Relates to extending the timeframe for school professionals applying for certification to complete training on the social patterns of harassment, bullying and discrimination

BILL NUMBER:S5558

Title of bill

An act to amend the education law, in relation to extending the timeframe for school professionals applying for certification to complete training on the social patterns of harassment, bullying and discrimination

Purpose of the bill:

The purpose of this bill is to provide an extension of the date after which applicants for certification as teachers or other professional educators would be required to complete certain training requirements relating to harassment, bullying and discrimination under the provisions of Chapter 102 of the Laws of 2012.

Summary of the provisions of the bill:

Section 1 of the bill would amend subdivision 5 of section 14 of the Education Law to extend the date upon which school professionals applying for a teaching or school leader certificate would be required to complete training on the social patterns of harassment, bullying and discrimination, the identification and mitigation of harassment, bullying and discrimination, and strategies for effectively addressing problems of exclusion, bias and aggression in educational settings from July 1, 2013 to December 31, 2013.

Section 2 of the bill is the effective date.

Statement in Support of the Bill:

An extension of the implementation deadline for the training requirement prescribed in Chapter 102 of the Laws of 2012 for school professionals is needed to ensure there is sufficient access to the training before school professionals apply for a certificate. The Department has been consulting with the Dignity Act Work Group for the last several months to develop a syllabus for the 6-hour training course. The syllabus is being finalized, however, the Department cannot post applications for approved providers until the syllabus is complete and there are less than two months for school professionals applying for a certificate on July 1, 2013 to complete such training. Therefore, an extension of time is needed in order to ensure that the syllabus is properly developed, that there is adequate time for providers of such training to apply to the Department to become an approved provider so that they can coordinate the needed recourses such as qualified instructors, high quality support materials and facilities - that they will need to meet Department standards.

In addition, it is essential that students seeking certification, or current teachers seeking a new certification, have access to approved providers. Since the regulations require that at least 3 hours of the training be provided in a face-to-face format, ensuring broad access is critical to ensure that individuals seeking a certification will not be severely inconvenienced, that accessing an approved provider will not prove cost prohibitive or that individuals are simply unable to attend an approved workshop.

Budgetary implications of the bill:

None.

Prior legislative history:

Chapter 482 of the Laws of 2010 enacted the Dignity for All Students Act. Chapter 102 of the Laws of 2012 enacted several revisions to the original Dignity Act, including a provision that required school professionals applying for a certificate or license on or after July 1, 2013 to complete certain training in harassment, bullying and discrimination.

Effective date:

This bill will become effective immediately.