Senate Bill No. 1209 seeks to strengthen the privacy protections for public school teachers by amending section 1-217 of the general statutes to prohibit the disclosure of their residential addresses under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). This amendment includes the insertion of a new clause (14) that specifically adds teachers employed by local or regional boards of education to the list of individuals whose home addresses are protected from disclosure. Additionally, the bill allows teachers to request address confidentiality from other public agencies, following the same procedures established for other protected individuals. The address protection measures will take effect on October 1, 2025, while the task force provisions will be effective upon passage.

The bill also establishes a task force to study the current exemptions under FOIA regarding the disclosure of residential addresses for public employees. This task force will consist of appointed members from various sectors, including registrars of voters, town clerks, educators, journalists, civil liberties organizations, and municipalities. The task force is required to submit a report with its findings and recommendations to the Government Oversight Committee by February 1, 2026, with initial appointments to be completed by August 1, 2025. The bill clarifies existing provisions regarding home address confidentiality for certain public officials and employees, ensuring that agencies only redact home addresses when specifically requested and allowing reasonable efforts to redact addresses from existing lists, without altering current laws on the disclosure of home addresses in specific records.