Requires that the NYS board of regents hold at least two meetings a year in New York city; requires announcements of the time, date, location and agenda thereof.
STATE OF NEW YORK
________________________________________________________________________
5946
2023-2024 Regular Sessions
IN ASSEMBLY
March 24, 2023
___________
Introduced by M. of A. WEPRIN, WALKER, COOK, BENEDETTO, CARROLL -- read
once and referred to the Committee on Education
AN ACT to amend the education law, in relation to requiring that the New
York state board of regents hold at least two meetings a year in the
city of New York
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-bly, do enact as follows:
1 Section 1. Section 204 of the education law is amended by adding two
2 new subdivisions 5 and 6 to read as follows:
3 5. (a) The regents shall hold at least two meetings in each calendar
4 year in a city having a population of one million or more. Such meetings
5 shall be held at a time to ensure parental attendance and participation.
6 (b) (i) The regents shall announce the location, time and agenda of
7 each meeting to be held in a city having a population of one million or
8 more whenever such meeting is scheduled, but not later than three weeks
9 before the meeting date to allow adequate time for public review.
10 Provided, however, that if an agenda for any such meeting is not avail-
11 able, such agenda shall be announced as soon as it becomes available.
12 (ii) Such announcements shall be made available on the regents' public
13 website and the New York city department of education website in the
14 same manner as other public meetings are announced. The New York city
15 department of education shall inform parent education advocates, teach-
16 ers, principals and other school administrators of the location, time
17 and agenda of such meetings held in a city having a population of one
18 million or more. For the purposes of this subdivision, the term "parent
19 education advocates" shall include, but not be limited to parent associ-
20 ations, parent-teacher associations, school leadership teams, presidents
21 councils, district leadership teams and citywide and communitywide
22 education councils.
23 (c) At each meeting of the regents held in a city having a population
24 of one million or more, the public shall be allotted a period of time,
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[] is old law to be omitted.
LBD09558-01-3
A. 5946 2
1 not less than thirty minutes, to speak on any topic on the agenda. The
2 public speaking period shall take place prior to any board or committee
3 action.
4 6. Every committee meeting of the regents shall be webcast in the same
5 manner as general board meetings.
6 § 2. This act shall take effect on the one hundred twentieth day after
7 it shall have become a law. Effective immediately, the addition, amend-
8 ment and/or repeal of any rule or regulation necessary for the implemen-
9 tation of this act on its effective date are authorized to be made and
10 completed on or before such effective date.