Provides that where practicable, school districts in which schools are utilized as polling places shall schedule conference or professional development days on primary or election days when the polls are open to voters, and if students are present during hours when polls are open, school districts shall take measures to ensure that the general public shall not access other areas of the school outside of the polling place.
NEW YORK STATE ASSEMBLY MEMORANDUM IN SUPPORT OF LEGISLATION submitted in accordance with Assembly Rule III, Sec 1(f)
BILL NUMBER: A6896
SPONSOR: Woerner TITLE OF BILL:
An act to amend the education law, in relation to utilizing schools as
polling places
PURPOSE:
To provide that, whenever practicable, schools shall schedule staff
professional days on election days when schools are used as polling
places and that schools shall take measures to isolate the polling place
from the rest of the school if students are present.
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:
Section 1: amends Section 414(1)(e) of the Education Law.
Section 2: establishes the effective date.
JUSTIFICATION:
Since mass shootings at schools have become more common over the last
twenty-five years, educational institutions around New York have
increased security and made it more difficult for members of the public
to enter school buildings. Visitors generally must be buzzed into build-
ings or must pass through the front office before being admitted to a
school building, and side doors are locked to prevent outsiders from
entering such buildings. However, when schools serve as polling places,
they are open to the public with little security. To ensure the safety
of students, this bill requires schools that serve as polling places to
schedule staff development days rather than instruction days during
elections whenever practicable. It also requires schools to take meas-
ures to ensure that people coming to vote do not have access to areas of
the schools outside of the polling places.
PRIOR LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:
A.8440 of 2024 - Referred to Education.
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:
None to state.
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act shall take on the first of July next succeeding the date on
which it shall have become a law.
STATE OF NEW YORK
________________________________________________________________________
6896
2025-2026 Regular Sessions
IN ASSEMBLY
March 18, 2025
___________
Introduced by M. of A. WOERNER -- read once and referred to the Commit-
tee on Education
AN ACT to amend the education law, in relation to utilizing schools as
polling places
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-bly, do enact as follows:
1 Section 1. Paragraph (e) of subdivision 1 of section 414 of the educa-
2 tion law, as amended by chapter 257 of the laws of 1976, is amended to
3 read as follows:
4 (e) For polling places for holding primaries and elections and for the
5 registration of voters and for holding political meetings. But no meet-
6 ings sponsored by political organizations shall be permitted unless
7 authorized by a vote of a district meeting, held as provided by law, or,
8 in cities by the board of education thereof. Except in cities, it shall
9 be the duty of the trustees or board of education to call a special
10 meeting for such purpose upon the petition of at least ten per centum of
11 the qualified electors of the district. Authority so granted shall
12 continue until revoked in like manner and by the same body as granted.
13 Where practicable, school districts in which schools are utilized as
14 polling places shall schedule conference or professional development
15 days pursuant to subdivision eight of section thirty-six hundred four of
16 this chapter on primary or election days when the polls are open to
17 voters. If students are present during hours when polls are open,
18 school districts shall take measures to ensure that the general public
19 shall not access other areas of the school outside of the polling place.
20 § 2. This act shall take effect on the first of July next succeeding
21 the date on which it shall have become a law.
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[] is old law to be omitted.
LBD10264-01-5
