In accordance with the provisions of subsection (a) of Section 4-168 of the Connecticut General Statutes, notice is herby given that the Commissioner of the Department of Children and Families, pursuant to sections 17a-101k of the Connecticut General Statutes, proposes to adopt Sections 17a-101k-1 to 17a-101k-16, inclusive of the Regulations of Connecticut State Agencies, and to repeal Sections 17a-101-1 to 17a-101-10, inclusive, of the Regulations of Connecticut State Agencies.
Statement of Purpose: To establish notice, hearing, and appeals protocols concerning the child abuse and neglect substantiation hearing process and provide guidelines for the child abuse and neglect central registry pursuant to the provisions of Public Act 05-207.
Persons wishing to present their views and arguments regarding these regulations are invited to do so in writing within thirty (30) days of publication of this notice. Comments regarding the proposed regulations may be submitted to Josh Howroyd, Legislative Program Manager, Department of Children and Families, 505 Hudson Street, Hartford, Connecticut 06106; telephone number 860-550-6329; e-mail address josh.howroyd@ct.gov.
All interested parties are invited to express their views on the proposed regulations at a public hearing to be held on Friday, May 4, 2007, at 10:00 AM in the 8th Floor Conference Room, 505 Hudson Street, Hartford, Connecticut.
Copies of the proposed regulations may be obtained from the DCF Office of Government Affairs at the above address, telephone number or e-mail address and are also available on the DCF website at http://www.ct.gov/dcf/.
If you are still not sure about going smoke free, conduct a survey of your residents to understand their needs and interest in smoke free policies. (see sample survey)
Decide on the extent of the smoke free policy. Which areas will be included? Will the policy cover all the common areas inside and out of the building, the whole building including all individual units, the whole property or only a few buildings? Choose the best option for your property and tenants.
Develop a timeline for implementing the policies. The new policies should be implemented no sooner than 30 days after written notice is given to the tenants notifying them of the changes. A 90 day notice is recommended.
Develop a plan on how to work with existing tenants who smoke in their units. (One option is to grandfather them in until their lease expires). Remember though, as long as the grandfathered in are smoking in their units, people are still being exposed to second and thirdhand smoke.
Send a letter to tenants and place signs around the property announcing the plans for smoke free policies. (see sample letter)
Hold a meeting with your tenants to discuss the reasons why the property is going smoke free, the new policies and the consequences for not following the policies. Provide a way to allow your tenants to voice their opinions and concerns both at the meeting and anonymously.
Send a letter to tenants outlining the new smoke free policies, the date of implementation and the consequences for violating the policy. Have the tenants sign an agreement that they will abide by the policies. (see sample agreement)
New policies for common areas (hallways, walkways, playgrounds, pools, etc.) do not need a lease addendum, only notification of the tenants.
New policies within individual units will need a lease addendum. Should the current tenant not want to abide by the new policy for their individual unit, wait until the lease expires and then add it into the lease renewal. (grandfathering)
10. Advertise and market your units/property as smoke free in rental listings. When asked, most tenants want to live in smoke free housing, even those who smoke.
(East Hartford) - Secretary of the State Denise Merrill and Education Commissioner Dianna R. Wentzell today recognized 17 schools, including three school districts, for their implementation of the Red, White and Blue Schools program. This initiative stresses the importance of teaching civics throughout students’ educations in varied and innovative ways in order to encourage whole-life community engagement. This school year is the program’s second year with the 2017-18 theme centered on “Engagement at the Local Level”. The Red, White and Blue Schools’ theme for the 2018-2019 school year - “Exploring Our Local Historical Roots” – was also announced.
“We are preparing our students to become fully informed, responsible and active citizens through innovative, relevant and engaging curricula that will inspire them to take social studies out of the classroom and into their local communities,” said Commissioner Wentzell. “Congratulations to this year’s Red, White and Blue Schools participants for all of their great work.”
“The Red, White and Blue Schools program is designed to engage students in the civic life of their community, to foster a life time of community involvement,” said Secretary Merrill. “This year, it is especially heartening to see a focus on local civic interactions, and I am so proud of the amazing work done by all the participating students, schools, and districts.”
Red, White and Blue Schools was launched in 2016 as a partnership between the State Department of Education and the Office of the Secretary of the State to increase the innovative teaching of civics and government in Connecticut. The program is available to all K-12 schools in Connecticut and emphasizes the importance of active and informed citizenship. Students participating in Red, White and Blue Schools study local issues, plan solutions, and implement their plans. Participating schools will be encouraged to take original approaches to teaching civics in the classroom and to consider involving extracurricular activities that also promote civic and community engagement.
This year, schools were recognized as Red, White and Blue Schools for demonstrating how students connected with issues of importance to their communities. Students did so in several ways, including fundraising for local projects, developing an app for their town, and organizing an event celebrating town history, among others. The schools achieving recognition as Red, White and Blue Schools for the 2017-18 school year are:
Schools that found creative ways to engage the most students in their local community were given special recognition to acknowledge that these schools made the most of the resources at their disposal. Schools receiving special recognition are:
Essential resources and teaching materials for educators such as sample lessons and rubrics describing the components of a respective year’s Red, White and Blue Schools program and theme are posted on the Social Studies page of State Department of Education’s website.