What's happening
This bill allows school-owned, inspected agricultural vehicles to transport students if operated by a properly licensed agriculture teacher.
Why it matters
Expands hands-on learning opportunities. By allowing agricultural vehicles to transport students, the bill directly supports field trips, agricultural fairs, and hands-on instruction, making agricultural education more practical and accessible.
Increases flexibility and efficiency for schools. Rural and suburban schools often face challenges arranging traditional bus transportation for small groups; this change enables more efficient and cost-effective transportation using vehicles already owned by the school.
Emphasizes safety and oversight. The bill mandates that only school-owned, insured, and annually inspected vehicles may be used, and requires operators to be agriculture teachers with appropriate commercial driver’s licenses and passenger endorsements, ensuring student safety.
Aligns transportation with curriculum needs. The provision that vehicles must be used in a manner “directly related to the curriculum” ensures this flexibility is limited to educational purposes, preventing misuse and keeping the focus on student learning outcomes.
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Who cares
Headline styles
Allow Farm Vehicles for Students
Plain English, a few words. Used as the page title.
Sponsors
Senator · Senate District 55
No co-sponsors yet.
History
- Referred to education
Full text
1 pageUnderlined is new[Struck] is removedOfficial text on nysenate.gov ↗
STATE OF NEW YORK
8518
IN SENATE
May 9, 2018
Introduced by Sen. FUNKE -- 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 allowing for the transportation of students by a vehicle used for agricultural education purposes
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 57 to read as follows:
57. The commissioner, in collaboration with the commissioner of transportation, shall allow for the use of vehicles used in agricultural education for transporting pupils. Such vehicles shall be allowed to be used for pupil transportation where the vehicle:
a. is insured and owned by the school district;
b. has passed an inspection within the past year;
c. is operated by an agriculture teacher with a commercial driver's license with a passenger endorsement and the appropriate licensing for operating the vehicle;
d. is being used in a manner directly related to the curriculum as well as for transportation of pupils; and
e. has no more than the legally allowable amount of passengers.
§ 2. This act shall take effect immediately.
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD15802-01-8
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 allowing for the transportation of students by a vehicle used for agri- cultural education purposes
Purpose
This legislation would allow school students to be transported in vehi- cles other than registered school buses as long as they are used in agricultural education.
Summary of provisions
Section 1: adds a new subdivision 57 of section 305 of the education law to allow for the use of vehicles used in agricultural education for transporting pupils.
Section 2: provides for an immediate effective date
Justification
Of the 150 or so secondary agriculture education programs in New York State, perhaps 10 to 15 programs have an occasional need to use a school truck vehicle as part of the agriculture curriculum. In these instances, the vehicle is used as an educational resource providing students with opportunities that are practical, real-world applications beneficial to their future agriculturally-related work, jobs or careers. Such tasks are related to a variety of classroom instruction units and are taught as part of the classroom instruction in multifaceted agriculturally related settings.
Uses of a truck as an educational tool are numerous. Students learn how to properly load and secure various agricultural resources, attach implements such as trailers, and a host of other applications typically found in agriculture settings. A few circumstances that would apply: load and secure hay or animal feed; transport sap buckets/pumps or other equipment to a sugarbush; load and secure lawn mowers or other landscape equipment. Learning to safely carry out and participate in these tasks are an important part of the educational component.
Legislative history
This is a new bill
Fiscal implications
None
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.