(a) Each local and regional board of education shall require each school under its jurisdiction to (1) offer all full day students a daily lunch period of not less than twenty minutes, and (2) include in the regular school day for each student enrolled in elementary school time devoted to physical exercise of not less than twenty minutes in total, except that a planning and placement team may develop a different schedule for a child requiring special education and related services in accordance with chapter 164 and the Individuals With Disabilities Education Act, 20 USC 1400 et seq., as amended from time to time. In the event of a conflict with this section and any provision of chapter 164, such other provision of chapter 164 shall be deemed controlling. Nothing in this subsection shall prevent a local or regional board of education from including an additional amount of time, beyond the twenty minutes required for physical exercise, devoted to undirected play during the regular school day for each student enrolled in elementary school.
(b) For the school year commencing July 1, 2022, and each school year thereafter, each local and regional board of education shall adopt a policy, as the board deems appropriate, concerning the circumstances when a school employee may prevent or otherwise restrict a student from participating in the entire time devoted to physical exercise in the regular school day, pursuant to subsection (a) of this section, as a form of discipline. Such policy shall (1) permit such prevention or restriction (A) when a student poses a danger to the health or safety of other students or school personnel, or (B) when such prevention or restriction is limited to the period devoted to physical exercise that is the shortest in duration if there are two or more periods devoted to physical exercise in a school day, provided the period of time devoted to physical exercise that such student may participate in during such school day is at least twenty minutes in duration, (2) only permit such prevention or restriction once during a school week, unless such student is a danger to the health or safety of other students or school personnel, (3) not include any provisions that such board determines are unreasonably restrictive or punitive, (4) distinguish between (A) discipline imposed prior to the start of such time devoted to physical exercise and discipline imposed during such time devoted to physical exercise, and (B) discipline that (i) prevents or otherwise restricts a student from participating in such time devoted to physical exercise prior to such time devoted to physical exercise, and (ii) methods used to redirect a student's behavior during such time devoted to physical exercise, and (5) not permit such prevention or restriction if a student does not complete such student's work on time or for such student's academic performance. For purposes of this section, “school employee” means (A) a teacher, substitute teacher, school administrator, school superintendent, guidance counselor, school counselor, psychologist, social worker, nurse, physician, school paraprofessional or coach employed by a local or regional board of education or working in a public elementary, middle or high school; or (B) any other individual who, in the performance of his or her duties, has regular contact with students and who provides services to or on behalf of students enrolled in a public elementary, middle or high school, pursuant to a contract with the local or regional board of education.
(P.A. 04-224, S. 1; P.A. 12-116, S. 9; 12-198, S. 5; P.A. 13-173, S. 2; P.A. 18-15, S. 6; P.A. 19-173, S. 1; P.A. 22-81, S. 9.)
History: P.A. 04-224 effective July 1, 2004 (Revisor's note: A reference to “Individual With Disabilities Education Act” was changed editorially by the Revisors to “Individuals With Disabilities Education Act” for accuracy); P.A. 12-116 amended Subdiv. (2) by replacing “a period of physical exercise” with “time devoted to physical exercise of not less than twenty minutes in total”, effective July 1, 2012; P.A. 12-198 made identical changes as P.A. 12-116, effective July 1, 2012; P.A. 13-173 designated existing provisions as Subsec. (a) and amended same to replace “grades kindergarten to five, inclusive,” with “elementary school” in Subdiv. (2) and added Subsec. (b) requiring each board to adopt a policy concerning the restriction of physical exercise as a form of discipline and defining “school employee”, effective July 1, 2013; P.A. 18-15 amended Subsec. (b) by adding “school counselor”, effective July 1, 2018; P.A. 19-173 amended Subsec. (a) by adding provision re additional time devoted to undirected play, and amended Subsec. (b) by replacing “2013” with “2019” and adding “or undirected play”, effective July 1, 2019; P.A. 22-81 amended Subsec. (b) by deleting existing provisions re adoption of policy concerning issue of school employee being involved in preventing a student from participating in entire time devoted to physical exercise or undirected play in regular school day as a form of discipline, adding new provisions re adoption of policy concerning circumstances when school employee may prevent or otherwise restrict a student from participating in the entire time devoted to physical exercise in regular school day as a form of discipline and redesignating Subdivs. (1) and (2) as Subparas. (A) and (B), effective May 24, 2022.
Structure Connecticut General Statutes
Title 10 - Education and Culture
Chapter 170 - Boards of Education
Section 10-218. - Officers. Meetings.
Section 10-218a. - Oath of office.
Section 10-219. - Procedure for filling vacancy on local board of education.
Section 10-220. - Duties of boards of education.
Section 10-220b. - Policy statement on drugs.
Section 10-220c. - Transportation of children over private roads. Immunity from liability.
Section 10-220e. - Foster children count.
Section 10-220f. - Safety committee.
Section 10-220g. - Policy on calculation of students' grade point averages.
Section 10-220i. - Transportation of students carrying cartridge injectors.
Section 10-220j. - Blood glucose self-testing by children. Guidelines.
Section 10-220k. - Disclosure of educational records re student confined in residential facility.
Section 10-220m. - Review of transportation arrangements of special needs students.
Section 10-220p. - Materials provided to students when discussing career options.
Section 10-221. - Boards of education to prescribe rules, policies and procedures.
Section 10-221e. - Intradistrict student assignment programs.
Section 10-221f. - School uniforms.
Section 10-221g. - Instructional time and facility usage assessment.
Section 10-221j. - Early Reading Success Panel.
