Bill Text: NY A06873 | 2023-2024 | General Assembly | Amended

---

Bill Title: Enacts the "freedom to read act"; requires the commissioner of education and school library systems to develop policies to ensure that school libraries and library staff are empowered to curate and develop collections that provide students with access to the widest array of developmentally appropriate materials available.

Spectrum: Moderate Partisan Bill (Democrat 14-2)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2024-01-03 - referred to education [A06873 Detail]

Download: New_York-2023-A06873-Amended.html

---

                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________

                                         6873--B

                               2023-2024 Regular Sessions

                   IN ASSEMBLY

                                       May 8, 2023
                                       ___________

        Introduced  by  M.  of  A.  O'DONNELL  --  read once and referred to the
          Committee on Education -- committee discharged, bill amended,  ordered
          reprinted  as  amended  and  recommitted  to  said  committee -- again
          reported from said committee with  amendments,  ordered  reprinted  as
          amended and recommitted to said committee

        AN  ACT to amend the education law, in relation to enacting the "freedom
          to read act"

          The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and  Assem-
        bly, do enact as follows:

     1    Section 1. This act shall be known and may be cited as the "freedom to
     2  read act".
     3    § 2. Section 276 of education law is amended to read as follows:
     4    § 276. Existing  rules continued in force.  All existing provisions of
     5  law and rules established by  the  commissioner  of  education  for  the
     6  management  of public school libraries shall hold good as to the manage-
     7  ment of such school libraries until altered by or in pursuance  of  law.
     8  Such  laws and rules established by the commissioner shall include poli-
     9  cies to ensure that school libraries and library  staff,  including  but
    10  not  limited  to  certified  library media specialists, are empowered to
    11  curate and develop collections that provide students with access to  the
    12  widest  array  of  developmentally  appropriate  materials  available to
    13  school districts.
    14    § 3. Section 283 of the education law, as added by chapter 348 of  the
    15  laws of 1984, is amended to read as follows:
    16    § 283. Functions  of  school library systems.  The functions of school
    17  library systems shall include but not be limited to:  (a)  creating  and
    18  developing  a  union  catalog of materials listing the resources of each
    19  participating school library; (b) developing a plan which will aid  each
    20  participating  school library in cooperative collection development; (c)
    21  adopting and implementing an interlibrary loan policy and program  among
    22  participating  school  libraries;  (d)  assuring  a  method of effective

         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD07840-08-3
        A. 6873--B                          2

     1  delivery of library materials within the system; (e) promoting  develop-
     2  ment  programs  and  continuing  education  for  staff  of participating
     3  schools; (f) encouraging awareness of the resources and services  avail-
     4  able in participating school libraries; [and] (g) cooperating with other
     5  library  systems  in  resource  sharing and other activities[.]; and (h)
     6  ensuring that school libraries and  library  staff,  including  but  not
     7  limited  to certified library media specialists, are empowered to curate
     8  and develop collections that provide students with access to the  widest
     9  array  of developmentally appropriate materials available to participat-
    10  ing schools.
    11    § 4. This act shall take effect immediately.