Assembly Bill A1660

                             
                     S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                   1660
 
                        2025-2026 Regular Sessions
 
                           I N  A S S E M B L Y
 
                             January 10, 2025
                                ___________
 
 Introduced by M. of A. TAYLOR -- 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
 
   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  OFFICE  OF  ADDICTION
 SERVICES AND SUPPORTS, THE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND WITH THE COMMISSION-
 ER  OF THE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION, SHALL DEVELOP COURSE MATERIALS TO BE
 OFFERED AS PART OF THE REQUIRED CONTINUING TEACHER AND LEADER  EDUCATION
 REQUIREMENTS PURSUANT TO PARAGRAPH A OF SUBDIVISION 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. EATING DISORDERS;
   4. BEHAVIORAL HEALTH DISORDERS;
   5. BEST PRACTICES FOR IMPROVING THE OVERALL LEARNING ENVIRONMENT;
   6. SAFE DE-ESCALATION OF CRISIS SITUATIONS;
   7. IDENTIFYING SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS, INCLUDING EARLY  STAGES  OF  MENTAL
 ILLNESS AND BEHAVIORAL HEALTH ISSUES; AND
   8.  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:
 
  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                            LBD03448-01-5
 A. 1660                             2
              

 
   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
 CONTINUING  TEACHER  AND  LEADER EDUCATION SHALL INCLUDE, AT LEAST TWICE
 DURING THE FIVE-YEAR REGISTRATION PERIOD, BUT NOT BE LIMITED TO CONTINU-
 ING  EDUCATION  COURSES,  PROGRAMS  AND  ACTIVITIES  RELATED  TO  MENTAL
 ILLNESS, EATING DISORDERS AND BEHAVIORAL HEALTH DISORDERS AS PURSUANT TO
 PARAGRAPH  (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 thousand twelve-d of this article may credit such  time
 towards  [his or her] SUCH TEACHER OR PRINCIPAL'S 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.