S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
________________________________________________________________________

                                  2036

                       2013-2014 Regular Sessions

                          I N  A S S E M B L Y

                               (PREFILED)

                             January 9, 2013
                               ___________

Introduced  by M. of A. KAVANAGH, STEVENSON, CAMARA, JAFFEE -- read once
  and referred to the Committee on Education

AN ACT to amend the education law, in relation to school session days

  THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND  ASSEM-
BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:

  Section  1.  Subdivision  8  of  section 3604 of the education law, as
amended by chapter 260 of the laws  of  2012,  is  amended  to  read  as
follows:
  8.  No  school shall be in session on a Saturday, GENERAL ELECTION DAY
or a legal holiday, except [general election day,] Washington's birthday
and Lincoln's birthday, and except that driver education classes may  be
conducted on a Saturday. A deficiency not exceeding four days during any
school  year  caused  by  teachers'  attendance upon conferences held by
superintendents of schools of city  school  districts  or  other  school
districts  employing  superintendents of schools shall be excused by the
commissioner, notwithstanding any provision of law, rule  or  regulation
to the contrary, a school district may elect to schedule such conference
days  in  the last two weeks of August, subject to collective bargaining
requirements pursuant to article fourteen of the civil service law,  and
such  days shall be counted towards the required one hundred eighty days
of session, provided however, that such scheduling shall not  alter  the
obligation  of the school district to provide transportation to students
in non-public elementary and secondary schools or charter  schools.  The
commissioner  shall  excuse  a deficiency not exceeding four days during
such school year caused by teachers' attendance upon conferences held by
such superintendents, provided that at least two  such  conference  days
during  such  school  year  shall  be dedicated to staff attendance upon
conferences providing staff development relating  to  implementation  of
the new high learning standards and assessments, as adopted by the board
of  regents.  Notwithstanding  any other provision of law, rule or regu-

 EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                      [ ] is old law to be omitted.
              

                                                           LBD03198-01-3

A. 2036                             2

lation to the contrary, school districts may elect to use one or more of
such allowable conference days in units of not less than one  hour  each
to  provide  staff  development activities relating to implementation of
the  new high learning standards and assessments. A district making such
election may provide such staff development during the regularly  sched-
uled  daily  session and apply such units to satisfy a deficiency in the
length of one or more daily sessions of instruction for pupils as speci-
fied in regulations of the commissioner. The commissioner  shall  assure
that such conference days include appropriate school violence prevention
and  intervention  training, and may require that up to one such confer-
ence day be dedicated for such purpose.
  S 2. This act shall take effect immediately.