Sec. 10-221a. High school graduation requirements. Diplomas for veterans of World War II.
Sec. 10-221a. High school graduation requirements. Diplomas for veterans of
World War II. (a) For classes graduating from 1988 to 2003, inclusive, no local or
regional board of education shall permit any student to graduate from high school or
grant a diploma to any student who has not satisfactorily completed a minimum of
twenty credits, not fewer than four of which shall be in English, not fewer than three in
mathematics, not fewer than three in social studies, not fewer than two in science, not
fewer than one in the arts or vocational education and not fewer than one in physical
education.
(b) Commencing with classes graduating in 2004, and for each graduating class
thereafter, no local or regional board of education shall permit any student to graduate
from high school or grant a diploma to any student who has not satisfactorily completed
a minimum of twenty credits, not fewer than four of which shall be in English, not fewer
than three in mathematics, not fewer than three in social studies, including at least a one-half credit course on civics and American government, not fewer than two in science, not
fewer than one in the arts or vocational education and not fewer than one in physical
education.
(c) Any student who presents a certificate from a physician stating that, in the opinion of the physician, participation in physical education is medically contraindicated
because of the physical condition of such student, shall be excused from the physical
education requirement, provided the credit for physical education may be fulfilled by
an elective.
(d) Determination of eligible credits shall be at the discretion of the local or regional
board of education, provided the primary focus of the curriculum of eligible credits
corresponds directly to the subject matter of the specified course requirements. The
local or regional board of education may permit a student to graduate during a period
of expulsion pursuant to section 10-233d, if the board determines the student has satisfactorily completed the necessary credits pursuant to this section. The requirements of this
section shall apply to any student requiring special education pursuant to section 10-76a, except when the planning and placement team for such student determines the
requirement not to be appropriate. For purposes of this section, a credit shall consist of
not less than the equivalent of a forty-minute class period for each school day of a school
year except for a credit or part of a credit toward high school graduation earned at an
institution accredited by the Department of Higher Education or regionally accredited.
(e) Only courses taken in grades nine through twelve, inclusive, shall satisfy this
graduation requirement, except that a local or regional board of education may grant a
student credit (1) toward meeting a specified course requirement upon the successful
completion in grade seven or eight of any course, the primary focus of which corresponds
directly to the subject matter of a specified course requirement in grades nine to twelve,
inclusive; (2) toward meeting the high school graduation requirement upon completion
of a world language course offered privately through a nonprofit provider, provided
such student achieves a passing grade on an examination prescribed, within available
appropriations, by the Commissioner of Education and such credits do not exceed four;
(3) toward meeting the high school graduation requirement upon achievement of a passing grade on a subject area proficiency examination identified and approved, within
available appropriations, by the Commissioner of Education, regardless of the number
of hours the student spent in a public school classroom learning such subject matter; or
(4) toward meeting the high school graduation requirement upon the successful completion of coursework at an institution accredited by the Department of Higher Education
or regionally accredited. One three-credit semester course, or its equivalent, at such an
institution shall equal one-half credit for purposes of this section.
(f) A local or regional board of education may offer one-half credit in community
service which, if satisfactorily completed, shall qualify for high school graduation credit
pursuant to this section, provided such community service is supervised by a certified
school administrator or teacher and consists of not less than fifty hours of actual service
that may be performed at times when school is not regularly in session and not less than
ten hours of related classroom instruction. For purposes of this section, community
service does not include partisan political activities. The State Board of Education shall
assist local and regional boards of education in meeting the requirements of this section.
(g) A local or regional board of education may award a diploma to a veteran of
World War II, pursuant to section 27-103, who left high school prior to graduation in
order to serve in the armed forces of the United States and did not receive a diploma as
a consequence of such service.
(P.A. 83-282; P.A. 84-297, S. 1, 2; P.A. 85-96, S. 1, 2; 85-613, S. 120, 154; P.A. 86-333, S. 12, 32; P.A. 88-136, S. 11,
37; P.A. 93-111, S. 1, 2; P.A. 95-182, S. 8, 11; P.A. 96-26, S. 3, 4; P.A. 00-124, S. 1, 2; 00-156; 00-187, S. 69, 75; P.A.
08-138, S. 1.)
History: P.A. 84-297 amended Subsec. (a) to establish a state-wide twenty credit requirement for graduation effective
for classes graduating in 1988 and thereafter; to state the minimum number of credits to be earned in English, mathematics,
social studies, science, the arts or vocational education and physical education and to allow the local or regional board of
education to determine what is an eligible credit for purposes of fulfilling the requirement; P.A. 85-96 amended Subsec.
(a) to permit an exception to the course requirement for graduation, allowing local or regional boards to grant a student
credit toward a specified course requirement upon the successful completion in grade seven or eight of any course, the
primary focus of which corresponds directly to the subject matter of a specified course requirement in grades nine to twelve,
but specifying that students must complete at least twenty credits in grades nine to twelve, notwithstanding the grant of
such credit; P.A. 85-613 made technical change; P.A. 86-333 made provision in Subsec. (a) for credit for coursework
earned at institutions of higher education to satisfy high school graduation requirements; P.A. 88-136 deleted obsolete
provisions in Subsec. (a) re students graduating in 1987; P.A. 93-111 amended Subsec. (a) to add provisions on community
service, effective July 1, 1993; P.A. 95-182 deleted former Subsec. (b) concerning report to the General Assembly on
graduation requirements, effective June 28, 1995; P.A. 96-26 added provision allowing expelled students to graduate if they
have completed the necessary credits and deleted provision requiring that twenty credits toward graduation be completed in
grades nine through twelve, effective July 1, 1996; P.A. 00-124 added new provision, designated as Subsec. (g), re diplomas
for veterans of World War II, effective May 29, 2000; P.A. 00-156, effective October 1, 2000, and 00-187, effective July
1, 2000, both divided the existing section into Subsecs., adding new provisions as Subsec. (b) to require that classes
graduating in 2004 and thereafter have at least one-half credit in civics and American government; P.A. 08-138 amended
Subsec. (e) by adding new Subdiv. (2) re world language course and Subdiv. (3) re subject area approved by commissioner
and redesignating existing Subdiv. (2) as Subdiv. (4), effective July 1, 2008.
See 10-16b re prescribed courses of study.
Cited. 195 C. 24. Cited. 238 C. 1.