S T A T E O F N E W Y O R K
________________________________________________________________________
2009
2025-2026 Regular Sessions
I N A S S E M B L Y
January 14, 2025
___________
Introduced by M. of A. SMULLEN, DeSTEFANO, MANKTELOW, BRABENEC, ANGELI-
NO, E. BROWN -- read once and referred to the Committee on Education
AN ACT to amend the education law, in relation to establishing interre-
gional enrollment of students in multiple school districts (Part A);
and to amend the education law, in relation to the provision of coop-
erative and individualized educational services for students who are
enrolled in multiple school districts (Part B)
THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND ASSEM-
BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
Section 1. Short title. This act shall be known and may be cited as
the "EmpowerED Act: Empowering students and enhancing educational oppor-
tunities in New York".
§ 2. Legislative findings and intent. According to the Census Bureau,
New York consistently allocates the highest per-student expenditure in
the nation. However, despite this significant investment, a substantial
number of our students are performing at or slightly below the national
average in state assessments. It is imperative that we prioritize
providing our students with every available opportunity to raise these
educational standards. To truly empower our education system, we must
enable school districts and students to embrace innovative educational
approaches that go beyond traditional norms. Students should have the
freedom to choose educational opportunities that best suit their indi-
vidual needs and aspirations. The "EmpowerED Act" aims to strengthen New
York's education system by granting students the ability to access
classes in any educational setting, be it a neighboring school district
or through remote learning. Furthermore, it expands itinerant teaching
services that BOCES programs offer to allow individual schools to more
efficiently allocate resources according to the unique needs of their
own district. This legislation will provide vital support to foster
collaboration among districts, benefiting students and improving the
EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD03566-01-5
A. 2009 2
overall education system in New York, while empowering students,
parents, and educators to shape their educational journey.
§ 3. This act enacts into law major components of legislation neces-
sary to implement the "EmpowerED Act". Each component is wholly
contained within a Part identified as Parts A through B. The effective
date for each particular provision contained within such Part is set
forth in the last section of such Part. Any provision in any section
contained within a Part, including the effective date of the Part, which
makes a reference to a section "of this act", when used in connection
with that particular component, shall be deemed to mean and refer to the
corresponding section of the Part in which it is found. Section five of
this act sets forth the general effective date of this act.
PART A
Section 1. Section 3202 of the education law is amended by adding a
new subdivision 9 to read as follows:
9. INTERREGIONAL STUDENT ENROLLMENT. A. (I) NOTWITHSTANDING SUBDIVI-
SION TWO OF THIS SECTION OR ANY OTHER LAW TO THE CONTRARY, NONRESIDENTS
OF A DISTRICT MAY BE ADMITTED INTO THE SCHOOL OR SCHOOLS OF A DISTRICT
OR CITY, UPON THE CONSENT OF THE TRUSTEES OR THE BOARD OF EDUCATION AS
PART OF AN INTERREGIONAL STUDENT ENROLLMENT PROGRAM. THE TRUSTEES OR THE
BOARD OF EDUCATION SHALL ESTABLISH AN OPEN ENROLLMENT APPLICATION PROC-
ESS, DURING WHICH NONRESIDENT STUDENTS CAN ACCESS SUCH APPLICATION TO
APPLY FOR ENROLLMENT IN OFFERED CLASSES WHETHER THE STUDENT IS PART-TIME
OR FULL-TIME. AS USED IN THIS SUBPARAGRAPH, THE TERM "PART-TIME" SHALL
MEAN A NONRESIDENT STUDENT ENROLLED IN A SET OF CLASSES, WHETHER SUCH
CLASSES ARE IN-PERSON OR VIA DISTANCE LEARNING, THAT ARE OFFERED BY A
SCHOOL DISTRICT WHERE SUCH STUDENT DOES NOT RESIDE, AND WHO ALSO TAKES
CLASSES IN THE SCHOOL DISTRICT WHERE SUCH STUDENT RESIDES.
(II) PARTICIPATING DISTRICTS SHALL PROVIDE TRANSPORTATION, AS MANDATED
BY THE INDIVIDUALIZED EDUCATION PROGRAM OF A STUDENT WITH A DISABILITY,
TO THE LOCATION NECESSARY TO RECEIVE REQUIRED SERVICES SPECIFIED IN SUCH
PROGRAM.
