STATE OF NEW YORK ________________________________________________________________________ 5642 2017-2018 Regular Sessions IN ASSEMBLY February 14, 2017 ___________ Introduced by M. of A. KAVANAGH, COLTON, RIVERA, LUPARDO, TITONE, PERRY, THIELE, SEPULVEDA -- Multi-Sponsored by -- M. of A. FINCH, McKEVITT -- read once and referred to the Committee on Education AN ACT to amend the education law, in relation to classroom instruction in the humane treatment of animals and the requirement of training in the humane treatment of animals for the certification or licensing of classroom teachers, teaching assistants, pupil personnel service professionals, school administrators or supervisors or superintendents of schools The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem- bly, do enact as follows: 1 Section 1. Subdivision 1 of section 809 of the education law, as 2 amended by chapter 542 of the laws of 1994, is amended to read as 3 follows: 4 1. The officer, board or commission authorized or required to 5 prescribe courses of instruction shall cause instruction to be given in 6 every elementary school under state control or supported wholly or part- 7 ly by public money of the state, in the humane treatment and protection 8 of animals and the importance of the part they play in the economy of 9 nature as well as the necessity of controlling the proliferation of 10 animals which are subsequently abandoned and caused to suffer extreme 11 cruelty. Such instruction shall be for such period of time during each 12 school year as the board of regents may prescribe and may be joined with 13 work in literature, reading, language, nature study or ethnology. Such 14 weekly instruction may be divided into two or more periods. The commis- 15 sioner shall notify every school district of the requirement to provide 16 such instruction and shall direct each school district to act in accord- 17 ance with this requirement. A school district shall not be entitled to 18 participate in the public school money on account of any school or the 19 attendance at any school subject to the provisions of this section, if 20 the instruction required hereby is not given therein. EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets [] is old law to be omitted. LBD02837-01-7A. 5642 2 1 § 2. Subdivision 6 of section 809 of the education law is renumbered 2 subdivision 7 and a new subdivision 6 is added to read as follows: 3 6. To the extent moneys are appropriated therefor, the commissioner 4 shall provide grants to teachers for any expenses incurred for training, 5 workshops, training videos, webcasts and any other resources which are 6 used for the purposes of complying with this section. 7 § 3. Section 3004 of the education law is amended by adding a new 8 subdivision 3-a to read as follows: 9 3-a. The commissioner shall prescribe regulations requiring that all 10 persons applying on or after the one hundred eightieth day after this 11 subdivision takes effect for a teaching certificate or license, includ- 12 ing but not limited to a certificate or license valid for service as a 13 classroom teacher, teaching assistant, pupil personnel service profes- 14 sional, school administrator or supervisor or superintendent of schools, 15 shall, in addition to all the other certification or licensing require- 16 ments, have completed two hours of course work or training in instruc- 17 tion in the humane treatment of animals and the prevention and inter- 18 vention of animal cruelty. The course work or training shall be obtained 19 from an institution or provider which has been approved by the depart- 20 ment to provide such course work or training. Such course work or train- 21 ing may be provided by educational institutions, school districts, 22 boards of cooperative educational services, humane education organiza- 23 tions or animal welfare organizations. Such regulations shall also 24 require that school districts and boards of cooperative educational 25 services include training for teachers and other certified or licensed 26 employees in the humane treatment of animals and the prevention and 27 intervention of animal cruelty, in their required professional develop- 28 ment plans. 29 § 4. This act shall take effect immediately.