Senate Bill No. 1165, Public Act No. 23-21, is an act that amends the high school graduation requirements and the educational curriculum for public schools in Section 10-221a of the general statutes, effective July 1, 2023. The bill increases the minimum credit requirement for high school graduation to twenty-five credits, including nine in humanities, nine in STEM, and introduces a new half-credit requirement in personal financial management and financial literacy for the class of 2027, which may count towards the humanities requirement or as an elective. It also allows for various alternative means to complete requirements, such as retaking courses, enrolling in college classes, taking alternate exams, or demonstrating competency through alternate assessments, especially for students with individualized education programs. The bill includes provisions for excusing students from physical education for medical reasons and allows local or regional boards of education to offer half a credit in community service for graduation. It also mandates the creation of student success plans starting in grade six and allows for the affixing of the Connecticut State Seal of Biliteracy to diplomas.

The bill specifies that the curriculum for public schools must include instruction in a wide range of subjects, including arts, career education, consumer education, personal financial management, health and safety, language arts, mathematics, physical education, science, social studies, computer programming, world languages, vocational education, and black and Latino studies courses. It requires local and regional boards of education to annually attest to the State Board of Education that they offer the required program of instruction, which must be planned, ongoing, and systematic. The bill encourages the inclusion of various topics such as Holocaust and genocide education, the Great Famine in Ireland, personal financial management, CPR and defibrillator training, labor history and law, climate change education consistent with the Next Generation Science Standards, and instruction related to the Safe Haven Act. Additionally, the bill mandates that the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection assist in developing climate change curriculum and requires the State Board of Education to draft a written bill of rights for parents of children receiving special education services. The bill includes changes to the numbering of subsections, with deletions and insertions to reflect the renumbering, and was approved on June 7, 2023.

Statutes affected:
Raised Bill: 10-221a, 10-16b
ED Joint Favorable: 10-221a, 10-16b
File No. 257: 10-221a, 10-16b
APP Joint Favorable: 10-221a, 10-16b
Public Act No. 23-21: 10-221a, 10-16b