S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                   7113
 
                        2019-2020 Regular Sessions
 
                           I N  A S S E M B L Y
 
                               April 9, 2019
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by  M.  of  A.  LIFTON -- (at request of the State Education
   Department) -- read once and referred to the Committee on Education
 
 AN ACT to amend the education law,  in  relation  to  permitting  school
   districts to commence the school year calendar prior to September

   THE  PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND ASSEM-
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
 
   Section 1. Paragraph c of subdivision 1 and subparagraph (i) of  para-
 graph c of subdivision 2 of section 3205 of the education law, paragraph
 c  of  subdivision  1  as amended by chapter 518 of the laws of 1993 and
 subparagraph (i) of paragraph c of subdivision 2 as amended  by  chapter
 277 of the laws of 2017, are amended to read as follows:
   c.  For purposes of this article, a minor who becomes six years of age
 on or before the first of December in any school year shall be  required
 to attend upon full time instruction from the first day that the [appro-
 priate]  public schools are in session [in September of] FOR such school
 year, and a minor who becomes six years of age after the first of Decem-
 ber in any school year shall  be  required  to  attend  upon  full  time
 instruction  from  the first day of session in the following [September]
 SCHOOL YEAR; and, except as otherwise provided in subdivision  three  of
 this  section,  shall be required to remain in attendance until the last
 day of session in the school year in which  the  minor  becomes  sixteen
 years of age.
   (i)  Minors whose parents elect not to enroll their children in school
 until the following [September] SCHOOL YEAR.
   § 2. Section 3205 of the education law is  amended  by  adding  a  new
 subdivision 4 to read as follows:
   4.  IN EACH SCHOOL DISTRICT, A BOARD OF EDUCATION OR BOARD OF TRUSTEES
 MAY, IN ITS DISCRETION, FOLLOWING A PUBLIC HEARING FOR  THE  PURPOSE  OF
 DETERMINING  WHETHER  A  RESOLUTION  SHALL  BE  ADOPTED, PROVIDE FOR THE
 SCHOOL YEAR CALENDAR TO COMMENCE PRIOR TO SEPTEMBER.
 
  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                            LBD09849-01-9
              

 A. 7113                             2
 
   A. SUCH PUBLIC HEARING, CONDUCTED UPON  REASONABLE  NOTICE,  SHALL  BE
 HELD  TO  CONSIDER:  (I)  WHETHER  IT  IS  FEASIBLE  FOR THE DISTRICT TO
 COMMENCE THE SCHOOL YEAR PRIOR TO  SEPTEMBER;  (II)  ANY  BENEFITS  FROM
 STARTING  THE  SCHOOL  YEAR PRIOR TO SEPTEMBER; (III) ANY EFFECTS ON THE
 LOCAL  ECONOMY,  INCLUDING ANY EFFECTS ON THE TOURISM INDUSTRY; AND (IV)
 ANY EFFECT STARTING THE SCHOOL YEAR PRIOR  TO  SEPTEMBER  WILL  HAVE  ON
 STUDENTS' ACCESS TO SUMMER SCHOOL PROGRAMS AT THE DISTRICT.
   B.  WITHIN  TWENTY DAYS OF THE PUBLIC HEARING OR AT THE NEXT REGULARLY
 SCHEDULED BOARD MEETING FOLLOWING THE PUBLIC HEARING, WHICHEVER IS SOON-
 ER, THE BOARD OF EDUCATION OR BOARD OF TRUSTEES  SHALL,  BY  RESOLUTION,
 DETERMINE WHETHER TO BEGIN THE SCHOOL YEAR PRIOR TO SEPTEMBER.
   § 3. This act shall take effect July 1, 2019.