 
                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                          3024
 
                               2017-2018 Regular Sessions
 
                    IN SENATE
 
                                    January 19, 2017
                                       ___________
 
        Introduced  by  Sen. RITCHIE -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
          printed to be committed to the Committee on Education
 
        AN ACT to amend the education law, in  relation  to  maintaining  school
          libraries
 
          The  People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-
        bly, do enact as follows:

     1    Section 1. The education law is amended by adding a new section  274-a
     2  to read as follows:
     3    §  274-a.  School libraries. 1. Notwithstanding any other provision of
     4  law to the contrary and subject to the provisions of subdivision two  of
     5  this  section,  each  school district shall maintain a school library in
     6  each elementary and secondary school in the district, and shall employ a
     7  certified school library media specialist for each such school  library,
     8  in  accordance  with  regulations prescribed by the commissioner, within
     9  three years of the effective date of this section.
    10    2. The commissioner may, upon application by a school district,  waive
    11  the  applicability  of the provisions of subdivision one of this section
    12  to such school district upon a determination by  the  commissioner  that
    13  the  school  district  is  within a designated shortage area for library
    14  media specialists or that such school district's  needs  are  adequately
    15  met through a written sharing arrangement with a public library and such
    16  arrangement provides for adequate library access.
    17    §  2.  This act shall take effect on the first of July next succeeding
    18  the date on which it shall have become a law.
 
 
 
         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD08574-01-7
Relates to maintaining school libraries

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