S T A T E O F N E W Y O R K
________________________________________________________________________
4012
2017-2018 Regular Sessions
I N S E N A T E
February 1, 2017
___________
Introduced by Sen. ADDABBO -- 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 school session days
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 chapter 260 of the laws of 2012, is amended to read as
follows:
8. No school shall be in session on a Saturday or a legal holiday,
except general election day, Washington's birthday and Lincoln's birth-
day, and except that driver education classes may be conducted on a
Saturday. NO SCHOOL LOCATED IN A CITY WITH A POPULATION OF ONE MILLION
OR MORE SHALL BE IN SESSION ON THE DAY OF A PRIMARY ELECTION OR GENERAL
ELECTION. A deficiency not exceeding four 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,
notwithstanding any provision of law, rule or regulation to the contra-
ry, a school district may elect to schedule such conference days in the
last two weeks of August, subject to collective bargaining requirements
pursuant to article fourteen of the civil service law, and such days
shall be counted towards the required one hundred eighty days of
session, provided however, that such scheduling shall not alter the
obligation of the school district to provide transportation to students
in non-public elementary and secondary schools or charter schools. 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
EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD04250-02-7
S. 4012 2
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
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.
§ 2. This act shall take effect immediately.