Bill Text: NY A03276 | 2009-2010 | General Assembly | Introduced
Bill Title: An act to amend the education law, in relation to establishing the reading for educational achievement and development program (READ)
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2009-01-23 - referred to education [A03276 Detail]
Download: New_York-2009-A03276-Introduced.html
S T A T E O F N E W Y O R K
________________________________________________________________________
3276
2009-2010 Regular Sessions
I N A S S E M B L Y
January 23, 2009
___________
Introduced by M. of A. EDDINGTON -- read once and referred to the
Committee on Education
AN ACT to amend the education law, in relation to establishing the read-
ing for educational achievement and development program (READ)
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 that high
2 quality reading skills form the basis for educational success and hereby
3 determines that a program to promote high quality reading skills shall
4 be established. This program shall be known as the reading for educa-
5 tional achievement and development program (READ). This program shall
6 provide for the collection and distribution of books which are age
7 appropriate for children enrolled in public schools or registered
8 nonpublic schools. This program shall be designed to provide for the
9 collection of reading materials and for the distribution of such
10 collected reading materials primarily to children who do not otherwise
11 have access to reading materials in the home. This program shall recog-
12 nize the fact that the bookshelves of some homes have significant
13 numbers of books that children have outgrown. In addition, many homes
14 lack appropriate reading materials for children. The distribution of
15 books to children who lack reading resources is designed to give these
16 children the opportunity to develop their reading and writing skills
17 outside of the school setting.
18 S 2. The education law is amended by adding a new section 319 to read
19 as follows:
20 S 319. READING FOR EDUCATIONAL ACHIEVEMENT AND DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM
21 (READ). 1. THERE IS HEREBY ESTABLISHED WITHIN THE DEPARTMENT A PROGRAM
22 TO BE KNOWN AS THE "READING FOR EDUCATIONAL ACHIEVEMENT AND DEVELOPMENT
23 PROGRAM" (READ).
24 2. AS USED IN THIS SECTION THE FOLLOWING TERMS SHALL HAVE THE FOLLOW-
25 ING MEANINGS:
EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD04613-01-9
A. 3276 2
1 (A) "DONOR SCHOOLS" SHALL MEAN PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICTS, CHARTER
2 SCHOOLS, OR REGISTERED NONPUBLIC SCHOOLS WHICH HAVE OPTED TO PARTICIPATE
3 IN THE READ PROGRAM.
4 (B) "RECIPIENT SCHOOLS" SHALL MEAN PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICTS, CHARTER
5 SCHOOLS, OR REGISTERED NONPUBLIC SCHOOLS WHICH THE COMMISSIONER DETER-
6 MINES ARE ELIGIBLE TO RECEIVE BOOKS THAT ARE COLLECTED PURSUANT TO THIS
7 SECTION.
8 (C) "COLLECTION ENTITY" SHALL MEAN BOARDS OF COOPERATIVE EDUCATIONAL
9 SERVICES (BOCES) OR A SCHOOL DISTRICT LOCATED IN A CITY WITH GREATER
10 THAN ONE HUNDRED TWENTY-FIVE THOUSAND INHABITANTS.
11 3. THE COMMISSIONER SHALL, WITHIN NINETY DAYS OF THE EFFECTIVE DATE OF
12 THIS SECTION, AFTER CONSULTATION WITH REPRESENTATIVES OF BOCES, REPRE-
13 SENTATIVES OF SCHOOL BOARDS ASSOCIATIONS, AND TEACHERS' ORGANIZATIONS,
14 PROMULGATE REGULATIONS TO ESTABLISH A PROCESS BY WHICH COLLECTION ENTI-
15 TIES COLLECT AND REDISTRIBUTE BOOKS. SUCH REGULATIONS SHALL REQUIRE
16 THAT BY JULY FIRST OF EACH YEAR, ALL COLLECTION ENTITIES SHALL CONTACT
17 ALL DONOR AND RECIPIENT SCHOOLS TO INFORM THEM OF THEIR ABILITY TO
18 PARTICIPATE IN READ. EACH DONOR AND RECIPIENT SCHOOL SHALL RESPOND BY
19 AUGUST FIRST OF EACH YEAR REGARDING THEIR INTENT TO PARTICIPATE IN READ
20 FOR THAT SCHOOL YEAR. EACH PARTICIPATING DONOR SCHOOL SHALL ESTABLISH A
21 COLLECTION POINT FOR BOOKS AND SHALL OPERATE A BOOK DRIVE EVERY YEAR
22 DURING WHICH SUCH SCHOOL PARTICIPATES IN READ. PERIODICALLY DURING EACH
23 SCHOOL YEAR ALL PARTICIPATING DONOR SCHOOLS SHALL SEND SUCH COLLECTED
24 BOOKS TO THE DESIGNATED COLLECTION ENTITY.
25 4. THE COMMISSIONER SHALL SET FORTH REGULATIONS WHICH SPECIFY HOW
26 COLLECTION ENTITIES SHALL DISTRIBUTE BOOKS COLLECTED PURSUANT TO THIS
27 SECTION.
28 5. THE COMMISSIONER SHALL SET FORTH REGULATIONS TO SET THE CRITERIA
29 FOR CHOOSING RECIPIENT SCHOOLS WHICH SHALL BE BASED ON THE READING
30 LEVELS OF CHILDREN WHO ARE ENROLLED IN THE SCHOOL AS MEASURED BY THE
31 APPROPRIATE STATE ASSESSMENT. SUCH REGULATIONS SHALL ALSO SPECIFY THE
32 PROCEDURES AND CRITERIA FOR RECIPIENT SCHOOLS TO DISTRIBUTE BOOKS TO
33 STUDENTS. THE COMMISSIONER SHALL DEVELOP GUIDELINES FOR COLLECTION
34 ENTITIES AND RECIPIENT SCHOOLS THAT SPECIFY THE MANNER BY WHICH THE
35 COLLECTION ENTITIES SHALL DETERMINE THE AGE APPROPRIATENESS OF READING
36 MATERIALS.
37 6. ON OR BEFORE JULY FIRST, TWO THOUSAND TEN, THE COMMISSIONER SHALL
38 REPORT TO THE GOVERNOR, THE TEMPORARY PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE AND THE
39 SPEAKER OF THE ASSEMBLY ON READ AND SHALL SPECIFY THE NUMBER OF BOOKS
40 COLLECTED BY EACH COLLECTION ENTITY, A LIST OF ALL PARTICIPATING DONOR
41 AND RECIPIENT SCHOOLS, THE NUMBER OF BOOKS COLLECTED FROM EACH PARTIC-
42 IPATING DONOR SCHOOL AND THE NUMBER OF BOOKS DISTRIBUTED TO EACH RECIPI-
43 ENT SCHOOL.
44 S 3. Subdivision 4 of section 1950 of the education law is amended by
45 adding a new paragraph oo to read as follows:
46 OO. PURSUANT TO THE PROVISIONS OF SECTION THREE HUNDRED NINETEEN OF
47 THIS CHAPTER, COLLECT AND DISTRIBUTE READING MATERIALS FOR CHILDREN
48 ENROLLED IN PUBLIC SCHOOLS, CHARTER SCHOOLS AND REGISTERED NONPUBLIC
49 SCHOOLS. ALL COSTS ASSOCIATED WITH THE PROVISIONS OF THIS PARAGRAPH
50 SHALL NOT BE DEEMED AN AIDABLE SHARED SERVICE BY THE COMMISSIONER.
51 S 4. This act shall take effect immediately.
