STATE OF NEW YORK
________________________________________________________________________
815--A
2019-2020 Regular Sessions
IN ASSEMBLY
January 11, 2019
___________
Introduced by M. of A. STIRPE, ABINANTI, CUSICK, GUNTHER, HUNTER, HYND-
MAN, MAGNARELLI, M. G. MILLER, RIVERA, SIMON, TAYLOR, ZEBROWSKI,
BUCHWALD, D'URSO, SAYEGH, FAHY, QUART, REYES, PHEFFER AMATO, D. ROSEN-
THAL, BRONSON, RODRIGUEZ, MOSLEY, ROMEO, DE LA ROSA, L. ROSENTHAL,
FRIEND, WOERNER, COOK, DICKENS, ARROYO, STECK, RICHARDSON, JAFFEE,
WALLACE -- Multi-Sponsored by -- M. of A. DenDEKKER -- read once and
referred to the Committee on Education -- committee discharged, bill
amended, ordered reprinted as amended and recommitted to said commit-
tee
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:
1 Section 1. Subdivision 8 of section 3604 of the education law, as
2 amended by chapter 605 of the laws of 2019, is amended to read as
3 follows:
4 8. No school shall be in session on a Saturday, general election day
5 or a legal holiday, except [general election day,] Washington's birthday
6 and Lincoln's birthday, and except that driver education classes may be
7 conducted on a Saturday. A school district may elect to require staff
8 attendance on a general election day or to schedule a professional
9 development day. A deficiency not exceeding four days during any school
10 year caused by teachers' attendance upon conferences held by superinten-
11 dents of schools of city school districts or other school districts
12 employing superintendents of schools shall be excused by the commission-
13 er, notwithstanding any provision of law, rule or regulation to the
14 contrary, a school district may elect to schedule such conference days
15 in the last two weeks of August, subject to collective bargaining
16 requirements pursuant to article fourteen of the civil service law, and
17 such days shall be counted towards the required one hundred eighty days
18 of session, provided however, that such scheduling shall not alter the
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD00503-04-9
A. 815--A 2
1 obligation of the school district to provide transportation to students
2 in non-public elementary and secondary schools or charter schools. At
3 least two such conference days during such school year shall be dedi-
4 cated to staff attendance upon conferences providing staff development
5 relating to implementation of the new high learning standards and
6 assessments, as adopted by the board of regents. Notwithstanding any
7 other provision of law, rule or regulation to the contrary, school
8 districts may elect to use one or more of such allowable conference days
9 in units of not less than one hour each to provide staff development
10 activities relating to implementation of the new high learning standards
11 and assessments. A district making such election may provide such staff
12 development on any day during which sessions are allowed and apply such
13 units to satisfy a deficiency in the length of one or more daily
14 sessions of instruction for pupils as specified in regulations of the
15 commissioner. The commissioner shall assure that such conference days
16 include appropriate school violence prevention and intervention train-
17 ing, and may require that up to one such conference day be dedicated for
18 such purpose.
19 § 2. Subdivision 3 of section 4-104 of the election law, as amended by
20 chapter 694 of the laws of 1989, is amended to read as follows:
21 3. A building exempt from taxation shall be used whenever possible as
22 a polling place if it is situated in the same or a contiguous election
23 district, and may contain as many distinctly separate polling places as
24 public convenience may require. The expense, if any, incidental to its
25 use, shall be paid like the expense of other places of registration and
26 voting. If a board or body empowered to designate polling places chooses
27 a public school building for such purpose, the board or agency which
28 controls such building must make available a room or rooms in such
29 building which are suitable for registration and voting and which are as
30 close as possible to a convenient entrance to such building and must
31 make available any such room or rooms which the board or body designat-
32 ing such building determines are accessible to physically disabled
33 voters as provided in subdivision one-a of this section. Notwithstanding
34 the provisions of any general, special or local law, if a board or body
35 empowered to designate polling places chooses a publicly owned or leased
36 building[, other than a public school building,] for such purposes the
37 board or body which controls such building must make available a room or
38 rooms in such building which are suitable for registration and voting
39 and which are as close as possible to a convenient entrance to such
40 building, and must make available any such room or rooms which the board
41 or body designating such building determines are accessible to phys-
42 ically disabled voters unless, not later than thirty days after notice
43 of its designation as a polling place, the board or body controlling
44 such building, files a written request for a cancellation of such desig-
45 nation with the board or body empowered to designate polling places on
46 such form as shall be provided by the board or body making such desig-
47 nation. The board or body empowered to so designate shall, within twenty
48 days after such request is filed, determine whether the use of such
49 building as a polling place would unreasonably interfere with the usual
50 activities conducted in such building and upon such determination, may
51 cancel such designation.
52 § 3. This act shall take effect January 1, 2021.