NY State Senate Bill 2015-S1897

Senate Bill S1897

2015-2016 Legislative Session

Relates to a parent's right to know if an employee, volunteer or an administrator of a school district is reprimanded for inappropriate conduct towards their child

download bill text pdf

Archive: Last Bill Status - In Senate Committee Education Committee

Introduced
- In Committee Assembly
- In Committee Senate
- On Floor Calendar Assembly
- On Floor Calendar Senate
- Passed Assembly
- Passed Senate
Delivered to Governor
Signed By Governor

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Actions

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	Assembly Actions - Lowercase Senate Actions - UPPERCASE
Jan 06, 2016	referred to education
Jan 15, 2015	referred to education

2015-S1897 (ACTIVE) - Details

See Assembly Version of this Bill:: A982
Current Committee:: Senate Education
Law Section:: Education Law
Laws Affected:: Add Art 23-C §§1134 - 1136, Ed L
Versions Introduced in Other Legislative Sessions:: 2009-2010: A980
2011-2012: A465
2013-2014: S3952, A1490
2017-2018: S1001, A887
2019-2020: A3176
2021-2022: A32
2023-2024: A1618

2015-S1897 (ACTIVE) - Summary

Relates to a parent's right to know if an employee, volunteer or an administrator of a school district is reprimanded for inappropriate conduct towards his or her child; enacts "parent's right to know" act.

2015-S1897 (ACTIVE) - Sponsor Memo

                                BILL NUMBER:S1897

TITLE OF BILL:

An act to amend the education law, in relation to the parent's right
to know of allegations of inappropriate conduct by a school district
employee, volunteer or administrator

PURPOSE:

To strengthen the framework for the reporting of suspected in-school
child abuse to include a requirement for parental notification.

SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:

Section 1:Amends the Education Law by creating a new article 23-C
establishing the "Parent's Right to Know Act" which provides that
every public school district or any school registered with the New
York State Education Department shall, within 60 days of enactment of
this law, adopt a policy which shall provide notification to a parent
or legal guardian whenever a school employee, volunteer or
administrator has been given a written censure, reprimand or otherwise
has been advised in writing regarding inappropriate conduct with
respect to a child by the Superintendent or the School Board.

Section 2: Effective date.

JUSTIFICATION:

The establishment of the Parent's Right to Know Act reaffirms the
critical need for parents to be fully involved as partners with our
educators in ensuring the well-being of our children. Currently,
Article 23-B of the Education Law provides the framework for the
reporting of suspected child abuse, however there is room for
strengthening parental notification requirements for inappropriate
conduct. With this legislation, if a Superintendent of Schools or a
School Board Member advises an employee, volunteer, or an
administrator about noticed inappropriate conduct to a student or
students--the parent should be notified. The public school district or
any other school which serves students under the age of 18 will be
responsible for adopting a policy or procedure to provide such
notification to the parents.

LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:

S.3952 of 2014: Died in Senate Children and Families, Died in Assembly
Education

S.3952 of 2013: Died in Senate Children and Families, Died in Assembly
Education

FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:

None to the state.

LOCAL FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:


While this legislation broadens the reporting framework, no
significant local fiscal impacts are anticipated.

EFFECTIVE DATE:

This act shall take effect immediately; provided, however, that this
act shall not impair any provision of a collective bargaining
agreement in effect prior to the effective date of this act which is
contradictory to the provisions of this act. Any such provisions shall
expire no later than on such agreements existing expiration date.

2015-S1897 (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf

                            
                    S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
________________________________________________________________________

                                  1897

                       2015-2016 Regular Sessions

                            I N  S E N A T E

                            January 15, 2015
                               ___________

Introduced  by  Sen. BONACIC -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
  printed to be committed to the Committee on Education

AN ACT to amend the education law, in relation to the parent's right  to
  know  of  allegations  of  inappropriate  conduct by a school district
  employee, volunteer or administrator

  THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND  ASSEM-
BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:

