Assembly Bill A9692

                             
                     S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                   9692
 
                           I N  A S S E M B L Y
 
                               April 3, 2024
                                ___________
 
 Introduced by M. of A. EACHUS -- read once and referred to the Committee
   on Education
 
 AN  ACT  to  amend  the  mental  hygiene  law  and the education law, in
   relation to mandatory continuing education for  teachers  relating  to
   mental health issues and trauma informed care
 
   THE  PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND ASSEM-
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:

   Section 1. Section 7.23 of the mental hygiene law is amended by adding
 a new subdivision (d) to read as follows:
   (D) THE COMMISSIONER, IN CONSULTATION WITH THE  DEPARTMENT  OF  HEALTH
 AND  THE  COMMISSIONER  OF  THE  DEPARTMENT  OF EDUCATION, SHALL DEVELOP
 COURSE MATERIALS TO BE OFFERED AS PART OF THE REQUIRED CONTINUING TEACH-
 ER AND LEADER EDUCATION REQUIREMENTS PURSUANT TO PARAGRAPH A OF SUBDIVI-
 SION TWO OF SECTION THREE THOUSAND SIX-A OF THE  EDUCATION  LAW.    SUCH
 TRAINING SHALL INCLUDE, BUT NOT BE LIMITED TO:
   1. CONTINUING EDUCATION COURSES;
   2. PROGRAMS AND ACTIVITIES RELATED TO MENTAL HEALTH;
   3. TRAUMA INFORMED CARE, INTERVENTION AND PRACTICES;
   4. ADVERSE CHILDHOOD EXPERIENCES AND SOCIAL EMOTIONAL LEARNING;
   5. BEHAVIORAL HEALTH DISORDERS;
   6. BEST PRACTICES FOR IMPROVING THE OVERALL LEARNING ENVIRONMENT;
   7. SAFE DE-ESCALATION OF CRISIS SITUATIONS;
   8.  IDENTIFYING  SIGNS  AND SYMPTOMS, INCLUDING EARLY STAGES OF MENTAL
 ILLNESS AND BEHAVIORAL HEALTH ISSUES; AND
   9. THE USE OF EVIDENCE BASED  TRAINING  PROGRAMS  INCLUDING,  BUT  NOT
 LIMITED TO, MENTAL HEALTH FIRST AID OR CORE ELEMENTS OF SUCH PROGRAMS TO
 THE EXTENT PRACTICABLE.
   §  2.  Paragraph a of subdivision 2 of section 3006-a of the education
 law, as added by section 2 of subpart C of part EE of chapter 56 of  the
 laws of 2015, is amended to read as follows:
   a.  During  each  five-year  registration period beginning on or after
 July first, two thousand sixteen, an applicant  for  registration  shall
 successfully  complete  a  minimum  of  one  hundred hours of continuing
 teacher and leader education, as defined  by  the  commissioner.    SUCH
 
  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
              

                                                            LBD03360-01-3
 A. 9692                             2
 
 CONTINUING  TEACHER  AND  LEADER  EDUCATION  SHALL INCLUDE, AT LEAST TEN
 HOURS DURING THE FIVE-YEAR REGISTRATION PERIOD, BUT NOT  BE  LIMITED  TO
 CONTINUING  EDUCATION COURSES, PROGRAMS AND ACTIVITIES RELATED TO MENTAL
 ILLNESS  AND TRAUMA INFORMED CARE PURSUANT TO SUBDIVISION (D) OF SECTION
 7.23 OF THE MENTAL HYGIENE LAW.  The  department  shall  issue  rigorous
 standards for courses, programs, and activities[,] that shall qualify as
 continuing  teacher  and  leader education pursuant to this section. For
 purposes of this section, a peer review teacher, or a  principal  acting
 as  an independent trained evaluator, conducting a classroom observation
 as part of the teacher evaluation system pursuant to section three thou-
 sand twelve-d of this article may credit such time towards  his  or  her
 continuing teacher and leader effectiveness requirements.
   §  3.  The  commissioner  of education is authorized to promulgate any
 rules and regulations necessary to carry out the provisions of this act.
   § 4. This act shall take effect on the first of January next  succeed-
 ing the date on which it shall have become a law.  Effective immediately
 the  addition,  amendment and/or repeal of any rule or regulation neces-
 sary for the implementation of  this  act  on  its  effective  date  are
 authorized to be made and completed on or before such date.