What's happening
This bill requires New York schools to develop and implement comprehensive school bus safety and security policies and include transportation personnel in safety teams.
Why it matters
Expands the scope of school safety planning. by requiring schools to address threats, acts of violence, and emergencies specifically related to school buses and transportation facilities, recognizing these as critical areas of vulnerability.
Mandates annual safety and security training for both staff and students. who use or work with school transportation, aiming to improve preparedness and reduce the risk of incidents on buses.
Requires yearly security reviews of bus garages and transportation facilities. , increasing accountability and helping identify and address potential safety risks before they escalate.
Formally includes bus drivers and transportation personnel on school safety teams. , ensuring their frontline perspectives and expertise are considered in district safety planning and response, potentially leading to more practical and effective protocols.
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Who cares
Headline styles
Improve School Bus Safety
Plain English, a few words. Used as the page title.
Sponsors
2 Co-sponsors
History
- Referred to education
Companion bill
The same bill in the other chamber. A bill becomes law when one version passes both houses and the governor signs it, so either number can carry it.
Improve School Bus Safety
In Assembly Committee · Education · Sponsor Carl L. Marcellino
Full text
2 pagesUnderlined is new[Struck] is removedOfficial text on nysenate.gov ↗
STATE OF NEW YORK
10537
IN ASSEMBLY
May 4, 2018
Introduced by M. of A. NOLAN -- read once and referred to the Committee on Education
AN ACT to amend the education law, in relation to the development of school bus safety and security policies and procedures
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assembly, do enact as follows:
Section 1. Paragraphs k and l of subdivision 2 of section 2801-a of the education law, as amended by section 1 of part B of chapter 54 of the laws of 2016, are amended and a new paragraph m is added to read as follows:
k. a description of the duties of hall monitors and any other school safety personnel, the training required of all personnel acting in a school security capacity, and the hiring and screening process for all personnel acting in a school security capacity; [and]
l. the designation of the superintendent, or superintendent's designee, as the district chief emergency officer responsible for coordinating communication between school staff and law enforcement and first responders, and ensuring staff understanding of the district-level safety plan. The chief emergency officer shall also be responsible for ensuring the completion and yearly updating of building-level emergency response plans[.]; and
m. policies and procedures relating to school bus safety and security, including:
(i) policies and procedures for responding to implied or direct threats of violence by or against students, school bus personnel, other school personnel, or other persons that involve a school bus or school transportation facility;
(ii) protocols for responding to acts of violence by or against students, school bus personnel, other school personnel, or other persons that involve a school bus or school transportation facility;
(iii) protocols for responding to emergency situations that involve a school bus or school transportation facility;
(iv) policies and procedures for annual school bus safety training for staff and students;
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD15490-01-8
A. 10537 2
(v) policies and procedures relating to an annual security review of each bus garage or other school district transportation facility.
§ 2. Subdivision 4 of section 2801-a of the education law, as amended by section 1 of part B of chapter 54 of the laws of 2016, is amended to read as follows:
4. Each district-wide school safety team shall be appointed by the board of education, or the chancellor in the case of the city school district of the city of New York, and shall include but not be limited to representatives of the school board, teacher, administrator, and parent organizations, school safety personnel, bus drivers and other school transportation personnel, and other school personnel. At the discretion of the board of education, or the chancellor in the case of the city of New York, a student may be allowed to participate on the safety team, provided however, that no portion of a confidential building-level emergency response plan shall be shared with such student nor shall such student be present where details of a confidential buildinglevel emergency response plan or confidential portions of a districtwide emergency response strategy are discussed. Each building-level emergency response team shall be appointed by the building principal, in accordance with regulations or guidelines prescribed by the board of education, chancellor or other governing body. Such building-level teams shall include but not be limited to representatives of teacher, administrator, and parent organizations, school safety personnel, bus drivers and other school transportation personnel, and other school personnel, community members, law enforcement officials, fire officials or other emergency response agencies, and any other representatives the board of education, chancellor or other governing body deems appropriate.
§ 3. This act shall take effect on the one hundred eightieth day after it shall have become a law.
Reflowed for reading: line numbers and page breaks removed. Cite the official text.
Summaries, headlines and scores are AI-generated from the official bill text. How we score bills. Source: NYS Open Legislation.