Bill Text: NY S03996 | 2017-2018 | General Assembly | Introduced

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Bill Title: Relates to requiring the commissioner of education to make recommendations to the board of regents relating to the adoption of instruction in mental health in junior and senior high schools and to provide school districts with current information on drug abuse issues.

Spectrum: Bipartisan Bill

Status: (Engrossed - Dead) 2018-06-20 - COMMITTED TO RULES [S03996 Detail]

Download: New_York-2017-S03996-Introduced.html

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                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________
                                          3996
                               2017-2018 Regular Sessions
                    IN SENATE
                                    February 1, 2017
                                       ___________
        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 requiring the  commis-
          sioner  of  education  to make recommendations to the board of regents
          relating to the adoption of instruction in mental health in junior and
          senior high schools and  to  provide  school  districts  with  current
          information on drug abuse issues
          The  People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-
        bly, do enact as follows:
     1    Section 1. Section 305 of the education law is amended by  adding  two
     2  new subdivisions 56 and 57 to read as follows:
     3    56.  a.  The  commissioner  shall make recommendations to the board of
     4  regents relating to the adoption of  instruction  in  mental  health  in
     5  junior and senior high schools.
     6    b.  Prior  to  making the recommendations to the board of regents, the
     7  commissioner shall:
     8    (i) seek  the  recommendations  of  teachers,  school  administrators,
     9  teacher  educators,  school  psychologists,  school  social  workers and
    10  others with educational expertise in the proposed curriculum;
    11    (ii) seek comment from parents, students and other interested parties;
    12    (iii) consider the amount of instructional time such  curriculum  will
    13  require  and whether such time would detract from other mandated courses
    14  of study;
    15    (iv) consider the fiscal impact, if  any,  on  the  state  and  school
    16  districts;
    17    (v)  consider  the  relevance  of  existing  regulations pertaining to
    18  mental health as part of the school health curriculum as it  relates  to
    19  the current understanding of mental health as an integral part of health
    20  and  the  relationship  of  mental health to the instruction of alcohol,
    21  drugs and tobacco; and
    22    (vi) consider any additional factors the commissioner deems relevant.
         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD09607-01-7
        S. 3996                             2
     1    c. No later than one hundred eighty days after the effective  date  of
     2  this subdivision, the commissioner shall provide a recommendation to the
     3  board  of  regents  to either adopt and promulgate appropriate rules and
     4  regulations implementing such curriculum or reject the implementation of
     5  such  curriculum. Upon receiving a recommendation from the commissioner,
     6  pursuant to this subdivision, the board of regents shall vote to  either
     7  accept  or  reject the commissioner's recommendation no later than sixty
     8  days after receiving such recommendation.
     9    d. If the board of regents  adopts  such  curriculum,  the  curriculum
    10  requirement  shall  take effect no later than the next school year after
    11  such curriculum has been adopted.
    12    e. If the board of regents rejects such curriculum,  the  commissioner
    13  shall  provide  a  report  as  to  the determination of the board to the
    14  governor, the temporary president of the  senate,  the  speaker  of  the
    15  assembly  and the chairs of the senate and assembly committees on educa-
    16  tion providing the reasons for such rejection not later than thirty days
    17  after the board of regents rejects such curriculum.
    18    57.  The  commissioner  shall  on  a  biennial  basis  provide  school
    19  districts  with  educational  information relating to current drug abuse
    20  issues in order to ensure instruction provided pursuant  to  subdivision
    21  three  of  section  eight  hundred  four  of  this title is relevant and
    22  current.
    23    § 2. This act shall take effect immediately.