Requires the commissioner of education to make a report on the extent of all existing resources and best practices available for swimming instruction classes in public schools and establish a working group on swimming education.
STATE OF NEW YORK
________________________________________________________________________
7661
IN SENATE
February 4, 2020
___________
Introduced by Sen. SANDERS -- 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 reporting on swimming
education in a public school; and providing for the repeal of such
provisions upon the expiration thereof
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 817 to
2 read as follows:
3 § 817. Swimming education. (a) Within one year of the effective date
4 of this section, the commissioner shall allocate monies from existing
5 budgetary resources to inventory and report to the education committee
6 of the legislature on the extent of all existing resources and best
7 practices available for swimming instruction classes in public schools.
8 (b) The commissioner shall establish a working group on swimming
9 education which shall be composed of not more than fifteen individuals
10 representing interested stakeholders, including:
11 (i) the commissioner or his or her designee;
12 (ii) physical education teachers who teach at any grade level from
13 kindergarten through twelve;
14 (iii) school administrators who work at an elementary school, middle
15 school or high school;
16 (iv) members of school board associations;
17 (v) individuals who represent not-for-profit recreational and fitness
18 organizations across the state;
19 (vi) individuals who represent public park and recreation departments
20 across the state; and
21 (vii) any other stakeholder the commissioner deems necessary, includ-
22 ing but not limited to, community members who are underserved and
23 disproportionately impacted by the current distribution of swimming
24 resources in their public school districts.
25 (c) Eighteen months after the effective date of this section, the
26 working group on swimming education shall submit a report to the educa-
27 tion committee, the temporary president of the senate and the speaker of
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[] is old law to be omitted.
LBD15121-01-0
S. 7661 2
1 the assembly, of such working group's findings and recommendations
2 regarding resources, personnel and any other costs needed to make swim-
3 ming instruction available in all public schools for children of all
4 ages. Such report shall consider the commissioner's report pursuant to
5 subdivision (a) of this section.
6 § 2. This act shall take effect immediately and shall expire and be
7 deemed repealed six months after the working group on swimming education
8 reports its findings and recommendations to the legislature pursuant to
9 subdivision (c) of section 817 of the education law as added by section
10 one of this act; provided that the commissioner of education shall noti-
11 fy the legislative bill drafting commission upon the submission of the
12 report required in subdivision (c) of section 817 of the education law
13 as added by section one of this act in order that the commission may
14 maintain an accurate and timely effective data base of the official text
15 of the laws of the state of New York in furtherance of effectuating the
16 provisions of section 44 of the legislative law and section 70-b of the
17 public officers law.