S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                    444
 
                        2017-2018 Regular Sessions
 
                           I N  A S S E M B L Y
 
                              January 9, 2017
                                ___________
 
 Introduced by M. of A. STIRPE, MAGNARELLI, BRINDISI, RIVERA, M. G. MILL-
   ER,  SIMON,  LOPEZ, FRIEND, CUSICK, HUNTER, GUNTHER, ABINANTI, HYNDMAN
   -- Multi-Sponsored by -- M. of A. KEARNS, McDONOUGH,  THIELE  --  read
   once and referred to the Committee on Education
 
 AN  ACT  to amend the education law and the election law, in relation to
   school session days
 
   THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND  ASSEM-
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
 
   Section  1.  Subdivision  8  of  section 3604 of the education law, as
 amended by chapter 260 of the laws  of  2012,  is  amended  to  read  as
 follows:
   8.  No  school shall be in session on a Saturday, GENERAL ELECTION DAY
 or a legal holiday, except [general election day,] Washington's birthday
 and Lincoln's birthday, and except that driver education classes may  be
 conducted  on  a  Saturday. A SCHOOL DISTRICT MAY ELECT TO REQUIRE STAFF
 ATTENDANCE ON A GENERAL ELECTION  DAY  OR  TO  SCHEDULE  A  PROFESSIONAL
 DEVELOPMENT  DAY. A deficiency not exceeding four days during any school
 year caused by teachers' attendance upon conferences held by superinten-
 dents of schools of city school  districts  or  other  school  districts
 employing superintendents of schools shall be excused by the commission-
 er,  notwithstanding  any  provision  of  law, rule or regulation to the
 contrary, a school district may elect to schedule such  conference  days
 in  the  last  two  weeks  of  August,  subject to collective bargaining
 requirements pursuant to article fourteen of the civil service law,  and
 such  days shall be counted towards the required one hundred eighty days
 of session, provided however, that such scheduling shall not  alter  the
 obligation  of the school district to provide transportation to students
 in non-public elementary and secondary schools or charter  schools.  The
 commissioner  shall  excuse  a deficiency not exceeding four days during
 such school year caused by teachers' attendance upon conferences held by
 such superintendents, provided that at least two  such  conference  days
 
  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
              

                                                            LBD04250-01-7

 A. 444                              2
 
 during  such  school  year  shall  be dedicated to staff attendance upon
 conferences providing staff development relating  to  implementation  of
 the new high learning standards and assessments, as adopted by the board
 of  regents.  Notwithstanding  any other provision of law, rule or regu-
 lation to the contrary, school districts may elect to use one or more of
 such allowable conference days in units of not less than one  hour  each
 to  provide  staff  development activities relating to implementation of
 the new high learning standards and assessments. A district making  such
 election  may provide such staff development during the regularly sched-
 uled daily session and apply such units to satisfy a deficiency  in  the
 length of one or more daily sessions of instruction for pupils as speci-
 fied  in  regulations of the commissioner. The commissioner shall assure
 that such conference days include appropriate school violence prevention
 and intervention training, and may require that up to one  such  confer-
 ence day be dedicated for such purpose.
   § 2. Subdivision 3 of section 4-104 of the election law, as amended by
 chapter 694 of the laws of 1989, is amended to read as follows:
   3.  A building exempt from taxation shall be used whenever possible as
 a polling place if it is situated in the same or a  contiguous  election
 district,  and may contain as many distinctly separate polling places as
 public convenience may require. The expense, if any, incidental  to  its
 use,  shall be paid like the expense of other places of registration and
 voting. If a board or body empowered to designate polling places chooses
 a public school building for such purpose, the  board  or  agency  which
 controls  such  building  must  make  available  a room or rooms in such
 building which are suitable for registration and voting and which are as
 close as possible to a convenient entrance to  such  building  and  must
 make  available any such room or rooms which the board or body designat-
 ing such building  determines  are  accessible  to  physically  disabled
 voters as provided in subdivision one-a OF THIS SECTION. Notwithstanding
 the  provisions of any general, special or local law, if a board or body
 empowered to designate polling places chooses a publicly owned or leased
 building[, other than a public school building,] for such  purposes  the
 board or body which controls such building must make available a room or
 rooms  in  such  building which are suitable for registration and voting
 and which are as close as possible to  a  convenient  entrance  to  such
 building, and must make available any such room or rooms which the board
 or  body  designating  such  building determines are accessible to phys-
 ically disabled voters unless, not later than thirty days  after  notice
 of  its  designation  as  a polling place, the board or body controlling
 such building, files a written request for a cancellation of such desig-
 nation with the board or body empowered to designate polling  places  on
 such  form  as shall be provided by the board or body making such desig-
 nation. The board or body empowered to so designate shall, within twenty
 days after such request is filed, determine  whether  the  use  of  such
 building  as a polling place would unreasonably interfere with the usual
 activities conducted in such building and upon such  determination,  may
 cancel such designation.
   § 3. This act shall take effect January 1, 2018.