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A01538 Text:



 
                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                          1538
 
                               2025-2026 Regular Sessions
 
                   IN ASSEMBLY
 
                                    January 10, 2025
                                       ___________
 
        Introduced  by  M. of A. ROSENTHAL, BUTTENSCHON, RIVERA -- read once and
          referred to the Committee on Education
 
        AN ACT to amend the education law, in relation  to  requiring  a  school
          library  media  specialist  in  each elementary, intermediate, middle,
          junior high and senior high school

          The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and  Assem-
        bly, do enact as follows:
 
     1    Section 1. The education law is amended by adding a new section 286 to
     2  read as follows:
     3    §  286.  School library media specialist. 1. Notwithstanding any other
     4  provision of law to the contrary and subject to the provisions of subdi-
     5  vision two of this section, each school district shall employ  a  certi-
     6  fied  school  library media specialist in each elementary, intermediate,
     7  middle, junior high and senior high school within  three  years  of  the
     8  effective date of this section.
     9    2. Employment of certified school library media specialist shall be in
    10  accordance with the following standards:
    11    a.  In  each  school  with  an enrollment of not more than one hundred
    12  students, a certified school library media specialist shall be  employed
    13  as fifteen-hundredths of a full-time equivalent staff member;
    14    b.  In each school with an enrollment of more than one hundred but not
    15  more than three hundred  students,  a  certified  school  library  media
    16  specialist shall be employed as a three-tenths of a full-time equivalent
    17  staff member;
    18    c.  In  each elementary or secondary school with an enrollment of more
    19  than three hundred but no more than five hundred students,  a  certified
    20  school  library  media  specialist  shall be employed as a one-half of a
    21  full-time equivalent staff member;
    22    d. In each school  with  an  enrollment  of  more  than  five  hundred
    23  students,  a certified school library media specialist shall be employed
    24  as a full-time equivalent staff member;
 
         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD00657-01-5

        A. 1538                             2
 
     1    e. In each school  with  an  enrollment  of  more  than  one  thousand
     2  students  but  no  more  than  two thousand students, a certified school
     3  library media specialist and a support staff person shall be employed as
     4  a full-time equivalent staff member;
     5    f.  (i)  In  each  school  with an enrollment of at least two thousand
     6  students, two certified school library media specialists and two support
     7  staff persons shall be employed as a full-time equivalent staff member;
     8    (ii) An additional full-time equivalent staff member shall be employed
     9  as a support staff person for  each  additional  one  thousand  students
    10  enrolled in a school.
    11    3.  The commissioner may, upon application by a school district, waive
    12  the applicability of the provisions of subdivisions one and two of  this
    13  section for up to two years, if such application demonstrates the school
    14  is  within a designated shortage area for certified school library media
    15  specialists, and such application demonstrates that such  school  has  a
    16  two-year  plan  to be in compliance with the provisions of this section;
    17  however, no such waiver shall be granted for more than  two  consecutive
    18  school years.
    19    §  2. Subdivision 2 of section 711 of the education law, as amended by
    20  chapter 571 of the laws of 2023, is amended to read as follows:
    21    2. School library materials, for the purposes of  this  article  shall
    22  mean  digital  materials,  audio/visual  materials and printed materials
    23  that may or may not require magnification which meet all of the  follow-
    24  ing  criteria:  (1) materials which are catalogued and processed as part
    25  of the school library or media  center  for  use  by  elementary  and/or
    26  secondary school children and teachers; (2) materials which with reason-
    27  able  care  and  use may be expected to last more than one year; and (3)
    28  materials which would not be eligible for aid pursuant to sections seven
    29  hundred one and seven hundred fifty-one of this  title.  School  library
    30  materials  meeting  these criteria may include (i) hard cover, paperback
    31  books and e-books, periodicals, that is, print and digital  publications
    32  which  are  subscription-based  and  appear at regular intervals of less
    33  than one year on a continuing basis for an indefinite period,  documents
    34  other  than books, pamphlets, musical scores, other printed, digital and
    35  published materials, (ii) for school year nineteen hundred  eighty-six--
    36  eighty-seven  and  thereafter,  audio/visual  materials including films,
    37  film strips, micro-film, sound recordings, processed slides, transparen-
    38  cies, kinescopes, video tapes, maps, charts,  globes,  pictorial  works,
    39  including pictures and picture sets, reproductions, photographs, graphic
    40  works, any audio/visual, online or electronic materials needed for media
    41  literacy  programs,  and  any  other audio/visual materials of a similar
    42  nature made.
    43    § 3. This act shall take effect on the first of July  next  succeeding
    44  the date on which it shall have become a law. Effective immediately, the
    45  addition,  amendment  and/or  repeal of any rule or regulation necessary
    46  for the implementation of this act on its effective date are  authorized
    47  to be made and completed on or before such effective date.
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