Connecticut State Department of Education

Teacher of the Year Ceremony
Due to inclement weather, the Teacher of the Year Ceremony has been postponed to December 16, 2025 from 5-7pm. Doors will open at 4pm. The Ceremony will take place at the Bushnell Theater in Hartford, and the order of events will remain the same.

Special Education Procedures and Practices Manual


Chapter 12: Special Education and Related Services Personnel


The District will employ the number of certified and/or licensed personnel and support personnel, consistent with state statute, necessary to implement the special education and/or related services required in each student’s IEP. The District ensures that all personnel necessary to carry out Part B of the IDEA are appropriately and adequately prepared, trained and, if appropriate, licensed, including having the content knowledge and skills to serve students with disabilities.75

Consultation Time

The District will make it a priority when considering schedules to allow time during the school day for personnel who provide special education and related services or general education to consult with each other, other personnel, and parents.

Personnel Development/Professional Learning

The District will provide a comprehensive system of professional learning to prepare administrators, general and special education teachers, related services and support personnel with the necessary skills and knowledge, derived from scientifically based research, to be successful in supporting students with disabilities in the LRE.76

Paraeducators/Instructional Assistants

The District will ensure that each paraeducator who works with students with disabilities is appropriately oriented and trained (minimum of 18 hours annually) to carry out each paraeducator’s individual duties. The District shall ensure that a qualified person (certified and/or licensed in the area of specialization to which such paraeducator is assigned) provides oversight and direct supervision of the paraeducator.77

Services Contracted Through a Separate Agency

The District recognizes that it has the responsibility to monitor the implementation of a student’s IEP and the provision of services to a student even if services are provided by a contracted agency.78 If a contracted agency fails to provide the services described in the IEP, the District will convene a PPT to identify alternative strategies to meet the objectives for the student set out in the IEP and consider the need for compensatory services.

Chapter 12 Appendix

Add supplemental documents/information here

  1. 34 CFR § 300.156
  2. 34 CFR § 300.207
  3. https://portal.ct.gov/-/media/SDE/Paraeducator/guidelines_paraprofessionals.pdf?la=en
  4. The District shall execute a contract with the agency separate and distinct from the student’s IEP for each student placed at the agency.