Assembly Bill A8034

                             
                     S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                   8034
 
                        2025-2026 Regular Sessions
 
                           I N  A S S E M B L Y
 
                              April 22, 2025
                                ___________
 
 Introduced by M. of A. ROMERO -- read once and referred to the Committee
   on Higher Education
 
 AN  ACT  to amend the education law, in relation to mandatory continuing
   education for teachers relating to immigrant  focused  trauma-informed
   practices
 
   THE  PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND ASSEM-
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
 
   Section 1. 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:
   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. The
 department shall issue rigorous standards  for  courses,  programs,  and
 activities,  that  shall qualify as continuing teacher and leader educa-
 tion pursuant to this section. For purposes  of  this  section,  a  peer
 review  teacher,  or a principal acting as an independent trained evalu-
 ator, conducting a classroom observation as part of the  teacher  evalu-
 ation system pursuant to section three thousand twelve-d of this article
 may  credit  such time towards [his or her] THEIR continuing teacher and
 leader effectiveness requirements.
   b. (I) SUCH CONTINUING TEACHER AND LEADER EDUCATION REQUIRED  PURSUANT
 TO  THIS  SECTION SHALL INCLUDE, BUT NOT BE LIMITED TO, A MINIMUM OF TEN
 HOURS OF CONTINUING EDUCATION COURSES, PROGRAMS AND  ACTIVITIES  RELATED
 TO  IMMIGRANT  FOCUSED TRAUMA-INFORMED PRACTICES TO SUPPORT STUDENTS WHO
 ARE DEALING WITH ADVERSE CHILDHOOD OR ADOLESCENT EXPERIENCES AS A RESULT
 OF IMMIGRATION  STATUS.  FOR  PURPOSES  OF  THIS  PARAGRAPH,  "IMMIGRANT
 FOCUSED TRAUMA-INFORMED PRACTICES" MEANS A FOCUS ON THE IMPACT OF TRAUMA
 RELATED TO IMMIGRATION STATUS AND THE EFFECT SUCH TRAUMA HAS ON PHYSICAL
 HEALTH,  MENTAL  HEALTH,  EARLY  CHILDHOOD OR ADOLESCENT DEVELOPMENT AND
 
  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                            LBD02957-01-5
              

 A. 8034                             2
 
 CHILDHOOD OR ADOLESCENT TRAUMATIC STRESS. THE NUMBER OF HOURS OF CONTIN-
 UING EDUCATION REQUIRED RELATED  TO  IMMIGRANT  FOCUSED  TRAUMA-INFORMED
 PRACTICES  DURING EACH FIVE-YEAR REGISTRATION PERIOD SHALL BE DETERMINED
 BY THE DEPARTMENT.
   (II)  THE  DEPARTMENT  SHALL ENSURE, IN CONSULTATION WITH PROVIDERS OF
 CONTINUING TEACHER AND LEADER  EDUCATION,  THAT  COURSES,  PROGRAMS  AND
 ACTIVITIES  RELATED  TO  IMMIGRANT FOCUSED TRAUMA-INFORMED PRACTICES ARE
 MADE SUFFICIENTLY AVAILABLE FOR AN APPLICANT FOR REGISTRATION TO  COMPLY
 WITH THE REQUIREMENTS OF THIS PARAGRAPH.
   C.  Nothing  in  this  section shall limit the ability of local school
 districts to agree pursuant to collective bargaining to additional hours
 of professional development or continuing teacher  or  leader  education
 above the minimum requirements set forth in this section.
   [c.]  D.  A  certified individual who has not satisfied the continuing
 teacher and leader education requirements shall not be  issued  a  five-
 year  registration  certificate by the department and shall not practice
 unless and until a registration or conditional registration  certificate
 is issued as provided in subdivision three of this section. For purposes
 of  this  subdivision, "continuing teacher and leader education require-
 ments" shall mean activities designed to improve the teacher or leader's
 pedagogical and/or leadership  skills,  targeted  at  improving  student
 performance,  including but not limited to formal continuing teacher and
 leader education activities. Such activities shall promote  the  profes-
 sionalization  of  teaching and be closely aligned to district goals for
 student performance which meet the standards prescribed  by  regulations
 of the commissioner. To fulfill the continuing teacher and leader educa-
 tion  requirement,  programs must be taken from sponsors approved by the
 department, which shall include but not be limited to school  districts,
 pursuant to the regulations of the commissioner.
   § 2. This act shall take effect immediately.