Committee approves substitute to let hospitals send parent-consented safety plans to schools

The House Education Committee approved a joint favorable substitute for House Bill 5168 (LCO 3773) on the secure transmission of safety plans for minor patients from health care providers to schools, sending the measure to the floor with recorded yes and no votes.

Representative Biggins, the bill''s proponent, told the committee the goal is to ensure schools have information to support students returning from inpatient care. "The ultimate goal of the bill is to secure some of that communication between hospitals or inpatient service providers and the school districts so that the schools know how to support kids as they return back to the school," Biggins said.

The substitute would allow medical professionals who create a safety plan to transmit it to a school only after obtaining parental consent at the point of discharge. Biggins said the system transmits only the safety plan''not full medical records''and that parents are asked at discharge whether they want the plan shared with the school. "If the parent says yes and agrees, that's when it would be transmitted," he said.

Committee members pressed on scope, funding and privacy. Representative Leelander asked whether the bill applies to medical conditions such as epilepsy; Biggins said it could apply if a student spent 12 or more days in an inpatient setting and a safety plan was created. Representative Zepjes and others sought assurance the bill would not impose an unfunded mandate on districts; Biggins said the Connie secure messaging system is currently state funded and committee language makes the program contingent on funding.

Privacy concerns centered on Connie, the state'funded platform the bill uses for secure messaging. Representative Dauphine noted opposition testimony from the Connecticut Federation of School Administrators and said, "Connie hasn't always been secure," and asked whether the amendment addresses those concerns. Representative Reddington Hughes referenced a January 2025 incident he described as a breach affecting more than 1,000,000 people and asked what measures Connie had taken since then. Biggins said he had "not had in-depth conversations with Connie" and could not provide detailed assurances; later he said he had received information that Connie had not had a breach but that he could not speak to specifics in the committee.

Members also asked who would be allowed access to plans in a school. Biggins said the bill limits access to designated employees "signed up for access by their school," including the school nurse supervisor, school nurse, school counselor, school psychologist and school social worker, on the rationale that those staff are bound by confidentiality and professional ethics.

The committee recorded the roll call after holding votes open until 4 p.m.; most members voted in the affirmative, while Representative Delfaney and Representative Reddington Hughes recorded no votes. The clerk read and confirmed members' votes; the substitute was approved and referred to the floor with a recommendation of Joint Favorable Substitute (JFS).

Next steps: the substitute will be considered on the chamber floor under the clerk's scheduling. Committee members asked staff to follow up with Connie or the agency operating the system to provide more detail on security improvements and whether the state'funded system continues to meet privacy and breach-prevention expectations.