State board approves resolution after finding CTECS used review process that led to exclusions of students with disabilities

Attorney McKeon, counsel to the State Department of Education, told the Connecticut State Board of Education on Monday that an investigation into the Connecticut Technical Education and Career System (CTECS) found the system relied on "safety review" committees and other practices during the 2023–24 school year that produced widespread withdrawals and the rescission of offers for some students, including students eligible for special education and Section 504 services.

McKeon told the board the department opened the inquiry under Section 10-4b of the Connecticut General Statutes after receiving an email in October 2024 from then-interim CTECS leadership and later obtained spreadsheets and records showing the use of review committees from April to June 2024. He said the records show many students were removed from CTECS enrollment or had offers rescinded and that the committees in some cases made determinations that supplanted local Planning and Placement Team (PPT) decisions required under state law.

The report presented to the board included counts the department described as significant: examples cited by counsel included 55 students whose PPTs transferred them out of CTECS, roughly 228 additional special-education students who withdrew during the school year, and about 132 students identified as Section 504 who also withdrew. McKeon said those figures (which the department described as approximations) formed part of an overall set of roughly 987 withdrawals for reasons other than moving or choosing not to attend; the department reported that about 38% of that group were students with disabilities.

McKeon said the department had sent a July 3 letter to CTECS leadership asserting the use of the review committees violated state law and that CTECS had told the department it would move toward a lottery-based admissions process. He characterized an October email from a former interim CTECS superintendent as signaling a preference for students "with minimal needs," and said those statements, together with the withdrawal and appeals records, supported the department's conclusion that the review process produced illegal exclusionary outcomes.

Dr. Alice Pritchard, executive director of the Connecticut Technical Education and Career System, acknowledged shortcomings in prior practices and credited her staff for implementing changes. "The team did implement a blind lottery. It had very good results," Pritchard said, and she told the board CTECS plans to continue strengthening special education supports, counseling and district communication to reduce unintended withdrawals and smooth transfers.

Board members asked about the distinction between students eligible for special education and those covered only by Section 504 and pressed CTECS leadership on training and counseling for staff after the email and withdrawal patterns emerged. CTECS officials told the board they are providing professional development and working to improve relationships with sending districts so students experience fewer disruptive transfers.

With the corrective steps underway and new leadership in place, Attorney McKeon recommended continued oversight. The board adopted the resolution on the front page of the departmental report and instructed the department to receive quarterly updates on CTECS admissions and withdrawals so the board can monitor compliance and the results of the reforms. The transcript records the chair announcing, "Motion carries."

The resolution and the report will remain part of the board's record as the department monitors CTECS performance and returns to the board with further recommendations if monitoring shows the need for additional action.