S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
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                                  5840

                       2015-2016 Regular Sessions

                          I N  A S S E M B L Y

                              March 5, 2015
                               ___________

Introduced by M. of A. KAVANAGH, 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-
lation to the contrary, school districts may elect to use one or more of

 EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                      [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                           LBD04519-01-5
              

A. 5840                             2

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.