the] any determination of 44
incompetence or ineffectiveness is based on evaluation of the teacher 45
using teacher evaluation guidelines established pursuant to section 10 -46
151b; (2) insubordination against reasonable rules of the board of 47
education; (3) moral misconduct; (4) disability, as shown by competent 48
medical evidence; (5) elimination of the position to which the teacher 49

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was appointed or loss of a position to another teacher, if no other 50
position exists to which such teacher may be appointed if qualified, 51
provided such teacher, if qualified, shall be appointed to a position held 52
by a teacher who has not attained tenure, and provided further that 53
determination of the individual contract or contracts of employment to 54
be terminated shall be made in accordance with either (A) a provision 55
for a layoff procedure agreed upon by the board of education and the 56
exclusive employees' representative organization, or (B) in the absence 57
of such agreement, a written policy of the board of education; or (6) 58
other due and sufficient [cause] reasons. The standard of review for all 59
such reasons shall be just cause . Nothing in this section or in any other 60
section of the general statutes or of any special act shall preclude a board 61
of education from making an agreement with an exclusive bargaining 62
representative which contains a recall provision. Prior to terminating a 63
contract, the superintendent shall give the teacher concerned a written 64
notice that termination of such teacher's contract is under consideration 65
and give such teacher a statement of the reasons for such consideration 66
of termination. Not later than ten calendar days after receipt of written 67
notice by the superintendent that contract termination is under 68
consideration, such teacher may file with the local or regional board of 69
education a written request for a hearing. [A board of education may 70
designate a subcommittee of three or more board members to conduct 71
hearings and submit written findings and recommendations to the 72
board for final disposition in the case of teachers whose contracts are 73
terminated.] Such hearing shall commence not later than fifteen 74
calendar days after receipt of such request, unless the parties mutually 75
agree to an extension [,] not to exceed fifteen calendar days, [(A) before 76
the board of education or a subcommittee of the board, or (B) if indicated 77
in such request or if designated by the board ] before an impartial 78
hearing officer chosen by the teacher and the superintendent. If the 79
parties are unable to agree upon the choice of a hearing officer not later 80
than five calendar days after the decision to use a hearing officer, the 81
hearing officer shall be selected with the assistance of the American 82
Arbitration Association using its expedited selection process and in 83

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accordance with its rules for selection of a neutral arbitrator in grievance 84
arbitration. [If the hearing officer is not selected with the assistance of 85
such association after five days, the hearing shall be held before the 86
board of education or a subcommittee of the board. ] When the reason 87
for termination is incompetence or ineffectiveness, the hearing shall [(i)] 88
(A) address the question of whether the performance evaluation ratings 89
of the teacher were determined in good faith in accordance with the 90
program adopted by the local or regional board of education pursuant 91
to section 10 -151b and were reasonable in light of the evidence 92
presented, and [(ii)] (B) be limited to twelve total hours of evidence and 93
testimony, with each side allowed not more than six hours to present 94
evidence and testimony except the [board, subcommittee of the board 95
or] impartial hearing officer may extend the time period for evidence 96
and testimony at the hearing when good cause is shown. Not later than 97
forty-five calendar days after receipt of the request for a hearing, the 98
[subcommittee of the board or ] hearing officer, unless the parties 99
mutually agree to an extension not to exceed fifteen calendar days, shall 100
[submit written findings and a recommendation to the board of 101
education as to the disposition of the charges against the teacher and 102
shall send a copy of such findings and recommendation to the teacher. 103
The board of education shall give the teacher concerned its written 104
decision not later than fifteen calendar days after receipt of the written 105
recommendation of the subcommittee or hearing officer ] render to the 106
board of education and the teacher a written disposition that shall be 107
binding on the parties . Each party shall share equally the fee of the 108
hearing officer and all other costs incidental to the hearing. [If the 109
hearing is before the board of education, the board shall render its 110
decision not later than fifteen calendar days after the close of such 111
hearing and shall send a copy of its decision to the teacher.] The hearing 112
shall be public if the teacher so requests. [or the board, subcommittee or 113
hearing officer so designates.] The teacher concerned shall have the right 114
to appear with counsel at the hearing, whether public or private. [A 115
copy of a transcript of the proceedings of the hearing shall be furnished 116
by the board of education, upon written request by the teacher within 117

