School board authority in Connecticut

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Connecticut state law makes school boards responsible for governing and managing public school districts in the state. This article details the powers and duties Connecticut law grants to school boards for governing school districts and the constraints on that authority with regard to certain topics.

HIGHLIGHTS

Connecticut is one of 36 states that grant school boards at least some authority over whether charter schools are issued in their district.

Connecticut school boards can engage in collective bargaining with school employees, which can constrain their authority over certain policies.

Connecticut is one of five states with laws or policies encouraging school boards to pass policies limiting cellphone use for their districts.

Connecticut is one of 24 states that does not have a statewide Parents' Bill of Rights.

Connecticut did not have a statewide public school choice program as of October 2024, but school boards did have authority to enter into agreements with other school boards to allow disadvantaged students to transfer between schools and districts.

Types of legal and contractual constraints on school board authority

See also: Local school board authority across the 50 states

This page presents the results from Ballotpedia research on school board authority and constraints on that authority in all 50 states as of 2024. School board authority comes from state constitutions and state statutes and can be interpreted or specified by state regulations or court decisions. In addition to authority over district budgets, the selection of a superintendent, and administrative responsibilities, school boards have varying levels of authority over district policy on other topics depending on the state and district.

There are several sources of legal and contractual constraints on school board policy-making authority which also vary by state or by district.

• State laws commonly restrict or mandate school board policies on certain topics.
  • Parents' Bills of Rights, which at least 26 states have in statute to some degree, limit the policies school boards are allowed to pass.
• State rules, guidance, and funding incentives can constrain, mandate, or influence school board policies. These include regulation from state education commissions and superintendents, executive orders from governors, or grant conditions.
• Federal and state court rulings can dictate whether or not school district policies are compatible with state law or federal law.
• The federal government, largely through its Department of Education, can promulgate regulations or guidance that influence district policy or make funding contingent on certain policies.
• Collective bargaining agreements between school districts and teacher unions can create contractual constraints on the policies school boards can pass.
• State school board associations can influence school board policy or, in some cases. enter into contracts with school boards that can limit school board policy.

This page features the following sections:

• Connecticut law on school boards' authority over district policy. This section features the statutes in Connecticut law that establish, enable, or define local school district boards.
• Constraints on Connecticut school boards' authority. This section provides an overview of constraints on the school boards' authority in Connecticut. It contains information on the constraints by the following topics:
  • Curriculum requirements
  • Curriculum restrictions
  • Book bans, removals, and restrictions
  • Parental notification
  • Discipline
  • School board elections
  • Public school choice and open enrollment
  • Charter schools
  • Cellphone bans
• Collective bargaining agreements
• Parents' bill of rights
• How does Connecticut compare to other states?
• Noteworthy Events. This section tracks noteworthy events related to school boards' authority in Connecticut.

School board authority over district policy in Connecticut

Enabling or authorizing statute for the boards of school districts in Connecticut

See also: Enabling statute

Connecticut General Statutes Chapter 171, Section 10-240, gives school district boards authority to operate according to state law:

“ Each town shall through its board of education maintain the control of all the public schools within its limits and for this purpose shall be a school district and shall have all the powers and duties of school districts, except so far as such powers and duties are inconsistent with the provisions of this chapter. ”

Connecticut school boards' powers

Connecticut public school boards of directors are given a list of 12 specific powers to administer public schools in the state, including:

• The power to establish and maintain a school library.
• The power to lay taxes.
• The power to employ teachers.

The full list of powers given to school boards under Connecticut General Statutes Chapter 171, Section 10-241, are as follows:

“ Each school district shall be a body corporate and shall have power to sue and be sued; to purchase, receive, hold and convey real and personal property for school purposes; to build, equip, purchase and rent schoolhouses and make major repairs thereto and to supply them with fuel, furniture and other appendages and accommodations; to establish and maintain schools of different grades; to establish and maintain a school library; to lay taxes and to borrow money for the purposes herein set forth; to make agreements and regulations for the establishing and conducting of schools not inconsistent with the regulations of the town having jurisdiction of the schools in such district; and to employ teachers, in accordance with the provisions of section 10-151, and pay their salaries. When such board appoints a superintendent, such superintendent may, with the approval of such board, employ the teachers. ”

Connecticut school boards' duties

Connecticut public school boards of directors are also charged with specific duties they must perform. In addition to budget-related and fiscal requirements, school property and facilities management, and administrative responsibilities, other specific duties include:

• Designating the schools attended by children in the district.
• Establishing a school district curriculum committee to review and approve all curriculum.
• Performing indoor air quality inspections and evaluations every five years.
• Developing a written plan for minority educator recruitment.
• Optionally making arrangements with adjacent towns for school instruction, where convenient for students.

