Bill Text: NY A04888 | 2025-2026 | General Assembly | Introduced

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Bill Title: 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; enacts "parent's right to know" act.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)

Status: (Introduced) 2025-02-10 - referred to education [A04888 Detail]

Download: New_York-2025-A04888-Introduced.html

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                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________

                                          4888

                               2025-2026 Regular Sessions

                   IN ASSEMBLY

                                    February 10, 2025
                                       ___________

        Introduced  by M. of A. TAPIA -- read once and referred 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:

     1    Section  1.  The education law is amended by adding a new article 23-C
     2  to read as follows:
     3                                ARTICLE 23-C
     4                         PARENT'S RIGHT TO KNOW ACT
     5  Section 1135. Short title.
     6          1136. Definitions.
     7          1137. Parent's right to know.
     8    § 1135. Short title. This article shall be known and may be  cited  as
     9  the "parent's right to know act".
    10    §  1136.  Definitions.  For the purposes of this article the following
    11  terms shall have the following meanings:
    12    1. "Employee" shall mean a school board member acting in their capaci-
    13  ty as a school board member, as well as  any  person  receiving  compen-
    14  sation  from  a  school  district  or  employee  of a contracted service
    15  provider or worker placed within the school under  a  public  assistance
    16  employment  program,  pursuant  to  title  nine-B of article five of the
    17  social services law, and consistent with the provisions  of  such  title
    18  for  the provision of services to such district, its students or employ-
    19  ees, directly or through contract, whereby such  services  performed  by
    20  such person involve direct student contact.
    21    2.  "Volunteer"  shall  mean  any  person, other than an employee, who
    22  provides services to a school or school district, which  involve  direct
    23  student contact.

         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD08841-01-5
        A. 4888                             2

     1    3.  "Administrator"  or "school administrator" shall mean a principal,
     2  assistant principal, superintendent or  assistant  superintendent  of  a
     3  public  school,  charter  school  or  board  of  cooperative educational
     4  services, or other chief school officer.
     5    §  1137. Parent's right to know.  Every public school district, or any
     6  other school which primarily serves persons under the  age  of  eighteen
     7  and  which is registered with the department shall, within sixty days of
     8  the enactment of this section, adopt a policy which  shall  provide  for
     9  notification  as  soon  as  reasonably  practicable to a parent or legal
    10  guardian of an affected student or students of inappropriate conduct  by
    11  an  employee,  volunteer  or  administrator  of  a  school district with
    12  respect to a particular student or students in the event that the super-
    13  intendent of schools, the school board, or  any  member  of  the  school
    14  board acting with the authorization of such board, such authorization to
    15  have  been  provided  during  an  executive  session, provides a written
    16  censure, reprimand, or otherwise in writing advises an employee,  volun-
    17  teer,  or an administrator of the school district of such person's inap-
    18  propriate conduct with respect to a particular student or students.
    19    § 2. This act shall take effect immediately; provided,  however,  that
    20  this  act  shall  not  impair  any  provision of a collective bargaining
    21  agreement in effect prior to the effective date of  this  act  which  is
    22  contradictory  to  the provisions of this act. Any such provisions shall
    23  expire no later than on such agreement's existing expiration date.