The New York State Senate

 
                     S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                   4294
 
                        2023-2024 Regular Sessions
 
                           I N  A S S E M B L Y
 
                             February 14, 2023
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by  M.  of  A. STIRPE, GUNTHER, HUNTER, HYNDMAN, MAGNARELLI,
   RIVERA, SIMON, TAYLOR, ZEBROWSKI, SAYEGH, FAHY, REYES,  PHEFFER AMATO,
   D. ROSENTHAL,  BRONSON,  FRIEND, L. ROSENTHAL, WOERNER, COOK, DICKENS,
   STECK, 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
 relating to implementation  of  the  new  high  learning  standards  and
 
  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                            LBD01758-01-3

 A. 4294                             2
 
 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, 2025.