The full list of duties listed under Connecticut General Statutes Chapter 170, Section 10-220, are as follows:

“ (a) Each local or regional board of education shall maintain good public elementary and secondary schools, implement the educational interests of the state, as defined in section 10-4a, and provide such other educational activities as in its judgment will best serve the interests of the school district; provided any board of education may secure such opportunities in another school district in accordance with provisions of the general statutes and shall give all the children of the school district, including children receiving alternative education, as defined in section 10-74j, as nearly equal advantages as may be practicable; shall provide an appropriate learning environment for all its students which includes (1) adequate instructional books, supplies, materials, equipment, staffing, facilities and technology, (2) equitable allocation of resources among its schools, (3) proper maintenance of facilities, and (4) a safe school setting; shall, in accordance with the provisions of subsection (f) of this section, maintain records of allegations, investigations and reports that a child has been abused or neglected by a school employee, as defined in section 53a-65, employed by the local or regional board of education; shall have charge of the schools of its respective school district; shall make a continuing study of the need for school facilities and of a long-term school building program and from time to time make recommendations based on such study to the town; shall adopt and implement an indoor air quality program that provides for ongoing maintenance and facility reviews necessary for the maintenance and improvement of the indoor air quality of its facilities; shall adopt and implement a green cleaning program, pursuant to section 10-231g, that provides for the procurement and use of environmentally preferable cleaning products in school buildings and facilities; on and after July 1, 2021, and every five years thereafter, shall report to the Commissioner of Administrative Services on the condition of its facilities and the action taken to implement its long-term school building program, indoor air quality program and green cleaning program, which report the Commissioner of Administrative Services shall use to prepare a report every five years that said commissioner shall submit in accordance with section 11-4a to the joint standing committee of the General Assembly having cognizance of matters relating to education; shall advise the Commissioner of Administrative Services of the relationship between any individual school building project pursuant to chapter 173 and such long-term school building program; shall have the care, maintenance and operation of buildings, lands, apparatus and other property used for school purposes and at all times shall insure all such buildings and all capital equipment contained therein against loss in an amount not less than eighty per cent of replacement cost; shall determine the number, age and qualifications of the pupils to be admitted into each school; shall develop and implement a written plan for minority educator recruitment for purposes of subdivision (3) of section 10-4a; shall employ and dismiss the teachers of the schools of such district subject to the provisions of sections 10-151 and 10-158a; shall designate the schools which shall be attended by the various children within the school district; shall make such provisions as will enable each child of school age residing in the district to attend some public day school for the period required by law and provide for the transportation of children wherever transportation is reasonable and desirable, and for such purpose may make contracts covering periods of not more than (A) five years, or (B) ten years if such contract includes transportation provided by at least one zero-emission school bus, as defined in 42 USC 16091(a)(8), as amended from time to time; may provide alternative education, in accordance with the provisions of section 10-74j, or place in another suitable educational program a pupil enrolling in school who is nineteen years of age or older and cannot acquire a sufficient number of credits for graduation by age twenty-one; may arrange with the board of education of an adjacent town for the instruction therein of such children as can attend school in such adjacent town more conveniently; shall cause each child five years of age and over and under eighteen years of age who is not a high school graduate and is living in the school district to attend school in accordance with the provisions of section 10-184, and shall perform all acts required of it by the town or necessary to carry into effect the powers and duties imposed by law. (b) The board of education of each local or regional school district shall, with the participation of parents, students, school administrators, teachers, citizens, local elected officials and any other individuals or groups such board shall deem appropriate, prepare a statement of educational goals for such local or regional school district. The statement of goals shall be consistent with state-wide goals pursuant to subsection (c) of section 10-4 and include goals for the integration of principles and practices of social-emotional learning and restorative practices in the program of professional development for the school district, in accordance with the provisions of section 10-148a, and career placement for students who do not pursue an advanced degree immediately after graduation. Each local or regional board of education shall annually establish student objectives for the school year which relate directly to the statement of educational goals prepared pursuant to this subsection and which identify specific expectations for students in terms of skills, knowledge and competence. (c) Annually, each local and regional board of education shall submit to the Commissioner of Education a strategic school profile report for each school and school or program of alternative education, as defined in section 10-74j, under its jurisdiction and for the school district as a whole. The superintendent of each local and regional school district shall present the profile report at the next regularly scheduled public meeting of the board of education after each November first. The profile report shall provide information on measures of (1) student needs, including, but not limited to, a needs assessment that identifies resources necessary to address student trauma impacting students and staff in each school and adequately respond to students with mental, emotional or behavioral health needs, (2) school resources, including technological resources and utilization of such resources and infrastructure, (3) student and school performance, including in-school suspensions, out-of-school suspensions and expulsions, the number of truants, as defined in section 10-198a, and chronically absent children, as defined in section 10-198c, (4) the number of students enrolled in an adult high school credit diploma program, pursuant to section 10-69, operated by a local or regional board of education or a regional educational service center, (5) equitable allocation of resources among its schools, (6) reduction of racial, ethnic and economic isolation, (7) special education, and (8) school-based arrests, as defined in section 10-233n. For purposes of this subsection, measures of special education include (A) special education identification rates by disability, (B) rates at which special education students are exempted from mastery testing pursuant to section 10-14q, (C) expenditures for special education, including such expenditures as a percentage of total expenditures, (D) achievement data for special education students, (E) rates at which students identified as requiring special education are no longer identified as requiring special education, (F) the availability of supplemental educational services for students lacking basic educational