Establishes a maximum temperature in school buildings and indoor facilities; provides a definition of extreme heat condition days and the standard to measure room temperature.
STATE OF NEW YORK
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3397
2023-2024 Regular Sessions
IN SENATE
January 31, 2023
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Introduced by Sens. SKOUFIS, ADDABBO, GOUNARDES, HOYLMAN-SIGAL, LANZA,
PARKER, THOMAS, WEIK -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
printed to be committed to the Committee on Education
AN ACT to amend the education law, in relation to establishing a maximum
temperature in school buildings and indoor facilities
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-bly, do enact as follows:
1 Section 1. The education law is amended by adding a new section 409-n
2 to read as follows:
3 § 409-n. Maximum temperatures in school buildings and facilities. All
4 common, union free, central, central high schools, city school districts
5 and boards of cooperative educational services shall develop a policy
6 for ensuring the health and safety of students, faculty and other
7 employees, including, but not limited to, kitchen and cafeteria workers,
8 on extreme heat condition days. For the purpose of this section, extreme
9 heat condition days shall be defined as days when the occupiable educa-
10 tional and support services spaces are found to be eighty-two degrees or
11 greater Fahrenheit. For the purpose of this section, support services
12 spaces shall include, but not be limited to, kitchen areas used in the
13 preparation of food for consumption by students. For the purpose of
14 this section, room temperature shall be measured at a shaded location,
15 three feet above the floor near the center of the room. Schools shall be
16 required to take action to relieve heat related discomfort when the
17 occupied space temperature reaches eighty-two degrees Fahrenheit. Educa-
18 tional and support services spaces cannot be occupied if room temper-
19 ature reaches eighty-eight degrees Fahrenheit.
20 § 2. Paragraph a of subdivision 3 of section 2801-a of the education
21 law, as amended by section 1 of part B of chapter 54 of the laws of
22 2016, is amended to read as follows:
23 a. policies and procedures for response to emergency situations
24 including extreme heat conditions, such as those requiring evacuation,
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[] is old law to be omitted.
LBD02813-01-3
S. 3397 2
1 sheltering, and lock-down. These policies shall include, at a minimum,
2 evacuation routes, shelter sites, and procedures for addressing medical
3 needs, transportation and emergency notification of parents and guardi-
4 ans;
5 § 3. This act shall take effect on the one hundred eightieth day after
6 it shall have become a law.
