Senate Bill S2421

2019-2020 Legislative Session

Relates to librarians of school libraries; repealer

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Archive: Last Bill Status - In Senate Committee Education Committee

Introduced
- In Committee Assembly
- In Committee Senate
- On Floor Calendar Assembly
- On Floor Calendar Senate
- Passed Assembly
- Passed Senate
Delivered to Governor
Signed By Governor

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Date of Action	Assembly Actions - Lowercase Senate Actions - UPPERCASE
Jan 08, 2020	referred to education
Jan 24, 2019	referred to education

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2019-S2421 (ACTIVE) - Details

See Assembly Version of this Bill:: A2444
Current Committee:: Senate Education
Law Section:: Education Law
Laws Affected:: Rpld & add §275, Ed L
Versions Introduced in Other Legislative Sessions:: 2015-2016: A6784
2017-2018: A6023
2021-2022: S53, A5055
2023-2024: A5232
2025-2026: A5211

2019-S2421 (ACTIVE) - Summary

Relates to librarians of school libraries.

2019-S2421 (ACTIVE) - Sponsor Memo

                                
 
BILL NUMBER: S2421

SPONSOR: KAPLAN
 
TITLE OF BILL:

An act to amend the education law, in relation to librarians of school
libraries; and to repeal certain provisions of such law relating thereto

 
PURPOSE:

To ensure that each elementary and secondary school in New York State
maintains a school library and employs a certified school librarian.

 
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:

This bill repeals Section 275 and adds a new section 275 of the Educa-
tion Law to require all school districts to maintain a school library in
each elementary and secondary school and to employ a certified school
library media specialist for each such school library. The bill also
provides a waiver process that can be used by districts that fall within
a designated shortage area for library media specialists.

 
JUSTIFICATION:

School libraries are an integral part of the educational program. They
support and complement all phases of the formal instructional program in
the various areas of the curriculum, and enrich each student's life. For
many, the school library is the first introduction the student has to
any library facility. Because of this unique aspect, the school library
will be the only place the student can learn the proper usage of a
library and its valuable resources.

An adequate, comprehensive school library program is essential in
providing quality education for all students in today's modem and
progressive society. The library, therefore, becomes that place where
the student can reinforce language and reading skills, become aware of
how to retrieve and evaluate background reference materials and learn to
think and act as an independent individual to gain the necessary infor-
mation to attain intellectual maturity.

It is of utmost importance that a school library be staffed by competent
professionally trained personnel who are certified or licensed in their
area of responsibility. The librarian should be a professional trained
to look at and work for a total school program.  The librarian should be
professionally astute to be able to select and acquire those materials
which will assist each student to reach out for his or her intellectual
potential and to be able to achieve a wide, unencumbered view of the
world and how the student can best fit into it. Only a competent certi-
fied or licensed librarian can add that dimension to a child's life.

If maintaining a school library would place an extreme financial burden
on a district, the waiver provision allows the district to explore
alternative ways to meet the needs of their students through a sharing
arrangement with a public library. The waiver process is also available
if there is a shortage locally of library media specialists.

 
LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:

A6784A of 2017/18; Referred to Education
 
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:

To be determined.

 
EFFECTIVE DATE:
The first day of July next succeeding the date on which it shall have
become law.

2019-S2421 (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf

                            
 
                     S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                   2421
 
                        2019-2020 Regular Sessions
 
                             I N  S E N A T E
 
                             January 24, 2019
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by  Sen.  KAPLAN -- 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 librarians  of  school
   libraries; and to repeal certain provisions of such law relating ther-
   eto

   THE  PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND ASSEM-
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
 
   Section 1. Section 275 of the education law  is  REPEALED  and  a  new
 section 275 is added to read as follows:
   §  275.  LIBRARIANS  OF SCHOOL LIBRARIES. 1. NOTWITHSTANDING ANY OTHER
 PROVISIONS OF LAW, AND SUBJECT TO THE PROVISIONS OF SECTION TWO  HUNDRED
 SEVENTY-FOUR  OF  THIS PART, AND SUBDIVISION THREE OF THIS SECTION, EACH
 SCHOOL DISTRICT IN THE STATE SHALL HAVE AND MAINTAIN A SCHOOL LIBRARY IN
 EACH ELEMENTARY AND SECONDARY SCHOOL IN THE DISTRICT, AND SHALL EMPLOY A
 CERTIFIED SCHOOL LIBRARY MEDIA SPECIALIST FOR EACH SUCH  SCHOOL  LIBRARY
 WITHIN THREE YEARS OF THE EFFECTIVE DATE OF THIS SECTION.
   2.  EMPLOYMENT  OF CERTIFIED SCHOOL LIBRARY MEDIA SPECIALISTS SHALL BE
 IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE FOLLOWING STANDARDS:
   A. IN EACH ELEMENTARY OR SECONDARY SCHOOL WITH AN  ENROLLMENT  OF  NOT
 MORE  THAN ONE HUNDRED PUPILS, A CERTIFIED SCHOOL LIBRARY MEDIA SPECIAL-
 IST SHALL BE EMPLOYED AS FIFTEEN HUNDREDTHS OF  A  FULL-TIME  EQUIVALENT
 STAFF MEMBER;
   B.  IN  EACH ELEMENTARY OR SECONDARY SCHOOL WITH AN ENROLLMENT OF MORE
 THAN ONE HUNDRED BUT NOT MORE THAN THREE  HUNDRED  PUPILS,  A  CERTIFIED
 SCHOOL LIBRARY MEDIA SPECIALIST SHALL BE EMPLOYED AS A THREE-TENTHS OF A
 FULL-TIME EQUIVALENT STAFF MEMBER;
   C.  IN  EACH ELEMENTARY OR SECONDARY SCHOOL WITH AN ENROLLMENT OF MORE
 THAN THREE HUNDRED BUT NO MORE THAN FIVE  HUNDRED  PUPILS,  A  CERTIFIED
 SCHOOL  LIBRARY  MEDIA  SPECIALIST  SHALL BE EMPLOYED AS A ONE HALF OF A
 FULL-TIME EQUIVALENT STAFF MEMBER;
 
