Bill Text: NY S08666 | 2021-2022 | General Assembly | Introduced

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Bill Title: Requires certain school districts to have a school diversity officer who shall prepare an annual report to be given to the school district's board of education; requires the trustees or board of education of every school district with twenty or more enrolled students to designate a committee on diversity; makes related provisions.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2022-03-28 - REFERRED TO EDUCATION [S08666 Detail]

Download: New_York-2021-S08666-Introduced.html

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                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________

                                          8666

                    IN SENATE

                                     March 28, 2022
                                       ___________

        Introduced  by  Sen.  BROOKS -- 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 school diversity offi-
          cers

          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 1527-b
     2  to read as follows:
     3    §  1527-b.  School  diversity  officer.  1. The   trustees or board of
     4  education of every school district with twenty or more enrolled students
     5  shall designate a diversity officer. The commissioner shall supply rele-
     6  vant resources for the orientation and training   of    public    school
     7  diversity officers under this section. The duties of a diversity officer
     8  may  include developing methods to promote diversity and retention among
     9  faculty and school personnel; reviewing  school  district  policies  and
    10  practices  in regards to diversity and making recommendations to improve
    11  such policies and practices; recommending policies to create  and  main-
    12  tain  an  environment that is equitable, fair, safe, diverse, and inclu-
    13  sive; recommending tailored and differentiated professional learning  to
    14  build  capacity for cultural responsiveness to address areas of inequity
    15  identified by the  school  system;  curriculum,  pedagogy,  professional
    16  learning,  instructional materials, and assessment design; ensuring that
    17  cultural responsiveness informs school policies and practices and guides
    18  interactions among all members of the school community.
    19    2. The diversity officer shall prepare an annual report to be given to
    20  the school district's board of education.
    21    3. The  trustees or board of education of every school  district  with
    22  twenty or more enrolled students shall designate a committee on diversi-
    23  ty.  The committee shall include the designated school diversity officer
    24  and at least one district administrator, one student,  one  parent,  one
    25  district  educator, one trustee or school board member, one resident and
    26  one district faculty member. Such committee shall   examine,    evaluate
    27  and  make  recommendations on diversity in education. Vacancies  in  the

         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD11138-02-2
        S. 8666                             2

     1  membership   of the committee shall be filled in the manner provided for
     2  original appointments.
     3    4.  The  committee on diversity   in   New York state school districts
     4  shall examine  and  make  recommendations  on  the  following  subjects,
     5  including, but not limited to:
     6    (a) barriers which prevent students of color from entering the  teach-
     7  ing profession, or remaining in the teaching profession;
     8    (b) recruitment and retention efforts for educators of color;
     9    (c) mentorship programs for current educators of color;
    10    (d)  initiatives  aimed  at encouraging students of color to enter the
    11  teaching profession, also known as "grow your own" initiatives;
    12    (e) scholarship opportunities for students of color who are interested
    13  in entering the teaching profession, and  other  funding  mechanisms  to
    14  assist such students; and
    15    (f) initiatives  that  encourage  teachers  of color to become  school
    16  leaders and administrators, and barriers that have prevented teachers of
    17  color from becoming school leaders and administrators.
    18    5.  The members of the committee on diversity shall receive no compen-
    19  sation for their services, but shall be allowed their actual and  neces-
    20  sary  expenses  incurred  in the performance of their duties pursuant to
    21  this section.
    22    § 2. This act shall take effect on the first of July  next  succeeding
    23  the date on which it shall have become a law.