Daly v. Dept. of Children & Families

Citations

• 231 Conn. App. 381

Syllabus

The plaintiff, a former high school substitute teacher, appealed from the judgment of the trial court dismissing his appeal from the decision of a hearing officer for the defendant Department of Children and Families, who upheld the department's decision to substantiate allegations of sexual abuse of A, a high school student, and to place the plaintiff's name on its child abuse and neglect central registry. While working as a substitute teacher at A's high school, the plaintiff had engaged A through social media, met with her at a shopping plaza and a park, and kissed her. The plaintiff claimed, inter alia, that the trial court improperly concluded that there was substantial evidence in the record to support the hearing officer's finding that he had sexually abused A. Held: The trial court properly concluded that the findings and conclusion of the hearing officer upholding the substantiation of the allegations of sexual abuse with respect to A were supported by substantial evidence. The trial court properly determined that the hearing officer did not act unreasonably, arbitrarily, illegally or in abuse of her discretion in upholding the department's decision to place the plaintiff's name on its central registry, as the hearing officer found that all three criteria in the department's policy manual for placement of the plaintiff's name on the central registry, intent, severity, and chronicity, were supported by substantial evidence. Argued November 13, 2024—officially released March 18, 2025