Requires public schools to follow seizure action plans developed by health care providers of students diagnosed with a seizure disorder; requires schools to provide seizure awareness training to certain employees on the recognition of signs and symptoms of a seizure and the appropriate steps to be taken to respond to such symptoms.
This bill, the New York Living Schoolyards Act (A 5343), provides competitive grants to school districts, local education agencies, and partnering nonprofits to create "living schoolyards" at elementary and secondary schools. These are outdoor learning spaces featuring gardens, native trees, natural playgrounds, and climate-resilient design elements that strengthen ecological systems and support hands-on education. Grants (ranging from $25,000 to $100,000) require master plans developed with community input, including ADA accessibility, climate goals, and long-term maintenance strategies. The program specifically prioritizes schools with high percentages of students eligible for free/reduced lunch and mandates that funds cover planning, design, and construction while limiting spending on staff training and maintenance.
Establishes a school air conditioning system grant program to provide schools with funding to install air conditioning systems in certain areas; makes an appropriation therefor.
This bill requires all public schools with 100 or more enrolled students to have a registered professional nurse physically present on-site during all school hours. It amends education law to mandate that school boards ensure this nurse is available to assist with student health needs, including emergencies and health instruction. The requirement directly affects schools meeting the enrollment threshold, ensuring consistent health support for students during school days.
This bill requires New York's Higher Education Services Corporation to create a centralized net price calculator tool on its website. The tool will estimate a college's actual cost after financial aid (net price) by using household income, assets, and the most recent tuition data reported by each college. It directly affects students and families researching college costs, replacing individual college calculators with a single, state-hosted tool that provides personalized estimates for all New York colleges. The calculator must be prominently displayed and updated when colleges revise their reported costs.
Reduces the cost of textbooks and course materials for students of institutions of higher education by requiring every institution of higher education to adopt policies that allow the use of innovative pricing techniques and payment options for textbooks, supplemental materials, and other course materials or textbooks.
This bill requires all schools to inspect hearing testing equipment annually to ensure it meets manufacturer and government safety standards. It directly affects public and private K-12 schools that conduct hearing examinations. Schools must replace any equipment failing these standards, with inspections performed per manufacturer guidelines. The requirement applies to all devices used for hearing tests under existing education law. The bill takes effect immediately upon enactment.
Creates the task force on early childhood education in public education to study the feasibility of incorporating younger age levels into the state public education system and extending the public education system to start at the age of six months and incorporate aspects of childcare and early childhood education into the existing public education system.
This bill creates a state-funded transportation subsidy to help public school students access private water safety instruction courses. It allows eligible K-12 students in public schools to use the subsidy for transportation to qualified private facilities offering water safety programs, provided there are no more than 10 such facilities within 2.5 miles (in cities over 1 million) or 5 miles (outside those cities) of their school. The subsidy is optional for schools and requires students to provide proof of enrollment in an approved program. The state education department will establish regulations covering eligible transportation types (like school buses or public transit), parent transportation eligibility, and subsidy distribution methods. The bill takes effect 90 days after enactment.
Requires student onboarding and ongoing education on reproductive health services available to students including where the closest reproductive health clinics are located; all resources available to a student seeking reproductive health services including but not limited to financial assistance and mental health services and any reproductive health resources available to a student through the institution.
