S T A T E O F N E W Y O R K
________________________________________________________________________
9250--A
2025-2026 Regular Sessions
I N A S S E M B L Y
November 7, 2025
___________
Introduced by M. of A. WOERNER -- read once and referred to the Commit-
tee on Education -- committee discharged, bill amended, ordered
reprinted as amended and recommitted to said committee
AN ACT to amend the education law, in relation to requiring the instal-
lation of school master key boxes for building access by law enforce-
ment and emergency responders
THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND ASSEM-
BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
Section 1. The education law is amended by adding a new section 409-o
to read as follows:
§ 409-O. MASTER KEY BOX. 1. (A) THE BOARD OF EDUCATION OR TRUSTEES OF
EVERY PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICT, NON-PUBLIC SCHOOL OR EDUCATIONAL INSTITU-
TION, BOARD OF COOPERATIVE EDUCATION SERVICES, COUNTY VOCATIONAL EDUCA-
TION AND EXTENSION BOARD WITHIN THE STATE AND CHANCELLOR OF THE CITY
SCHOOL DISTRICT OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK SHALL ARRANGE FOR, REQUIRE, AND
INSTALL (I) AT LEAST ONE EXTERIOR MASTER KEY BOX ON THE CAMPUS OF ANY
SUCH PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICT, NON-PUBLIC SCHOOL OR EDUCATIONAL INSTITU-
TION AND (II) ON EVERY INSTRUCTIONAL SCHOOL BUILDING OPERATED IN A NON-
CAMPUS SETTING TO PERMIT EMERGENCY ACCESS TO BOTH LAW ENFORCEMENT
AUTHORITIES AND EMERGENCY RESPONDERS FROM AN EXTERIOR LOCATION DESIG-
NATED BY SUCH BOARD OR CHANCELLOR IN COLLABORATION WITH LOCAL LAW
ENFORCEMENT AUTHORITIES, PROVIDED THAT SUCH REQUIREMENT SHALL BE WAIVED
IF THE BOARD OF EDUCATION OR TRUSTEES OF THE PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICT,
NON-PUBLIC SCHOOL OR EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTION, BOARD OF COOPERATIVE
EDUCATION SERVICES, COUNTY VOCATIONAL EDUCATION AND EXTENSION BOARD, OR
CHANCELLOR OF THE CITY SCHOOL DISTRICT OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK MAINTAINS
A WRITTEN AGREEMENT WITH LOCAL LAW ENFORCEMENT AUTHORITIES ACKNOWLEDGING
AND APPROVING A DETERMINATION TO EXCLUDE ONE OR MORE PRESCRIBED EXTERIOR
MASTER KEY BOXES FROM THEIR SCHOOL SAFETY PLAN.
(B) THE BOARD OF EDUCATION OR TRUSTEES OF A PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICT,
NON-PUBLIC SCHOOL OR EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTION, BOARD OF COOPERATIVE
EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD13081-02-5
A. 9250--A 2
EDUCATION SERVICES, COUNTY VOCATIONAL EDUCATION AND EXTENSION BOARD, OR
CHANCELLOR OF THE CITY SCHOOL DISTRICT OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK SHALL
COLLABORATE WITH LAW ENFORCEMENT AUTHORITIES TO CONSIDER INCLUDING THE
FOLLOWING ITEMS IN ANY MASTER KEY BOXES INSTALLED IN ACCORDANCE WITH
THEIR SCHOOL SAFETY PLAN:
(I) MASTER EXTERNAL AND INTERNAL KEYS;
(II) ACCESS CARDS;
(III) MAPS OF THE SCHOOL BUILDINGS.
2. EACH MASTER KEY BOX SHALL MEET THE BASIC COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS
STANDARD FOR ANTITHEFT ALARMS AND DEVICES AS PRESCRIBED UNDER THE UNDER-
WRITERS LABORATORIES STANDARD UL 1037.