  Section  1.  The education law is amended by adding a new article 23-C
to read as follows:
                              ARTICLE 23-C
                       PARENT'S RIGHT TO KNOW ACT
SECTION 1134. SHORT TITLE.
        1135. DEFINITIONS.
        1136. PARENT'S RIGHT TO KNOW.
  S 1134. SHORT TITLE. THIS ARTICLE SHALL BE KNOWN AND MAY BE  CITED  AS
THE "PARENT'S RIGHT TO KNOW ACT".
  S  1135.  DEFINITIONS.  FOR THE PURPOSES OF THIS ARTICLE THE FOLLOWING
TERMS SHALL HAVE THE FOLLOWING MEANINGS:
  1. "EMPLOYEE" SHALL MEAN A SCHOOL BOARD MEMBER ACTING IN  HIS  OR  HER
CAPACITY  AS  A  SCHOOL  BOARD  MEMBER,  AS WELL AS ANY PERSON RECEIVING
COMPENSATION FROM A SCHOOL DISTRICT OR EMPLOYEE OF A CONTRACTED  SERVICE
PROVIDER  OR  WORKER  PLACED WITHIN THE SCHOOL UNDER A PUBLIC ASSISTANCE
EMPLOYMENT PROGRAM, PURSUANT TO TITLE NINE-B  OF  ARTICLE  FIVE  OF  THE
SOCIAL  SERVICES  LAW,  AND CONSISTENT WITH THE PROVISIONS OF SUCH TITLE
FOR THE PROVISION OF SERVICES TO SUCH DISTRICT, ITS STUDENTS OR  EMPLOY-
EES,  DIRECTLY  OR  THROUGH CONTRACT, WHEREBY SUCH SERVICES PERFORMED BY
SUCH PERSON INVOLVE DIRECT STUDENT CONTACT.
  2. "VOLUNTEER" SHALL MEAN ANY PERSON,  OTHER  THAN  AN  EMPLOYEE,  WHO
PROVIDES  SERVICES  TO A SCHOOL OR SCHOOL DISTRICT, WHICH INVOLVE DIRECT
STUDENT CONTACT.

 EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                      [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                           LBD01530-01-5

S. 1897                             2

  3. "ADMINISTRATOR" OR "SCHOOL ADMINISTRATOR" SHALL MEAN  A  PRINCIPAL,
ASSISTANT  PRINCIPAL,  SUPERINTENDENT  OR  ASSISTANT SUPERINTENDENT OF A
PUBLIC SCHOOL,  CHARTER  SCHOOL  OR  BOARD  OF  COOPERATIVE  EDUCATIONAL
SERVICES, OR OTHER CHIEF SCHOOL OFFICER.
  S  1136. PARENT'S RIGHT TO KNOW.  EVERY PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICT, OR ANY
OTHER SCHOOL WHICH PRIMARILY SERVES PERSONS UNDER THE  AGE  OF  EIGHTEEN
AND  WHICH IS REGISTERED WITH THE DEPARTMENT SHALL, WITHIN SIXTY DAYS OF
THE ENACTMENT OF THIS SECTION, ADOPT A POLICY WHICH  SHALL  PROVIDE  FOR
NOTIFICATION  AS  SOON  AS  REASONABLY  PRACTICABLE TO A PARENT OR LEGAL
GUARDIAN OF AN AFFECTED STUDENT OR STUDENTS OF INAPPROPRIATE CONDUCT  BY
AN  EMPLOYEE,  VOLUNTEER  OR  ADMINISTRATOR  OF  A  SCHOOL DISTRICT WITH
RESPECT TO A PARTICULAR STUDENT OR STUDENTS IN THE EVENT THAT THE SUPER-
INTENDENT OF SCHOOLS, THE SCHOOL BOARD, OR  ANY  MEMBER  OF  THE  SCHOOL
BOARD ACTING WITH THE AUTHORIZATION OF SUCH BOARD, SUCH AUTHORIZATION TO
HAVE  BEEN  PROVIDED  DURING  AN  EXECUTIVE  SESSION, PROVIDES A WRITTEN
CENSURE, REPRIMAND, OR OTHERWISE IN WRITING ADVISES AN EMPLOYEE,  VOLUN-
TEER,  OR AN ADMINISTRATOR OF THE SCHOOL DISTRICT OF SUCH PERSON'S INAP-
PROPRIATE CONDUCT WITH RESPECT TO A PARTICULAR STUDENT OR STUDENTS.
  S 2. This act shall take effect immediately; provided,  however,  that
this  act  shall  not  impair  any  provision of a collective bargaining
agreement in effect prior to the effective date of  this  act  which  is
contradictory  to  the provisions of this act. Any such provisions shall
expire no later than on such agreements existing expiration date.

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