NY State Senate Bill 2019-S1390

Senate Bill S1390

2019-2020 Legislative Session

Relates to providing students an opportunity to take regents examinations if missed due to school closure

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 08, 2020	referred to education
Jan 14, 2019	referred to education

2019-S1390 (ACTIVE) - Details

See Assembly Version of this Bill:: A8806
Current Committee:: Senate Education
Law Section:: Education Law
Laws Affected:: Add §208-b, Ed L
Versions Introduced in Other Legislative Sessions:: 2013-2014: S6730
2015-2016: S3655, A5623
2017-2018: S1254, A7996

2019-S1390 (ACTIVE) - Summary

Relates to providing students an opportunity to take regents examinations if missed due to school closure.

2019-S1390 (ACTIVE) - Sponsor Memo

                                
 
BILL NUMBER: S1390

SPONSOR: FUNKE
 
TITLE OF BILL:

An act to amend the education law, in relation to providing students an
opportunity to take regents examinations if missed due to school closure

 
PURPOSE:

Relates to providing students an opportunity to take regents examina-
tions if missed due to school closure.

 
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:

Section 1 adds a new section 208-b requiring the State to provide alter-
native regents exam testing days when schools are closed due to emergen-
cy school closure. Any school district that is closed due to an emergen-
cy during a regents examination period would be required to provide any
student qualified to take such exam on the original test date, the
opportunity to retest within thirty days from the date of the original

examination. The board of regents shall select the date for the regents
exam and notify school districts of the make-up date and locations. For
purposes of this section, "emergency" shall be defined as a situation
that poses an immediate risk to health, life or property that causes a
school district to close.

Section 2 is the effective date.

 
JUSTIFICATION:

New York State requires that students pass five Regents exams to gradu-
ate from High School: two in Social Studies and one each in Math,
Science and English. To ensure that students have multiple opportunities
to take the Regents exams, New York offers them three times a year. The
tests are usually given in January, June and August, giving students
three opportunities to take the exam. The January test serves many
purposes including allowing students to graduate midyear, as well as
helping students lighten their heavy exam load in June. If a school is
going to be closed due to an emergency at the same time that a regents
is scheduled to be given the State should ensure that each student is
still given three opportunities to take the exam. Failure to allow this
opportunity can lead to a higher rate of dropouts, lower averages; while
leaving qualified seniors unable to graduate.

Typically, New York State receives a few snow storms each winter. In
2014, some school districts like Eden Central School and Iroquois School
District had to cancel classes due to wind chills advisories.  Eden
Central School District, which canceled classes when some students were
scheduled to take Comprehensive English and Living Environment exams,
had to close its schools for six consecutive days because of inclement
weather. In previous years, school districts were forced to close due to
bad weather preventing students from taking their exams and forcing them
to wait until June. This lowers the opportunity that students have to
pass the exam and increases the anxiety levels for some seniors. Creat-
ing make-up days for the regents in the event that an emergency does
occur, ensures each student a fair chance at being able to take the
Regents exam three times in a year.

 
LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:

S3655/A5623 of 2015-2016; Passed Senate S
6730 of 2014; Passed Senate

 
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:

To Be Determined

 
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act shall take effect immediately.

2019-S1390 (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf

                            
 
                     S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                   1390
 
                        2019-2020 Regular Sessions
 
                             I N  S E N A T E
 
                             January 14, 2019
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by  Sen.  FUNKE  -- 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 providing students  an
   opportunity  to  take  regents  examinations  if  missed due to school
   closure

   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 section 208-b
 to read as follows:
   § 208-B. ALTERNATIVE REGENTS EXAM TESTING DAYS DUE TO SCHOOL  CLOSURE.
 ANY  SCHOOL DISTRICT THAT IS CLOSED DUE TO AN EMERGENCY DURING A REGENTS
 EXAMINATION PERIOD IS REQUIRED TO PROVIDE ANY STUDENT QUALIFIED TO  TAKE
 SUCH  EXAM  AS  SET FORTH IN 8 NYCRR 8.2 AN OPPORTUNITY TO TAKE THE EXAM
 MISSED WITHIN THIRTY DAYS FROM THE DATE OF THE ORIGINAL EXAMINATION. THE
 BOARD OF REGENTS SHALL SELECT THE DATE FOR THE REGENTS EXAMS AND  NOTIFY
 SCHOOL DISTRICTS OF THE MAKE-UP DATE AND LOCATIONS. FOR PURPOSES OF THIS
 SECTION, "EMERGENCY" SHALL BE DEFINED AS A SITUATION THAT POSES AN IMME-
 DIATE RISK TO HEALTH, LIFE, OR PROPERTY THAT CAUSES A SCHOOL DISTRICT TO
 CLOSE.
   §  2.  This act shall take effect on the first of July next succeeding
 the date on which it shall have become a law. Effective immediately, the
 addition, amendment and/or repeal of any rule  or  regulation  necessary
 for  the implementation of this act on its effective date is directed to
 be made and completed on or before such effective date.
 
 
 
  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                            LBD07096-01-9

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