skills, (G) the amount of special education student instructional time with nondisabled peers, (H) the number of students placed out-of-district, and (I) the actions taken by the school district to improve special education programs, as indicated by analyses of the local data provided in subparagraphs (A) to (H), inclusive, of this subdivision. The superintendent shall include in the narrative portion of the report information about parental involvement and any measures the district has taken to improve parental involvement, including, but not limited to, employment of methods to engage parents in the planning and improvement of school programs and methods to increase support to parents working at home with their children on learning activities. For purposes of this subsection, measures of truancy include the type of data that is required to be collected by the Department of Education regarding attendance and unexcused absences in order for the department to comply with federal reporting requirements and the actions taken by the local or regional board of education to reduce truancy in the school district. Such truancy data shall be considered a public record, as defined in section 1-200. (d) (1) As used in this subsection: (A) “Certified testing, adjusting and balancing technician” means a technician certified to perform testing, adjusting and balancing of heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems by the Associated Air Balance Council, the National Environmental Balancing Bureau or the Testing, Adjusting and Balancing Bureau, or an individual training under the supervision of a Testing, Adjusting and Balancing Bureau certified technician or a person certified to perform ventilation assessments of heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems through a certification body accredited by the American National Standards Institute; (B) “Heating, ventilation and air conditioning system” means the equipment, distribution network, controls and terminals that provide, either collectively or individually, heating, ventilation or air conditioning to a building; and (C) “Indoor air quality” has the same meaning as used by the United States Department of Labor Occupational Safety and Health Administration Standard Number 1910.1000 “OSHA Policy on Indoor Air Quality”. (2) Prior to January 1, 2008, and every three years thereafter, for every school building that is or has been constructed, extended, renovated or replaced on or after January 1, 2003, a local or regional board of education shall provide for a uniform inspection and evaluation program of the indoor air quality within such buildings, such as the Environmental Protection Agency's Indoor Air Quality Tools for Schools Program. The inspection and evaluation program shall include, but not be limited to, a review, inspection or evaluation of the following: (A) The heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems; (B) radon levels in the air; (C) potential for exposure to microbiological airborne particles, including, but not limited to, fungi, mold and bacteria; (D) chemical compounds of concern to indoor air quality including, but not limited to, volatile organic compounds; (E) the degree of pest infestation, including, but not limited to, insects and rodents; (F) the degree of pesticide usage; (G) the presence of and the plans for removal of any hazardous substances that are contained on the list prepared pursuant to Section 302 of the federal Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act, 42 USC 9601 et seq.; (H) ventilation systems; (I) plumbing, including water distribution systems, drainage systems and fixtures; (J) moisture incursion; (K) the overall cleanliness of the facilities; (L) building structural elements, including, but not limited to, roofing, basements or slabs; (M) the use of space, particularly areas that were designed to be unoccupied; and (N) the provision of indoor air quality maintenance training for building staff. Local and regional boards of education conducting evaluations pursuant to this subsection shall make available for public inspection the results of the inspection and evaluation at a regularly scheduled board of education meeting and on the board's or each individual school's web site. (3) Prior to January 1, 2024, and every five years thereafter, a local or regional board of education shall provide for a uniform inspection and evaluation of the heating, ventilation and air conditioning system within each school building under its jurisdiction. Such inspection and evaluation shall be performed by a certified testing, adjusting and balancing technician, an industrial hygienist certified by the American Board of Industrial Hygiene or the Board for Global EHS Credentialing, or a mechanical engineer. Such heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems inspection and evaluation shall include, but need not be limited to: (A) Testing for maximum filter efficiency, (B) physical measurements of outside air delivery rate, (C) verification of the appropriate condition and operation of ventilation components, (D) measurement of air distribution through all system inlets and outlets, (E) verification of unit operation and that required maintenance has been performed in accordance with the most recent indoor ventilation standards promulgated by the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers, (F) verification of control sequences, (G) verification of carbon dioxide sensors and acceptable carbon dioxide concentrations indoors, and (H) collection of field data for the installation of mechanical ventilation if none exist. The ventilation systems inspection and evaluation shall identify to what extent each school's current ventilation system components, including any existing central or noncentral mechanical ventilation system, are operating in such a manner as to provide appropriate ventilation to the school building in accordance with most recent indoor ventilation standards promulgated by the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers. The inspection and evaluation shall result in a written report, and such report shall include any corrective actions necessary to be performed to the mechanical ventilation system or the heating, ventilation and air conditioning infrastructure, including installation of filters meeting the most optimal level of filtration available for a given heating, ventilation and air conditioning system, installation of carbon dioxide sensors and additional maintenance, repairs, upgrades or replacement. Any such corrective actions shall be performed, where appropriate, by a contractor, who is licensed in accordance with chapter 393. Any local or regional board of education conducting an inspection and evaluations pursuant to this subsection shall make available for public inspection the results of such inspection and evaluation at a regularly scheduled meeting of such board and on the Internet web site of such board and on the Internet web site, if any, of each individual school. A local or regional board of education shall not be required to provide for a uniform inspection and evaluation under this subdivision for any school building that will cease to be used as a school building within the three years from when such inspection and evaluation is to be performed. (e) Each local and regional board of education shall establish a school district curriculum committee. The committee shall recommend, develop, review and approve all curriculum for the local or regional school district. (f) Each local and regional board of education shall maintain in a central location all records of allegations, investigations and reports that a child has been abused or neglected by a school employee, as defined in section 53a-65, employed by the local or regional board of education, conducted pursuant to sections 17a-101a to 17a-101d, inclusive, and section 17a-103. Such records shall include any reports made to the Department of Children and Families. The Department of Education shall have access to such records. ”

