Relates to including at least one person who is familiar with the needs of students with disabilities in the development of school safety plans; provides that building-level response plans shall include a list including each student with a disability enrolled at the site together with information from the student's individualized education program (IEP) that is relevant to ensuring the student's safety and the role of the staff member responsible for assisting the student in an emergency.
NEW YORK STATE ASSEMBLY MEMORANDUM IN SUPPORT OF LEGISLATION submitted in accordance with Assembly Rule III, Sec 1(f)
BILL NUMBER: A6516
SPONSOR: Santabarbara TITLE OF BILL:
An act to amend the education law, in relation to including at least one
person who is familiar with the needs of students with disabilities in
the development of school safety plans
PURPOSE OR GENERAL IDEA OF BILL:
This legislation will require that school districts consider the needs
of students with disabilities when formulating school safety plans.
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:
Paragraph i is added to Section / of the education law. This requires
that a list is compiled which will include each student with a disabili-
ty enrolled at a site, together with information from the student's
individualized education program that is relevant to ensuring the
student's safety, and the role of the staff member responsible for
assisting the student in an emergency.
Section 4 is amended which will require that at least one person who is
familiar with the needs of students with disabilities is included in
district-wide school safety teams.
JUSTIFICATION:
In times of emergencies, it is important to ensure our school districts
are equipped to protect cur most vulnerable populations, including
students with disabilities.
PRIOR LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:
None.
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS FOR STATE AND LOCAL GOVERNMENTS:
None.
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act shall take effect immediately.
STATE OF NEW YORK
________________________________________________________________________
6516
2023-2024 Regular Sessions
IN ASSEMBLY
April 12, 2023
___________
Introduced by M. of A. SANTABARBARA -- read once and referred to the
Committee on Education
AN ACT to amend the education law, in relation to including at least one
person who is familiar with the needs of students with disabilities in
the development of school safety plans
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-bly, do enact as follows:
1 Section 1. Paragraphs g and h of subdivision 3 of section 2801-a of
2 the education law, as amended by section 1 of part B of chapter 54 of
3 the laws of 2016, are amended and a new paragraph i is added to read as
4 follows:
5 g. procedures for review and the conduct of drills and other exercises
6 to test components of the emergency response plan; [and]
7 h. policies and procedures for securing and restricting access to the
8 crime scene in order to preserve evidence in cases of violent crimes on
9 school property[.]; and
10 i. a list including each student with a disability enrolled at the
11 site together with information from the student's individualized educa-
12 tion program (IEP) that is relevant to ensuring the student's safety and
13 the role of the staff member responsible for assisting the student in an
14 emergency.
15 § 2. Subdivision 4 of section 2801-a of the education law, as amended
16 by chapter 525 of the laws of 2019, is amended to read as follows:
17 4. Each district-wide school safety team shall be appointed by the
18 board of education, or the chancellor in the case of the city school
19 district of the city of New York, and shall include but not be limited
20 to representatives of the school board, [teacher,] administrator, and
21 parent organizations, school safety personnel, [and] other school
22 personnel including bus drivers and monitors, at least one person who is
23 familiar with the needs of students with disabilities, and such other
24 appropriate personnel as designated by a collective bargaining organiza-
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[] is old law to be omitted.
LBD10721-01-3
A. 6516 2
1 tion of the employees of a school, or designated by the school district
2 if no such collective bargaining organization exists. At the discretion
3 of the board of education, or the chancellor in the case of the city of
4 New York, a student may be allowed to participate on the safety team,
5 provided however, that no portion of a confidential building-level emer-
6 gency response plan shall be shared with such student nor shall such
7 student be present where details of a confidential building-level emer-
8 gency response plan or confidential portions of a district-wide emergen-
9 cy response strategy are discussed. Each building-level emergency
10 response team shall be appointed by the building principal, in accord-
11 ance with regulations or guidelines prescribed by the board of educa-
12 tion, chancellor or other governing body. Such building-level teams
13 shall include but not be limited to representatives of teacher, adminis-
14 trator, and parent organizations, school safety personnel and other
15 school personnel including bus drivers and monitors, at least one person
16 who is familiar with the needs of students with disabilities, community
17 members, law enforcement officials, fire officials or other emergency
18 response agencies, and any other representatives the board of education,
19 chancellor or other governing body deems appropriate.
20 § 3. This act shall take effect immediately.
