(a) The Department of Education shall establish a young parents grant program in each fiscal year in which funds are appropriated for the purpose of assisting local and regional boards of education with the establishment or maintenance of education programs for students who are parents which may include a day-care component.

(b) The Commissioner of Education shall solicit grant applications from local and regional boards of education which shall be submitted annually to the commissioner at such time and on such forms as the commissioner prescribes. In determining whether a board of education shall be granted funds pursuant to this section, the commissioner shall consider, but such consideration shall not be limited to, the following factors: (1) Availability in the school and community of professional, paraprofessional and other program staff with interest in and ability to provide a young parents program; (2) availability of space in a school building to accommodate the program; (3) demonstration of support by administrative personnel, teaching staff and pupil personnel staff and collaboration with members of the local or regional health agency; (4) reasonable evidence of future stability of the program and its personnel; (5) evidence of the need for a young parents program in the local community; and (6) cost effectiveness of the program.

(c) Within the availability of funds, the commissioner shall approve grant awards to local and regional boards of education based upon the nature of the approved program and the number of students to be served. Local or regional boards of education which establish or maintain young parents programs funded under this section shall contribute at least fifty per cent of the total cost of the program. Within sixty days after the close of the school year, each local or regional board of education which received a grant shall file with the department a financial statement of expenditures in such form as the department shall prescribe. If the commissioner finds that any such board of education uses a grant under this section for purposes other than those which are in conformity with the purposes of this section, the commissioner may require repayment of such grant to the state.

(P.A. 85-539, S. 1, 2; P.A. 88-136, S. 3, 37; 88-360, S. 48, 63; P.A. 93-353, S. 37, 52.)

History: P.A. 88-136 deleted Subsec. (d) which required the commissioners of health services and education to report to the general assembly by January 15, 1987; P.A. 88-360 in Subsec. (b) deleted the limitation that the commissioner not issue more than ten grants during each fiscal year; P.A. 93-353 amended Subsec. (a) to make the language concerning a day-care component permissive rather than mandatory, effective July 1, 1993.