  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                            LBD04251-01-9

 S. 2421                             2
 
   D. IN EACH ELEMENTARY OR SECONDARY SCHOOL WITH AN ENROLLMENT  OF  MORE
 THAN  FIVE  HUNDRED  PUPILS, A CERTIFIED SCHOOL LIBRARY MEDIA SPECIALIST
 SHALL BE EMPLOYED AS A FULL-TIME EQUIVALENT STAFF MEMBER;
   E.  (I)  IN  EACH ELEMENTARY OR SECONDARY SCHOOL WITH AN ENROLLMENT OF
 MORE THAN TWO  THOUSAND  PUPILS,  TWO  CERTIFIED  SCHOOL  LIBRARY  MEDIA
 SPECIALISTS  SHALL  EACH  BE  EMPLOYED  AS  A FULL-TIME EQUIVALENT STAFF
 MEMBER;
   (II) AN ADDITIONAL CERTIFIED SCHOOL LIBRARY MEDIA SPECIALIST SHALL  BE
 EMPLOYED  AS A FULL-TIME EQUIVALENT STAFF MEMBER FOR EACH ADDITIONAL ONE
 THOUSAND PUPILS ENROLLED IN AN ELEMENTARY OR SECONDARY SCHOOL.
   F. (I) IN EACH ELEMENTARY OR SECONDARY SCHOOL WITH AN ENROLLMENT OF AT
 LEAST ONE THOUSAND PUPILS, A FULL-TIME EQUIVALENT STAFF MEMBER SHALL  BE
 EMPLOYED AS A LIBRARY CLERK.
   (II) AN ADDITIONAL FULL-TIME EQUIVALENT STAFF MEMBER SHALL BE EMPLOYED
 AS  A  LIBRARY CLERK FOR EACH ADDITIONAL ONE THOUSAND PUPILS ENROLLED IN
 AN ELEMENTARY OR SECONDARY SCHOOL.
   3. THE COMMISSIONER MAY, UPON APPLICATION BY A SCHOOL DISTRICT,  WAIVE
 THE  APPLICABILITY OF THE PROVISIONS OF SUBDIVISIONS ONE AND TWO OF THIS
 SECTION FOR UP TO ONE YEAR, IF SUCH APPLICATION DEMONSTRATES THE ELEMEN-
 TARY OR SECONDARY SCHOOL IS WITHIN A DESIGNATED SHORTAGE AREA FOR CERTI-
 FIED SCHOOL LIBRARY MEDIA SPECIALISTS, AND SUCH APPLICATION DEMONSTRATES
 THAT AN ACTUAL OFFER OF  EMPLOYMENT  WAS  MADE  TO  A  CERTIFIED  SCHOOL
 LIBRARY  MEDIA  SPECIALIST; HOWEVER, NO SUCH WAIVER SHALL BE GRANTED FOR
 MORE THAN TWO CONSECUTIVE SCHOOL YEARS, AND NO MORE THAN TWO WAIVERS MAY
 BE GRANTED WITH A FIVE YEAR PERIOD.
   § 2. This act shall take effect on the first of July  next  succeeding
 the date on which it shall have become a law.

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Senate Bill S2421

Sponsored By

Archive: Last Bill Status - In Senate Committee Education Committee

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co-Sponsors

2019-S2421 (ACTIVE) - Details

2019-S2421 (ACTIVE) - Summary

2019-S2421 (ACTIVE) - Sponsor Memo

2019-S2421 (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf

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Sponsored By

Anna M. Kaplan

Archive: Last Bill Status - In Senate Committee Education Committee

Actions

co-Sponsors

John E. Brooks

Andrew Gounardes

Pete Harckham

Daphne Jordan

2019-S2421 (ACTIVE) - Details

2019-S2421 (ACTIVE) - Summary

2019-S2421 (ACTIVE) - Sponsor Memo

2019-S2421 (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf

Comments