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Senate Bill S8501

2025-2026 Legislative Session

Allows school districts to opt out of observing any state-designated cultural or religious holiday

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Current Bill Status - In Senate Committee Rules Committee

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2025-S8501 (ACTIVE) - Details

Current Committee:
Senate Rules
Law Section:
Education Law
Laws Affected:
Amd §3604, Ed L

2025-S8501 (ACTIVE) - Summary

Allows school districts to opt out of observing any state-designated cultural or religious holiday when less than ten percent of the school population observes such state-designated cultural or religious holiday.

2025-S8501 (ACTIVE) - Sponsor Memo

2025-S8501 (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf 

                             
                     S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                   8501
 
                        2025-2026 Regular Sessions
 
                             I N  S E N A T E
 
                            September 10, 2025
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by  Sen.  ORTT  --  read twice and ordered printed, and when
   printed to be committed to the Committee on Rules
 
 AN ACT to amend the  education  law,  in  relation  to  allowing  school
   districts  to  opt  out  of observing any state-designated cultural or
   religious holiday

   THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND  ASSEM-
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
 
   Section  1.  Section  3604 of the education law is amended by adding a
 new subdivision 8-c to read as follows:
   8-C. NOTWITHSTANDING ANY OTHER PROVISION OF LAW, SCHOOL DISTRICTS  MAY
 OPT  OUT OF OBSERVING ANY STATE-DESIGNATED CULTURAL OR RELIGIOUS HOLIDAY
 WHEN LESS THAN TEN PERCENT OF THE SCHOOL POPULATION OBSERVES SUCH STATE-
 DESIGNATED CULTURAL OR  RELIGIOUS  HOLIDAY.  NOTWITHSTANDING  ANY  OTHER
 PROVISION OF LAW, SCHOOL DISTRICTS SHOULD MAKE REASONABLE ACCOMMODATIONS
 FOR THOSE STUDENTS PARTICIPATING IN A STATE-DESIGNATED CULTURAL OR RELI-
 GIOUS  HOLIDAY, WHEN SUCH STATE-DESIGNATED CULTURAL OR RELIGIOUS HOLIDAY
 IS NOT OFFICIALLY OBSERVED DISTRICT-WIDE PURSUANT TO  THIS  SUBDIVISION.
 THIS  SUBDIVISION  DOES NOT APPLY WHEN ANY CULTURAL OR RELIGIOUS HOLIDAY
 IS DESIGNATED BY THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT. SCHOOL DISTRICTS MAY NOT  ELECT
 TO OPT OUT OF ANY CULTURAL OR RELIGIOUS HOLIDAY DESIGNATED BY THE FEDER-
 AL GOVERNMENT, FOR THE PURPOSES OF THIS SUBDIVISION.
   § 2. This act shall take effect immediately.
 
 
 
 
  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                            LBD13740-01-5

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