Requires that the NYS board of regents hold at least 2 meetings a year in New York city and requires announcements of the time, date, location and agenda thereof.

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S1411-2013 Actions

• Jan 9, 2013: REFERRED TO HIGHER EDUCATION

S1411-2013 Memo

BILL NUMBER:S1411

TITLE OF BILL:
An act
to amend the education law, in relation to monthly meetings of the New
York state board of regents

PURPOSE:
To encourage the parents of New York City students to attend and
participate in New York State Board of Regents meetings by requiring
at least two meetings each year to be held in New York City.

SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:
Amends section 204 of the education law by adding two new subsections
to the law.

New subsection 3 requires that the Board of Regents hold at least two
meetings each year in a city having a population of one million or
more (New York City). These meetings will he held at. time that will
allow for parental attendance and participation.

The Regents must announce the time, location, and agenda of these
meetings. These announcements will be made available on the Regents'
public website as well as the NYC Department of Education website.
The NYC Department of Education shall also much these announcements
to parent education advocates, teachers, principals, and school
administrators.

At each Regents meeting held in NYC, there will be a period of time
not less than 30 minutes prior to any board or committee action
during which members of the public may speak on any topic on the
agenda.

Committee meetings will be webcast in the same manner as general board
meetings.

JUSTIFICATION:
This bill is a response in part to requests made by parent education
associations for more input into decisions made by the New York State
Board of Regents, the governing body for the state education system.
Enactment of this bill would allow parents direct access to policy
changes and other relevant information that would affect their
children's education. This bill will increase transparency and
accountability when it comes to decisions made at the state level
that impact all stakeholders in the education system, including
students, parents, and teachers.

LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:
2011-2012: S.6322 - Died in Committee

FISCAL IMPLICATIONS: Unknown.

EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act shall take effect 120 days after it becomes law. Effective
immediately, the addition, amendment and/or repeal of any rule or


regulation necessary for the implementation of this act on its
effective date is authorized to be made on or before such date.

S1411-2013 Text

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

                                    1411

                         2013-2014 Regular Sessions

                              I N  SENATE

                                 (PREFILED)

                               January 9, 2013
                                 ___________

  Introduced by Sens. MONTGOMERY, ADAMS, ADDABBO, AVELLA, KRUEGER, PARKER,
    SAVINO  --  read  twice  and  ordered  printed, and when printed to be
    committed to the Committee on Higher Education

  AN ACT to amend the education law, in relation to  monthly  meetings  of
    the New York state board of regents

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


    Section 1. Section 204 of the education law  is  amended  to  read  as
  follows:

    S 204. Meetings  and  absences. 1. The regents may provide for regular
  meetings, and the chancellor, or the commissioner of education,  or  any
  five  regents,  may  at  any time call a special meeting of the board of
  regents and fix the time and place therefor;  and  at  least  ten  days'
  notice  of  every  meeting  shall be mailed to the usual address of each
  regent.
    2. If any regent shall fail  to  attend  three  consecutive  meetings,
  without excuse accepted as satisfactory by the regents, he may be deemed
  to  have  resigned  and the regents shall then report the vacancy to the
  legislature, which shall fill it.
    3. A. THE REGENTS SHALL HOLD AT LEAST TWO MEETINGS  IN  EACH  CALENDAR
  YEAR IN A CITY HAVING A POPULATION OF ONE MILLION OR MORE. SUCH MEETINGS
  SHALL BE HELD AT A TIME TO ENSURE PARENTAL ATTENDANCE AND PARTICIPATION.
    B.  (I)  THE  REGENTS  SHALL ANNOUNCE THE LOCATION, TIME AND AGENDA OF
  EACH MEETING TO BE HELD IN A CITY HAVING A POPULATION OF ONE MILLION  OR
  MORE  WHENEVER SUCH MEETING IS SCHEDULED, BUT NOT LATER THAN THREE WEEKS
  BEFORE THE MEETING DATE  TO  ALLOW  ADEQUATE  TIME  FOR  PUBLIC  REVIEW.
  PROVIDED,  HOWEVER, THAT IF AN AGENDA FOR ANY SUCH MEETING IS NOT AVAIL-
  ABLE, SUCH AGENDA SHALL BE ANNOUNCED AS SOON AS IT BECOMES AVAILABLE.
    (II) SUCH ANNOUNCEMENTS SHALL BE MADE AVAILABLE ON THE REGENTS' PUBLIC
  WEBSITE AND THE NEW YORK CITY DEPARTMENT OF  EDUCATION  WEBSITE  IN  THE

   EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                        [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                             LBD04046-01-3

 S. 1411                             2

  SAME  MANNER  AS  OTHER PUBLIC MEETINGS ARE ANNOUNCED. THE NEW YORK CITY
  DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION SHALL INFORM PARENT EDUCATION ADVOCATES,  TEACH-
  ERS,  PRINCIPALS  AND  OTHER SCHOOL ADMINISTRATORS OF THE LOCATION, TIME
  AND  AGENDA  OF  SUCH MEETINGS HELD IN A CITY HAVING A POPULATION OF ONE
  MILLION OR MORE. FOR THE PURPOSES OF THIS SUBDIVISION, THE TERM  "PARENT
  EDUCATION ADVOCATES" SHALL INCLUDE, BUT NOT BE LIMITED TO PARENT ASSOCI-
  ATIONS, PARENT-TEACHER ASSOCIATIONS, SCHOOL LEADERSHIP TEAMS, PRESIDENTS
  COUNCILS,  DISTRICT  LEADERSHIP  TEAMS  AND  CITYWIDE  AND COMMUNITYWIDE
  EDUCATION COUNCILS.
    C. AT EACH MEETING OF THE REGENTS HELD IN A CITY HAVING  A  POPULATION
  OF  ONE  MILLION OR MORE, THE PUBLIC SHALL BE ALLOTTED A PERIOD OF TIME,
  NOT LESS THAN THIRTY MINUTES, TO SPEAK ON ANY TOPIC ON THE  AGENDA.  THE
  PUBLIC  SPEAKING PERIOD SHALL TAKE PLACE PRIOR TO ANY BOARD OR COMMITTEE
  ACTION.
    4. EVERY COMMITTEE MEETING OF THE REGENTS SHALL BE WEBCAST IN THE SAME
  MANNER AS GENERAL BOARD MEETINGS.
    S 2. This act shall take effect on the one hundred twentieth day after
  it shall have become a law. Effective immediately, the addition,  amend-
  ment and/or repeal of any rule or regulation necessary for the implemen-
  tation  of this act on its effective date is authorized to be made on or
  before such date.