(a) For the school year commencing July 1, 2023, and each school year thereafter, each paraeducator employed by a local or regional board of education shall participate in a program of professional development. Each local and regional board of education shall make available, annually, at no cost to its paraeducators, a program of professional development that is not fewer than eighteen hours in length, of which a preponderance is in a small group or individual instructional setting. Such program of professional development shall (1) be a comprehensive, sustained and intensive approach to improving paraeducators effectiveness in increasing student knowledge achievement, (2) focus on refining and improving various effective instruction methods that are shared between and among paraeducators, (3) foster collective responsibility for improved student performance, (4) be comprised of professional learning that (A) is aligned with rigorous state student academic achievement standards, (B) is conducted among paraeducators at the school and facilitated by principals, coaches, mentors, distinguished educators, as described in section 10-145s, or other appropriate teachers, (C) occurs frequently on an individual basis or among groups of paraeducators in a job-embedded process of continuous improvement, and (D) includes a repository of best practices for instruction methods developed by paraeducators within each school that is continuously available to such paraeducators for comment and updating, and (5) include training in culturally responsive pedagogy and practice. Each program of professional development shall include professional development activities in accordance with the provisions of subsection (b) of this section. The components of such program of professional development described in subdivisions (1) to (5), inclusive, of this subsection shall integrate the principles and practices of social-emotional learning and restorative practices throughout, but may not otherwise include mandated trainings such as trainings regarding blood-borne pathogens, the policies and procedures of the Department of Children and Families and sexual harassment.

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(b) Local and regional boards of education shall offer professional development activities to paraeducators as part of the plan developed pursuant to subsection (b) of section 10-220a or for any individual paraeducator. Such professional development activities may be made available by a board of education directly, through a regional educational service center or cooperative arrangement with another board of education or through arrangements with any professional development provider approved by the Commissioner of Education and shall be consistent with any goals identified by the paraeducators and the local or regional board of education.