S 199: Deems home instruction which is compliant with the provisions of article 65 of the education law and the home instruction requirements prescribed in the commissioner of education's regulations to be substantially equivalent in amount and quality to the instruction given to students of like age and attainments at the public schools of the city or district where the student resides.

  
  STATE OF NEW YORK ________________________________________________________________________ 199 2025-2026 Regular Sessions  IN SENATE (Prefiled) January 8, 2025 ___________ Introduced by Sens. MARTINEZ, BORRELLO, CLEARE, GALLIVAN, MURRAY, OBER- ACKER, O'MARA, PALUMBO, ROLISON, TEDISCO, WALCZYK, WEIK -- 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 home instruction The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem- bly, do enact as follows: 1 Section 1. Paragraphs (iv) and (v) of subdivision 2 of section 3204 of 2 the education law are renumbered paragraphs (v) and (vi) and a new para- 3 graph (iv) is added to read as follows: 4 (iv) (A) For purposes of considering substantial equivalence pursuant 5 to this subdivision for instruction provided at home to students of 6 compulsory school attendance age, the local school authority shall deem 7 home instruction to be substantially equivalent in amount and quality to 8 the instruction given to students of like age and attainments at the 9 public schools of the city or district where the student resides when 10 the parent or person in a parental relation with the student has 11 complied with the requirements of this article and the home instruction 12 requirements prescribed in the commissioner's regulations through grade 13 twelve. 14 (B) Once a parent or person in parental relation has fulfilled the 15 obligations of home instruction as set forth in subparagraph (A) of this 16 paragraph to complete high school, such person shall request from the 17 superintendent of schools of the student's school district of residence, 18 and such superintendent shall provide, within thirty days, to the parent 19 or person in parental relation, or student, where the student is eigh- 20 teen years or older, a letter, in a form and manner prescribed by the 21 commissioner, certifying the student's successful completion of home 22 instruction that was substantially equivalent to the public schools of 23 such city or district, and provided further that, upon request from an EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets [ ] is old law to be omitted. LBD00878-01-5 
 S. 199 2 1 institution of higher education or licensed private career school, the 2 superintendent of schools shall provide, within thirty days, an official 3 copy of such letter of substantial equivalence to the institution of 4 higher education or licensed private career school. 5 (C) (1) As used in this paragraph, "institution of higher education" 6 shall mean any institution of higher education recognized and approved 7 by the regents of the university of the state of New York which provides 8 a course of study leading to the granting of a post-secondary degree or 9 diploma. 10 (2) As used in this paragraph, "licensed private career school" shall 11 have the same meaning as defined in paragraph a of subdivision one of 12 section five thousand one of this chapter. 13 § 2. This act shall take effect immediately.