§ 2. Paragraph f of subdivision 2 of section 2801-a of the education
law, as amended by chapter 227 of the laws of 2022, is amended to read
as follows:
f. policies and procedures relating to school building security,
including where appropriate the use of school safety officers and/or
security devices or procedures. District-wide school safety teams shall
consider, as part of its reviews of the comprehensive district-wide
safety plan, the installation of a panic alarm system, AND SHALL, IN THE
ABSENCE OF A WRITTEN AGREEMENT WITH LOCAL LAW ENFORCEMENT AUTHORITIES TO
THE CONTRARY, INCLUDE INSTALLATION OF ONE OR MORE EXTERIOR SECURE MASTER
KEY BOXES IN ACCORDANCE WITH SECTION FOUR HUNDRED NINE-O OF THIS
CHAPTER. For purposes of this paragraph, "panic alarm system" shall mean
a silent security system signal generated by the manual activation of a
device intended to signal a life-threatening or emergency situation
requiring a response from local law enforcement or, in the case of a
school building located in a municipality in which there is no municipal
police department, a location designated by the superintendent of state
police and may include one or more of the following: wired panic button
or buttons, wireless panic button or buttons or a mobile or computer
application;
§ 3. Paragraph c of subdivision 3 of section 2801-a of the education
law, as amended by section 1 of part B of chapter 54 of the laws of
2016, is amended to read as follows:
c. floor plans, blueprints, schematics or other maps of the school
interior, school grounds and road maps of the immediate surrounding area
AND, IF APPLICABLE, THE LOCATION AND CONTENTS OF ANY EXTERIOR MASTER KEY
BOX INSTALLED ON SCHOOL GROUNDS OR AT ANY INSTRUCTIONAL SCHOOL BUILDING
OPERATED IN A NON-CAMPUS SETTING;
§ 4. Subdivision 6-c of section 3602 of the education law, as amended
by chapter 1 of the laws of 2013, and paragraph b as amended by section
9 of part A of chapter 56 of the laws of 2023, is amended to read as
follows:
6-c. a. Building aid for metal detectors, [and] SECURITY CAMERAS,
safety devices for electrically operated partitions, room dividers and
doors, AND EXTERIOR MASTER KEY BOXES. In addition to the apportionments
payable to a school district pursuant to subdivision six of this
section, the commissioner is hereby authorized to apportion to any
school district additional building aid pursuant to this subdivision for
its approved expenditures in the base year for the purchase of station-
ary metal detectors, security cameras, safety devices for electrically
operated partitions and room dividers required pursuant to section four
hundred nine-f of this chapter, EXTERIOR MASTER KEY BOXES REQUIRED
PURSUANT TO SECTION FOUR HUNDRED NINE-O OF THIS CHAPTER, or other secu-
rity devices approved by the commissioner that increase the safety of
students and school personnel, provided, however, that funds apportioned
A. 9250--A 3
to school districts pursuant to this section shall not supplant funds
for existing district expenditures or for existing contractual obli-
gations of the district for stationary metal detectors, security
cameras, partition and room divider safety devices, EXTERIOR MASTER KEY
BOXES, or security devices. Portable or hand held metal detectors shall
not be eligible for aid pursuant to this subdivision. Such additional
aid shall equal the product of the building aid ratio computed for use
in the current year pursuant to paragraph c of subdivision six of this
section and the actual approved expenditures incurred in the base year
pursuant to this subdivision, provided that the limitations on cost
allowances prescribed by paragraph a of subdivision six of this section
shall not apply. The commissioner shall annually prescribe a special
cost allowance for metal detectors, [and] security cameras, AND EXTERIOR
MASTER KEY BOXES, and the approved expenditures shall not exceed such
cost allowance. The commissioner shall annually prescribe a special cost
allowance for partition and room divider safety devices, and the
approved expenditures shall not exceed such cost allowance.
b. For projects approved by the commissioner authorized to receive
additional building aid pursuant to this subdivision for the purchase of
stationary metal detectors, security cameras, EXTERIOR MASTER KEY BOXES,
or other security devices approved by the commissioner that increase the
safety of students and school personnel, provided that for purposes of
this paragraph such other security devices shall be limited to electron-
ic security systems and hardened doors, and provided that for projects
approved by the commissioner on or after the first day of July two thou-
sand thirteen such additional aid shall equal the product of (i) the
building aid ratio computed for use in the current year pursuant to
paragraph c of subdivision six of this section plus ten percentage
points, except that in no case shall this amount exceed one hundred
percent, and (ii) the actual approved expenditures incurred in the base
year pursuant to this subdivision, provided that the limitations on cost
allowances prescribed by paragraph a of subdivision six of this section
shall not apply, and provided further that any projects aided under this
paragraph must be included in a district's school safety plan. The
commissioner shall annually prescribe a special cost allowance for metal
detectors, [and] security cameras, AND EXTERIOR MASTER KEY BOXES, and
the approved expenditures shall not exceed such cost allowance.
§ 5. This act shall take effect the first of July next succeeding the
date on which it shall become a law.