Relates to promoting the inclusion of children living in temporary housing in prekindergarten programs; requires school districts to prioritize homeless children on any pre-K waitlists and provides for the reimbursement to school districts of hiring additional staff to accommodate the enrollment of a homeless child.
STATE OF NEW YORK
________________________________________________________________________
5835
2021-2022 Regular Sessions
IN ASSEMBLY
February 26, 2021
___________
Introduced by M. of A. TAYLOR -- read once and referred to the Committee
on Education
AN ACT to amend the education law, in relation to promoting the inclu-
sion of children living in temporary housing in prekindergarten
programs
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-bly, do enact as follows:
1 Section 1. Section 3602-e of the education law is amended by adding a
2 new subdivision 19 to read as follows:
3 19. Each school district implementing a prekindergarten program shall
4 promote the inclusion of homeless children, as defined in section thir-
5 ty-two hundred nine of this chapter.
6 a. Notwithstanding any other provision of law to the contrary, where
7 the class size for a prekindergarten class has reached its maximum
8 capacity, as determined by regulations of the commissioner, the school
9 district in which a homeless child is currently temporarily housed in a
10 motel, hotel, shelter or other temporary housing arrangement shall
11 prioritize such child's placement on any waitlist for enrollment in a
12 prekindergarten program.
13 b. Notwithstanding any other provision of law to the contrary, where
14 the class size for a prekindergarten class necessitates the hiring of
15 additional staff, as determined by regulations of the commissioner, to
16 accommodate the enrollment of a homeless child, the school district
17 shall be reimbursed by the department for the direct cost of hiring such
18 additional staff, not otherwise reimbursed under other federal programs,
19 calculated pursuant to regulations of the commissioner.
20 § 2. This act shall take effect on the ninetieth day after it shall
21 have become a law. Effective immediately, the addition, amendment
22 and/or repeal of any rules or regulations necessary for the implementa-
23 tion of this act on its effective date are authorized to be made on or
24 before such date.
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[] is old law to be omitted.
LBD02316-01-1
