New York S 3969: Relates to mandatory continuing education for teachers relating to mental health issues

Bill Text

Bill Search and Legislative Information | New York State Assembly 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

 Skip to main content 

 New York State Assembly

 Speaker Carl E. Heastie

 --> 
 --> 

 --> 

• 
 Assembly Members 

• 
 Legislative Info 

• 
 Public Hearings 

• 
 Speaker's Press 

• 
 Assembly Reports 

• 
 Committees & More 

• Bill Search Home
• Laws
• Legislative Calendar
• Public Hearing Schedule
• Assembly Calendars
• Assembly Committee Agenda 

 Javascript must be enabled to properly view this page. 

 Bill No.: 

• Summary 
• Actions 
• Committee&nbspVotes 
• Floor&nbspVotes 
• Memo 
• Text 
• LFIN 
• Chamber&nbspVideo/Transcript 
S03969 Summary:

BILL NOS03969 

&nbsp

SAME ASSAME AS A01660

&nbsp

SPONSORSEPULVEDA

&nbsp

COSPNSRCOMRIE, JACKSON, RIVERA, SALAZAR

&nbsp

MLTSPNSR

&nbsp

Amd §7.23, Ment Hyg L; amd §3006-a, Ed L

&nbsp

Relates to mandatory continuing education for teachers relating to mental health issues.

Go to top S03969 Actions:

BILL NOS03969 

&nbsp

01/31/2025REFERRED TO MENTAL HEALTH

01/07/2026REFERRED TO MENTAL HEALTH

Go to topS03969 Committee&nbspVotes:

Go to topS03969 Floor&nbspVotes:

There are no Assembly votes for this bill in this legislative session.

Go to topS03969 Text:

 STATE OF NEW YORK
 ________________________________________________________________________

 3969

 2025-2026 Regular Sessions

 IN SENATE

 January 31, 2025
 ___________

 Introduced by Sens. SEPULVEDA, COMRIE, JACKSON, RIVERA, SALAZAR -- read
 twice and ordered printed, and when printed to be committed to the
 Committee on Mental Health

 AN ACT to amend the mental hygiene law and the education law, in
 relation to mandatory continuing education for teachers relating to
 mental health issues

 The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-
 bly, do enact as follows:

 1 Section 1. Section 7.23 of the mental hygiene law is amended by adding
 2 a new subdivision (d) to read as follows:
 3 (d) The commissioner in consultation with the office of addiction
 4 services and supports, the department of health and with the commission-
 5 er of the department of education, shall develop course materials to be
 6 offered as part of the required continuing teacher and leader education
 7 requirements pursuant to paragraph a of subdivision two of section three
 8 thousand six-a of the education law. Such training shall include, but
 9 not be limited to:
 10 1. continuing education courses;
 11 2. programs and activities related to mental health;
 12 3. eating disorders;
 13 4. behavioral health disorders;
 14 5. best practices for improving the overall learning environment;
 15 6. safe de-escalation of crisis situations;
 16 7. identifying signs and symptoms, including early stages of mental
 17 illness and behavioral health issues; and
 18 8. the use of evidence based training programs including, but not
 19 limited to, mental health first aid or core elements of such programs to
 20 the extent practicable.
 21 § 2. Paragraph a of subdivision 2 of section 3006-a of the education
 22 law, as added by section 2 of subpart C of part EE of chapter 56 of the
 23 laws of 2015, is amended to read as follows:

 EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
 [ ] is old law to be omitted.
 LBD03448-01-5

 S. 3969 2

 1 a. During each five-year registration period beginning on or after
 2 July first, two thousand sixteen, an applicant for registration shall
 3 successfully complete a minimum of one hundred hours of continuing
 4 teacher and leader education, as defined by the commissioner. Such
 5 continuing teacher and leader education shall include, at least twice
 6 during the five-year registration period, but not be limited to continu-
 7 ing education courses, programs and activities related to mental
 8 illness, eating disorders and behavioral health disorders as pursuant to
 9 paragraph (d) of section 7.23 of the mental hygiene law. The department
 10 shall issue rigorous standards for courses, programs, and activities[,]
 11 that shall qualify as continuing teacher and leader education pursuant
 12 to this section. For purposes of this section, a peer review teacher, or
 13 a principal acting as an independent trained evaluator, conducting a
 14 classroom observation as part of the teacher evaluation system pursuant
 15 to section three thousand twelve-d of this article may credit such time
 16 towards [his or her] such teacher or principal's continuing teacher and
 17 leader effectiveness requirements.
 18 § 3. The commissioner of education is authorized to promulgate any
 19 rules and regulations necessary to carry out the provisions of this act.
 20 § 4. This act shall take effect on the first of January next succeed-
 21 ing the date on which it shall have become a law. Effective immediately
 22 the addition, amendment and/or repeal of any rule or regulation neces-
 23 sary for the implementation of this act on its effective date are
 24 a