What's happening
This bill requires school districts to allow students with alternative credentials to participate in high school graduation ceremonies with their peers.
Why it matters
Promotes inclusivity by ensuring students who earn alternative credentials (like a skills and achievement commencement credential or a career development and occupational studies credential) are recognized alongside peers, reducing stigma and fostering a more supportive school environment.
Requires school districts to create clear policies and procedures, and to provide annual written notice to students and families, ensuring transparency and consistent access to graduation ceremonies for all eligible students.
Defines a student’s “graduating class” as the twelfth-grade cohort they entered ninth grade with, ensuring students with nontraditional academic paths can still celebrate with their original classmates.
Upholds student choice by specifying that participation in graduation ceremonies is not mandatory, respecting individual preferences and circumstances.
Albany, before your first meeting.
Every bill that moved yesterday, summarized in a sentence and ranked by impact. The Albany Scorecard follows on Sundays.
Free. Unsubscribe in one click. Want alerts on specific bills? Create an account.
Who cares
Headline styles
Let All Students Graduate
Plain English, a few words. Used as the page title.
Sponsors
History
- Substituted by S7311
- Advanced to third reading cal.658
- Reported
- 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.
Let All Students Walk
Signed by Governor · Sponsor William J. Larkin Jr.
Full text
1 pageUnderlined is new[Struck] is removedOfficial text on nysenate.gov ↗
STATE OF NEW YORK
8947
IN ASSEMBLY
January 9, 2018
Introduced by M. of A. SKOUFIS -- read once and referred to the Committee on Education
AN ACT to amend the education law, in relation to allowing all students to participate in a high school graduation ceremony; and to repeal certain provisions of the education law relating thereto
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assembly, do enact as follows:
Section 1. Subdivision 9 of section 4402 of the education law, as added by a chapter of the laws of 2017 amending the education law relating to policies that allow students with disabilities to participate in a high school graduation ceremony as proposed in legislative bills numbers S. 4729-A and A. 1595-A, is REPEALED.
§ 2. Section 3204 of the education law is amended by adding a new subdivision 4-b to read as follows:
4-b. The board of education or the board of trustees of each school district shall establish a policy and adopt procedures to allow any student in such district to participate in the graduation ceremony of the student's high school graduating class and all related activities if such student has been awarded a skills and achievement commencement credential or career development and occupational studies commencement credential but has not otherwise qualified for a regents or local diploma. The policy and procedures shall provide annual written notice to all students and their parents or guardians about the school district's policy and procedures adopted in accordance with this subdivision. Nothing in this subdivision shall compel a student to participate in the high school graduation ceremony and activities. For purposes of this subdivision, a student's high school graduating class shall be the twelfth grade class with which such student entered into ninth grade.
§ 3. This act shall take effect on the same date and in the same manner as a chapter of the laws of 2017 amending the education law relating to policies that allow students with disabilities to participate in a high school graduation ceremony as proposed in legislative bills numbers S. 4729-A and A. 1595-A, takes effect.
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD04000-06-8
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.