S 2631 New York Senate · 2025 Regular Session

Requires public elementary schools to start no earlier than eight a.m. and public secondary schools to start no earlier than eight thirty a.m.

This bill requires all public elementary schools in the state to start classes no earlier than 8:00 a.m. and public secondary schools (high schools) no earlier than 8:30 a.m. It directly affects public schools by mandating these start times for all academic years beginning after the bill takes effect. The key mechanism links school funding to compliance: schools must report in their annual reports that they met the start time requirements to receive state apportionments. The law applies immediately to all affected schools, with no exceptions for earlier start times.
Bill status in committee 1 of 4 stages cleared
Introduction
Jan 2025
Committee Review
Floor Vote
Governor
Introduced Jan 22, 2025 Last action Jan 7, 2026
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What changed between versions

S2631 S2631A · 3 edits
MINOR
This bill amends New York's education law to require public secondary schools (which includes high schools) to start no earlier than 8:30 a.m., replacing the previous specific reference to 'high schools' with the broader term 'secondary schools.' The change expands the requirement to potentially include middle schools and other secondary-level institutions beyond just high schools.
Scope change
The bill's scope was expanded from applying only to public high schools to applying to all public secondary schools, which may include middle schools and other secondary-level institutions.
REQUIREMENT

Changed the requirement from 'public high schools' to 'public secondary schools' in the commissioner's rule-making authority, expanding the schools subject to the 8:30 a.m. start time requirement.

ELIGIBILITY

Updated the funding eligibility criteria to apply the 8:30 a.m. start time requirement to 'public secondary schools' instead of 'public high schools,' affecting which schools qualify for school moneys based on start times.

TECHNICAL

Minor formatting changes including bill number designation (2631 to 2631--A), committee discharge language, and explanation document numbering.

Floor votes

How they voted

No floor votes recorded yet.
Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions
4
Key actions
2
Committee
2
Amendments
2
Jan 7, 2026
Committee
REFERRED TO EDUCATION
upper
Jan 27, 2025
Upper · Passed
PRINT NUMBER 2631A
upper
Jan 27, 2025
Upper · Passed
AMEND (T) AND RECOMMIT TO EDUCATION
upper
Jan 22, 2025
Committee
REFERRED TO EDUCATION
upper
1 primary · 1 co-sponsor

Sponsors