What's happening
This bill requires that all special education students be assigned to new schools before a school closure or major change takes effect.
Why it matters
Ensures Special Education Students Have Placements Before Closures. The bill requires that every special education student from a closing or changing school must be assigned to a new school before any closure or significant change actually happens. This reduces uncertainty and disruption for vulnerable students and their families.
Mandates Verification of Capacity at Receiving Schools. Before a closure or major change can proceed, the Chancellor must confirm that receiving schools have enough capacity to take in all assigned special education students, plus at least 10% more students overall. This aims to prevent overcrowding and ensure adequate resources and support services.
Increases Transparency and Planning in School Changes. The law requires a publicly available list of where each affected special education student will be placed, and adds this information to the mandatory educational impact statements. This makes the process more transparent and gives families better information for planning.
Potential to Slow or Complicate Closure Process. By making these steps a legal prerequisite, the bill could slow down the timeline for school closures or significant changes, possibly making it harder for districts to quickly shift resources but protecting the interests of students with special needs.
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Who cares
Headline styles
Assign Special Ed Before Closures
Plain English, a few words. Used as the page title.
Sponsors
10 Co-sponsors
2 Multi-sponsors
History
- Referred to education
- 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.
Protect Special Ed School Transfers
In Senate Committee · Education · Sponsor Velmanette Montgomery
Full text
2 pagesUnderlined is new[Struck] is removedOfficial text on nysenate.gov ↗
STATE OF NEW YORK
1347
2017-2018 Regular Sessions
IN ASSEMBLY
January 11, 2017
Introduced by M. of A. SIMON, ARROYO, MOSLEY, FAHY, SEAWRIGHT, GOTT- FRIED, TITONE, BLAKE -- Multi-Sponsored by -- M. of A. HEVESI -- read once and referred to the Committee on Education
AN ACT to amend the education law, in relation to requiring that all special education students attending schools scheduled to be closed or to undergo a significant change be assigned to new schools prior to the implementation of the closing or change
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assembly, do enact as follows:
Section 1. Paragraphs (b) and (e) of subdivision 2-a of section 2590-h of the education law, as added by chapter 345 of the laws of 2009, are amended to read as follows:
(b) Such educational impact statement shall include the following information regarding the proposed school closing or significant change in school utilization:
(i) the current and projected pupil enrollment of the affected school, the prospective need for such school building, the ramifications of such school closing or significant change in school utilization upon the community, initial costs and savings resulting from such school closing or significant change in school utilization, the potential disposability of any closed school;
(ii) the impacts of the proposed school closing or significant change in school utilization to any affected students;
(iii) an outline of any proposed or potential use of the school building for other educational programs or administrative services;
(iv) the effect of such school closing or significant change in school utilization on personnel needs, the costs of instruction, administration, transportation, and other support services;
(v) the type, age, and physical condition of such school building, maintenance, and energy costs, recent or planned improvements to such school building, and such building's special features;
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD00795-01-7
A. 1347 2
(vi) the ability of other schools in the affected community district to accommodate pupils following the school closure or significant change in school utilization, the current and projected pupil enrollment at each such other school and a list of affected special education school students scheduled to attend each such other school; and
(vii) information regarding such school's academic performance including whether such school has been identified as a school under registration review or has been identified as a school requiring academic progress, a school in need of improvement, or a school in corrective action or restructuring status.
(e) (i) Except as otherwise provided in paragraph (f) of this subdivision, all proposed school closings or significant changes in school utilization shall be approved by the city board pursuant to section twenty-five hundred ninety-g of this article and shall not take effect until all the provisions of this subdivision have been satisfied and the school year in which such city board approval was granted, has ended.
(ii) Except as otherwise provided in paragraph (f) of this subdivision, no proposed school closing or significant change in school utilization shall take effect until all special education pupils in the affected school have been assigned to new schools within the city of New York and the chancellor has verified that each new school within the city of New York accepting special education students from the affected school can accommodate such pupils as well as an additional increase in the total number of pupils of no less than ten percent of the total school pupil population.
§ 2. This act shall take effect immediately; provided that the amendments to subdivision 2-a of section 2590-h of the education law made by section one of this act shall not affect the repeal of such subdivision and shall be deemed repealed therewith.
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.