S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                   4820
 
                        2025-2026 Regular Sessions
 
                           I N  A S S E M B L Y
 
                             February 6, 2025
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by  M.  of A. E. BROWN, MAHER, DeSTEFANO, DURSO -- read once
   and referred to the Committee on Higher Education
 
 AN ACT to amend the education law, in relation  to  physical  therapists
   and  occupational  therapists in school districts and board of cooper-
   ative educational services

   THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND  ASSEM-
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
 
   Section 1. Section 912 of the education law, as amended by chapter 477
 of the laws of 2004, is amended to read as follows:
   § 912. Health  and welfare services to all children. The voters and/or
 trustees or board of education of  every  school  district  shall,  upon
 request  of the authorities of a school other than public, provide resi-
 dent children who attend such school with any or all of the  health  and
 welfare  services and facilities which are made available by such voters
 and/or trustees or board of education to or for children  attending  the
 public  schools  of the district. Such services may include, but are not
 limited to all services performed by a physician,  physician  assistant,
 PHYSICAL  THERAPIST,  OCCUPATIONAL THERAPIST, dentist, dental hygienist,
 registered professional nurse, nurse practitioner, school  psychologist,
 school  social  worker  or school speech therapist, and may also include
 dental prophylaxis,  vision  and  hearing  screening  examinations,  the
 taking  of  medical histories and the administration of health screening
 tests, the maintenance of cumulative health  records  and  the  adminis-
 tration of emergency care programs for ill or injured students. Any such
 services   or  facilities  shall  be  so  provided  notwithstanding  any
 provision of any charter or other provision of  law  inconsistent  here-
 with.  Where  children  residing  in one school district attend a school
 other than public located in another school district, the school author-
 ities of the district  of  residence  shall  contract  with  the  school
 authorities  of the district where such nonpublic school is located, for
 the provision of such health and welfare services and facilities to such
 
  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                            LBD01816-01-5
              

 A. 4820                             2
 
 children by the school district where such nonpublic school is  located,
 for  a consideration to be agreed upon between the school authorities of
 such districts, subject to the approval of the qualified voters  of  the
 district  of  residence when required under the provisions of this chap-
 ter. Every such contract shall be in writing and in the form  prescribed
 by the commissioner, and before such contract is executed the same shall
 be submitted for approval to the superintendent of schools having juris-
 diction  over  such  district  of  residence and such contract shall not
 become effective until approved by such superintendent.
   § 2. The education law is amended by adding a new section 3039 to read
 as follows:
   § 3039. PHYSICAL AND OCCUPATIONAL THERAPISTS. EACH SCHOOL DISTRICT  OR
 BOARD OF COOPERATIVE EDUCATIONAL SERVICES WHICH EMPLOYS A PHYSICAL THER-
 APIST  AS  LICENSED  PURSUANT  TO ARTICLE ONE HUNDRED THIRTY-SIX OF THIS
 CHAPTER OR AN OCCUPATIONAL THERAPIST LICENSED PURSUANT  TO  ARTICLE  ONE
 HUNDRED  FIFTY-SIX  OF THIS CHAPTER SHALL CATEGORIZE AND PAY SUCH THERA-
 PISTS IN ALIGNMENT WITH THE DEPARTMENT'S CAREER  LADDER  PATHWAY  FRAME-
 WORK.  EACH SCHOOL DISTRICT OR BOARD OF COOPERATIVE EDUCATIONAL SERVICES
 SHALL FURTHER OFFER SUCH THERAPISTS SCHOOL LEADERSHIP OPPORTUNITIES THAT
 ARE DEVELOPED COLLABORATIVELY AND SYSTEMATICALLY TO IMPLEMENT COMPREHEN-
 SIVE SYSTEMS OF PROFESSIONAL LEARNING, SUPPORT AND ADVANCEMENT  FOR  ALL
 EDUCATORS.
   §  3.  This act shall take effect on the first of July next succeeding
 the date on which it shall have become a law.