Assembly Bill A11577

                             
                     S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                   11577
 
                           I N  A S S E M B L Y
 
                               June 5, 2026
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by  COMMITTEE ON RULES -- (at request of M. of A. Wieder) --
   read once and referred to the Committee on Education
 
 AN ACT to amend the education law, in relation to school bus transporta-
   tion
 
   THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND  ASSEM-
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
 
   Section  1.  Subdivision  2  of  section 3635 of the education law, as
 amended by chapter 719 of the laws  of  1978,  is  amended  to  read  as
 follows:
   2.  (A)  A  parent  or  guardian  of  a  child  residing in any school
 district, or any representative authorized by such parent  or  guardian,
 who  desires  for a child during the next school year any transportation
 authorized or directed by this chapter shall submit  a  written  request
 therefor  to  the school trustees or board of education of such district
 not later than the first day of April preceding the next  school  year[,
 provided,  however, that].  TRANSPORTATION SHALL ALSO BE PROVIDED WHERE:
 (I) a parent or guardian of a child not residing in the district on such
 date [shall submit] SUBMITS a written request within thirty  days  after
 establishing residence in the district; (II) A FAMILY MOVES TO A DIFFER-
 ENT  DWELLING WITHIN THE DISTRICT DURING THE SCHOOL YEAR; (III) A SCHOOL
 MOVES LOCATIONS FROM ONE LOCATION TO ANOTHER; OR (IV) A PARENT OR GUARD-
 IAN CHOOSES A PUBLIC OR NONPUBLIC SCHOOL FOR  THEIR  CHILD  AFTER  APRIL
 FIRST.  No late request of a parent or guardian for transportation shall
 be denied where a reasonable explanation is provided for the  delay.  If
 the  voters,  school trustees, or board of education fail to provide the
 transportation authorized or directed by this  chapter  after  receiving
 such a request, such parent, guardian or representative, or any taxpayer
 residing in the district, may appeal to the commissioner [of education],
 as  provided  in  section  three  hundred ten of this chapter. Except as
 hereinbefore provided, the commissioner [of education] shall not require
 that such parent, guardian or representative present a request for  such
 transportation to any meeting of the voters, school trustees or board of
 education  in  order  to  appeal. Upon such appeal, the commissioner [of

  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                            LBD15303-02-6
              

 A. 11577                            2

 education] shall make such order as is  required  to  effect  compliance
 with the provisions of this chapter and this section.
   (B) FOR THE PURPOSES OF THIS SECTION, A "REASONABLE EXPLANATION" SHALL
 BE  DEFINED  AS:  (I)  FAMILY  HOUSING DISPLACEMENT; (II) FAMILY MEDICAL
 EMERGENCY; (III) SUDDEN JOB LOSS OR SUDDEN JOB TRANSFER;  (IV)  WHERE  A
 STUDENT  WITH  A  DISABILITY REQUIRES A DIFFERENT SCHOOL; OR (V) WHERE A
 FAMILY SUBMITS PROOF OF RESIDENCY AFTER THE DEADLINE DUE  TO  DIFFICULTY
 IN  OBTAINING SUCH PROOF OF RESIDENCY PRIOR TO APRIL FIRST. SUCH REASON-
 ABLE EXPLANATION SHALL BE SUBMITTED TO THE SCHOOL DISTRICT ON OR  BEFORE
 JUNE FIRST.
   §  2.  This act shall take effect on the first of July next succeeding
 the date on which it shall have become a law.