Assembly Bill A1564

                             
                     S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                   1564
 
                        2025-2026 Regular Sessions
 
                           I N  A S S E M B L Y
 
                             January 10, 2025
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by M. of A. ROSENTHAL, SANTABARBARA, RAGA -- Multi-Sponsored
   by -- M. of A.  COOK -- read once and referred  to  the  Committee  on
   Education
 
 AN  ACT  to  amend the education law and the vehicle and traffic law, in
   relation to requiring comprehensive training for  school  bus  drivers
   and  school  bus  attendants  in  the  discouragement,  prevention and
   detection of harassment, bullying and discrimination
 
   THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND  ASSEM-
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
 
   Section  1.  Section  3650 of the education law is amended by adding a
 new subdivision 3 to read as follows:
   3. THE COMMISSIONER SHALL DEVELOP A UNIFORM AND COMPREHENSIVE TRAINING
 PROGRAM FOR SCHOOL BUS DRIVERS TRANSPORTING STUDENTS TO AND FROM  SCHOOL
 BY  SCHOOL  BUS  IN  THE  DISCOURAGEMENT,  PREVENTION,  AND DETECTION OF
 HARASSMENT, BULLYING AND DISCRIMINATION AS DEFINED UNDER ARTICLE TWO  OF
 THIS  CHAPTER.  SUCH  TRAINING  SHALL  INCLUDE,  BUT  NOT BE LIMITED TO,
 INSTRUCTION CONCERNING THE EFFECTS OF HARASSMENT, BULLYING AND DISCRIMI-
 NATION AND THE APPROPRIATE RESPONSE WHEN A SCHOOL BUS DRIVER  ENCOUNTERS
 SUCH  SITUATION.  THE TRAINING AND INSTRUCTION REQUIRED BY THIS SUBDIVI-
 SION MAY BE INCLUDED WITH THE TRAINING AND INSTRUCTION REQUIRED PURSUANT
 TO PARAGRAPH A OF SUBDIVISION ONE AND SUBDIVISION TWO  OF  THIS  SECTION
 AND  SHALL  BE  PROVIDED  AT  LEAST  ONCE PER YEAR OR MORE FREQUENTLY AS
 DETERMINED BY THE COMMISSIONER IN CONSULTATION WITH THE STATE COMPREHEN-
 SIVE SCHOOL BUS DRIVER SAFETY TRAINING COUNCIL.
   § 2. Section 1229-d of the vehicle  and  traffic  law  is  amended  by
 adding a new subdivision 5 to read as follows:
   (5)  THE  COMMISSIONER  OF  EDUCATION SHALL PROMULGATE RULES AND REGU-
 LATIONS REQUIRING THAT EVERY SCHOOL BUS ATTENDANT SERVING PUPILS WITH  A
 DISABLING  CONDITION  RECEIVE  TRAINING  AND INSTRUCTION RELATING TO THE
 DISCOURAGEMENT, PREVENTION, AND DETECTION OF  HARASSMENT,  BULLYING  AND
 DISCRIMINATION  AS  DEFINED UNDER ARTICLE TWO OF THE EDUCATION LAW. SUCH
 
  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                            LBD04275-01-5
              

 A. 1564                             2
 
 TRAINING SHALL INCLUDE, BUT NOT BE LIMITED  TO,  INSTRUCTION  CONCERNING
 THE EFFECTS OF HARASSMENT, BULLYING AND DISCRIMINATION AND THE APPROPRI-
 ATE  RESPONSE WHEN A SCHOOL BUS ATTENDANT ENCOUNTERS SUCH SITUATION. THE
 TRAINING  AND  INSTRUCTION  REQUIRED BY THIS SUBDIVISION MAY BE INCLUDED
 WITH THE TRAINING AND INSTRUCTION REQUIRED PURSUANT TO THIS SECTION  AND
 SHALL  BE  PROVIDED  AT LEAST ONCE PER YEAR OR MORE FREQUENTLY AS DETER-
 MINED BY THE COMMISSIONER OF EDUCATION, IN CONSULTATION WITH  THE  STATE
 COMPREHENSIVE SCHOOL BUS DRIVER SAFETY TRAINING COUNCIL.
   § 3. This act shall take effect immediately.