S 3783: Relates to mandatory continuing education for teachers relating to mental health issues and trauma informed care.

  
  STATE OF NEW YORK ________________________________________________________________________ 3783 2025-2026 Regular Sessions  IN SENATE January 30, 2025 ___________ Introduced by Sen. FELDER -- read twice and ordered printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Education 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 and trauma informed care 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 department of health 4 and the commissioner of the department of education, shall develop 5 course materials to be offered as part of the required continuing teach- 6 er and leader education requirements pursuant to paragraph a of subdivi- 7 sion two of section three thousand six-a of the education law. Such 8 training shall include, but not be limited to: 9 1. continuing education courses; 10 2. programs and activities related to mental health; 11 3. trauma informed care, intervention and practices; 12 4. adverse childhood experiences and social emotional learning; 13 5. behavioral health disorders; 14 6. best practices for improving the overall learning environment; 15 7. safe de-escalation of crisis situations; 16 8. identifying signs and symptoms, including early stages of mental 17 illness and behavioral health issues; and 18 9. 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. LBD03474-01-5 
 S. 3783 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 ten 6 hours during the five-year registration period, but not be limited to 7 continuing education courses, programs and activities related to mental 8 illness and trauma informed care pursuant to subdivision (d) of section 9 7.23 of the mental hygiene law. The department shall issue rigorous 10 standards for courses, programs, and activities[,] that shall qualify as 11 continuing teacher and leader education pursuant to this section. For 12 purposes of this section, a peer review teacher, or a principal acting 13 as an independent trained evaluator, conducting a classroom observation 14 as part of the teacher evaluation system pursuant to section three thou- 15 sand twelve-d of this article may credit such time towards [his or her] 16 such teacher's or such principal's continuing teacher and leader effec- 17 tiveness 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 authorized to be made and completed on or before such date.