Constraints on Connecticut school boards' authority

This section tracks constraints on school boards specific to Connecticut as of September 2024. It features constraints on school boards' authority from state law, collective bargaining agreements, and Parents' Bills of Rights.

Constraint on Connecticut school boards' authority by topic

This section features constraints on school boards authority on policies related to the following topics:

• Curriculum requirements
• Curriculum restrictions
• Book bans, removals, and restrictions
• Parental notification
• Discipline
• School board elections
• Public school choice and open enrollment
• Charter schools
• Cellphone bans

Curriculum requirements

Connecticut requires school districts to include many specific topics related to art, career education, health, language arts, social studies, science, and math in their curriculum. Examples of specific requirements include:

• African-American and Black studies.
• Puerto Rican and Latino studies.
• Instruction on safe social media usage.
• Instruction on human growth and development.
• Reading instruction that "focuses on competency in the following areas of reading: Oral language, phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, rapid automatic name or letter name fluency and reading comprehension."

Curriculum restrictions

Ballotpedia could not identify any curricular content prohibited by state statutes, regulations, case law, or collective bargaining agreements

Federal law and guidance

Federal executive orders:

President Donald Trump (R) issued an executive order (E.O.) on January 29, 2025, entitled Ending Radical Indoctrination in K-12 Schooling, prohibiting federal funding that directly or indirectly facilitates K-12 instruction regarding what the bill calls gender or equity ideology. It directs federal executive agencies, including the U.S. Department of Education, to create a plan to relinquish federal funds from school or teacher certification programs that include what the E.O. called gender ideology or discriminatory equity ideology. The order defined discriminatory equity ideology as ideology that treats individuals as members of preferred or disfavored groups rather than as individuals and minimizes agency, merit, and capability in favor of immoral generalizations.

