What's happening
This bill requires the education commissioner to recommend whether to adopt curriculum on understanding and accepting children with disabilities in K-12 schools.
Why it matters
Broad Stakeholder Input. The bill mandates that the education commissioner must gather input from teachers, administrators, parents, students, and educational experts, ensuring that any recommended curriculum is shaped by a wide array of voices and real-world classroom perspectives.
Balanced Curriculum Consideration. Before making recommendations, the commissioner is required to assess both the instructional time needed and whether new content could detract from other mandatory coursework, highlighting a deliberate approach to integrating disability awareness without overburdening existing schedules.
Transparency and Accountability. If the Board of Regents rejects the proposed curriculum, the commissioner must publicly report the reasons for rejection to top state officials and legislative education committees, increasing transparency and holding decision-makers accountable for their choices.
Timely Decision-Making. The legislation sets clear deadlines for action—requiring the commissioner to make recommendations within 180 days and the Board of Regents to act within 60 days—so that debates and decisions about disability inclusion in schools happen promptly, not languishing in bureaucracy.
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Who cares
Headline styles
Teach About Disabilities
Plain English, a few words. Used as the page title.
Sponsors
8 Co-sponsors
History
- Referred to education
- Referred to education
Full text
2 pagesUnderlined is new[Struck] is removedOfficial text on nysenate.gov ↗
STATE OF NEW YORK
6154
2017-2018 Regular Sessions
IN ASSEMBLY
February 27, 2017
Introduced by M. of A. CUSICK, JAFFEE, CRESPO, LUPARDO, COLTON, ZEBROW- SKI, TITUS, ABINANTI, PERRY -- Multi-Sponsored by -- M. of A. ABBATE, AUBRY, COOK, McDONALD, SIMANOWITZ, TITONE -- read once and referred to the Committee on Education
AN ACT to amend the education law, in relation to requiring the commissioner of education to make recommendations to the board of regents relating to the adoption of instruction on children with disabilities for students in grades kindergarten through twelve
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assembly, do enact as follows:
Section 1. Section 305 of the education law is amended by adding a new subdivision 56 to read as follows:
56. a. Notwithstanding any law to the contrary, the commissioner shall make recommendations to the board of regents relating to the adoption of instruction on children with disabilities for pupils in grades kindergarten through twelve to improve the understanding and acceptance of children with disabilities.
b. Prior to making the recommendations to the board of regents the commissioner shall:
(i) seek the recommendations of teachers, school administrators, teacher educators and others with educational expertise in the proposed curriculum;
(ii) seek comment from parents, students and other interested parties;
(iii) consider the amount of instructional time such curriculum will require and whether such time would detract from other mandated courses of study;
(iv) consider the fiscal impact, if any, on the state and school districts; and
(v) consider any additional factors the commissioner deems relevant.
c. No later than one hundred eighty days after the effective date of this subdivision, the commissioner shall provide a recommendation to the
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD00371-01-7
A. 6154 2
board of regents to either adopt and promulgate appropriate rules and regulations implementing such curriculum or reject the implementation of such curriculum. Upon receiving a recommendation from the commissioner, pursuant to this subdivision, the board of regents shall vote to either accept or reject the commissioner's recommendation no later than sixty days after receiving such recommendation.
d. If the board of regents adopts such curriculum, the curriculum requirement shall take effect no later than the next school year after such curriculum has been adopted.
e. If the board of regents rejects such curriculum, the commissioner shall provide a report as to the determination of the board to the governor, the temporary president of the senate, the speaker of the assembly and the chairs of the senate and assembly committees on education providing the reasons for such rejection not later than thirty days after the board of regents rejects such curriculum.
§ 2. This act shall take effect immediately.
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.