S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
________________________________________________________________________

                                   774

                       2009-2010 Regular Sessions

                            I N  S E N A T E

                            January 15, 2009
                               ___________

Introduced  by  Sen.  ALESI  -- 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 making election day  a
  school holiday

  THE  PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND ASSEM-
BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:

  Section 1. Subdivision 8 of section 3604  of  the  education  law,  as
amended  by  section  46 of part H of chapter 83 of the laws of 2002, is
amended to read as follows:
  8. No school shall be in session on a Saturday [or], a legal  holiday,
[except]  general  OR SPECIAL election day, OR Washington's birthday and
Lincoln's birthday, and except that  driver  education  classes  may  be
conducted  on a Saturday. A DEFICIENCY NOT EXCEEDING TWO DAYS DURING ANY
SCHOOL YEAR CAUSED BY A GENERAL AND/OR SPECIAL ELECTION SHALL BE EXCUSED
BY THE COMMISSIONER. A deficiency not exceeding three  days  during  any
school  year  caused  by  teachers'  attendance upon conferences held by
superintendents of schools of city  school  districts  or  other  school
districts  employing  superintendents of schools shall be excused by the
commissioner, provided however, notwithstanding any other  provision  of
law,  that  during the nineteen hundred ninety-two--ninety-three through
the two thousand two--two thousand three school  years  and  thereafter,
the  commissioner  shall  excuse  a  deficiency  not exceeding four days
during such school year caused by teachers' attendance upon  conferences
held by such superintendents, provided that at least two such conference
days during such school year shall be dedicated to staff attendance upon
conferences  providing  staff  development relating to implementation of
the new high learning standards and assessments, as adopted by the board
of regents. Notwithstanding any other provision of law,  rule  or  regu-
lation to the contrary, school districts may elect to use one or more of
such  allowable  conference days in units of not less than one hour each
to provide staff development activities relating  to  implementation  of

 EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                      [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                           LBD03461-01-9
              

S. 774                              2

the  new high learning standards and assessments. A district making such
election may provide such staff development during the regularly  sched-
uled  daily  session and apply such units to satisfy a deficiency in the
length of one or more daily sessions of instruction for pupils as speci-
fied  in  regulations of the commissioner. The commissioner shall assure
that such conference days include appropriate school violence prevention
and intervention training, and may require that up to one  such  confer-
ence day be dedicated for such purpose.
  S  2.  This act shall take effect on the first of July next succeeding
the date on which it shall have become a law;  provided,  however,  that
effective immediately, the addition, amendment and/or repeal of any rule
or regulation necessary for the implementation of this act on its effec-
tive  date  are  authorized  and directed to be made and completed on or
before such effective date.