Book bans, removals, and restrictions

Connecticut state law requires school boards to adopt policies for the development and maintenance of school library book collections, as well as for library displays and programs, and for the review and reconsideration of library materials. The law prohibits boards from removing books, library materials, or library programming because of the origin, background, or viewpoints expressed, or because of the origin, background, or viewpoints of the creator of such material, display, or program.

Case law:
The U.S. Supreme Court affirmed local school boards' authority to remove school books in Island Trees Sch. Dist. v. Pico by Pico in 1982 but held that school library books are distinct from curricular books, which school boards have more authority to regulate. The ruling held that school boards are charged with inculcating community values and may make curricular decisions accordingly. In Zykan v. Warsaw Community School Corp. in 1980, the Supreme Court held that school boards had discretionary power over curriculum, textbooks, and other educational matters but could not impose religious creeds or "permanently the student’s ability to investigate matters that arise in the natural course of intellectual inquiry,” according to the opinion.

Federal guidance

The U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights rescinded all guidance against the removal of books and no longer employed a coordinator to investigate local district book removals as of January 24, 2025. The Department said they believed removing books from school libraries was a question of parental and community judgment, not civil rights, and that the office had no role as it related to book removal.

Parental notification

Ballotpedia could not identify any parental notification requirements in Connecticut statutes, regulations, case law, or collective bargaining agreements.

Case law: The United States Supreme Court ruled in Mahmoud v. Taylor on June 27, 2025, that Montgomery County Board of Education's introduction of LGBTQ+ related storybooks, along with its decision to withhold opt outs, placed an unconstitutional burden on the parents’ rights to the free exercise of their religion.

Discipline

See also: How does Connecticut compare to other states on school board authority over disciplinary policy?

Connecticut is one of 47 states that gives school boards authority over district disciplinary policy.

The text of Connecticut General Statutes Chapter 170, Section 221 is as follows:

“ Boards of education shall prescribe rules for the management, studies, classification and discipline of the public schools. ”

A state law took effect in 2024 capping out-of-school suspensions for kindergarteners through second graders at five days and in-school-suspensions at five days for all students. The state also enacted a law in 2023 requiring districts to practice less punitive disciplinary practices for nonviolent students.

Federal guidance

President Donald Trump (R) issued an Executive Order (E.O.) titled Reinstating Common Sense School Discipline Policies on April 23, 2025, that required the Secretary of Education, in consultation with the Attorney General, to issue guidance local educational agencies (LEAs) and State educational agencies (SEAs) regarding "school discipline and their obligations not to engage in racial discrimination under Title VI in all contexts, including school discipline," according to the order. The first Trump administration rescinded guidance issued in 2014 under the Obama administration that suggested that higher rates of discipline for racial minorities could be evidence of discrimination and could cause schools to lose federal funding. Trump's 2025 E.O. argued that the guidance "effectively required schools to discriminate on the basis of race by imposing discipline based on racial characteristics, rather than on objective behavior alone." Though the guidance was rescinded in 2018, the U.S. Department of Education continued to collect data regarding the racial breakdown of disciplinary actions taken across the country. Trump's 2025 E.O. prohibits schools from engaging in what it called racial discrimination in the application of school discipline.

School board elections

See also: Rules governing school board election dates and timing in Connecticut, How does Connecticut compare to other states on school board authority over election timing?

Connecticut is one of 42 states in which school boards do not have authority over the timing of school board elections because state or municipal laws determine school board election dates.

Click here to read about the laws governing school board elections in Connecticut.

Public school choice and open enrollment

See also: School choice in Connecticut

Connecticut did not have a statewide public school choice program as of October 2024, but school boards did have authority to enter into agreements with other school boards to allow disadvantaged students to transfer between schools and districts, according to Connecticut General Statutes Chapter 172, Section 266j:

“ (a) For the purposes of this section: 'Intercommunity programs for disadvantaged children' means educational programs or services designed to improve or accelerate the education of children whose educational achievement has been or is being restricted by economic, social or environmental disadvantages. 'Receiving district' means the school district which accepts pupils from another school district in accordance with an agreement between it and one or more boards of education to provide an educational program for participating children which has been approved by the State Board of Education. 'Sending district' means the school district responsible by law for the education of the children participating in such a program. (b) Any local or regional board of education may make a binding written agreement with any other such board or group of such boards to implement intercommunity programs for children under this section. Such written agreement shall include mutually acceptable terms concerning, but not limited to, the tuition per child which shall be paid by the sending district to the receiving district. ”

Charter schools

See also: Charter schools in Connecticut, How does Connecticut compare to other states on school board authority over charter schools?

