Requires school districts to have diversity, equity and inclusion officers to develop methods to diversify the personnel of the school district and to recommend changes to district policies and practices to reduce racial disparities in hiring school district employees, particularly teachers; requires boards of education to annually report information regarding such policies and practices to the department of education; requires the department of education to annually report such information to the legislature.
Prohibits immigration enforcement in school settings; prohibits all public and charter schools from allowing law enforcement officials inside school property to access a student, except to address an imminent safety situation or if they have an appropriate judicial warrant or judicial order.
This bill requires New York public schools (K-12) to incorporate instruction in civility, citizenship, and character education into their existing curricula. It mandates teaching specific principles including honesty, tolerance, respect, personal responsibility, and anti-bullying measures, with explicit emphasis on addressing harassment and discrimination based on race, gender, religion, disability, sexual orientation, and other protected characteristics. The instruction must also cover safe and responsible internet use. The bill directs school regents to design how this component integrates into current courses, with the education commissioner handling regulatory details.
Provides that the commissioner of education may also withhold from any district or city its share of the public money of the state for willfully disobeying any provision of law, or for such decisions, orders or regulations as aforesaid whose willful violation constitutes an immediate threat to the health, safety, education or welfare of students, employees or visitors at such common school, educational institution, school district or public school.
Provides an annual tax levy limit allowing for expenditures directly or indirectly related to school safety, including improving district wide emergency response plans, training staff and/or students on school safety and/or conflict mediation, installing and maintaining safety technology and software in school buildings, hiring school resource officers, acquiring emergency medical equipment, installing fencing around the perimeter of school grounds, installing bulletproof doors and windows, acquiring and maintaining technology for expedited notification of local law enforcement during an emergency.
This bill requires school districts to create detailed site maps for emergency response as part of school safety plans. The maps must include floor plans, school grounds layouts, road maps of surrounding areas, and specific labels like hazardous materials locations, with features like true north orientation, grid coordinates, and compatibility with existing law enforcement software. Districts must verify map accuracy through initial and annual building walkthroughs. The bill also establishes funding eligibility through school building aid for approved mapping costs, ensuring schools don't need to purchase new software to share these maps with emergency responders.
This bill prohibits schools from discriminating against students based on religious attire, clothing, or facial hair required by their faith. It applies to all students on school property or at school events, adding these religious expressions to the list of protected characteristics under existing anti-bullying and anti-discrimination laws. The law explicitly prevents harassment or exclusion tied to religious practices while maintaining existing exemptions for gender-based course requirements under Title IX and disability accommodations under Section 504. It amends education law to clarify that schools cannot deny participation or impose penalties for religiously mandated dress or appearance.
This bill requires all New York public schools (K-12) to include a mandatory component on civility, citizenship, and character education in their curriculum. It mandates instruction on principles like honesty, respect, personal responsibility, and anti-bullying, with specific emphasis on discouraging harassment, discrimination, and promoting safety online. The curriculum must cover awareness of discrimination based on race, weight, national origin, religion, disability, sexual orientation, gender, and sex. School officials must integrate this into existing lessons without creating new programs, and the state education department will handle implementation rules. The law takes effect immediately upon enactment.
Prohibits the use of remote or virtual learning as a form of punishment or disciplinary action; provides exceptions for failure to comply with COVID-19 health and safety protocols.
Requires at least one full-time licensed or certified social worker to be employed in each elementary, intermediate, middle, junior high school and senior high school throughout the state.
