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Dear Superintendents and School Board Members,
As the 2025 Legislative Session comes to a close, the Lower Hudson Education Coalition (LHEC) has been actively tracking legislation with implications for public education across New York State. Several key bills have now passed both the Senate and Assembly. While none have yet been delivered to the Governor, Executive action must occur by December 31.
Over the course of the session, LHEC monitored more than 600 bills. Below is a selection of legislation that we are currently supporting, opposing, or are continuing to review. We invite school leaders, board members, and stakeholders to share any perspectives or feedback on these measures. Your input will help inform our formal positions as we continue advocating for the needs of public school districts in the Lower Hudson region.
LHEC Supports the following Legislation:
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Amistad Commission Transfer S3161 (Jackson) / A5468 (Taylor) – Moves the Amistad Commission from the Department of State to the State Education Department.
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Absentee Ballots for School Elections S2589 (Mayer) / A5301 (Woerner) - Clarifies acceptable reasons for absentee voting in school districts without poll registration.
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Voting Disruption Due to Disasters S3735 (Mayer) / A5302 (Woerner) – Allows the Commissioner of Education to permit additional school budget voting days following disasters.
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Mt. Vernon School Speed Zone Pilot S5646A (Bailey) / A8446A (Pretlow) – Authorizes Mt. Vernon to establish a school zone speed camera pilot program with up to 20 zones.
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Child Abuse Settlements and Debt Issuance S6372 (Mayer) / A7631 (Lunsford) – Permits districts to consider judgments/settlements for child sexual abuse when issuing debt, with a 30-year window.
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Annual Organizational Meetings S6737 (Fahy) / A4683 (Paulin) – Gives districts more flexibility in setting the date for their annual organizational meeting.
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Physical Therapy Assistants in Schools S8251 (Stavisky) / A8478 (Valdez) – Extends current provisions allowing PT assistants to provide services in public and private K–12 schools.
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Greenburgh North Castle UFSD and Rising Ground Affiliation S8273 (Stewart-Cousins) / A8682 (Shimsky) – Authorizes property use and affiliation changes for this special act school district.
LHEC has Concerns with the following Legislation:
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Water Safety Information S1349C (Cleare) / A3515C (Bichotte Hermelyn) – Requires school districts to provide parents or students with information on water safety at enrollment.
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Active-Duty Tax Exemption S2068A (Scarcella-Spanton) / A6579 (Stern) – Authorizes municipalities to grant real property tax exemptions for combat-zone military service members.
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Wrongful Death Damages Reform S4423 (Hoylman-Sigal) / A6063 (Lunsford) – Expands the types of damages recoverable in wrongful death actions; may have implications for school district liability. (See LHEC's Opposition Memo for the previously passed legislation HERE.)
The following bills LHEC is Neutral on or are under review:
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Jack Reid Law: Protect All Students Act S4544B (Hoylman-Sigal) / A5403A (Solages) – Requires school anti-bullying policies, reporting procedures, and plain-language guidelines to protect students from peer harassment and discrimination.
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Freedom to Read Act S1099 (May) / A7777 (Simone) – Requires school library systems to ensure access to developmentally appropriate materials and protects the ability of librarians to curate collections.
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Senior Citizen Property Tax Exemption S5175A (Comrie) / A3698A (Weprin) – Authorizes an increased exemption threshold for eligible senior homeowners.
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Cardiac Emergency Response Plans S5539A (Baskin) / A785A (Solages) – Requires cardiac emergency protocols in all school safety plans, addressing incidents of sudden cardiac arrest.
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Center for Dyslexia and Dysgraphia S5569 (Fahy) / A2687 (Carroll) – Establishes a dedicated center within NYSED to support instruction, training, and resources.
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Mobile Crisis Outreach Study S8043 (Bynoe) / A4276 (Cunningham) – Requires the Office of Mental Health to study and report on child- and youth-targeted mobile crisis teams.
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Recess Survey (K–6) S8377A (Mayer) / A8727A (Jackson) – Directs NYSED to survey public and charter schools regarding recess practices in grades K–6.
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