Starting July 1, a wide-ranging set of new state laws will reshape how Connecticut schools operate — from what students learn in the classroom to how districts are funded, how teachers are disciplined and how young children gain access to kindergarten.
The measures include a major boost in state education funding, new requirements to teach computer science and artificial intelligence, changes to reading intervention strategies and sweeping updates to school policies on safety, discipline and operations.
While many of the changes will play out over time, the July 1 effective date marks a significant turning point, with new mandates and funding decisions poised to affect classrooms, families and school systems across the state in the coming school year.
Here’s a look at six laws that will become effective July 1 and their impacts on education.
Gov. Ned Lamont’s office says Public Act 26-68 includes a “historic increase” in state funding for every school district and municipality, including $9 million for Norwich.
The law also invests approximately $300 million in the Early Childhood Education Endowment to continue expansion of early childhood education programs. According to Lamont’s office, the funding will support sustained investments in the early care and education system, including increasing the number of state-funded slots and providing critical investment for providers and families.
The law creates the Connecticut State Seal of Civics Education and Engagement, expands Public School Information System data for bilingual education programs and requires Islamic and Arab studies curriculum materials to be made available.
The act also makes kindergarten waivers optional for the 2026–27 school year. The law keeps the rule that children must turn 5 by Sept. 1 to start kindergarten, but it changes how schools can admit younger children.
Starting July 1, 2027: The waiver process is eliminated entirely, meaning younger children can no longer be admitted early through this process.
For the 2026–27 school year: Schools are no longer required to offer waivers for children under 5. Districts can choose whether to allow early admission.
If a district allows early admission, parents must still submit a written request, and the child must be evaluated to make sure they’re ready.
Public Act 26-1 requires that school districts with a school resource officer have a written agreement with local police that explains the officer’s role and duties in the school.
Districts already must post this agreement online, in the school, and keep a copy in a central location.
The law requires that, by Jan. 1, 2027, these agreements must:
The agreements must also be updated at least every three years.
In addition, beginning with the 2026-27 school year, the law requires schools to conduct a quarterly crisis response drill that follows new protocols which prohibit active assailant simulations, are designed to support the physical and psychological safety of students and school personnel and provide one-week advance notice to students, school personnel and parents and guardians before a drill is held.
Beginning in the 2026–27 school year, the law adds computer science to the required program of instruction for public schools and specifies that computer science instruction must cover artificial intelligence and emerging technologies. Districts are flexible regarding which grade levels receive the instruction.
Public Act 26-139 creates a school district incentive program that limits broad assessments, adds formative tools and boosts teacher training. It also requires the State Department of Education to guide districts on reducing discretionary testing.
According to the Office of Legislative Research, the law allows qualified former parole officers to provide armed school security. Previously, only current or retired police officers could do so.
Starting July 1, 2026, the state will create a grant program to support therapeutic arts in public schools beginning with the 2027 school year.
The law also updates hiring rules by expanding what misconduct-related information must be disclosed for school employees in contact with children, including allegations under investigation.
The act requires the Department of Education to provide guidance to school boards on response-to-intervention frameworks for students identified as struggling in reading. It also revises the aspiring educators scholarship program and includes American Sign Language/world language and paraeducator health benefit subsidy provisions.
Under this law, effective July 1, 2026, the aspiring educators scholarship program will provide an annual scholarship to individuals who graduated from a public high school in an alliance district and are enrolled in a teacher education program at any four-year institution of higher education. An aspiring educator may receive an annual scholarship in an amount up to $10,000 for each year an aspiring educator is enrolled and in good standing in a teacher preparation program.
The Connecticut General Assembly defines an aspiring educator as an individual who is in a population subgroup that is underrepresented in the teaching profession in the state. Alliance Districts are school districts with among the lowest Accountability Index measures in Connecticut or those previously designated as Alliance Districts for the fiscal years ending June 30, 2013 through June 30, 2017.
The act revises the process for terminating tenured teachers. This includes requiring tenured-teacher termination proceedings to go before an impartial hearing officer. The law also requires each school district and similar entities to provide the Department of Labor with a listing of which paraeducators do or do not have “reasonable assurance” of returning for the next academic term no later than 10 days before the last day of school. The Labor Commissioner might consider this information when determining a paraeducator’s eligibility for benefits, however it would not be conclusive evidence.
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