S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
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                                  5881

                       2009-2010 Regular Sessions

                          I N  A S S E M B L Y

                            February 23, 2009
                               ___________

Introduced  by  M. of A. DIAZ -- 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 section 46 of part H of chapter 83 of the laws  of  2002,  is
amended to read as follows:
  8.  No  school  shall  be in session on a Saturday 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 three 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,
provided  however,  notwithstanding  any  other  provision  of law, that
during the nineteen hundred  ninety-two--ninety-three  through  the  two
thousand  two--two  thousand  three  school  years  and  thereafter, 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-
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

 EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                      [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                           LBD09411-01-9
              

A. 5881                             2

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.