04/18/2025
🚨 𝐑𝐀𝐈𝐒𝐄𝐃 𝐁𝐈𝐋𝐋 𝟕𝟐𝟕𝟕: 𝐖𝐇𝐀𝐓 𝐏𝐀𝐑𝐄𝐍𝐓𝐒 𝐍𝐄𝐄𝐃 𝐓𝐎 𝐊𝐍𝐎𝐖 - Testimony due Sunday by 3pm!
🚨 𝐏𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬, 𝐛𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐯𝐞𝐬. Connecticut’s Raised Bill 7277 is a full-on power grab—and your child’s education is on the line. (How you can 𝐓𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐀𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐍𝐨𝐰 and sample written testimony can be found here: https://specialed.law/raised-bill-7277-testimony/)
This bill is long, sweeping, and dripping with language that sounds collaborative—but beneath the surface, it strips power from parents and local decision-makers and hands it to the state.
Here is what you need to know, in plain terms and plain truth:
❌ 𝐋𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐅𝐥𝐞𝐱𝐢𝐛𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐢𝐧 𝐂𝐡𝐨𝐨𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐑𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐏𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭
Districts will have a harder time outplacing students to private or specialized schools—even when those placements are the only realistic option.
If a student is placed out-of-district and something changes—say, the program is not working—the receiving school cannot ask for your child to be moved.
Only the parent can request a meeting, and only the sending district can decide whether to approve the change.
💸 𝐌𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐁𝐮𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐮𝐜𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐲, 𝐋𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐑𝐞𝐬𝐩𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬
The state will now control how much special education providers can charge.
If a provider charges even one dollar more than the state-approved rate, they cannot take new students.
That means some placements could disappear mid-year—not because they are inappropriate, but because they cost “too much.”
🧩 𝐇𝐚𝐫𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐨 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐂𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐝 𝐍𝐞𝐞𝐝𝐬
Districts must now prove that a private placement is more appropriate than a public option—a higher legal standard than the federal “appropriate” standard under IDEA.
And if parents make a unilateral placement (meaning they pay out of pocket and later seek reimbursement), this bill shifts the burden of proof onto the parent to show that decision was appropriate.
That is a big deal. It reverses longstanding practice and makes it harder for families to win reimbursement.
🧨 𝐃𝐢𝐬𝐩𝐮𝐭𝐞𝐬 𝐖𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐁𝐞 𝐓𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐨 𝐖𝐢𝐧
The bill lays out new rules and timelines for special education due process hearings.
In most cases, the district presents its case first.
But in reimbursement cases—where parents placed their child privately—parents go first and carry the full legal burden.
That matters. Especially in cases where outside evaluations (like an IEE) were used to support a placement.
The data may still be solid, but the rules now make it harder to rely on that evidence in a hearing.
🔍 𝐌𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐎𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐏𝐫𝐢𝐯𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐦𝐬—𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐍𝐨𝐭 𝐏𝐮𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐜 𝐎𝐧𝐞𝐬
Got your child into a private program that finally works? Good.
Now that program is subject to unannounced audits, strict reporting, and new licensing rules—none of which apply to public school programs.
They also must notify parents within five days of any staffing changes.
Sounds great—but public schools are not held to that same rule.
🚌 𝐓𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐬𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐌𝐚𝐲 𝐁𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐚 𝐇𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐚𝐜𝐡𝐞
The Department of Transportation will now coordinate special education busing.
Parents will not be involved in the process.
If your district does not share required data with the state, your child could lose transportation reimbursement entirely.
🏫 𝐈𝐧-𝐃𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐭 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐦𝐬 𝐖𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐁𝐞 𝐏𝐫𝐢𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐳𝐞𝐝—𝐄𝐯𝐞𝐧 𝐢𝐟 𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐀𝐫𝐞 𝐍𝐨𝐭 𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐲
Districts will be financially rewarded for keeping students in-house—even if the program is brand new, untested, or not appropriate.
And here is the kicker: state grant funds for these programs cannot be used to hire outside experts.
That means your child could become the test case.
📋 𝐌𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐑𝐮𝐥𝐞𝐬, 𝐋𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐆𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐞
Before a district can make a behavioral outplacement, it must conduct a functional behavior assessment and write a behavior plan.
Sounds good—but if your child is in crisis, this requirement could delay urgently needed help.
Even transitioning between placements mid-year now requires a formal meeting with specific restrictions—and again, the receiving program cannot initiate that conversation.
⚠️ 𝐁𝐢𝐠 𝐏𝐢𝐜𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞: 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐏𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫 𝐃𝐲𝐧𝐚𝐦𝐢𝐜 𝐈𝐬 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐠
This bill is not about student need—it is about state control.
It adds red tape to decisions that used to be collaborative.
It raises legal burdens on families.
It makes it harder to act quickly when your child needs help.
It talks about equity, but it delivers control to the state and obstacles to the people who know your child best—you.
If you are a parent who already fights hard to get the right services for your child—get ready to fight harder.
This bill changes the game.
📣 𝐓𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐀𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐍𝐨𝐰
📝 File written testimony: https://www.cga.ct.gov/SED/tmy.htm
🎤 Sign up to testify live via Zoom: https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_RuztFlqhRl2OCmMsI2ykFw
🚨 𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐢𝐬 𝐚𝐬 𝐜𝐥𝐨𝐬𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐚𝐧 𝐞𝐱𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐩𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐞 𝐚𝐬 𝐰𝐞 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐬𝐞𝐞𝐧.
Spread the word. Be loud. Do not let this slide under the radar.
https://specialed.law/raised-bill-7277-testimony/
🚨 𝐏𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬, 𝐛𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐯𝐞𝐬. Connecticut’s Raised Bill 7277 is a full-on power grab—and your child’s education is on the line.
