This bill prohibits public and nonpublic schools, including charter schools, from purchasing or using biometric identifying technology like facial recognition for most purposes. The law allows exceptions for fingerprinting prospective employees to comply with education laws, logging into digital devices for academic use, and identifying employees who have provided written consent or whose unions have consented. The bill requires the director of the state education department to prepare a detailed report analyzing privacy risks, civil rights impacts, security effectiveness, data retention, breach risks, costs, and other factors before any such technology can be authorized for school use. This report must be made public and shared with state leaders while seeking feedback from teachers, parents, safety experts, and privacy advocates through public hearings.
Authorizes the commissioner of taxation and finance to establish segment special equalization rates starting in fiscal year 2026 for the Amityville Union Free School District and Farmingdale Union Free School District for the segments of the districts in the towns of Babylon and Oyster Bay.
Provides that for the purposes of educational leave, an eligible incarcerated individual shall include an incarcerated individual who is within two years of being an eligible incarcerated individual.
Requires the administration of certain vaccines for children in accordance with regulations issued by the commissioner, utilizing generally accepted medical standards and based on recommendations of the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Academy of Family Physicians, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, the American College of Physicians, the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, or other similar nationally or internationally recognized scientific organizations.
This bill (S 6155) modifies New York's Excelsior Scholarship program to help current recipients maintain eligibility as their income grows. It allows the maximum allowable adjusted gross income threshold to increase by up to 3% annually after the first semester of receiving the scholarship, rather than requiring students to stay below a fixed income limit. The state education corporation (the "corporation") will review and determine if this annual 3% increase (or further increases at its discretion) prevents disqualification due to rising household income. This directly affects undergraduate students at New York state public colleges who currently receive the Excelsior Scholarship and experience typical annual income growth.
Provides for the inclusion of a faculty or staff member on the board of trustees of community colleges elected by and from among the faculty and staff of the college.
Authorizes an additional $125 million for Phase 3 of the Rochester school facilities modernization program; extends phase 3 of the Rochester school facilities modernization program to 2033.
Prohibits discrimination against and harassment or bullying of students by other students on school property or at a school function; requires schools to investigate reports of bullying; requires schools to adopt a written, plain-language anti-bullying and harassment policy; requires school employees to report incidents of bullying or harassment.
This bill extends Monroe County's existing authority to impose an additional 1% sales and compensating use tax (on top of the current 3% rate) until November 30, 2027. The revenue from this tax will be distributed as follows: 5% to school districts outside Rochester, 3% to towns, 1.25% to villages, and 93.75% to the city of Rochester and Monroe County (with the county portion funding county operations). Distribution formulas are based on school enrollment for districts and population ratios for towns and villages, as defined in existing tax law. The extension covers the period from December 1, 2025, through November 30, 2027.
Senate Resolution 1236 amends a funding plan to add new recipients and adjust allocations for educational and arts grants. It directly affects school districts, public libraries, colleges, and nonprofit organizations by adding specific grantees like the Center for Educational Innovation ($80,000) and Fencing in the Park ($50,000) to the approved list. Key provisions require all funds to be allocated only after a senate-approved plan (listing grantees or allocation method) is included in a resolution passed by a majority vote. The resolution also allows reassigning funds between agencies like SUNY or the New York State Council on the Arts with senate and budget director approval. This updates the 2024-25 funding schedule without creating new policy.
