BILL NUMBER: S6220A

SPONSOR: MARCELLINO
 
TITLE OF BILL:

An act to amend the education law, in relation to authorizing private
special education schools to seek department approval to offer alterna-
tive high school equivalency preparation programs

 
PURPOSE:

This bill would authorize private special education schools to operate
and/or participate in an alternative high school equivalency preparation
programs in order to enable students to pursue an alternative to a
Regents' of local diploma.

 
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:

Section 1 amends section 305 of the Education Law to add a new subdivi-
sion 13-b. The added provision would expand the duties of the Commis-
sioner of Education to include authorizing private special education
              

schools to operate and/or participate in alternative high school equiv-
alency preparations programs. These programs will be limited to students
with a credit deficiency that cannot be made up before they turn twen-
ty-one years of age.

Section 2 is the effective date.

 
JUSTIFICATION:

New York State's private special education schools include 853 Schools
and 4201s Schools. 853 schools provide therapeutic and educational
programs to approximately 15,000 school age students unable to be served
by public school districts because of significant emotional, behavioral,
or developmental challenges that require specialized related services
and academic support.  Schools largely serve school aged children
involved in the foster care, juvenile justice, and special education
systems and therefore are placed by local Committee on Special Education
(CSE), local county social services and/or the court system. 4201
schools, or state supported schools, serve students who are blind, deaf
or are severely physically disabled. There are approximately 1,500
students appointed to 4201 schools.

Some students who attend private special education schools are "over-
aged and under-credited" when graduation time draws near, and may not be
in a position to graduate with a Regents' or local diploma. As such,
these students miss out on certain education and work opportunities that
are typically offered to students who are granted a high school diploma.
While obtaining a Regents' or local diploma is the ideal goal, the
students who are not able to do so should be provided with an alterna-
tive to dropping out or existing without a diploma.

Students who attend public schools, BOCES, and programs within the NYS
Office of Children and Family Services (OCFS) facilities have the oppor-
tunity to participate in alternative high school equivalency preparation
programs. These programs provide students who are 16-21 years old, who
are at risk for dropping out, the opportunity to achieve a high school
equivalency diploma. The bill would authorize private special education
schools - 853 and 4201 schools - to apply to the Department to offer
same programs to their students, thus ensuring that thousands of New
York State students are not denied educational opportunities merely
based on which special education school they attend.

 
LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:

New Bill.

 
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS FOR STATE AND LOCAL GOVERNMENTS:

Minimal.

 
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act would take effect one hundred and eighty days after its enact-
ment.