New York A 1538: Requires a school library media specialist in each elementary, intermediate, middle, junior high and senior high school

Bill Text

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A01538 Summary:

BILL NOA01538 

&nbsp

SAME ASNo Same As

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SPONSORRosenthal

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COSPNSRButtenschon, Rivera

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MLTSPNSR

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Add §286, amd §711, Ed L

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Requires a school library media specialist in each elementary, intermediate, middle, junior high and senior high school with one such specialist being employed full-time in schools with more than five hundred students and two such specialists being employed full-time in schools with more than two thousand students.

Go to top A01538 Actions:

BILL NOA01538 

&nbsp

01/10/2025referred to education

01/07/2026referred to education

Go to topA01538 Committee&nbspVotes:

Go to topA01538 Floor&nbspVotes:

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

Go to topA01538 Text:

 STATE OF NEW YORK
 ________________________________________________________________________

 1538

 2025-2026 Regular Sessions

 IN ASSEMBLY

 January 10, 2025
 ___________

 Introduced by M. of A. ROSENTHAL, BUTTENSCHON, RIVERA -- read once and
 referred to the Committee on Education

 AN ACT to amend the education law, in relation to requiring a school
 library media specialist in each elementary, intermediate, middle,
 junior high and senior high school

 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 286 to
 2 read as follows:
 3 § 286. School library media specialist. 1. Notwithstanding any other
 4 provision of law to the contrary and subject to the provisions of subdi-
 5 vision two of this section, each school district shall employ a certi-
 6 fied school library media specialist in each elementary, intermediate,
 7 middle, junior high and senior high school within three years of the
 8 effective date of this section.
 9 2. Employment of certified school library media specialist shall be in
 10 accordance with the following standards:
 11 a. In each school with an enrollment of not more than one hundred
 12 students, a certified school library media specialist shall be employed
 13 as fifteen-hundredths of a full-time equivalent staff member;
 14 b. In each school with an enrollment of more than one hundred but not
 15 more than three hundred students, a certified school library media
 16 specialist shall be employed as a three-tenths of a full-time equivalent
 17 staff member;
 18 c. In each elementary or secondary school with an enrollment of more
 19 than three hundred but no more than five hundred students, a certified
 20 school library media specialist shall be employed as a one-half of a
 21 full-time equivalent staff member;
 22 d. In each school with an enrollment of more than five hundred
 23 students, a certified school library media specialist shall be employed
 24 as a full-time equivalent staff member;

 EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
 [ ] is old law to be omitted.
 LBD00657-01-5

 A. 1538 2

 1 e. In each school with an enrollment of more than one thousand
 2 students but no more than two thousand students, a certified school
 3 library media specialist and a support staff person shall be employed as
 4 a full-time equivalent staff member;
 5 f. (i) In each school with an enrollment of at least two thousand
 6 students, two certified school library media specialists and two support
 7 staff persons shall be employed as a full-time equivalent staff member;
 8 (ii) An additional full-time equivalent staff member shall be employed
 9 as a support staff person for each additional one thousand students
 10 enrolled in a school.
 11 3. The commissioner may, upon application by a school district, waive
 12 the applicability of the provisions of subdivisions one and two of this
 13 section for up to two years, if such application demonstrates the school
 14 is within a designated shortage area for certified school library media
 15 specialists, and such application demonstrates that such school has a
 16 two-year plan to be in compliance with the provisions of this section;
 17 however, no such waiver shall be granted for more than two consecutive
 18 school years.
 19 § 2. Subdivision 2 of section 711 of the education law, as amended by
 20 chapter 571 of the laws of 2023, is amended to read as follows:
 21 2. School library