B. THE SCHOOL DISTRICT OF A NONRESIDENT STUDENT SHALL BE SUBJECT TO A
MAXIMUM TUITION AS DETERMINED BY THE COMMISSIONER. THE MAXIMUM TUITION
SHALL VARY BASED ON THE NUMBER OF CLASSES TAKEN BY THE STUDENT AND
WHETHER SUCH STUDENT IS PART-TIME OR FULL-TIME. THE MAXIMUM TUITION
RATES SHALL BE SET REGIONALLY TO ACCOUNT FOR COST VARIATIONS AND ENSURE
FAIRNESS ACROSS PARTICIPATING SCHOOL DISTRICTS.
C. NONRESIDENT STUDENTS SEEKING ENROLLMENT SHALL SUBMIT APPLICATIONS
DURING THE OPEN ENROLLMENT WINDOW, AS DETERMINED BY THE PARTICIPATING
SCHOOL DISTRICTS. THE APPLICATION PROCESS SHALL BE FACILITATED BY THE
SCHOOL DISTRICTS, ENSURING ACCESSIBILITY AND FAIRNESS. ELIGIBILITY FOR
ENROLLMENT SHALL BE BASED ON FACTORS, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO
AVAILABLE SPACE, ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE, AND THE NEEDS OF THE STUDENT.
PRIORITY SHALL BE GIVEN TO STUDENTS WHO WOULD BENEFIT FROM SPECIALIZED
PROGRAMS OR SERVICES NOT AVAILABLE IN THEIR RESIDENT DISTRICT.
D. PARTICIPATING SCHOOL DISTRICTS SHALL COLLABORATE TO ENSURE A SEAM-
LESS TRANSFER OF STUDENT RECORDS, INCLUDING ACADEMIC TRANSCRIPTS, HEALTH
RECORDS, AND OTHER RELEVANT DOCUMENTATION NECESSARY FOR SUCH STUDENT'S
EDUCATIONAL CONTINUITY. SCHOOL DISTRICTS SHALL PROVIDE NONRESIDENT
STUDENTS WITH ACCESS TO APPROPRIATE EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS, RESOURCES, AND
SUPPORT SERVICES, ON PAR WITH THOSE PROVIDED TO RESIDENT STUDENTS.
§ 2. This act shall take effect immediately.
A. 2009 3
PART B
Section 1. Subparagraph 3 of paragraph bb of subdivision 4 of section
1950 of the education law, as amended by section 2 of part A of chapter
60 of the laws of 2000, is amended to read as follows:
(3) Such programs and services may include, but shall not be limited
to (a) expansion of itinerant teaching services in ANY COURSES OF STUDY
REQUIRED UNDER SUBDIVISION THREE OF SECTION THIRTY-TWO HUNDRED FOUR OF
THIS CHAPTER OR advanced academic subject courses, PROVIDED THAT NO
LIMITATION SHALL EXIST THAT RESTRICTS OR CONFINES THE LENGTH OF TIME
THAT AN ITINERANT TEACHER IS AUTHORIZED TO PROVIDE SUCH TEACHING
SERVICES PURSUANT TO THIS PARAGRAPH; (b) academic course offerings at
regular board of cooperative educational services centers or at leased
sites during the school year or summer school periods, as requested by
component districts; (c) block scheduling to enable students to attend
classes at a board of cooperative educational services center for an
entire school day; (d) satellite offerings of specific concentrations or
specializations sponsored by boards of cooperative educational services
at local schools, with cross-contracting for services; (e) expanded use
of interactive television and other technologies to offer academic
courses on site or at component school districts; and (f) programs of
academic intervention services approved by the commissioner designed to
fulfill the academic intervention services requirement imposed by the
regulations of the commissioner, provided that in approving such
programs and services for the two thousand--two thousand one school year
or thereafter, the commissioner shall assure that the program or service
results in a cost savings to all participating districts, disregarding
any aid pursuant to subdivision five of this section.
§ 2. This act shall take effect immediately.
§ 4. Severability clause. If any clause, sentence, paragraph, subdi-
vision, section or part of this act shall be adjudged by any court of
competent jurisdiction to be invalid, such judgment shall not affect,
impair, or invalidate the remainder thereof, but shall be confined in
its operation to the clause, sentence, paragraph, subdivision, section
or part thereof directly involved in the controversy in which such judg-
ment shall have been rendered. It is hereby declared to be the intent of
the legislature that this act would have been enacted even if such
invalid provisions had not been included herein.
§ 5. This act shall take effect immediately; provided, however, that
the applicable effective date of Parts A through B of this act shall be
as specifically set forth in the last section of such Parts.