CT SB00840

Effective July 1, 2019, requires the Board of Regents for Higher Education and Board of Trustees of the University of Connecticut to adopt policies protecting faculty members from adverse personnel actions resulting from public or private expression related to their scholarship, research, teaching, or matters of public concern including political, social, economic issues or institutional criticism.

Academic freedom policies must include a process for faculty members to challenge adverse personnel actions on academic freedom violation grounds and provide objective criteria to determine whether an adverse personnel action violates academic freedom rights.

Allows institutions to take adverse personnel action against faculty members if expression is disruptive to academic purposes, constitutes plagiarism or research fraud, substantially interferes with job performance, or deliberately misrepresents academic expertise.

Requires the Board of Regents and University of Connecticut Board of Trustees to submit reports by January 1, 2020 to the joint standing committee on higher education detailing their academic freedom policies and course content protections.

Faculty members may pursue the institutional grievance process established under the new policy or seek damages from the institution under Connecticut General Statutes Section 31-51q if they believe their academic freedom was violated.