What's happening
This bill requires schools to notify parents or guardians when an employee, volunteer, or administrator is formally reprimanded for inappropriate conduct involving their child.
Why it matters
Expands parental rights by mandating direct notification. whenever a school employee, volunteer, or administrator receives a formal written reprimand for inappropriate conduct with a specific child—potentially increasing transparency and trust between parents and schools.
Defines “employee,” “volunteer,” and “administrator” broadly,. so the law applies not only to teachers, but also to board members, contracted workers, and anyone in the school environment with direct student contact—potentially affecting a wide range of personnel and situations.
May increase administrative obligations for schools,. requiring the adoption of new policies and processes to ensure timely parental notification, which could prompt districts to revise how they handle and document investigations and disciplinary actions.
Includes carve-outs for existing collective bargaining agreements,. meaning some school staff covered by current union contracts might not immediately be subject to the new notification requirements, potentially creating temporary differences in how cases are handled within the same district.
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Who cares
Headline styles
Tell Parents About Staff Misconduct
Plain English, a few words. Used as the page title.
Sponsors
4 Multi-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
3176
2019-2020 Regular Sessions
IN ASSEMBLY
January 28, 2019
Introduced by M. of A. GUNTHER, BRAUNSTEIN, STECK, JAFFEE, MONTESANO, PALUMBO -- Multi-Sponsored by -- M. of A. ARROYO, CROUCH, PERRY, RIVERA -- read once and referred to the Committee on Education
AN ACT to amend the education law, in relation to the parent's right to know of allegations of inappropriate conduct by a school district employee, volunteer or administrator
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assembly, do enact as follows:
Section 1. The education law is amended by adding a new article 23-C to read as follows:
ARTICLE 23-C
PARENT'S RIGHT TO KNOW ACT Section 1134. Short title.
1135. Definitions.
1136. Parent's right to know.
§ 1134. Short title. This article shall be known and may be cited as the "parent's right to know act".
§ 1135. Definitions. For the purposes of this article the following terms shall have the following meanings:
1. "Employee" shall mean a school board member acting in his or her capacity as a school board member, as well as any person receiving compensation from a school district or employee of a contracted service provider or worker placed within the school under a public assistance employment program, pursuant to title nine-B of article five of the social services law, and consistent with the provisions of such title for the provision of services to such district, its students or employees, directly or through contract, whereby such services performed by such person involve direct student contact.
2. "Volunteer" shall mean any person, other than an employee, who provides services to a school or school district, which involve direct student contact.
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD01450-01-9
A. 3176 2
3. "Administrator" or "school administrator" shall mean a principal, assistant principal, superintendent or assistant superintendent of a public school, charter school or board of cooperative educational services, or other chief school officer.
§ 1136. Parent's right to know. Every public school district, or any other school which primarily serves persons under the age of eighteen and which is registered with the department shall, within sixty days of the enactment of this section, adopt a policy which shall provide for notification as soon as reasonably practicable to a parent or legal guardian of an affected student or students of inappropriate conduct by an employee, volunteer or administrator of a school district with respect to a particular student or students in the event that the superintendent of schools, the school board, or any member of the school board acting with the authorization of such board, such authorization to have been provided during an executive session, provides a written censure, reprimand, or otherwise in writing advises an employee, volunteer, or an administrator of the school district of such person's inappropriate conduct with respect to a particular student or students.
§ 2. This act shall take effect immediately; provided, however, that this act shall not impair any provision of a collective bargaining agreement in effect prior to the effective date of this act which is contradictory to the provisions of this act. Any such provisions shall expire no later than on such agreements existing expiration date.
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.