§ 10-95o — Closure or suspension of operations of a technical education and career school; development of comprehensive plan; transportation of students.

(a)(1) The executive director of the Technical Education and Career System shall not close or suspend operations of any technical education and career school for more than six months unless the Technical Education and Career System board (A) holds a public hearing at the school that may be closed or whose operations may be suspended, (B) develops and makes available a comprehensive plan for such school in accordance with the provisions of subsection (b) of this section, and (C) affirmatively votes to recommend that the executive director close or suspend operations at a meeting duly called. Such public hearing shall be held after normal school hours and at least thirty days prior to any vote of the board pursuant to subparagraph (C) of this subdivision. The executive director may close or suspend operations following receipt of the recommendation from the board. (2) The executive director shall not extend the closure or suspension of operations of a technical education and career school beyond the period set forth in the comprehensive plan described in subsection (b) of this section unless the board (A) holds another public hearing at a location in the town in which the school is located, after normal school hours and at least thirty days prior to any vote of the board to recommend that the executive director extend such closure or suspension of operations, (B) develops and makes available a new comprehensive plan for such school in accordance with the provisions of subsection (b) of this section, and (C) affirmatively votes to recommend that the executive director extend such closure or suspension of operations at a meeting duly called. (b) The executive director shall develop a comprehensive plan regarding the closure or suspension of operations of any technical education and career school prior to the public hearing described in subsection (a) of this section. Such comprehensive plan shall include, but not be limited to, (1) an explanation of the reasons for the school closure or suspension of operations, including a cost-benefit analysis of such school closing or suspension of operations, (2) the length of the school closure or suspension of operations, (3) the financial plan for the school during the closure or suspension of operations, including, but not limited to, the costs of such school closure or suspension of operations, (4) a description of the transitional phase to school closure or suspension of operations and a description of the transitional phase to reopening the school, (5) an explanation of what will happen to students currently enrolled at such school during the school closure or suspension of operations, including, but not limited to, available technical education and career schools for such students to attend and transportation for such students to such schools, (6) an explanation of what will happen to school personnel during the school closure or suspension of operations, including, but not limited to, employment at other schools, and (7) an explanation of how the school building and property will be used during the school closure or suspension of operations. The executive director shall provide for the mailing of such comprehensive plan to parents and guardians of students enrolled at the school and to school personnel employed at such school, and make such comprehensive plan available on the school's web site at least fourteen days prior to the public hearing described in subsection (a) of this section. (c) The Technical Education and Career System shall be responsible for transporting any student enrolled in a technical education and career school that is closed or whose operations are suspended pursuant to this section to another technical education and career school during such period of closure or suspension of operations, and the board shall be responsible for the costs associated with such transportation.

Legislative History

(P.A. 10-76, S. 1; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 10-1, S. 69; P.A. 11-28, S. 7; P.A. 12-116, S. 87; P.A. 17-237, S. 65; P.A. 22-118, S. 280.) History: P.A. 10-76 effective July 1, 2010; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 10-1 amended Subsec. (a) to provide in Subdiv. (2) that board shall not extend closure or suspension of operations unless board acts under Subparas. (A), (B) and (C) and to make technical and conforming changes, effective July 1, 2010; P.A. 11-28 made a technical change in Subsec. (b), effective June 3, 2011; pursuant to P.A. 12-116, “regional vocational-technical schools” and “regional vocational-technical school” were changed editorially by the Revisors to “technical high schools” and “technical high school”, respectively, effective July 1, 2012; P.A. 17-237 replaced references to technical high school with references to technical education and career school, effective July 1, 2017; P.A. 22-118 amended Subsec. (a)(1) by replacing “State Board of Education” with “executive director of the Technical Education and Career System” and “board” with “Technical Education and Career System board”, adding “recommend that the executive director” in Subpara. (C) and adding provision re executive director may close or suspend operations following receipt of recommendation from board, amended Subsec. (a)(2) by replacing “board” with “executive director” and “pursuant to subparagraph (C) of this subdivision” with “to recommend that the executive director extend such closure or suspension of operations” and adding “recommend that the executive director” and deleting “school” in Subpara. (C), amended Subsec. (b) by replacing references to “State Board of Education” with “executive director” and amended Subsec. (c) by replacing “State Board of Education” with “Technical Education and Career System”, effective July 1, 2022.