S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                   6108
 
                        2021-2022 Regular Sessions
 
                           I N  A S S E M B L Y
 
                              March 10, 2021
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by M. of A. STIRPE, ABINANTI, CUSICK, GUNTHER, HUNTER, HYND-
   MAN, MAGNARELLI, J. RIVERA, SIMON, TAYLOR,  ZEBROWSKI,  SAYEGH,  FAHY,
   REYES,  PHEFFER AMATO,  D. ROSENTHAL,  BRONSON, RODRIGUEZ, DE LA ROSA,
   FRIEND,  L. ROSENTHAL,  WOERNER,  COOK,  DICKENS,  STECK,  RICHARDSON,
   WALLACE -- read once and referred to the Committee on Education

 AN  ACT  to amend the education law and the election 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 605 of the laws  of  2019,  is  amended  to  read  as
 follows:
   8.  No  school shall be in session on a Saturday, GENERAL ELECTION DAY
 or a legal holiday, except [general election day,] Washington's birthday
 and Lincoln's birthday, and except that driver education classes may  be
 conducted  on  a  Saturday. A SCHOOL DISTRICT MAY ELECT TO REQUIRE STAFF
 ATTENDANCE ON A GENERAL ELECTION  DAY  OR  TO  SCHEDULE  A  PROFESSIONAL
 DEVELOPMENT  DAY. A deficiency not exceeding four days during any school
 year caused by teachers' attendance upon conferences held by superinten-
 dents of schools of city school  districts  or  other  school  districts
 employing superintendents of schools shall be excused by the commission-
 er,  notwithstanding  any  provision  of  law, rule or regulation to the
 contrary, 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.  At
 least  two  such  conference days during such school year shall be dedi-
 cated to staff attendance upon conferences providing  staff  development
 
  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
              

                                                            LBD04465-02-1

 A. 6108                             2
 
 relating  to  implementation  of  the  new  high  learning standards and
 assessments, as adopted by the board of regents.    Notwithstanding  any
 other  provision  of  law,  rule  or  regulation 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  on any day during which sessions are allowed and apply such
 units to satisfy a deficiency  in  the  length  of  one  or  more  daily
 sessions  of  instruction  for pupils as specified in regulations of the
 commissioner. The commissioner shall assure that  such  conference  days
 include  appropriate  school violence prevention and intervention train-
 ing, and may require that up to one such conference day be dedicated for
 such purpose.
   § 2. Subdivision 3 of section 4-104 of the election law, as amended by
 chapter 694 of the laws of 1989, is amended to read as follows:
   3. A building exempt from taxation shall be used whenever possible  as
 a  polling  place if it is situated in the same or a contiguous election
 district, and may contain as many distinctly separate polling places  as
 public  convenience  may require. The expense, if any, incidental to its
 use, shall be paid like the expense of other places of registration  and
 voting. If a board or body empowered to designate polling places chooses
 a  public  school  building  for such purpose, the board or agency which
 controls such building must make available  a  room  or  rooms  in  such
 building which are suitable for registration and voting and which are as
 close  as  possible  to  a convenient entrance to such building and must
 make available any such room or rooms which the board or body  designat-
 ing  such  building  determines  are  accessible  to physically disabled
 voters as provided in subdivision one-a OF THIS SECTION. Notwithstanding
 the provisions of any general, special or local law, if a board or  body
 empowered to designate polling places chooses a publicly owned or leased
 building[,  other  than a public school building,] for such purposes the
 board or body which controls such building must make available a room or
 rooms in such building which are suitable for  registration  and  voting
 and  which  are  as  close  as possible to a convenient entrance to such
 building, and must make available any such room or rooms which the board
 or body designating such building determines  are  accessible  to  phys-
 ically  disabled  voters unless, not later than thirty days after notice
 of its designation as a polling place, the  board  or  body  controlling
 such building, files a written request for a cancellation of such desig-
 nation  with  the board or body empowered to designate polling places on
 such form as shall be provided by the board or body making  such  desig-
 nation. The board or body empowered to so designate shall, within twenty
 days  after  such  request  is  filed, determine whether the use of such
 building as a polling place would unreasonably interfere with the  usual
 activities  conducted  in such building and upon such determination, may
 cancel such designation.
   § 3. This act shall take effect January 1, 2023.