NY State Senate Bill 2019-S4038

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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	Assembly Actions - Lowercase Senate Actions - UPPERCASE
Jan 08, 2020	referred to education
Feb 26, 2019	referred to education

2019-S4038 (ACTIVE) - Details

See Assembly Version of this Bill:: A6797
Current Committee:: Senate Education
Law Section:: Education Law
Laws Affected:: Add §3204-a, amd §3604, Ed L
Versions Introduced in Other Legislative Sessions:: 2021-2022: S151, A3442
2023-2024: S513, A2339

2019-S4038 (ACTIVE) - Summary

Relates to establishing Eid al-Fitr, Eid al-Adha, Diwali, Vaisakhi, Good Friday and Onam as school holidays.

2019-S4038 (ACTIVE) - Sponsor Memo

                                
 
BILL NUMBER: S4038

SPONSOR: THOMAS
 
TITLE OF BILL:

An act to amend the education law, in relation to establishing certain
school holidays

 
PURPOSE:

The purpose of the bill is to avail students from different religious
and cultural backgrounds to celebrate their traditional festivities with
their family and community.

 
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:

Section 1 of the bill amends the education law by adding a new section
3204-a that allow school boards or trustees to determine certain
cultural and religious festivities as holidays. It identifies the obser-
vance of Eid alFitr, Eid al-Adha, Diwali, Vaisakhi, Good Friday, and
Onam. It also allows school districts with population equal to or great-

er than seven and half percent of those ethnic and cultural groups to
declare those days as holidays.

Section 2 adds a new subsection to Section 3604 of the education law
that allow the commissioner to disregard any reduction resulting from
observance of these traditional and religious days, and instead be
calculated as session days.

Section 3 sets the effective date.

 
JUSTIFICATION:

New York is a multi-cultural state. It is a melting pot of big and small
communities of various religious and cultural backgrounds. It is esti-
mated over one million of its population are Muslims, 80,000 Sikhs, some
six million celebrate Good Friday, and about two million celebrate Diwa-
li and Onam. Eid al-Fitr, Eid al-Adha, Diwali, Vaisakhi, Good Friday,
and Onam are primary festivals for these communities and are widely
celebrated throughout the state. They also serve as community building
exercise and medium through which traditions and cultures are handed
down to next generations. This bill would allow children from these
communities to forge stronger bonds with family and friends with the
opportunity to learn and appreciate their respective cultural and reli-
gious heritage.

 
LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:

New bill.

 
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:

None.

 
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act shall take effect on the first on July next succeeding the date
on which it shall have become a law.

2019-S4038 (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf

                            
 
                     S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                   4038
 
                        2019-2020 Regular Sessions
 
                             I N  S E N A T E
 
                             February 26, 2019
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by  Sen.  THOMAS -- 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  establishing  certain
   school holidays
 
   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 3204-a
 to read as follows:
   § 3204-A. CULTURAL SCHOOL HOLIDAYS. 1. THE FOLLOWING CULTURAL OR RELI-
 GIOUS HOLIDAYS SHALL BE  SCHOOL  HOLIDAYS  FOR  ANY  SCHOOLS  OR  SCHOOL
 DISTRICTS  WHERE  THE  BOARD  OF  EDUCATION  OR TRUSTEES DETERMINES SUCH
 SCHOOLS OR DISTRICTS HAVE  A  SIGNIFICANT  POPULATION  OF  STUDENTS  WHO
 OBSERVE  SUCH  DAYS:  EID  AL-FITR,  EID AL-ADHA, DIWALI, VAISAKHI, GOOD
 FRIDAY AND ONAM.
   2. A SCHOOL DISTRICT HAVING A POPULATION  EQUAL  TO  OR  GREATER  THAN
 SEVEN  AND  ONE-HALF  PERCENT OF PERSONS OR ETHNIC GROUPS, IDENTIFIED BY
 THE UNITED STATES CENSUS BUREAU IN  THE  MOST  RECENT  DECENNIAL  UNITED
 STATES  CENSUS,  WHICH OBSERVE THE RESPECTIVE HOLIDAYS NAMED IN SUBDIVI-
 SION ONE OF THIS SECTION ARE HEREBY AUTHORIZED AND DIRECTED TO CAUSE ALL
 PUBLIC SCHOOLS WITHIN SUCH DISTRICT TO BE CLOSED ON SUCH DAYS.
   § 2. Section 3604 of the education law is  amended  by  adding  a  new
 subdivision 7-c to read as follows:
   7-C.  NOTWITHSTANDING  ANY OTHER PROVISION OF LAW, FOR PURPOSES OF ANY
 CALCULATION UNDER SUBDIVISION  SEVEN  OR  EIGHT  OF  THIS  SECTION,  THE
 COMMISSIONER  SHALL DISREGARD ANY REDUCTION RESULTING FROM OBSERVANCE OF
 EID AL-FITR, EID AL-ADHA, DIWALI, VAISAKHI, GOOD FRIDAY AND ONAM AND, IF
 NECESSARY, SUCH OBSERVED HOLIDAYS SHALL BE CALCULATED AS SESSION DAYS.
   § 3. This act shall take effect on the first of July  next  succeeding
 the date on which it shall have become a law.
 
  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                            LBD10085-03-9

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Senate Bill S4038

Sponsored By

Archive: Last Bill Status - In Senate Committee Education Committee

2019-S4038 (ACTIVE) - Details

2019-S4038 (ACTIVE) - Summary

2019-S4038 (ACTIVE) - Sponsor Memo

2019-S4038 (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf

Comments

Senate Bill S4038

Share this bill

Sponsored By

Kevin Thomas

Archive: Last Bill Status - In Senate Committee Education Committee

2019-S4038 (ACTIVE) - Details

2019-S4038 (ACTIVE) - Summary

2019-S4038 (ACTIVE) - Sponsor Memo

2019-S4038 (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf

Comments