A06741 Summary:

BILL NOA06741
 
SAME ASNo Same As
 
SPONSORCrespo
 
COSPNSR
 
MLTSPNSR
 
Add S908, amd SS6509 & 6530, Ed L
 
Relates to parental involvement in the distribution of emergency contraception in public schools.
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A06741 Actions:

BILL NOA06741
 
04/01/2015referred to education
01/06/2016referred to education
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A06741 Text:



 
                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                          6741
 
                               2015-2016 Regular Sessions
 
                   IN ASSEMBLY
 
                                      April 1, 2015
                                       ___________
 
        Introduced by M. of A. CRESPO -- read once and referred to the Committee
          on Education
 
        AN  ACT  to amend the education law, in relation to parental involvement
          in the distribution of emergency contraception in the public schools
 
          The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and  Assem-
        bly, do enact as follows:
 
     1    Section  1.  Legislative  intent.  The  legislature  hereby  finds and
     2  declares that parents of minor children  should  be  involved  in  their
     3  child's  healthcare,  especially when such healthcare involves sensitive
     4  matters that may impact their child's physical and  emotional  wellbeing
     5  for  the  remainder  of  their  life. Healthcare services of this nature
     6  include the distribution of emergency contraception.
     7    The courts of this state have long recognized the freedom  of  parents
     8  to  direct  and  control the education and upbringing of their children.
     9  Pierce v. Society of Sisters, 268 U.S. 510 (1925). New York courts  have
    10  determined  this  right to be "fundamental," and have stated that public
    11  schools are "prohibited from dispensing condoms to unemancipated,  minor
    12  students  without  the  prior  consent of their parents or guardians, or
    13  without an opt-out provision..." Alfonso v.  Fernandez, 195 A.D. 2d  46,
    14  60.
    15    The  courts have determined that prior consent (an "opt-in" provision)
    16  is appropriate under the constitution of this state, and the legislature
    17  agrees, finding such a  requirement  best  preserves  the  interests  of
    18  parental involvement, provides for fully informed consent, and continues
    19  to  allow  for  access  to  healthcare  services  by  children in public
    20  schools.
    21    Further, the legislature finds that any consent  made  by  parents  on
    22  behalf of their minor child or any consent a child over the age of eigh-
    23  teen  provides  must  be  fully  and adequately informed. Therefore, the
    24  legislature affirms that all information about the  risks,  side-effects
 
         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD05744-02-5

        A. 6741                             2
 
     1  and  potential  contraindications  of the use of emergency contraception
     2  must be provided with any "opt-in" provision.
     3    §  2. The education law is amended by adding a new section 908 to read
     4  as follows:
     5    § 908. Consent to  the  prescription  and  distribution  of  emergency
     6  contraception.  1.  Notwithstanding  any  contrary provision of law, the
     7  consent of a parent or guardian must be obtained  for  the  prescription
     8  and distribution of emergency contraception, as defined in paragraph (a)
     9  of  subdivision  one of section two thousand eight hundred five-p of the
    10  public health law, by the director of school  health  services  of  each
    11  school  district in this state that is required to provide school health
    12  services, or the health department or agency  otherwise  responsible  to
    13  provide  such  services,  or the health care administrator of any public
    14  school in this state.
    15    2. The director of school health services of each school  district  in
    16  this  state  that  is required to provide school health services, or the
    17  health department  or  agency  otherwise  responsible  to  provide  such
    18  services,  or the health care administrator of any public school in this
    19  state shall mail a letter, in English and  Spanish,  to  the  parent  or
    20  guardian  of any child yet to reach the age of eighteen on the first day
    21  the school year commences in the year following the  effective  date  of
    22  this section. Such letter must contain the following provisions:
    23    a.  A  title in bold lettering, at the top of the letter following the
    24  letterhead but before the salutation, of the same size as  the  text  of
    25  the  letter,  which states "Consent for the Receipt of Emergency Contra-
    26  ception."
    27    b. A brief explanation in the text of  the  letter  that  informs  the
    28  recipient  of  the  letter  that  he or she has the right under New York
    29  state law to withhold or provide consent for the distribution  of  emer-
    30  gency contraception to his or her minor child by the public schools.
    31    c.  A  full  listing  of all indications and usage, contraindications,
    32  adverse reactions and warnings and precautions of any form of  emergency
    33  contraception  that  the  health  care provider at the public school may
    34  dispense or prescribe over the course of the year  as  such  indications
    35  and usage, contraindications, adverse reactions and warnings and precau-
    36  tions  appear  in  the  United  States food and drug administration drug
    37  approval database. If  the  indications  and  usage,  contraindications,
    38  adverse  reactions  and warnings and precautions of a particular form of
    39  emergency contraception are not included in such letter, they may not be
    40  dispensed or prescribed by the school health care provider.
    41    d. A portion of the letter, to be placed at  the  end  of  the  letter
    42  following  all of the above described provisions, allowing the parent or
    43  guardian of the minor child  to  provide  affirmative  consent  for  the
    44  receipt  of  emergency  contraception,  must  be  returned to the school
    45  health professional or office of school health, or any  school  official
    46  who  shall forward such form to the school health professional or office
    47  of school health. This portion of the letter shall read as follows:
    48      "I am the parent/guardian of                 . I have read the above
    49      letter and information concerning the provision of emergency contra-
    50      ception to my child and the risks associated with providing my child
    51      with emergency contraception. I understand these risks and wish  for
    52      my child to be provided with such services and medications should my
    53      child request them, without further approval required of me.
    54      Date:          Signature of Parent/Guardian:                     ."
    55    3. Any consent derived from the letter described in this section shall
    56  be  valid  only  until  the day prior to the first day of the subsequent

