Senate Bill S3066

                                BILL NUMBER:S3066

TITLE OF BILL:
An act
to amend the education law, in relation to the display and distribution
of the parental bill of rights in the city school district of the city
of New York

PURPOSE OR GENERAL IDEA OF BILL:
Inform parents of the rights they have concerning their children in
New York City Schools.

SUMMARY OF SPECIFIC PROVISIONS:
Section One:
-Requires all New York City public schools to post the 'Parent's Bill
of Rights and Responsibilities' in a prominent area within the lobby
of said schools in both English and Spanish.
-Requires the Chancellor to ensure that all schools make available
this bill of rights and responsibilities available to parents and
parental guardians on an annual basis in the languages predominantly
spoken in the community where the school is located.
-Requires that all schools make this bill of rights and
responsibilities available to parents and parental guardians upon
request in the languages predominantly spoken in the community where
the school is located.

              

Section Two:
-Effective Date.

JUSTIFICATION:
The New York City Department of Education currently produces a
'Parent's Bill of Rights and Responsibilities', which outlines
parents rights when it comes to public schools. Such rights include,
but are not limited to, the access of information regarding students,
the right to have input on their children's education and their
children's right to education. As well as these rights, parental
responsibilities are included in this publication.

At this time, these rights and responsibilities are only available to
parents who request them or research on their own. This ends up
excluding many parents who have little computer expertise and/or are
unfamiliar with the school system in New York City. In order to
insure that some of our most vulnerable children, including those
recent immigrants who do not speak English in their household, have
the same access and opportunity to a quality education as any other
child, this bill seeks to address the information gap presented to
these families.

PRIOR LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:
Senate:
2010: Referred to Education, Reported to Finance, Reported to Rules,
Passed Senate
2009: Referred to Education

Assembly:


2010: A.1495  Wright, Referred to Education
2009: A.1495  Wright, Referred to Education
2008: A.630   Wright, Referred to Education
2007: A.630   Wright, Referred to Education
2006: A.11156 Wright, Referred to Education

FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:
The fiscal implications are minimal. The New York City Department of
Education currently distributes the Parental Bill of Rights to
parents in the student handbook. The Bill of Rights is posted on the
DOE website in multiple languages, which will enable school personnel
to readily print a copy to satisfy a specific parent request.

EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act shall take effect on the one hundred twentieth day after it
shall have become a law; provided, however, that:

(a) effective immediately, the addition, amendment and/or repeal of
any rule or regulation necessary for the implementation of this act
on its effective date are authorized and directed to be made and
completed on or before such effective date; and

(b) the amendments to section 2590-h of the education law made by
section one of this act shall survive the expiration and reversion of
such section as provided in section 17 of chapter 345 of the laws of
2009, as amended.