Home/Bills/A 5079New York · 2025–2026 Legislative Session
Assembly BillPassed first house

A 5079: Enacts the "school security guard training enhancement act"; provides that annual training where a security guard is employed or contracted by a school in this state shall require the completion of school specific-training.

New York · Assembly · 2025–2026 Legislative Session · last verified July 15, 2026

What A 5079 does, verified July 15, 2026

This act aims to enhance school security by requiring security guards to undergo annual in-service training. The training must cover specific topics such as school-related laws, liability, security awareness, and crisis prevention. The training must be standardized and approved statewide, in consultation with the department of education and the department of criminal justice services. The act also requires consultation and cooperation with other state departments and agencies concerned with police officer, school security guard, and peace officer training. The training will be specific to a school setting and will include topics such as role and responsibility of school security guards, youth mediation/conflict resolution, and cultural awareness. The act will take effect on August 1, 2027, with immediate implementation for rule-making and regulation changes.

Bill journey
✓IntroducedComplete
✓In CommitteeComplete
✓First Chamber FloorComplete
4Second ChamberCurrent
5GovernorPending
6ChapteredPending
Last action: RETURNED TO ASSEMBLY (2026-06-04)Alert me
Quick answers about A 5079
What is the current status of A 5079?
As of July 15, 2026, A 5079 is recorded as "Passed first house": it has passed the chamber it started in and is now before the second chamber. The last recorded action, on June 4, 2026, was "RETURNED TO ASSEMBLY".
Did A 5079 pass?
Not yet. A 5079 has passed its house of origin and is now before the second chamber, where it needs committee approval and a floor vote.
Who wrote A 5079, and where is it now?
A 5079 was authored by Asm. Kwani O'Pharrow with 12 coauthors.
Author and sponsors
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Coauthors
Yudelka TapiaPhil SteckAl TaylorNikki LucasLandon DaisLarinda HooksDemond MeeksMonique Chandler-WatermanKhaleel AndersonMichael DursoKeith BrownJen Lunsford
Recent actions24 total · showing 5
Jun. 04, 2026RETURNED TO ASSEMBLY
Jun. 04, 2026PASSED SENATE
Jun. 04, 20263RD READING CAL.181
Jun. 04, 2026SUBSTITUTED FOR S194D
Jun. 02, 2026REFERRED TO RULES
Full action history, 19 earlier actionsConnect Plus
Latest bill textIntroduced version, February 12, 2025 · 750 words
  
  STATE OF NEW YORK ________________________________________________________________________ 5079 2025-2026 Regular Sessions  IN ASSEMBLY February 12, 2025 ___________ Introduced by M. of A. O'PHARROW -- read once and referred to the Committee on Economic Development AN ACT to amend the general business law and the executive law, in relation to enacting the "school security guard training enhancement act" The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem- bly, do enact as follows: 1 Section 1. Short title. This act shall be known and may be cited as 2 the "school security guard training enhancement act". 3 § 2. Article 7-A of the general business law is amended by adding a 4 new section 89-x to read as follows: 5 § 89-x. Applicability to school security guards. 1. School security 6 guards employed or contracted by a school in this state, including, but 7 not limited to, retired police officers that have been retired for more 8 than five years, shall obtain a specialized certification, in addition 9 to the general security guard license required by this article. Such 10 specialized certification shall require the completion of a school-spe- 11 cific training program, including, but not limited to, role and respon- 12 sibility of school security officers, school-related laws and liability, 13 security awareness in the educational environment, youth 14 mediation/conflict resolution, disasters and emergencies, dynamics of 15 student behavior and cultural awareness, restorative justice, crisis 16 prevention, and the Dignity for All Students Act (DASA). 17 2. The specialized training program shall be implemented and enforced 18 by the department, in consultation with the department of education and 19 the department of criminal justice services, the division of homeland 20 security, state police and local law enforcement. Such training program 21 shall be standardized and approved statewide. 22 3. The secretary shall, in consultation with the department of educa- 23 tion and the security guard advisory council, adopt rules and regu- EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets [ ] is old law to be omitted. LBD00537-01-5 

 A. 5079 2 1 lations implementing the provisions of this section. Such rules and 2 regulations shall include, but not be limited to: 3 (a) requirements of the specialized certification and school-specific 4 training program; 5 (b) criteria determining if prior training and experience may be used 6 to satisfy the training requirements of such specialized certification; 7 (c) the period of time after this section becomes a law when the 8 program shall be implemented; and 9 (d) upon implementation of the certification program, determine a 10 period of time not to exceed one year that individuals will have to 11 obtain such certificate to continue serving as a school security guard. 12 4. Nothing in this section shall supersede the language of any collec- 13 tively bargained agreement subject to article fourteen of the civil 14 service law. Any costs associated with this training, or leave time 15 required, shall be subject to a collectively bargained agreement under 16 article fourteen of the civil service law. 17 § 3. Paragraphs (c) and (d) of subdivision 1 of section 841-b of the 18 executive law, as added by chapter 336 of the laws of 1992, are amended 19 and a new paragraph (e) is added to read as follows: 20 (c) minimum qualifications for instructors at approved security guard 21 training schools and training programs; [and] 22 (d) the subject matter of all training requirements which security 23 guards and security guard applicants must complete before being regis- 24 tered as unarmed and armed security guards[.]; and 25 (e) the training requirements for the school-specific training program 26 described in section eighty-nine-x of the general business law. 27 § 4. Subdivision 7 of section 841 of the executive law, as amended by 28 section 6 of part Q of chapter 56 of the laws of 2009, is amended to 29 read as follows: 30 7. Consult with and cooperate with other departments and agencies of 31 the state concerned with police officer, school security guards, and 32 peace officer training; 33 § 5. This act shall take effect on the one hundred eightieth day after 34 it shall have become a law. Effective immediately, the addition, amend- 35 ment and/or repeal of any rule or regulation necessary for the implemen- 36 tation of this act on its effective date are authorized to be made and 37 completed on or before such effective date. 

Text of A 5079 as introduced, from the official record. Connect Plus keeps every version and highlights what changed.Compare versions
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