        A. 6741                             3
 
     1  school year following the year in which the letter was sent to a child's
     2  parent or guardian.
     3    4.  Full  written  and  oral informed consent must be specifically and
     4  personally provided by the licensed health care professional prescribing
     5  the emergency contraception in the public school. This informed  consent
     6  must  include  the  indications  and  usage,  contraindications, adverse
     7  reactions and warnings and precautions as  they  appear  in  the  United
     8  States food and drug administration drug approval database. Any licensed
     9  health  care  professional  who prescribes emergency contraception after
    10  receiving consent that does  not  include  the  indications  and  usage,
    11  contraindications,  adverse  reactions  and  warnings and precautions as
    12  they appear in the United  States  food  and  drug  administration  drug
    13  approval  database  shall  be  deemed  to  have  willfully violated this
    14  section.
    15    5. No form of emergency contraception may be dispensed  to  any  minor
    16  child  by  any  public  school  health  professional or office of school
    17  health until  such  office  or  professional  has  received  affirmative
    18  consent  for  such  services  as  prescribed  in subdivision one of this
    19  section, and only after a specific review of the child's medical  condi-
    20  tion  and  history  by  the licensed health care provider providing such
    21  service. A record of this specific review and medical condition  of  the
    22  child must be created by the licensed health care professional contempo-
    23  raneously with distribution of emergency contraception to the child. Any
    24  licensed health care professional that fails to create such record shall
    25  be deemed to have willfully violated this section.
    26    6. All licensed health care professionals shall record, as required in
    27  subdivision  five  of  this section and pursuant to section four hundred
    28  thirteen of the social services law, any and all evidence indicative  of
    29  abuse  or  maltreatment as defined in section four hundred twelve of the
    30  social services law. Any violation of this subdivision shall be deemed a
    31  willful violation of section four hundred twenty of the social  services
    32  law.
    33    7.  The  director of school health services of each school district in
    34  this state that is required to provide school health  services,  or  the
    35  health  department  or  agency  otherwise  responsible  to  provide such
    36  services, or the health care administrator of any public school in  this
    37  state,  shall maintain the records described in subdivision five of this
    38  section, in whatever medium they were created, for  a  minimum  of  four
    39  years following the child's last day of attendance at the school.
    40    8.  No licensed health care professional covered by this section shall
    41  prescribe any form of emergency contraception for use by a  child  other
    42  than    the use that is described and approved by the United States food
    43  and drug administration. Any licensed health care professional found  to
    44  have  prescribed  emergency  contraception to a child for use other than
    45  that as described and approved by the United States food and drug admin-
    46  istration shall be deemed to have willfully violated this section.
    47    § 3. Section 6509 of the education law is  amended  by  adding  a  new
    48  subdivision 15 to read as follows:
    49    (15)  A  willful violation by a licensee of section nine hundred eight
    50  of this chapter.
    51    § 4. Section 6530 of the education law is  amended  by  adding  a  new
    52  subdivision 50 to read as follows:
    53    50. A willful violation by a licensee of section nine hundred eight of
    54  this chapter.
    55    § 5.  This act shall take effect immediately.
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