Connecticut is one of 36 states that grant school boards at least some authority over whether charter schools are issued in their district.

State law provides an application consideration process for boards that includes a public hearing and a survey to gauge public interest. If a school board approves a charter school application, it is forwarded to the state education department for final approval:

“ (e) An application for the establishment of a local charter school shall be submitted to the local or regional board of education of the school district in which the local charter school is to be located for approval pursuant to this subsection. The local or regional board of education shall: (1) Review the application; (2) hold a public hearing in the school district on such application; (3) survey teachers and parents in the school district to determine if there is sufficient interest in the establishment and operation of the local charter school; and (4) vote on a complete application not later than seventy-five days after the date of receipt of such application. Such board of education may approve the application by a majority vote of the members of the board present and voting at a regular or special meeting of the board called for such purpose. If the application is approved, the board shall forward the application to the State Board of Education. ”

Cellphone bans

See also: How does Connecticut compare to other states on cellphone laws?

Connecticut is one of five states with laws or policies encouraging school boards to pass policies limiting cellphone use for their districts. The Connecticut State Board of Education issued statewide guidance encouraging school districts to develop policies limiting cellphone usage in classrooms in August 2024.

Collective bargaining agreements

Teacher union collective bargaining agreements (CBAs) can constrain school board authority. Teacher CBAs are agreements between a school district and a teachers’ union to establish rights and other contract details for public school employees. CBAs do not have the force of law, but are contractually binding for a set period of time. Within the time set out in the agreement, the school board must comply with the stipulations that were agreed to in the contract. In this way, CBAs can constrain school board authority by giving teachers authority over curriculum, prohibiting school boards from banning books, and establishing certain student or parental rights. They can also determine rights and protections for educators, and conditions for students (such as required recess periods or the amount of standardized testing), among other provisions.

CBAs vary greatly within and across states in size, topics covered, and constraints they put on school boards. Not all states allow teachers to bargain collectively. As of January 2022, 35 states and the District of Columbia guaranteed K-12 teachers some right to bargain collectively, and six states prohibited public-sector employee collective bargaining by law, which includes public school teachers. The other nine states have no statewide bargaining framework, but local jurisdictions within these states can grant bargaining rights if they choose.

Connecticut school boards are authorized to engage in collective bargaining agreements with school employees, which can constrain their authority over certain district policies.

For example, although school boards in the state might typically have the ability to set class sizes under their general authority, the 2022-2025 CBA between the Hartford Board of Education and the Hartford Federation of Teachers sets class size limits that the board can't violate:

“ a. No regular academic elementary class in grades pre-kindergarten through 2 shall exceed 23 students, except in experimental teaching situations or classes specifically established for larger group instruction. b. No regular academic class in grades 3 through 6 shall exceed 27 students, except in experimental teaching situations or classes specifically established for larger group instruction. c. No regular academic class in grades 7 through 12 shall exceed 28 students, except in experimental teaching situations or classes specifically established for larger group instruction. ”

Parents' Bill of Rights

See also: How does Connecticut compare to other states on Parents' Bills of Rights?

Connecticut is one of 24 states that does not have a statewide Parents' Bill of Rights.

How does Connecticut compare to other states?

This section compares Connecticut's school board authority and constraints with those of other states on select topics. These topics include authority over discipline policy, school board election timing, charter schools, cellphone use policy, as well as constraints on school boards' authority from Parents' Bills of Rights.

Book bans, removals, and restrictions

Twenty-two (22) states have no laws regulating the curation of school library books. Twenty-eight (28) states, however, have passed laws restricting school board authority over school library book curation. These laws typically fall into one of the following categories:

• Twelve states require school boards to develop a policy for the removal of books, including creating a way for the public to challenge school library books.
• Ten states prohibit school boards from removing books on the grounds that they represent specific ideologies or perspectives.
• Six states prohibit books if they contain specific material, including sexual content or anything deemed harmful to minors.
• Five states require school boards to establish local boards to review challenges to library books.
• Two states require school boards to allow parents to view a catalogue of books.

Some states have adopted multiple types of these policies.