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fifteen days after the board's decision, provided the teacher shall assume 118
the cost of any such copy.] Either party shall have the right to request a 119
copy of the transcript and shall bear the cost of any such copy. Nothing 120
[herein] contained in this section shall deprive a board of education or 121
superintendent of the power to suspend a teacher from duty 122
immediately when serious misconduct is charged without prejudice to 123
the rights of the teacher as otherwise provided in this section. 124
(e) Any teacher or board of education aggrieved by the [decision of a 125
board of education ] award of the hearing officer after a hearing as 126
provided in subsection (d) of this section may [appeal therefrom, not 127
later than thirty calendar days after such decision, to the Superior Court. 128
Such appeal shall be made returnable to said court in the same manner 129
as is prescribed for civil actions brought to said court ] make an 130
application to the Superior Court to confirm, vacate or modify said 131
award pursuant to section s 52-417 to 52 -419, inclusive . Any such 132
[appeal] application shall be a privileged case to be heard by the court 133
as soon after the return day as is practicable. The teacher or board of 134
education shall file with the court a copy of the complete transcript of 135
the proceedings of the hearing, [and the minutes of board of education 136
meetings relating to such termination, including the vote of the board 137
on the termination, ] together with such other documents, or certified 138
copies thereof, as shall constitute the record of the case. [The court, upon 139
such appeal, shall review the proceedings of such hearing. The court, 140
upon such appeal and hearing thereon, may affirm or reverse the 141
decision appealed from in accordance with subsection (j) of section 4 -142
183. Costs shall not be allowed against the board of education unless it 143
appears to the court that it acted with gross negligence or in bad faith or 144
with malice in making the decision appealed from.] 145
Sec. 2. Section 10 -236a of the general statutes is repealed and the 146
following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective July 1, 2026): 147
(a) Each board of education, the State Board of Education, the Board 148
of Regents for Higher Education, the Board of Trustees for The 149

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University of Connecticut, and each state agency which employs any 150
teacher, and the managing board of any public school, as defined in 151
section 10-183b, shall protect and save harmless any member of such 152
boards, or any teacher or other employee of such boards, from financial 153
loss and expense, including payment of expenses reasonably incurred 154
for medical or other service necessary as a result of [an] any assault upon 155
such member, teacher or other employee while such person was acting 156
in the discharge of [his or her] such member, teacher or other employee's 157
duties within the scope of [his or her ] such member, teacher or other 158
employee's employment or under the direction of such boards, state 159
agency, department or managing board, which expenses are not paid by 160
the individual member's, teacher's or employee's insurance, workers' 161
compensation or any other source not involving an expenditure by such 162
member, teacher or employee. 163
(b) Any member, teacher or employee absent from employment as a 164
result of injury sustained during [an] any assault, any act of challenging 165
behavior, as defined in section 10 -222aa, or for a court appearance in 166
connection with such assault shall continue to receive [his or her] such 167
member, teacher or employee's full salary or contracted weekly wages, 168
while so absent, except that the amount of any workers' compensation 169
award may be deducted from [salary] any payments during such 170
absence. The time of such absence shall not be charged against such 171
member, teacher or employee's sick leave, vacation time , [or] personal 172
leave days or other accrued leave. 173
(c) Any person who suffers an ascertainable loss of money may bring 174
a civil action in the Superior Court to recover damages. In any action 175
brought by a person under this section, the court may award, to the 176
plaintiff, if the plaintiff prevails, in addition to the relief provided in this 177
section, reasonable attorney's fees and costs to be taxed by the court. 178
[(c)] (d) For the purposes of this section, the terms "teacher" and 179
"other employee" shall include any student teacher doing practice 180
teaching under the direction of a teacher employed by a local or regional 181

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board of education or by the State Board of Education or Board of 182
Governors of Higher Education, and any member of the faculty or staff 183
or any student employed by The University of Connecticut Health 184
Center or health services. 185
This act shall take effect as follows and shall amend the following
sections:

Section 1 July 1, 2026 10-151(c) to (e)
Sec. 2 July 1, 2026 10-236a

Statement of Purpose:
To (1) establish a just cause standard for teacher termination decisions,
(2) make the decision of a neutral arbitrator in a termination hearing
binding, and (3) provide full workers' compensation coverage for
teachers injured by students in the course of their employment.

[Proposed deletions are enclosed in brackets. Proposed additions are indicated by underline, except
that when the entire text of a bill or resolution or a section of a bill or resolution is new, it is not
underlined.]