Section 10-221l. - State-Wide Early Reading Success Institute.
Section 10-221n. - Independent evaluation.
Section 10-221p. - Boards to make available for purchase nutritious and low-fat foods.
Section 10-221q. - Sale of beverages.
Section 10-221r. - Advanced placement course program. Guidelines.
Section 10-221t. - Alignment of common core standards with college level programs.
Section 10-221u. - Boards to adopt policies addressing the use of physical activity as discipline.
Section 10-221v. - Confidential rapid response team re suspected abuse or neglect.
Section 10-221w. - Policy re eligibility criteria for enrollment in advanced course or program.
Section 10-221x. - Challenging curriculum policy.
Section 10-222. - Appropriations and budget.
Section 10-222b. - Board to have use of funds from the Manville property damage settlement trust.
Section 10-222d. - Safe school climate plans. Definitions. School climate assessments.
Section 10-222e. - Policy on evaluation and termination of athletic coaches.
Section 10-222f. - College informational forums.
Section 10-222g. - Prevention and intervention strategy re bullying and teen dating violence.
Section 10-222i. - State-wide safe school climate resource network.
Section 10-222m. - School security and safety plans. School security and safety committees.
Section 10-222n. - School security and safety plan standards.
Section 10-222o. - Information re aggregate spending for education to be made available.
Section 10-222q. - Social and Emotional Learning and School Climate Advisory Collaborative.
Section 10-222r. - Publication of plain language explanation of rights and remedies.
Section 10-222t. - Administration of social-emotional learning assessment.
Section 10-222u. - State-wide social-emotional support strategy.
Section 10-222v. - Social-emotional learning standards for grades four to twelve.
Section 10-222w. - Working group re bullying and safe school climate plans.
Section 10-223. - Separate high school accounts.
Section 10-223g. - On-line credit recovery program. On-line learning coordinator.
Section 10-223j. - School governance councils.
Section 10-223k. - Department of Education to publish certain plans, rankings and formulas.
Section 10-223l. - Model school district responsibilities agreement.
Section 10-223n. - Publication of completion rates of the Free Application for Federal Student Aid.
Section 10-224. - Duties of the secretary.
Section 10-225. - Salaries of secretary and attendance officers.
Section 10-226. - Reports to Commissioner of Education.
Section 10-226b. - Existence of racial imbalance.
Section 10-226c. - Plan to correct imbalance.
Section 10-226d. - Approval of plan by state board.
Section 10-226e. - Regulations.
Section 10-226f. - Coordinator of intergroup relations.
Section 10-226g. - Intergroup relations training for teachers.
Section 10-226h. - Programs and methods to reduce racial, ethnic and economic isolation.
Section 10-228. - Free textbooks, supplies, material and equipment.
Section 10-228a. - Free textbook loans to pupils attending nonpublic schools.
Section 10-228b. - Tax credits for donation of computers to schools.
Section 10-229. - Change of textbooks.
Section 10-230a. - Employment of instructors of Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps programs.
Section 10-230b. - Exemplary veterans education program distinction.
Section 10-231. - Fire drills. Crisis response drills.
Section 10-231a. - Pesticide applications at schools: Definitions.
Section 10-231b. - Pesticide applications at schools: Authorized applications. Ban. Exceptions.
Section 10-231e. - Maintenance of heating, ventilation and air conditioning system.
Section 10-231f. - Indoor air quality committee.
Section 10-231g. - Green cleaning program at schools: Definitions. Implementation. Notice.
Section 10-232. - Restrictions on employment of members of board of education.
Section 10-233. - Suspension of pupils.
Section 10-233a. - Definitions.
Section 10-233b. - Removal of pupils from class.
Section 10-233c. - Suspension of pupils.
Section 10-233d. - Expulsion of pupils.
Section 10-233e. - Notice as to disciplinary policies and action.
Section 10-233f. - In-school suspension of pupils. Reassignment.
Section 10-233i. - Students placed on probation by a court.
Section 10-233j. - Student possession and use of telecommunication devices.
Section 10-233l. - Expulsion and suspension of children in preschool programs.
Section 10-233m. - Memorandum of understanding re school resource officers.
Section 10-233n. - Report re disaggregated school discipline data.
Section 10-233o. - Standards re alternative educational opportunities.
Section 10-234. - Expulsion of pupils.
Section 10-234aa. - Definitions.
Section 10-234cc. - Requirements for operators re student data.
Section 10-234dd. - Duties re unauthorized release, disclosure or acquisition of student data.
Section 10-234ff. - Uniform student data privacy terms-of-service agreement addendum.
Section 10-235a. - Immunity from liability of internship providers.
Section 10-236. - Liability insurance.
Section 10-236a. - Indemnification of educational personnel assaulted in the line of duty.
Section 10-236b. - Physical restraint and seclusion of students by school employees.
Section 10-236c. - Behavior intervention meetings for certain students.
Section 10-237. - School activity funds.
Section 10-239. - Use of school facilities for other purposes.
Section 10-239a. - Demonstration scholarship program. Short title. Legislative intent.
Section 10-239b. - Definitions.
Section 10-239c. - Contract with federal agency for funds.
Section 10-239d. - Demonstration board and staff. Scholarships.
Section 10-239e. - Use of scholarships. Eligibility of schools.
Section 10-239f. - Collective bargaining by teachers.
Section 10-239g. - Evaluation of quality of education and satisfaction with schools under program.
Section 10-239h. - Liberal construction.
Section 10-239j. - Disclosure of accreditation reports. Notification requirements.