Discipline

• School boards in 47 states have authority over disciplinary policy in their district.
• School boards in two states have authority over disciplinary policy for specific circumstances, such as suspension, expulsion, or bullying.
• Individual schools in one state create their own disciplinary policy.

School board elections

School boards' authority over the timing of school board elections varies by state.

• School boards in 42 states do not have authority over election timing;
• School boards in five states can choose from limited options when to hold school board elections;
• School boards in two states can choose from a date range when to hold school board elections;
• The school board in Hawaii is not elected.

The map below shows the types of authority school boards in the states have to determine the timing of school board elections.

Charter schools

See also: Charter schools in the United States

Some school boards in the U.S. are authorized to approve or deny applications for charter schools in their district, while state boards of education hold the authority in other states. In some states, school boards can authorize charter schools, but there are other entities besides school boards that can also authorize charter schools or to which a school board decision can be appealed.

• 10 states do not authorize school boards to make decisions on whether to approve new charter schools in their districts.
• 36 states do authorize school boards to approve new charter schools in their districts, deny approval to new charter schools, or both.
• 3 states do not have laws governing charter school authorization.
• 1 state allows school districts to apply to the state board of education to be a charter school district.

State cellphone laws

See also: State policies on cellphone use in K-12 public schools

In most states, school boards or superintendents often set policies on cellphones in public schools. According to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), around 76% of schools said they banned the non-academic use of cellphones or smartphones during school hours during the 2021-22 school year, down from 91% in 2010.

Beginning with Florida in 2023, some states enacted laws or policies to regulate student cellphone usage in public schools. Twenty-six (26) states had statewide laws or policies restricting cellphone use in K-12 classrooms or schools as of June 2025. Four states had requirements for all school district boards to adopt a policy on cellphones but without specific requirements for those policies. Five other states had policies encouraging school districts to establish restrictions on cellphone use in the classroom.

Parents' Bill of Rights

See also: Parents' Bill of Rights in education

If state law explicitly provides certain rights to parents, it can constrain the policy-making authority of school boards. These sections of statute are often referred to within statute and are categorized here as Parents' Bills of Rights. In some states, they are education-specific, regarding the rights a parent has to be involved in their child's public education. Common examples include notification requirements, opt-out rights, and records access. Other Parents' Bills of Rights are more general, commonly affording parents a right to direct the upbringing of their child.

• 26 states have enacted a statewide Parents' Bill of Rights
• 24 states have not enacted a Parents' Bill of Rights.

Noteworthy events

See also: Overview of trends in K-12 curricula development

• Connecticut enacts Right to Read Act, requiring science of reading curriculum in K-5 instruction (2023): The Connecticut House of Representatives passed Substitute HB 6620, titled the Right to Read Act, on May 10, 2021, which took effect on July 1, 2023. The bill required all state school districts to follow one of five reading curricula approved by the Center for Literacy Research and Reading Success, a board established within the state education department by section 9 of the bill. The bill mandated the required curricula reflect "phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary development and reading fluency, including oral skills and reading comprehension," an approach to reading education the bill refers to as the science of reading approach. The bill mandated school districts to report their K-5 reading curricula to the Center for Literacy Research and Reading Success biannually.

• Coalition of attorneys general files amicus brief in support of incorporating LGBTQ+ books in curriculum (2023): A coalition of 19 attorneys general filed an amicus brief on October 31, 2023, in support of Maryland's Montgomery County Board of Education’s policy to allow LGBTQ+ books to be incorporated into the curriculum. Montgomery County Public Schools faced legal challenges from a group of parents after implementing a policy in the 2022-2023 school year to incorporate LGBTQ+ books into their curriculum. The coalition included attorneys general from California, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New York, New Jersey, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington, and the District of Columbia.

• Connecticut announces plan to develop Native American studies curriculum for K-12 public schools (2022): Governor Ned Lamont (D) and the Connecticut State Department of Education (CSDE) announced a partnership with state tribal leaders on November 30, 2022, to develop a Native American studies model curriculum for K-12 students. The announcement followed legislation signed by the governor in June 2021 that established subject matter requirements, including a requirement to establish a model curriculum for Native American studies to be implemented by the 2023-2024 school year.

See also

• Local school board authority across the 50 states
• K-12 curriculum authority, requirements, and statutes in the states
• State policies on cellphone use in K-12 public schools
• Rules governing school board election dates and timing
• Charter schools
• School choice
• Parents' Bill of Rights in education
• Ballotpedia:Index of Contents
• Support our work

Footnotes

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