What's happening
This bill allows Buffalo, Rochester, Syracuse, and Yonkers school districts to provide transportation for students living half a mile or more from school if safety concerns exist, and requires a three-year impact report.
Why it matters
Expands transportation eligibility. for K-12 students living as close as half a mile from school, but only if the state commissioner determines there are safety concerns—potentially protecting students who would otherwise have to walk in dangerous conditions.
Requires school boards to create and publicly approve safety-based transportation plans. , with oversight and approval from the state commissioner, increasing local accountability and transparency in how transportation decisions are made.
Mandates an official three-year impact report. that must analyze both financial costs/benefits and effects on student attendance and academic performance, ensuring that lawmakers and the public have data to evaluate whether the policy improves safety and educational outcomes.
Ensures equity by mandating that transportation, if offered, be available to all students in similar situations. within the district, preventing selective or preferential access and aiming for fair treatment across neighborhoods.
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Who cares
Headline styles
Expand School Bus Services
Plain English, a few words. Used as the page title.
Sponsors
No co-sponsors yet.
History
- Referred to education
- 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.
Expand School Bus Service
In Assembly Committee · Education · Sponsor William Magnarelli
Full text
1 pageUnderlined is new[Struck] is removedOfficial text on nysenate.gov ↗
STATE OF NEW YORK
5957
2019-2020 Regular Sessions
IN SENATE
May 16, 2019
Introduced by Sen. MAY -- 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 transportation services for certain school districts
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assembly, do enact as follows:
Section 1. Subdivision 1 of section 3635 of the education law is amended by adding a new paragraph h to read as follows:
h. Notwithstanding any other provision of law to the contrary, the city school districts of the cities of Buffalo, Rochester, Syracuse and Yonkers, pursuant to adoption of a resolution by the board of education setting forth a plan, and approval of such plan by the commissioner, may provide transportation services for children residing within the district attending kindergarten through grade twelve who live one half mile or more from the school they legally attend if such transportation is deemed necessary pursuant to a determination by the commissioner due to safety concerns. Such transportation services shall be restricted to transportation to and from children's homes or before or after-school child care locations and, if offered, shall be provided for each student up to a distance of fifteen miles. Transportation pursuant to this paragraph shall be offered equally to all children in like circumstances residing in the district. For the purpose of computing approved transportation expenses for transportation aid, expenses for transportation provided pursuant to this paragraph shall be included. The school district shall provide a report to the governor, the speaker of the assembly, the temporary president of the senate and the commissioner on the results of the first three years of the program, including the cost and benefit analysis of increased or decreased costs for the school district and the state, and the impact on student attendance and academic performance of the school district, on or before September fifteenth, two thousand twenty-two.
§ 2. This act shall take effect immediately.
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD11801-02-9
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 transportation services for certain school districts
Purpose or general idea of bill
To authorize the city school districts of Buffalo, Rochester, Syracuse and Yonkers to provide transportation and receive transportation aid for pupils residing one half mile or more from school in instances where the Commissioner of the State Education Department deems there are safety concerns.
Summary of specific provisions
A new paragraph h is added to subdivision 1 of section 3635 of the education law to authorize the city school districts of Buffalo, Roches- ter, Syracuse and Yonkers to provide transportation and receive trans- portation aid for pupils residing one half mile or more from school in instances where the Commissioner of the State Education Department deems there are safety concerns. Districts are required to submit a report to the State upon the completion of the initial three years of the program including a cost benefit analysis and an analysis of the impact on student attendance and academic performance.
Justification
Students in many of the State's urban centers are forced to walk through dangerous conditions to get to school. In some cases, parents choose schools outside of their neighborhoods for safety reasons so their chil- dren can be transported to and from school by bus. The mileage limits for transportation aid no longer reflect the circumstances nor the needs of students and families. This bill would allow school districts to transport pupils in instances where the commissioner determines there are safety concerns thereby protecting children and affording parents and caregivers expanded options.
Prior legislative history
New bill
Fiscal implications
To be determined
Effective date
Immediately
Summaries, headlines and scores are AI-generated from the official bill text. How we score bills. Source: NYS Open Legislation.