What's happening
This bill amends the Dignity for All Students Act to include private, religious, and denominational schools under its protections against discrimination and harassment.
Why it matters
Expands anti-discrimination protections to more students. By removing language that previously excluded private, religious, and denominational schools, this bill ensures students in these institutions are now explicitly protected from bullying, harassment, and discrimination under the Dignity for All Students Act.
May require new policies and training in private schools. Private, religious, and denominational schools would likely need to adopt or revise anti-bullying and anti-discrimination policies, conduct staff training, and establish procedures for addressing incidents, aligning them with standards already in place for public schools.
Creates equal accountability across educational environments. The amendment aims to close a legal loophole, holding all schools—regardless of their public or private status—to the same expectations regarding student safety and civil rights, which could have broad implications for how complaints and incidents are managed.
Could affect how religious beliefs interact with state requirements. By including religious schools, the bill may prompt discussions or legal challenges over the intersection of state-mandated protections and religious doctrine, especially where there might be conflicts between anti-discrimination requirements and a school’s religious teachings or practices.
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Who cares
Headline styles
Protect All Students from Bullying
Plain English, a few words. Used as the page title.
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
6438
2017-2018 Regular Sessions
IN SENATE
May 19, 2017
Introduced by Sen. HOYLMAN -- 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 including private, religious or denominational educational institutions to the "dignity for all students act"
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assembly, do enact as follows:
Section 1. Section 10 of the education law, as added by chapter 482 of the laws of 2010, is amended to read as follows:
§ 10. Legislative intent. The legislature finds that students' ability to learn and to meet high academic standards, and a school's ability to educate its students, are compromised by incidents of discrimination or harassment including bullying, taunting or intimidation. It is hereby declared to be the policy of the state to afford all students [in public schools] an environment free of discrimination and harassment. The purpose of this article is to foster civility in [public] schools and to prevent and prohibit conduct which is inconsistent with a school's educational mission.
§ 2. Subdivision 1 of section 11 of the education law, as added by chapter 482 of the laws of 2010, is amended to read as follows:
1. "School property" shall mean in or within any building, structure, athletic playing field, playground, parking lot, or land contained within the real property boundary line of [a public] an elementary or secondary school; or in or on a school bus, as defined in section one hundred forty-two of the vehicle and traffic law.
§ 3. Section 17 of the education law, as added by chapter 482 of the laws of 2010, is amended to read as follows:
§ 17. Application. Nothing in this article shall[:
1. Apply to private, religious or denominational educational institutions; or
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD10952-02-7
S. 6438 2
2. Preclude] preclude or limit any right or cause of action provided under any local, state or federal ordinance, law or regulation including but not limited to any remedies or rights available under the Individuals With Disabilities Education Act, Title VII of the Civil Rights Law of 1964, section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 or the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990.
§ 4. This act shall take effect immediately.
Reflowed for reading: line numbers and page breaks removed. Cite the official text.
Sponsor's memo
Title of bill
An act to amend the education law, in relation to including private, religious or denominational educational institutions to the "dignity for all students act"
Purpose or general idea of bill
This bill would protect all elementary, middle school and high school students in New York from harassment, bullying and discrimination by extending the Dignity for All Students Act to private schools.
Summary of specific provisions
Section one of the bill would amend Education Law section 10 by deleting the phrase in public schools" and the word "public" from the legislative intent section of the Dignity for All Students Act ("Dignity"). Section 2 of the bill would amend Education Law section 11, subdivision 1, by deleting the word "public" from the definition of school property. Section 3 of the bill would amend Education Law section 17 by deleting subdivision 1. Section 4 of the bill is the effective date.
Difference between original and amended version (if applicable)
N/A
Justification
Tragedies involving the harassment, bullying and discrimination of students are not limited to public schools, but the protections of the Dignity for All Students Act are. Sadly, students at private schools, including religious schools, can and have been bullied to the point of such despair that they kill themselves. While such schools may choose to adopt policies designed to prevent harassment, bullying and discrimination, they are not required to do so. This bill would apply Dignity's protections to all students in all schools in New York, whether public or private.
Prior legislative history
New bill.
Fiscal implications
None to the state or local governments.
Effective date
This act shall take effect immediately
Summaries, headlines and scores are AI-generated from the official bill text. How we score bills. Source: NYS Open Legislation.